# anyone install an Arnold Light Kit 490-241-0009 ?



## J_ph

I've seen the LED thread which is really great but I was wondering if this might get me what I need with less fiddling? I was hoping just to light up the area directly in front of the snowthrower, I don't need to light up the street.

I have a new CC 3x which comes with one of those unfortunately placed lights. I have not installed hand warmers so I should have some available electricity to work with.

The kit seems to have gotten bad reviews, but it appears that there are either bad bulbs or user error and mis-matching the kit with too much power.

anybody have experience with this light kit?


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## Kiss4aFrog

I'm guessing when you say _*"mis-matching the kit with too much power" *_you actually found where it was installed and it gave dim light due to not enough power from the engine. Some engines will only run a smaller incandescent bulb and it's all they can run. When you step up to something like this headlight you are running at 55 watts and it can be dim as the engine can't produce enough electricity to run it. Or added to hand warmers you again are trying to pull more than the engine produces and you end up with a dim light and cold hands. 

Do you know what the engine produces as in amps or wattage 
If not, what exact MTD do you have and what are the engine numbers ??


Arnold Model #: 490-241-0009








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For some lights like this there is an option for a 35 or 25 watt replacement. They can be found on Ebay or are motorcycle applications. It's usually a "H3" bulb but I don't know for sure on this headlight. That way you have the nice housing but might need to go with a less bright bulb to stay within the specs of what the engine can handle.
A 25 watt bulb would be brighter running at 25 watts than the stock 55 watt bulb would be driven at less than 55 watts.


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## J_ph

I don't know how much power its putting out, it's a Cub Cadet 
3X 26-Inch 31AH55TA (I posted under MTD because of the lamp kit). It has a 357 engine and here's a link to the manual for the engine:

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/47/47ac6cc5-8f47-4bee-9154-36bdc5fff4df.pdf

some of the reviews mention that bulbs blew within seconds, so I was wondering if it was a problem with some engines kicking out too much for the spec'd lamp.

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Arnold 490-241-0009 Universal Snow Light For Most 2-Stage Snow Throwers With Alternators (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

I appreciate your help


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## Kiss4aFrog

In most cases the light or whatever it is using the power has a certain resistance (ohms) and that's what limits how much power goes through the circuit. BUT . . . if the voltage does climb enough over the designed operating range then you do get more amps pushed through the circuit by that higher than designed voltage and something can pop or burn out.

Think of the power a cars starter motor pulls compared to a brake light. They both work off the same battery but the reason the starter draws more power out of the same source (battery) is lower resistance.

A snow blower is a bit different as some will put out both AC, like a house and DC like a car. It might be the AC value did exceed the bulbs operating range. That is beyond my knowledge presently as I haven't studied the exact operation of a small engines system. I only recently became aware of small engines putting out both AC and DC together. I've always worked on riding mower systems that had regulators for charging batteries so there was a regulator in the system like a car.

The manual you linked is just generic operation info. Didn't see anything on the headlight or headlight circuit.
I'll looked up the engine and it should be a 438-SUB. I can't find the specs. The headlight bulb is a 925-1629 but I can't find a picture of it or it's specs either


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## J_ph

I did find some specs on the installed lamp, it looks like the 925-1629 is a 1141
MTD Replacement Part # 925-1629 LAMP-12 VOLT 1141 - Amazon.com

and some specs
1141 USA - incandescent - miniature lamp light bulb lamp - donsbulbs - light bulbs lamps valve valves tube tubes

so.. if the Arnold/MTD kit comes with a similarly spec'd lamp it might work?

12.8v
1.44amp
18.4watts


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## J_ph

another thought..... if it doesn't ship with similar lamp, I could get a bayonet base and use the same 1141?

Any problem running 2 lamps at the same time, the stock lamp and the new one? I won't install hand warmers.


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## J_ph

this is what happens you do too much searching on the net, you find somebody that turned a stator into a lamp.... it could have been a snowthrower project that went bad 











I ordered one of the lamp kits, it will be interesting to see what type of lamp ships with it.


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## Shryp

J_ph said:


> this is what happens you do too much searching on the net, you find somebody that turned a stator into a lamp.... it could have been a snowthrower project that went bad
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> I ordered one of the lamp kits, it will be interesting to see what type of lamp ships with it.


Is that a slice of bread holding it up?


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## J_ph

> Is that a slice of bread holding it up?


yes, they tried a gluten free version but it just wasn't as good.


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## Kiss4aFrog

I did run across the 1141 but wasn't sure if it was the crossover. I expected to see a halogen plug in rather than an "old school" bayonet base bulb. The newer machines seem to be going to the automotive fog light bulbs. They're halogen and are in the 800 series of bulbs.
Usually I do calculations at 12 volts. Some bulbs are rated at 12 some 12.4 some ....
I get technical but not that technical. So having said that the following numbers are close enough.

That stock bulb uses 1.44 amps or 18.4 watts at 12.8 volts. The bulb in the headlight kit uses almost three times as much. It's 55 watts or close to 5 amps.

