Light wiring

[Cstrock]

Haha three hours later. 10 coat hangers. 4 yards of string. Any secrets on wiring thru the tubes for the headlights

[ajhbike]

I did it twice...(don't ask why). I used light string with a little bit of polyester batting (like in a parka) and sucked it upwards around the bend with a vacuum. Not easy. The next time i used 16 ga wire from the top until I got it to the bend and reached up with one of those grabber contraptions and got it

[Jim Becker]

Never tried that particular operation. I would expect to just push the wire in from the center/inner end and it would pop out the outer end. The tube is held in place with a couple setscrews. I'm not sure if there is a separate tube for each side or if one tube goes all the way from one side to the other. If separate tubes, removing them might help. If a single tube, it won't help.

You may have already tried this: Put a loop of wire up into the center of the tube. Shove another wire in one end through to the other, so the loop ends up looped around the wire. Use the straight wire to pull a string through the tube, having plenty of string sticking out each end of the tube. Use the loop to pull the center of the string out of the tube. Cut the string in the center. Use each half of the string to pull one headlight wire.

[Cstrock]

Ima try the loop idea. I can get the coat hanger from one side to the other but going up is the issue. Worst case I’ll run the wire on the outside and wire tie it tight. Just wanna do it right tho

[ajhbike]

Keep trying...It will work on the 15th thing you try!

[Cstrock]

Haha nope not a chance. To be fair only spent three hours on it today

[Jim Becker]

I really thought the loop had a good chance. How about this, maybe you have already tried it.. Start with a piece of wire, coat hanger may work but something a bit more flexible would probably be better. Pre-bend the wire into an arc. Hold the wire so the curve turns down. Slide it in from the outside and try to get it to turn down when it gets to the center. If that doesn't work, use the same wire and try it from the center out.

[Eugene]

Multi-strand copper wire. Electrician's fish tape, cut off the hook. Electricians tape.

[ajhbike]

Maybe try the vacuum with kite string

[Gary Dotson]

I keep a couple old speedo cables around for such duties. I'm not clear exactly what this tube is like but something along the line may be of some help.

[Jim Becker]

The tube is mounted crosswise in a pedestal. There is a hole in the center of the tube. The wires go up through the pedestal and in the hole in the center, one going to each end of the tube. Lamps are clamped to each end of the tube. The wires exit ends of the tube to attach to the lamps. If this link works, it gets you to the parts catalog page where it is illustrated.

https://www.mycnhistore.com/us/en/casei ... 5056875BD6

[ajhbike]

It is a frustrating, tedious job for sure....made worse by the fact that the inside of the "pipes" on mine were full of spider nests, dirt, some rust....not exactly a frictionless route. You'll eventually get it, wire up your lights and probably never use them like me!

[Gary Dotson]

Thanks, Jim, I was envisioning something similar, just not that familiar with those.

[Cstrock]

Nope again no chance.

[Cstrock]

Finally got it. For future guys trying to do this. Coat hanger bent over as small as possible at the tip. The problem is the old cotton casing from the old wire left in there. Once u can bust thru that u can look down the tube and see the bent over coat hanger. Then take another one with string tide to the end. Send it thru the horizontal tube. Pull off the string and leave in in place. Grab the verticals coat hanger and use the little hook to grab the string. Pull it thru and down. It took around 4 hours total to figure out this method. Hope it helps anyone else. Be sure to clean out the horizontal tube also. Full of dirt dobblers. It does take approximately 6 beers