VIDEO: Sparex's Connix wireless lighting system put to the test

WHAT DO YOU GET?

EACH set of Connix lights comes in a handy sized carry case, of a size which can easily be stored in a tractor cab or a decent sized toolbox.

In it you get a left and a right LED lighting unit along with plug-in transmitter and various charging adaptors. Most of the non-UK charging adaptors can be removed, as it will only be the 13-amp domestic plug and the 12-volt, in-cab charger which will most likely be used.

This will also make more room in the case.

The case looks tough enough to be swapped from cab to cab, and features cut out compartments for all the key components. And just in case, a spare areal which fits to the transmitter socket is also included.

INSTALLATION AND USE

FITTING the lights could not be simpler. Screw areal into the transmitter plug, insert plug into seven-pin light socket on back of tractor, turn on and synchronise the lights, stick the lights to the machine via their magnets, quick check and away you go. Turn off when finished.

As a result, the device is easy to swap from machine to machine.

The lights work exactly like a normal set of rear lights would, and include indicator, brake light, side light and number plate light functions.

Their magnets allow simple attachment and detachment, and will stick to pretty much any ferrous metal surface.

The main criteria is that the surface is smooth and as free as possible of dirt. While they will attach to a less than ideal surface, too much dirt or rust can act like mini ball bearings, and while the magnets will stick, they could eventually slide off.

From the transmitter plug to the LED units, the wireless range is quoted as being 20 metres.

However, with a direct line of sight, we found the lights could still work up to a distance of nearly 60m before they start flickering.

Signal-wise, all Connix lighting systems use the same frequency, so someone using another set could pull alongside and make your lights work.

EVALUATION

TO get an idea of how useful the lights can be, we tried them out on a variety of machines and implements, the main two being an older fertiliser spreader with no lights, and a slurry tanker, to see what they would be like on a trailed machine.

Both implements featured their own set of challenges, with the fertiliser spreader providing plenty of shocks and vibrations, along with fertiliser dust, and the tanker throwing up mud, spray and not to mention drift from slurry.

For our older spreader, which had no factory fitted lights, the wireless set provided an ideal solution to the problem of not being able to see the tractor’s indicator lights when the spreader is raised – a problem often found with many mounted implements.

Another solution to this problem would also to use the wireless set of lights placed higher up on the tractor as a second set of lights, though this does require a decent flat, steel surface to work, something many cab roofs lack.

Movement

The tanker showed how useful the lights can be for a trailed implement. And as a single-axle machine with no suspension, both this and the fert spreader demonstrated how ‘sticky’ the magnets are, with no movement of the lights whatsoever.

Bright sunlight conditions during our test also revealed how bright and effective the LEDs are - they are certainly a lot brighter than older bulb-type lights.

The lights are ingress protection rated to IP65, which means they will handle spray and dust.

However, you would need to take them off when pressure washing the implement – the charging ports, while protected by rubber bungs, would not handle this abuse.