The question is: does the engine produce enough power (amps or watts) to run it ??
Some only put out enough to run that 18 watt light. Some have a 36 watt / 3 amp circuit and some have more to do a headlight and hand warmers. In most cases they are newer models designed for snow blowers with hand warmers or the option to add them or they are older and the engine was shared with riding lawnmowers needing to run lights, an electric PTO and charge a battery.
You might want to ask MTD's customer service or tech assistance how much electrical power that engine puts out. That way you know for sure what you have to work with and how big or how many you can run off your engine.

The limited generating systems is why a lot of guys go to LEDs. They are other reasons but with LED's you can get more illumination, or lumens is the measurement from the same amount of power used (amps/watts). It's also a way to get light with hand warmers when you don't have the power to do both with incandescent lighting due to the load needed.

Only problem I have with LEDs is the lack of heat to keep the bulb clear of the snow settling out of the inevitable blow back you get in your face.


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## J_ph

> MTD's customer service or tech assistance how much electrical power that engine puts out.


good advice, I'll let you know what I find out.

thanks.


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## J_ph

> The bulb in the headlight kit uses almost three times as much. It's 55 watts or close to 5 amps.


It looks like the folks on the amazon discussion were replacing the lamp with a 55watt version. I found a parts layout for the light kit and it describes the lamp as an H3 15w. That would make sense because the other light has similar output.



> Replaced the 15W bulb with a 55W bulb,($6.35), a Wagner BP 1255/H3 which is the same as the GE H3-55.


I'll receive the kit next week. I have a feeling that I may try to replace the H3 socket with a BA15s to accomodate the 1141 lamp that it currently uses.


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## superedge88

J_ph said:


> It looks like the folks on the amazon discussion were replacing the lamp with a 55watt version. I found a parts layout for the light kit and it describes the lamp as an H3 15w. That would make sense because the other light has similar output.
> 
> 
> 
> I'll receive the kit next week. I have a feeling that I may try to replace the H3 socket with a BA15s to accomodate the 1141 lamp that it currently uses.


Sounds like a lot of messing around when you could just go with bright leds and a bridge rectifier. 
Let us know how your light works, 15 watt incandescent doesn't light much.


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## J_ph

yeah.. originally it did seem that this would be easier and faster to stick to the incandescent route, but I may need to reconsider. Thanks.


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## J_ph

any thoughts on the wiring of the Powermore motors?

in specific... what is a "20W/20W split alternator output lead". Apparently it's to allow for the hand warmers to be on a separate line. 

Does this mean that I have 2 lines from the alternator ( I do) and each are capped at 20W max. Currently one leg goes to the installed halogen lamp, the other I believe is just waiting for the hand warmers or additional light.

So I don't have a single leg with a 40w capacity, they are independent? 

Here's the reference from the hand warmer installation guide:

http://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Troy-Bilt-Troy-Built-Miscellaneous-Manuals-and-Bulletins/070566.PDF


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## J_ph

Finally the weather warmed up just enough to spend a couple minutes installing the lamp. The kit arrived with a H3 12v/15w lamp. From what I was told the actual voltage of the CC varies from 13-18v. I tested the 12v/15w lamp and it was bright and OK.

It seems that many people were swapping out the original bulb with a 24v/55w lamp. Out of curiosity I purchased a 24v/35w and a 24v/55w lamp to test. The 35w was not bright enough, but the 55w was good, probably similar to the 12v/15w lamp. 

After reading a bit on the net, the general consensus was that using a lamp that is rated for twice as much voltage would yield much less light output. I kept the 24v/55w lamp in the fixture because I liked the heavier looking filament and thought it might be better suited to heavy vibration. It seems that there is a fixed amount of amperage coming off the stator, if this was maxing out the system it would just be dimmer... is that true?

Does anyone know the science behind using a 24v/55w lamp instead of a 12v/15w on a system that puts out 13-18volts? What actually makes a lamp either a 12v or 24v bulb? 

One more alteration that I made was to cut a piece of the reflector (thin mylar) from the bottom of the installed lamp, the housing of the lamp is clear plastic. This shines some light down at my feet, quite a bit of the area that I snowthrow (is that a word?) is gravel, so I like to see how much is being cleared before I start spitting out stones. Also, this lights up the back controls of the engine. So the photo on the right is looking up at the bottom of the fixture.

thanks again,


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## WingMan55

Hi J_ph, I am in a similar situation. I just need enough light to see behind the snowbanks at the end of the road. I have a driveway light for the rest of where I snow blow. I was looking into this kit, and came across your thread. This looks like exactly all that I would need. 

And thanks for posting your photos. I would never have thought of mounting the kit where you did. Great idea! That would be all that I need. I, too, do not need to light up the whole street.

I recently found out that my engine has an 18W alternator and I measured 15VAC, so I think this kit would be perfect.

Thanks again...


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## WingMan55

Of course now that I have found exactly what I am looking for, it's been discontinued.

Anyone know of a similar replacement kit?


