Headlight wiring for '83 Chev. 3 way switch?

[andrewcanada]

Now that the pump bracket for my '83 Chev is on its way, I'll need some help with the wiring for my headlights. Is the best way a 3 way switch? Truck-off-plowlights? What about the turn signals? The light assemblies on my plow have a square plug (3/4") with three females and one male. Thanks...:confused: :beatsme

[Crash935]

Andrew,

Depends on how you want to to this, and i am assuming this is a conventional type mount where the headlights stay on the truck.

one way is to hard wire it by cutting into the factory harness. Look on Chucks chevy truck page for wiring instructions to a old meyer that uses a 2-way switch with 6 terminals on the back.

Another and less intrusive is to use a western or fisher cross harness with 2 relays and a single ground wire run into the cab on a single pole switch. i've used this several times and is nicer than having to cut apart the truck wiring. Will have to do some hard wiring to the plow lights still.

If you cant find anything on chucks page or want more info on using a harness, let me know.

Crash

[phoenix827]

Crash, Now that I hard-wired all of mine from scrach. (what a PITA!) What is this about a cross harness? Got more info?

[andrewcanada]

I just printed a wiring diagram from www.fisherplows.com, it's titled "peculiar light kit", but it's too technical for my feeble brain. Parts America and NAPA sell the entire kit in a box, for $110, but my CC was maxed out at NAPA and PA sold theirs moments before I arrived with a fresh CC! I did buy a rotating beacon at NAPA for $33. It has a halogen bulb, four "kitchen cabinet" style magnets, and it rotates much faster than the one from PA, which only had a normal style bulb, but one big "speaker" magnet. I have already wired in a second lighter plug, but it should be behind the seat to go through the back window.:feedback

[Crash935]

Andrew,

Hard wiring is a PITA, but at least you got it done. I'm guessing that your using a conventional type mount where the headlights stay with the truck. To use a Western/fisher cross harness you basically use just the part of a harness kit that goes between the headlights with the relays. You just have to add a wire from the marker to the relays, and a ground wire that is run into the cab to a switch with the other leg of the switch to a ground. One relay is for high beams and one for low beams so you have to run a wire off each relay out to the plow lights for high and low. But now that you have it hard wired and its working, i wouldnt mess with it.

Sounds like you got a good price on the flasher. Ive got mine up one the roof with the wire coming in the passengers side and it just reaches the plug, but i hardly use it. What about putting it on a light bar and hardwiring it with a switch in the dash? I use to have mine hardwired on a light bar on my other trucks because i would have gone crazy plugging and unpluging the darn thing while plowing commercial.

[phoenix827]

I got my diagram from somewhere, I thought it was here, but this is what Chuck has. wiring (http://www.snowplowing-contractors.com/plowltwiring.html) Thats basicly what I used, but I also added relays to everything. Had to shrink it a bit, but it should blow up fine.

[Crash935]

Thats the one i was talking about for hardwiring. Cant find my drawing for the relays, will try to make a new one.