One thing to keep in mind. If you wire the Headlight switch hot all the time, unless you have a disconnect switch at the Battery, that circuit will always be hot. If the Tractor sits in a barn or shed where the varmits hide and get into the Tractor, and they decide to have lunch and chew through that hot circuit, the fuse may or may not blow leaving a hot circuit bare possibly causing a short which you will not be aware of unless the Voltmeter picks it up showing an overcharging problem which brings the possible problem to your attention before something happens.
Wiring the headlight switch off the accessory or IGN post of the key switch, would be the safer route being that particular circuit will only be hot when the key is ON or the Tractor running. Standard Headlights and a tail light do not put that much load on the key switch, especially if you're running a 3 wire system and the voltage sense circuit is up near the dash where current is high. You can wire it either way as Steve mentioned, but as I said, don't rely totally on the fuse to protect the circuit. If you have additional spot or stadium lights, you should wire a separate circuit with a relay (or two) in that circuit with a seperate push/pull or Headlight switch to handle the higher load that stadium lights or additional spots can put on the system if the Headlights are on as well. The relay(s) will take the load off of the Headlight switch. BTW, if using these types of lighting, never use a toggle switch! Most standard toggle switches are only rated at 10-15 amps. Depending on what type of lighting and how much determines the load put on the switch. A good high amp push/pull switch such as a Cole Hersee 75 amp unit would be more than enough for that particular circuit. Its always better to have "overkill" . Moving up a notch on the gauge wire will help as well when wiring in these types of lights. Length of the circuit is important as well.
Terminal blocks are an excellent way to keep wiring neat and clean. Using a junction or terminal block is also a perfect spot to connect the voltage sense circuit from the Alternator. This way the VR can control voltage evenly on board the Tractor and keep voltage "balanced" throughout the system. Add a circuit from the Battery to that junction block, and the VR will also keep the Battery "full".... HTH
Steve@B&B
Edited by Steve in NJ - 07 Mar 2024 at 8:56am
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