# LED replacement for stock halogen headlamp bulb



## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

I have been looking for a way to replace my broken halogen bulb with a LED bulb, but quite confused with the large number of solutions requiring additional electrical parts to make the change work. I did see a few posts from Ariens members saying it is just plug and play with an AC/DC LED bulb. So my LED bulb came in today and it works perfectly in place of the halogen bulb. Steady bright white light on a sunny day.

Here is the LED that I purchased: BOKERMI AC/DC 9-48V 881 894 LED Fog Light Bulbs Super Bright 1500LM 78-SMD 3014 Chips LED Lamps for DRL Driving Fog Lights Bulbs (2 Pack), Fog Lights - Amazon Canada had difficulty finding a LED bulb with AC and DC voltage, so went with this one.

My Ariens wiring diagram in the owner manual says there are 3 wires from the engine. Yellow is AC, red is DC and black is ground. However, my machine has only the red and black wires from the engine. The red connects in the connector block to a yellow wire going to headlamp and switch for handwarmers. The engine ground black wire is connected in the block to a black wire to ground the headlamp. So I checked the voltage as AC at the connector, and the no load voltage is 10 volts at 2,500 rpm, 14.5 volts at 3,600 rpm and 15.6 volts at 3,900 rpm. Switching on the handwarmers at 3,900 rpm dropped the voltage to 14.5 volts. 

To remove the bulb from the headlight I find it easier to remove the two 8mm headed bolts securing the headlamp to the metal panel and then lift the two retaining tabs holding the bulb to headlamp housing, and pull out the bulb. Replace the bulb with the 881 LED bulb, which is same size and a perfect fit, and replace the housing. All done, and light works through engine operating range. 

Some pics are attached.


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## trellis (Mar 14, 2018)

Different brand but similar on US site, specs are slightly different, I’m tempted to try these.



https://www.amazon.com/YEERON-AC9-36V-Bright-Replace-Lights/dp/B08CF1MGKK/ref=mp_s_a_1_18?dchild=1&keywords=YEERON&qid=1615421259&sr=8-18&th=1&psc=1


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## Marty013 (Mar 14, 2014)

and how is the light output?? better than stock?? same? worst??


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## jr27236 (Feb 19, 2021)

I put one of those no name chineseium led bulbs in my old machine and it rattled the bulb to pieces. The nice thing about the way that halogen is set up you can solder a new bulb to the legs if you couldnt get a replacement. 
But in regards to the light. Why needed? I believe they were origonally put on machines to make you the user visble, as the Simplicitys are amber, like a marker light. Also even in the dark in the snow is bright at night, so really no need for a light. I'll take hand warmers over the best of lights any day.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

Town said:


> Here is the LED that I purchased


The LED listing does indicate AC or DC operation, so that's a great find. 

Did you have to mount the circuit board (shown on the listing page) separately or is in integrated into the bulb assembly?



Town said:


> . . . Yellow is AC, red is DC and black is ground. However, my machine has only the red and black wires from the engine. The red connects in the connector block to a yellow wire going to headlamp and switch for handwarmers. . . . So I checked the voltage as AC at the connector, and the no load voltage is 10 volts at 2,500 rpm, 14.5 volts at 3,600 rpm and 15.6 volts at 3,900 rpm.


Isn't the red wire supposed to be DC? Is your engine the same one that would also be used with EFI, where the DC output would be used to charge the battery?


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Marty013 said:


> and how is the light output?? better than stock?? same? worst??


Have not tried it yet in the dark.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

jr27236 said:


> I put one of those no name chineseium led bulbs in my old machine and it rattled the bulb to pieces. The nice thing about the way that halogen is set up you can solder a new bulb to the legs if you couldnt get a replacement.
> But in regards to the light. Why needed? I believe they were origonally put on machines to make you the user visble, as the Simplicitys are amber, like a marker light. Also even in the dark in the snow is bright at night, so really no need for a light. I'll take hand warmers over the best of lights any day.


There is no noticeable vibration at the handlebars/headlamp on my machine so I am not expecting any damage from that cause.

I have replaced the halogen bulb 3 times in 7 years and it was broken again at the start of this season. I planned to replace the halogen with a LED for this season, but it took far longer than anticipated. 

I tried once this year snowblowing at night but with no headlamp I was not confident even though the street lighting is very good, too many shadows. At night I need a headlamp to operate my blower safely and I have two red flashing lights to be more visible. 

The two LED bulbs for CAD$20 are cheaper than 1 halogen bulb at CAD$21. According to others the 4.1 watt LED bulb produces way more usable light than the 20 watt halogen in the stock headlamp. I will find out how durable the LED is soon enough.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

PlOM said:


> The LED listing does indicate AC or DC operation, so that's a great find.
> 
> Did you have to mount the circuit board (shown on the listing page) separately or is in integrated into the bulb assembly?
> 
> ...


