Two questions: Rear lights & IPTO safety switch

[Phazer]

OK . . . I did a search and didn't find anything. I looked at the schematics and am just as confused.

First of all, I'm probably not going to "restore" my 1975 185 but will want to get it turned into a good daily driver. So with that in mind here's my questions.

1. What operates/connects the IPTO lever to the safety switch? None of the parts catalogs show too much detail about this.

2. What the heck was the combination of two rear lights. I have the painted "can" light with a red lens and a bracket that sticks out toward the lip of the fender for what I assume is a combo light.

a. Did the can light originally have a clear lens even though it has an 1157 bulb?
b. Whas the combo light yelow on one side and red on the other?
c. Which direction where the colors facing?
d. Was it the one the flasher is hooked to?
e. If the red faces rearward, why would the can light have a red lens also?

Actually, I guess I have a third question.

3. I sometimes see a sealed-beam rear work light with a somewhat pointed/tapered housing.

I would assume youd want a clear rear work light and then be able to switch to a flashing warning light for road travel.

WHAT THE HECK IS THE RIGHT COMBINATION AND HOW IS IT WIRED?

[SONNY]

The switch has a long lever sticking out and is spring loaded to operate when clutch lever is moved.
The light has a switch to turn white light off and goes to a small red light at the bottom inside of the reflector.
I may have a wiring diagram, would have to dig around and see! thanks; sonny

[Phazer]

No . . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean the light that had the red/clear lens with it's own switch.

The light I have is just a single wire with a all red lens. The combo light I was refering to was a double sided pancake light.

I guess one of my thoughts/concerns was that all the schematics only show (1) wire going to the rear lights. With one of them possibly being a clear work light, and one of them being a flashing light, without a seperate wire, this isn't as easy as it sounds.

I did notice under the tunnel cover, there is a connector that has (2) cavities empty.

My thoughts in a nutshell, there are (3) different lights, (possibly 4, but I won't count the hard to find red/clear lens type), but you can only have a choice of (2).

Have I confused everyone enough yet? 8>)

[BigBill]

There's an orange lens on both sides of the blinking orange lite the other running lite is a red lens towards the rear only. These two should be on the left fender on the outboard left traffic side so the tractor is seen by on comming traffic and traffic comming up behind you. We also need a triangle slow vechicle sign too on the rear of the tractor plus two working headlites.

One hot wire splits to the running red lite and another wire that tee's off to the blinker orange lite comes from the flasher to the orange bulb. Both lites run off one hot wire from the light switch.

BTW; The orange flasher has to be mounted on the higher part of the rear left fender so its visible in both directions.

I hope i helped.

[Phazer]

EXCELLENT ! ! ! Yes, mine is missing the light on the higher/outer bracket.

Was there ever a clear lensed work light offered as an option?

What are people using for a flasher? Mine is missing and the strap/retainer looks like it might be almost 2" in diameter, (that's a big flasher nowadays). I would think an automotive flasher might not work because of the lack of sufficient load.

[SONNY]

Mine has the standard automotive flasher and socket, (it dont work but is hanging under there among the rest of whatever is left of the factory wires, so I assume it was factory issue!), most of the rear stuff has been ripped off and I am not about to try and fix any wires/switches/ etc, when it has major bigger problems. thanks; sonny

[Phazer]

Did a google search for 185 flasher and nothing came up. I'm going to wire it so the red can light and the double-sided amber come on at the same time with the double amber flashing.

I didn't have (2) empty cavities on the harness connector under the tunnel cover, it was only (1) and on the chassis side, it has a white wire that goes hot when the switch is in the "rear" position. This wire is dead in the first (2) switch positions, I'll use this as a rear utility work lamp. The black/white is hot in the first (2) switch positions, (1st being "dim"), I'll use this for the rear warning lamps.

In the process of making a new battery tray now also.

[BigBill]

On the switch one position is the all the lights lit with the headlites in low beam. The next position is all the lights lite with the headlites on high beam. I'm not sure what the third spot does on the switch it maybe for the worklite? In the daytime running on the road i use the dim headlites. At night i use the high beams on the road and looking for deer.
I notice that some 154/185/184 had worklites in the rear and some don't i guess that was an option too.

BTW; Mine uses the car/truck flasher too.

[SONNY]

Bill!---I think the third position is rear lights only!----dont bet the farm on it but I was thinking factory wired specs work that way!

[Phazer]

Somewhere I saw a position/function chart for the switch. Might have been ihregistry.com that seems to be on the fritz currently. Can't check mine because there is no wire going to the headlights and I think the stub might be pinched or touching somewhere between the dash and firewall. That will be my next chore along with getting the wheel off. I've had several Cub Cadets through the years so I'm pretty sure of the pain and anguish in-store for me.

[SONNY]

The decal on my dash shows! off---dim---brt---rear, so that would make the 3 clicks,---just looked at mine! thanks; sonny

[BigBill]

I knew it had three clicks and i never investigated what the third click did yet. I used the first click when on the road between mowing and the second click at night for brighter headlites.

[Phazer]

I haven't figured out if the headlights come on when in the rear position yet but maybe in a few weeks.

Does anybody have a "functioning" IPTO saftey switch hooked up that they could snap a picture of? I'm curious how that was originally rigged what with the sloppy lever and the switch being spring-loaded to go to the down position.

[Phazer]

Here's the quote from the 185 owners manual.

The switch has four positions: "OFF" position; "DIM" position for dim headlights and red taillight; "BRT" position for bright headlights and red taillight; "REAR" position for field use only, bright headlights, and white rear light (tractors equipped with optional comination rear light and taillight).

That implies the red taillight flashes all the time but doesn't indicate whether the taillight is dim when the headlights are dim, (I don't think it is, I think it is always bright).

It doesn't mention having a two-sided light of any sort which means it was either a red taillight only, or red taillight & a white work light. I was in the process of hooking up (3) lights but I might rethink that now.


I think I'm getting too obsessed with this already . . .

[BigBill]

Its ok to want it perfect. The three 154's i have, have the double sided orange flashing lite mounted higher up above the red tail running lite. These are all on the drivers left side so they can be seen by oncomming traffic and the traffic behind us. We can set it up the way we want but it has to be DOT legal. (Department of Transpertation) Sorry for the wrong spelling.

Right now on my int154 with the snowplow i'm debating on mounting the SIMS Cab on it. The SIMS cab has lights on both sides which maybe better for snowplowing at night. Plus the rotating orange light on the top of it. It also has signals on it too.