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## Kiss4aFrog

The difference between a 24volt bulb and a 12 volt bulb is the amount of material, type of material and design of the filament inside the bulb. If you run a 24 volt at 12 it will be dim. If you run a 12 volt at 24 it will either fail (pop) right away or be very bright and fail much sooner than it should.

Different engines produce different amounts of electricity and once you reach the limit then things will get dimmer. If you have or want to add hand warmers you have to take that into consideration as they require a fair amount of power. My older craftsman will power it's stock 18watt flood light but nothing else. 

Some will power a 55 watt light and nothing else. In your case it doesn't make sense that the 35 watt was dim but the 55 was brighter unless you are mistaken about the voltage of the two and the 35 was a 24 volt but the 55 was a 12 ?? I don't know why but the 55 since it takes more power should be even dimmer than the 35.

WingMan, are you looking for something that will fit into the panel or just something that will bolt on and give you light ?? Have you thought about going to LED ??


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## Kiss4aFrog

Sears still shows it for sale and available - - > Shop Parts by Part Number | Parts for part # 490-241-0009 | Parts.Sears.com


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## superedge88

WingMan55 said:


> Hi J_ph, I am in a similar situation. I just need enough light to see behind the snowbanks at the end of the road. I have a driveway light for the rest of where I snow blow. I was looking into this kit, and came across your thread. This looks like exactly all that I would need.
> 
> And thanks for posing your photos. I would never have thought of mounting the kit where you did. Great idea! That would be all that I need. I, too, do not need to light up the whole street.
> 
> I recently found out that my engine has an 18W alternator and I measured 15VAC, so I think this kit would be perfect.
> 
> Thanks again...


Be careful about mounting a light on the bucket like that, there is a reason that hardly anyone does that. If you get any drifting over the top of the bucket you will end up hitting the light. I know that in my situation, when I go down the length of the driveway I would hit a bucket mounted light on the snowbank. Just a thought.


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## WingMan55

Yeah Superedge88, I got a little excited when I saw the photos. I will not mount it there, because there are some winters where I need to use the drift cutters. As to going to LEDs, I really don't need anything that powerful, so this kit should work. I ordered one and will give it a try.

As far as the bulbs burning out, what I read was that guys were installing this kit on newer Troybuilts that were putting out 24VAC at WOT, and 12VAC at idle. That is why the bulbs were burning out. My machine is older, and I just measured it and at WOT it puts out around 14.8 - 15VAC.

Plus the advantage of this kit is that it has a mating connector (or so it says) that will plug right in and I won't have to mess around with splicing something else on.

So for $14.99 plus shipping, I'll find out. Many thanks for all the help, and I did go thru the entire LED thread and watched the videos. Very cool.


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## Kiss4aFrog

What kit did you order for $14.99 and from where ??


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## WingMan55

Kiss4aFrog, Here is the kit I ordered:



Koenig041 said:


> Ebay universal kit: Snow Blower Thrower Universal Work Spot Light Kit Spotlight w Bracket H | eBay


Koenig041 found it for me. It was posted on my original thread about adding a light.


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## WingMan55

I received the light kit today, and here is a link to my original thread. Thanks for all the help everyone.

http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...29569-add-headlight-craftsman-snowblower.html


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## WingMan55

I finally added the light kit and an on-off switch for it today. Thanks to all for your assistance!


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## J_ph

nice!


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## Kiss4aFrog

Looks good on there. Nice to be able to see at night which in winter is almost all the time it seems. 

Does it say what watt the bulb is ??


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## WingMan55

Thanks! Yeah, until the end of the season, it's usually dark when the snow needs clearing in the morning. 

The kit was not shipped in the original packaging, and did not have any instructions. Most of that info was posted on the eBay page I ordered from, and from what I have read on Amazon and other places, it is an H3, 15W bulb. I can say that it is too bright to look directly at for very long.


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## WingMan55

*Light kit works great!*

Thanks again for all of the help. I got to use it this morning after our big Nor'easter. There is plenty of light to see all the way to the end of the driveway. (The photos do not show it as good as it really is.)


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## BlowerMods1

Have a tiny 179 cc. without an alternator. I opted for a rechargeable battery operated LED work light. 1000 Lumins. Lights up the entire driveway. Craftsman at Lowes.

https://m.facebook.com/comment/repl...o_reply&notif_id=1576451863968021&ref=m_notif


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## BlowerMods1

J_ph said:


> I've seen the LED thread which is really great but I was wondering if this might get me what I need with less fiddling? I was hoping just to light up the area directly in front of the snowthrower, I don't need to light up the street.
> 
> I have a new CC 3x which comes with one of those unfortunately placed lights. I have not installed hand warmers so I should have some available electricity to work with.
> 
> The kit seems to have gotten bad reviews, but it appears that there are either bad bulbs or user error and mis-matching the kit with too much power.
> 
> anybody have experience with this light kit?


Check this out if you like less fiddling: Some additional info.

https://www.craftsman.com/products/1000-lumens-led-rechargeable-area-light

I put one of the on top of my bucket, works great and you can go up to 5000 Lumins if wanted. 1000 works good for me. No wiring.
.


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