The circuit board that permits AC or DC operation and other functions is built into the bulb assembly and there is no "heat sinc" as I have seen on other LED bulbs. The base for the 881 LED bulb is identical to the stock Ariens halogen bulb and fits perfectly, no additional parts.

Yes, the red wire is supposed to be DC voltage according to my owner manual, but it is AC. My engine was built in 2014 so before EFI, but I thought the red DC would be for 12 volt electric start battery charging. Clearly not the case since I have only 2 wires (not 3 wires) from the engine, red and black, the yellow is missing.


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## bisonp (Mar 23, 2018)

jr27236 said:


> I put one of those no name chineseium led bulbs in my old machine and it rattled the bulb to pieces. The nice thing about the way that halogen is set up you can solder a new bulb to the legs if you couldnt get a replacement.
> But in regards to the light. Why needed? I believe they were origonally put on machines to make you the user visble, as the Simplicitys are amber, like a marker light. Also even in the dark in the snow is bright at night, so really no need for a light. I'll take hand warmers over the best of lights any day.


The amber light on Simplicitys was to enhance contrast and better see through the snow. Fog lights used to be yellow or amber too for the same reason.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Tonight I took some pics of the light at night, seems to be more of a "to be seen" light than a help seeing. The light is very diffused on a very dark rainy night. My eyes at the time could see more than my camera, so not all bad.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

@PIOM attached is a pic of the engine electrical connector showing the red wire from engine connecting to the yellow wire to the light and handwarmers.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

That's an interesting difference. Perhaps related to the transition to EFI. But, is the wiring diagram from the 921040 Owners Manual? I looked at both 921040 manuals (two serial number ranges) on the Ariens site and neither has a wiring diagram.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

PlOM said:


> That's an interesting difference. Perhaps related to the transition to EFI. But, is the wiring diagram from the 921040 Owners Manual? I looked at both 921040 manuals (two serial number ranges) on the Ariens site and neither has a wiring diagram.


My machine pre-dates EFI by many years. 

The electrical diagram from my first post is from the 2015 Parts manual for my machine. It is dated 9/14 so the approx build date for the 2015 Platinum 921040 model. Attached is the diagram without rotation so you can see the engine electrical block clearly. It is not the same as my machine, and I don't know why. However, it works as expected except for the engine wire colour.


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## Toro-8-2-4 (Dec 28, 2013)

Town said:


> The circuit board that permits AC or DC operation and other functions is built into the bulb assembly and there is no "heat sinc" as I have seen on other LED bulbs. The base for the 881 LED bulb is identical to the stock Ariens halogen bulb and fits perfectly, no additional parts.


The heat sink is the aluminum housing. Larger LED headlights have more noticeable heat sinks. Some even have a mini fan built in to help disipate the heat. The electronics don't like the heat. Since these are Cold weather machines that alone should help prolong its life.



bisonp said:


> The amber light on Simplicitys was to enhance contrast and better see through the snow. Fog lights used to be yellow or amber too for the same reason.


Correct. If the light color is too White and super bright it will reflect off of snow or moisture in the air and make it even harder to see. Hence the non white colors of fog lights. Just try to use your high beam lights in the fog or snow and see what happens. This bulb is sold as a fog light replacement so I would hope the light characteristics are not as reflective as a conventional head light bulb.

Good Luck and let us know how it works out as you gain experience using it at night under various conditions.


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## jr27236 (Feb 19, 2021)

Toro-8-2-4 said:


> This bulb is sold as a fog light replacement so I would hope the light characteristics are not as reflective as a conventional head light bulb.


The bulb in a fog light is not any different from a headlight bulb. Not even the shape of the lens, unless you get the wide rectangular lens that will make a wide beam. The height of the light is what makesp a difference. Being low does not illuminate the fog or snow directly in front of your car. with the new Toro placement, the beam is lower and probably illuminates with less machine shadow or interference. 
They also dont have to run it as far and Im sure thats what it came down to, less manufacturer cost.


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## Toro-8-2-4 (Dec 28, 2013)

jr27236 said:


> The bulb in a fog light is not any different from a headlight bulb. Not even the shape of the lens, unless you get the wide rectangular lens that will make a wide beam. The height of the light is what makesp a difference. Being low does not illuminate the fog or snow directly in front of your car. with the new Toro placement, the beam is lower and probably illuminates with less machine shadow or interference.
> They also dont have to run it as far and Im sure thats what it came down to, less manufacturer cost.


All I know is what I have read. Today I read a bit more thanks to your comment. So Thanks..... Apparently the color is controversial. Some say a yellow hue is better at cutting deeper into the fog because it has a longer wavelength. Others say that does not matter.

