Enough candle power to melt the fur off of small animals!

[corksil]

Hopefully my thread title caught your attention.

I scored a 50" curved LED light bar recently for a great deal. I haven't had a chance to test it or anything but it has gotten me thinking.

If it consumes 288 watts of power at 12 volts, I think that means it has a 24 amp draw. Makes sense, because the fuse on it is 30 amp.

The more I think about this, the more worried I become. Maybe the seller got rid of it because he realized that it would have damaged the charging system or batteries of his light-duty pickup. A 24 amp draw is a hell of a lot of current. The light advertises 28+ thousand lumens of light output so this thing is serious business.

Assuming that I wire this thing properly, with a heavy-gauge wire directly to the positive and negative battery terminals (my F350 has two optima yellow top batteries) -- and use a relay to control the flow of electrons... I don't see any problems arising but it still has me worrying.

Do you guys think an extra 25 amp draw would damage a truck alternator?

[Triple Jim]

No. What's the alternator rated at, like 100 amps?

[Rifleman]

full size truck alternators are most likely rated at 200 to 250 amps, something like a RAM 2500 would be 300...

but yeah, don't look at it, like looking into the sun. LED's are like all light, they will weld your retinas to your medulla oblongata

[corksil]

Originally Posted by Triple Jim

No. What's the alternator rated at, like 100 amps?

No quite sure. However! There is typically a sticker under the hood, showing serpentine belt routing orientation. My 7.3l has two stickers, with one clearly marked "dual alternator configuration" -- and I looked into it and learned that some of these engine made their way into ambulances requiring the extra power output.

If my single-alt setup is insufficient, it's probably possible to source a bracket and add a second alternator.

[corksil]

Originally Posted by Rifleman

full size truck alternators are most likely rated at 200 to 250 amps, something like a RAM 2500 would be 300...

but yeah, don't look at it, like looking into the sun. LED's are like all light, they will weld your retinas to your medulla oblongata

Well it's a ford f350 so hopefully the alternator is adequate.

I will most certainly heed your wise advice because I enjoy my retina and medulla oblongata remaining unwelded. Good tip.

28,880 lumens advertised light output.

I still haven't hooked this b!+ch up yet and seen what she can do but I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks!

[Racer x]

I had an 85 Mazda rx7 along time ago. It was highly modified for rally/street racing. The headlight system used a 300 amp dual output stereo alternator with a Capasator. Four relays and two switches and a separate fuse bank. The lights had four 200 watt halogen bulbs plus two 55/100 halogen headlight bulbs. They called it the halogen sunrise. You could cook hotdogs with it.

[choneofakind]

Also remember LED's typically aren't driven at their max allowable power. The rating that's printed on your LED bar is the max, running it at max will reduce lifespan, so this isn't normally done.

Remember to use a relay harness powered straight off the battery to protect your truck's wiring harness.

[Racer x]

I wish I had LED lights back in the day. I drifted sideways over a set of speed bumps and blew out half my bulbs.
Definitely use a relay and external harness for lights. The factory wiring in modern cars is as thin as possible. Heat will turn the wiring very brittle.

[asellus]

If my buddy's Mazda MX-3 can do it, then your truck should have no problem. I wouldn't worry at all about it.

[MrAtom]

I'd expect you to buy a buncha CREE's and make your own lightbar, corksil

[VaFish]

Wouldn't hurt my Silverado. IIRC it has dual 220 Amp alternators.

[CynicalC]

Technically, it only takes one candlepower to melt the fur off small animals.