Buggy Bling

Ok, maybe not bling but since I used LEDs I'll call it bling anyway :laugh: I decided to put a couple Bluewater LEDs in my Kubota RTV to make up for the lack of lighting from the factory, the only light on the entire dash is the temp gauge....as RTV operators know with factory lighting you have to feel around to find your gear shift, 4 wheel drive lever, and differential lock.

This is a pic of the dash as it comes from the factory (Nevermind the little shine from in front that's just the headlights reflecting off my ultra high quality tarp cover


Here's the dash after I put in a couple Bluewater LEDs....I wasn't sure this would work because I'm using these lights for indirect lighting..they are completely under the dash pointing away from the operator


Here's a close up of just the shifting gates with the Bluewaters on


On the plus side the lights even light up my winch switch mounted on the lower dash now :thumb up2:


These LEDs did exactly what I was looking for and they will make night time operation of my buggy much more enjoyable. Although this isn't a normal application for Bluewater LEDs work excellent for it (Bluewater LEDs are most popularly used on bass boats...that's where I originally started using them but when I saw how crappy the factory lighting on my RTV was I decided to give em' a shot there too)

Nice job!

I solved that problem using a jeep roll bar mounted dome light like this one at Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Rugged-Ridge-11250-01-Roll-Light/dp/B000FQ1QE8

It straps on with wire ties and really lights up the cab.

The only problem with that approach is it truly messes with your night vision. After looking at your setup I may consider mounting a small red LED light up under the cab roof for night hunting ops.

Andrew

That's the reason I went with indirect lighting like I did, I did not want to be blinded by a light shining from about or on the dash facing the operator.


If you do decide to mount some LED lights I can vouch for Bluewaters....I've got a pile of them on my bass boat and they work great, the other nice thing is he guarantees them for life if you ever have a problem with his lights he'll take care of it.

Here's a link if anyone is interested in his stuff.....I recommend contacting him by email with your exact needs because he runs alot of specials and you might get them a little cheaper if he's got one going. He does blue, red, green, purple, orange (amber), white, and yellow in all different lenght strips.

www.bluewaterled.com

Thanks, I sent Mike an email asking what he recommends for low level red lighting in my cab.
Andrew

ajdillon said:

Thanks, I sent Mike an email asking what he recommends for low level red lighting in my cab.
Andrew

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No problem, Mike makes a very nice LED at a good price...the $2 shipping don't hurt my feeling either. It's also a big plus that they don't yellow like other brand LEDs I've seen....I've had them on my boat for quite a while and they still look perfect.

E-talked to Mike, he's sending me a red LED that he says will do fine for a night vision preserving dome light.
Thanks again for your help
Andrew

Glad he could help you out, the red is very nice. I've got one red and one green as a navigation light on the bow of my bass boat. I think red is an excellent choice for not ruining your night vision. The LEDs will come with red 3M two sided tape on them, all you'll need to do is clean the surface and stick them on.

I went with red lights because that's what we used on the bridge at night when I was driving large grey boats around the Pacific for Uncle Sam
Andrew

ajdillon said:

I went with red lights because that's what we used on the bridge at night when I was driving large grey boats around the Pacific for Uncle Sam
Andrew

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I like it. That's a great description of a sailor's job.