# HID head light conversions



## siewertenterpri (Aug 30, 2008)

I have been looking to upgrade my head lights on a old boss plow. I looked at the new style lights and there a lot of cha ching. A friend told me about kits that convert your original lights to HID by just changing the bulb and bulb socket. Has anybody ever tried these?


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## Get Plowed AK (Nov 9, 2008)

I dont know if you can do that on the old boss lights. I think they are a sealed beam. As for the 03-08 and the newest style on the 09 you can. I was able to fit a *slim digital balast *inside the housing on my 08 boss. Tight fit but do-able and worth the brightness.

The HID are crazy bright (6k). You can buy a *slim* kit off ebay for about $70 buck.payup


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## siewertenterpri (Aug 30, 2008)

Your right they are sealed lights originally. I bought different reflectors and lenses with a bigger sized balb and that still didn't help much.


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## Get Plowed AK (Nov 9, 2008)

IM sure there are a lot of guys with the 03-08 plows who bought the 09 style lights. Keep an eye out for them on craigs list or go to a boss dealer. My dealer up here gave me a brand new set, 03-08 cause people were updating. then its a 9005 or 9006 bulb and your off and running with HID's


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## siewertenterpri (Aug 30, 2008)

Thats a good idea thanks


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## festerw (Sep 25, 2003)

The problem with what you're proposing is that by just replacing the bulbs you will blind everyone else on the road. Reason being halogen reflectors are very much different than the reflectors in HID setups, spend the $$ and get the stock ones.


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## mike33 (Feb 15, 2006)

You can't do it that way. I bought my first boss v-plow in feb. 05. Next year i wanted the hid's my dealer said he only sold 1 pair and the guy had MD. at end of name. You was looking at 1,500.00. He sold me his demo set for i think around 700.00. I love them, they are bright and seems to seperate the snow flakes if you know what i mean. They actually had there own harness also, so it was a little more than changing bulbs. Now, i just traded my plow yesterday for the XT series and kept my hid's. Boss just came out with a new light system that is pretty darn close to the hid's. It was like giving myself a gift buying them, i make good money plowing but long hours and felt i deserved them. 
Mike


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## Get Plowed AK (Nov 9, 2008)

Mike, Why CAN"T you do it that way?

The refracter is still in the housing for the low beam, it is just a brighter bulb. Yeah it is brighter but if your lights are properly aimed the effect on other drivers will be minor.

Trust me. I come from a place where we put HID in everything. Truck lights, Driving lights, Fog lights, Snow machines, loaders, graders. you name it. 

I know what im talking about.


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## siewertenterpri (Aug 30, 2008)

I get blinded by the rich folk in there BMW, Mercedes, and the new luxury vehicles anyway why not put them on a plow. Plus not many people out at 2 or 3 in the morning after a snow fall. Get Plowed AK do you know what company you get the lights from for research?


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## festerw (Sep 25, 2003)

Get Plowed AK;645504 said:


> The refracter is still in the housing for the low beam, it is just a brighter bulb. Yeah it is brighter but if your lights are properly aimed the effect on other drivers will be minor.
> 
> Trust me. I come from a place where we put HID in everything. Truck lights, Driving lights, Fog lights, Snow machines, loaders, graders. you name it.
> 
> I know what im talking about.


Just because you can fit a kit into the housing doesn't mean it's done correctly



> Taken from  HID Planet's University
> 
> DOT cutoff has a short slope between the cutoff lines, this allows them to be aimed higher without blinding traffic. The DOT design also incorporates a way to let small amounts of light out above the cutoff to reflect off road sign on the right, as you can see from the faint upward flare of light. Here is a DOT valeo projector cutoff.
> 
> ...


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## festerw (Sep 25, 2003)

Continued.



> Now what happens if we switch to an oem hid projector and look at the ground. There is perfectly even lighting all around, stretching out from the edge of the bumper to the far distance. Also look how wide you can see to the left and right, into the field.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## theonlybull (Oct 17, 2004)

wow. that's quite a difference. thanks for postin' that up.

worst is, they are aimed great, untill someone puts 2 bags of groceries in the back seat of them lil' cars


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## festerw (Sep 25, 2003)

theonlybull;645678 said:


> wow. that's quite a difference. thanks for postin' that up.
> 
> worst is, they are aimed great, untill someone puts 2 bags of groceries in the back seat of them lil' cars


and that would be another key difference, the OEM projectors have leveling motors in them so the light is always aimed properly regardless of weight.


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## mike33 (Feb 15, 2006)

Get Plowed AK;645504 said:


> Mike, Why CAN"T you do it that way?
> 
> The refracter is still in the housing for the low beam, it is just a brighter bulb. Yeah it is brighter but if your lights are properly aimed the effect on other drivers will be minor.
> 
> ...


