light bar install

[Palooza]

Looking to put a light bar on my 570 Outlander:

What is the biggest light this can handle?  Is there a point where the generator cant keep up with demand for power?  How can I determine what the limit is?

Has anyone had luck with tapping into the high beam power for the headlights (instead of direct wire to the battery as many of the kits instruct)?

[davefrombc]

You can tap into the high beam power by using it to trigger a relay to  actually power the light bar from a line to the battery.  That would turn the light bar on and off with the high beams and no overload the high beam  lights wire and fuse. The only way to tell how powerful  a light bar you can use is to know the output of the charging circuit, the demand put on the system by the ignition and  light circuits  when they are on and a little extra to  charge the battery.  The ignition would likely only use a couple of amps at most.  If the owners manual  only lists  the demand of the lights and any accessories in watts, you  can  get the amperage draw by  dividing the watts by 12.  When you  know the  amount of draw on the alternator the  system  itself draws and the output of the alternator then  it only requires you to choose a light bar whose draw is  a little less than  the power available after all normal running demand is satisfied.   I hope I didn't overly complicate the explanation of what is really   fairly straight forward in  doing.

 

[Palooza]

This makes total sense.  The parts diagram for this machine indicates a 480 W "Stator Plate".  I've already replaced the halogen headlights with two 20W LED bulbs.  I dont have handwarmers, but these will draw 30 W should I install in future.  The winch and starter are intermittent sources that draw down the battery as they use much more power than the generator is providing.  Any other power uses are fairly minimal (display panel, spark to engine, tail light).  Hopefully I am not missing something. 

In conclusion, I think the 21 inch, 120 W light bar I am looking at shouldn't be a problem. Does this seem right?

BTW, I plan to tap into the high beam to feed a relay, as you suggested.  Do they make a "splitter" of some type for wiring of this size?

[davefrombc]

You should be able to  power  the light bar without any  problem.   You should be able to find the connector  you want  to tap the light bar relay into the high beam circuit in many hardware stores or electronic outlets.  Look for a "T tap" to connect  the  relay circuit. The wire is likely 16 gauge.