Relay Question
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Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: B/CS, Texas!!
Relay Question
Does a 12V relay NEED 12v to be switched? On my riding mower (lol) I noticed the headlights are REAL dull. I got a relay and rewired the lights. Whenever I hit the switch for lights, the relay doesnt switch. Relay is new and it works. The riding mower uses a 12V battery. Is there any other kind of relay I can use?
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Virginia
All you really need on a lawnmower is a little bit heavier wire and a nice quality switch. The wire distance in the mower does not warrent the need for a relay, and a simple on-off switch is all you need.
By the way, some of the lawnmowers I have seen that run Briggs and Stratton engines, do not run the lights on 12 volts dc. They have an alternator under the flywheel with two different windings. One winding feeds a diode, and charges the battery, and then there is another winding with a seperate wire coming out that goes to the lights. This wire has AC current on it, with no rectification. If your lights go out when you kill the motor, but still have the switch on, then that is probably the system you have.
By the way, some of the lawnmowers I have seen that run Briggs and Stratton engines, do not run the lights on 12 volts dc. They have an alternator under the flywheel with two different windings. One winding feeds a diode, and charges the battery, and then there is another winding with a seperate wire coming out that goes to the lights. This wire has AC current on it, with no rectification. If your lights go out when you kill the motor, but still have the switch on, then that is probably the system you have.
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Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: B/CS, Texas!!
Oh, so it seems that I have that system you describe. If light switch left on with engine off, lights do not stay on. The motor is also a Briggs. That would explain the relay not functioning.
Guess a switch will work.
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Guess a switch will work.
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Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2004
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From: North of Boston MA
I want to live where on February 15th you can talk about lights on a lawnmower...
I probably won't even see my lawn for another month when the 2 feet of snow on it melt. If we are lucky here I won't need my snowblower much past March.
I probably won't even see my lawn for another month when the 2 feet of snow on it melt. If we are lucky here I won't need my snowblower much past March.
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Joined: Feb 2005
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i have a 98 craftsman and it is wired as mentioned about the briggs motors, the higher the engine RPM, the brighter they get, and at an idle they might as well be off. What i would do is take the wires from the lights themselves and wire them dirrectly to the battery and put a switch on it, simple on or off. Just don't forget to shut them off when done or it won't start next time. Probably why they didn't wire it this way origionally. Too many people stranded in their back yard after using their mower's lights as a flashlight without the engine on.