I was just giving a good guessing opinion, remebering when they replaced mine a few years ago i thought it was kind of complicated and you couldn't do something that simple.
Mike


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## Get Plowed AK (Nov 9, 2008)

Good Post! That explains a lot!

There is a big differance between normal bulbs and HID bulbs. 
I agree that factory is always best. Lots of time and engineering go into lighting HID/Projector setups.
I am still a firm believer in replacing my halogens with HID. 
It is way brighter and much cheaper then going with the hi tec housings. I have always been happy with the results. JMO


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## mike33 (Feb 15, 2006)

I never had doubt, just over loaded my mouth with my ass.  Do you guys in Alaska plow year round?
Mike


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## vmj (Nov 17, 2008)

i bought the new fisher lights and i don't think they were worth the money at all


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## s&mll (Nov 15, 2008)

vmj did they hookinto the old setup easly? I have the rectangle setup as well and want to upgrade? How much did it all cost. Anyway to get more info


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## Get Plowed AK (Nov 9, 2008)

Mike, 
No year round plowin, thank god! We start around mid october and run through the first week in April. Frozen solid from late Oct-March. I live on the Kenai Peninsula its more South Central. Awesome summers 70's 80's 24 hours of light and the best fishing in the world!

I moved up from Suthern Oregon and im never goin back. Maybe to visit

Joe


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## 91AK250 (Nov 28, 2007)

i run 6k HIDs in my factory headlights on my f-250 and i've been debating on getting the H4 composet replacemnet diamond headlights for my plow lights and adding another HID kit for them. i just havent spent the cash yet..i have bigger things to worry about.










i've also been running HIDs in my explorer DD since 2005 and solong as they are aimed correctly i dont get flashed at all and i can see great! my headlights do have a pretty good cutoff though.









some people think you need projectors, im honestly not all a huge fan...we have HID projectors in our 300c and yeah there ok..but i'd be just as happy with my HID kit in my normal headlights..my opinion.

we also run HIDs in 2 other explorers, a dodge, tarus and love them all


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## vmj (Nov 17, 2008)

*lights*



s&mll;648048 said:


> vmj did they hookinto the old setup easly? I have the rectangle setup as well and want to upgrade? How much did it all cost. Anyway to get more info


They sell a bracket to mount to top rail of plow to move lights over a bit so lift tray dosen't hit the lights. Lights and brackets were $420 I don't think their woth the money fpr britness.


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## stroker79 (Dec 2, 2006)

those images above are misleading. They try to show that putting HID bulbs in a stock housing dont shine far down the road and the example they use is a car going around a bend yet when they show a HID bulb in a HID housing they show the light on a straight road. Thats a pretty misleading sales tactic there.

Just wanted to point that out.


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## mike33 (Feb 15, 2006)

Get Plowed AK;648076 said:


> Mike,
> No year round plowin, thank god! We start around mid october and run through the first week in April. Frozen solid from late Oct-March. I live on the Kenai Peninsula its more South Central. Awesome summers 70's 80's 24 hours of light and the best fishing in the world!
> 
> I moved up from Suthern Oregon and im never goin back. Maybe to visit
> ...


I'll come up and you can take me fishing.
mike


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## Get Plowed AK (Nov 9, 2008)

Ha Ha Will do. I Live on the Kenai River. If you have ever heard anything about salmon fishing in AK its on the kenai. And Halibut outta homer. Love it. If you have never been up here next summer is gonna be a good one to come up. Strong run and Should be sweet weather.


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## Get Plowed AK (Nov 9, 2008)

stroker79;648999 said:


> those images above are misleading. They try to show that putting HID bulbs in a stock housing dont shine far down the road and the example they use is a car going around a bend yet when they show a HID bulb in a HID housing they show the light on a straight road. Thats a pretty misleading sales tactic there.
> 
> Just wanted to point that out.


Yes Very Misleading!

Yeah I have HID in most every thing and its crazy how much it lights up the area! On bright its lit almost a 1/4 mile out.


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## 91AK250 (Nov 28, 2007)

Get Plowed AK;649313 said:


> Ha Ha Will do. I Live on the Kenai River. If you have ever heard anything about salmon fishing in AK its on the kenai. And Halibut outta homer. Love it. If you have never been up here next summer is gonna be a good one to come up. Strong run and Should be sweet weather.


dude im taking a road trip to kenai on december 13/14th im so excited haha


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## 18lmslcsr (Jan 20, 2007)

Get yourself one of these and your lighting issues will be a mute topic.....Jezzzz this thing is insane...I want 2 of 'em on in front one in the back....
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-76800471066344_2025_74353089

C.


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## siewertenterpri (Aug 30, 2008)

What kind of light is that?


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## Get Plowed AK (Nov 9, 2008)

LED's Those things are so expensive! for a 12" its like $650 and a 24" is like $1400. A guy up here has them They are Bright but to much for my blood


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