NEED LED LIGHTING ADVICE

Good Morning!

I drive an 05, basic single cab, short bed, 4 cyl/5 spd manual, 4WD as a daily driver and for heavy ranch use. I raise cattle on steep hillsides in eastern San Luis Obispo County in central California. My rig is 100% work/results oriented. In my lifetime, I have driven six jeep vehicles along with numerous 4WD trucks under extreme conditions, and this is hands down the most capable, versatile, and reliable of all.

Ten years ago I installed an ARB bumper with a Warn winch. I've built a lot of fence with this set-up. Highly recommend the ARB - have used it 10 years with no problems. Purchased it for strength and the fact it was one of the few air bag compliant installs at the time. Just put on a new set of Kumho MTs to cope with adobe mud - good results so far. Bed panels dented by cattle pushing each other for hay, but mechanically sound. Just turned 260,000 miles and put about $5,000 into maintenance (ouch!) but plan on keeping it forever. I am a cranky, 69-year-old fanatic when it comes to driving. When I leave the pavement I immediately engage 4WD, everywhere, every time, so as not to spin a wheel and dig ruts that erode. As a result I've only had to replace brakes once, and have yet to adjust, let alone replace, the clutch!

I put high-end halogen bulbs in the stock headlamp housings; improved night vision, but not by much. I want to add aftermarket off road driving lights to more readily see black cattle in the dark, and fog lights to better cope with the San Joaquin Valley fog. Been studying the propaganda on halogen/HID/LED lighting. Leaning toward HID driving and LED fog, but HID may prove too expensive. Whatever I buy will install on the ARB bumper, tucked in to protect against critters, so I'm not really interested in light bar configurations. 4-6" will fit while still allowing free access to the winch components. Can anyone share real world experience with the new LED spot lights? I'm particularly interested in knowing if they really reach out and light up the night and approach the performance of HID's. I would prefer a complete kit for ease of install, with emphasis on durability. I appreciate any recommendations on brands or comments on points I may have overlooked.

 

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Hi there, I am more than happy to help out. I believe that you can get what you're looking for out of LEDs. HIDs will light up extremely far distances, but I think that might be overkill for you but I also am not out there with you at night so it's tough to say.

With that in mind, here are some LED options. We have the G34 lights in both Fog and Driving patterns and those would give you the short and wide spread coverage you need for the fog you experience, and driving mid range lights with some distance coverage to illuminate the cattle at greater distances.

Another option for driving lights are the G46 lights that have a slighting tighter driving pattern that would shine down range further but again are not quite as wide as the G34 driving. These are also slightly bigger than the G34s as you can see in the datasheet I attached.

These will definitely be durable with their aluminum housing, and both are backed by our 23 year warranty. They also come with a wiring harness w/ 2-Pin weather proof connectors and a 30A illuminated switch.

Have a look at those options and let me know if you think you would need something else or if those will work for you. If you have questions I'm happy to help!

G34 Lights
G34 Datasheet

G46 Lights
G46 Datasheet

 

I highly recommend @Iggy. to chime in on this, he's got some great LED products.