What seems to be more important is to have them low to the ground to light up more of the street and not the water particles in the air.

I cut this out incase the link below does not work. This was informative to the point of color being inconclusive.

*You Need to Choose the Right Color*
There are often some intense debates over the best color for fog lights. A good majority of manufacturers stick with “selective yellow” that theoretically has longer wavelengths needed to penetrate deeper into a wall of fog. This is why you will see many fog light products with a yellow hue, especially with halogen bulbs and led bulbs. 

Others disagree, however, that yellow really makes a big difference, particularly if the light itself doesn’t have the best construction quality. Some drivers prefer white lights. At the very least, remember that color alone won’t make a good fog light. The design and construction need to be high in quality to get good results. 

For the entire article click here.



https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiYmdK3xq7vAhUQnOAKHe7bAEAQFjAOegQICRAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fmaintenance-repair%2F29838%2Ffog-lights&usg=AOvVaw3z5U_s9ObQ8dr7YFIHGjIZ


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Ariens will introduce 4 new models for 2021 with LED lighting and also release a LED replacement headlamp for 2012 and up select models. The part # is 72104400 when it is released later this year. The price will be US$45 according to Paul Sikkema.


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## trellis (Mar 14, 2018)

I found some more info on why LEDs look bright but often fail as an efficient replacement lamp.

The main problem with LED retrofits appears to be that the housing needs to be designed for the lamp to optically focus the light otherwise it’s just a diffuse source. Which is why cheap tactical LED flashlights with lenses can out perform retrofits in halogen fixtures.

Other factors are in play but this is the most important hurdle for lamp replacements in snowblower housings.










Why Most LED Headlight Upgrades Don't Really Work: An Expert Explains


Plug-and-play LED replacements for halogen headlight bulbs are a popular car mod. LEDs often look brighter than incandescent lights, but “looks brighter” and “illuminates better” are not the same thing. I got a stern talking-to from an actual lighting expert about LED retrofits, and science...




jalopnik.com







Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Thanks @trellis for that informative read. It explains why my LED bulb looks very bright but does not work well to light up the path ahead. Good job Ariens is coming out with a LED bulb and matching housing this year.


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## jr27236 (Feb 19, 2021)

The question has to be asked,
How bright do we really need it to be on a snowblower. LED'S have been around for ever, but since they have been used in more applications, people have been putting them EVERYWHERE. Love when manufactures uses the "it saves energy/uses less energy/energy savings when it applies to a car or machine where energy savings isnt even a factor. But it gets people to buy it. Then they light up there POS car with so many of these things that it looks like an scene from Close Encounters With The Third Kind.


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

Bright. But it's better when it's a focused beam instead of a wide area flood light like most snowblower lights are.


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

Myself, 45 years clearing snow in a high snowfall area (Upper Michigan), I have yet to find a need for _any_ light, and it constantly makes me mad to have to pay for one (much less handwarmers). . . The feature set on my 1974 10000 was perfect . . . why so much extra crap crammed on these days? About the _only_ change I would consider is EFI . . .


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## jr27236 (Feb 19, 2021)

I think the two best added features are handwarmers and the ability to steer. Never saw a dark day or night for that instance in the snow that needed a light. Your still going to run over anything buried lol


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

Had a lockable open diff so could steer in the 1970's, so I wouldn't call "the ability to steer" a new feature . . .it has been there a very long time. Sure, there are new ways, but it's hardly a new concept.


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## jr27236 (Feb 19, 2021)

tadawson said:


> Had a lockable open diff so could steer in the 1970's, so I wouldn't call "the ability to steer" a new feature . . .it has been there a very long time. Sure, there are new ways, but it's hardly a new concept.


Ok, didn't know that


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

tadawson said:


> Had a lockable open diff so could steer in the 1970's, so I wouldn't call "the ability to steer" a new feature . . .it has been there a very long time. Sure, there are new ways, but it's hardly a new concept.


I had a 1974 machine with a lockable open differential so in winter conditions the machine could either steer easily or drive but not both. The more modern easy turn systems have both 2 wheel drive all the time and steer just as easily as an open differential model. I used that machine for 30 years, but it was not in the same class as my 2004 replacement machine with trigger steering, then my 2015 machine with Auto-Turn moved the bar much higher.


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

Had the lockable then, auto turn now . . . really have no preference, or perhaps a bit for the lockable. In 20 or so years with that blower, had to lock it maybe 5 times, and steering is a lot smoother unlocked than auto turn. Just have to decide what annoys me more . . . reaching for the lock on those rare occasions, or constantly having to give auto turn that small "bump" to getto unlock to turn . . . Probably depends a lot on conditions as well . . .


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