47 Farmall H won't turn over

Hello,

About a month ago I purchased my first Farmall H. I knew that the generator and the VR was disconnected, but it had a new 6v battery and started and ran well. The new battery is a Napa 6v commercial battery that turned over the tractor very well before. The tractor is equipped with a distributor.

Rewiring the 6v system is on my to-do list (Using the troubleshooting and wiring charts from this forum, THANKS!), but I figured I had time to do this if I charged the battery (float charger, 2A, automatic) between starts.

I used it last to cut a field, about an hour of use. That day it seemed to get harder to start, as if the battery was getting weak. I then parked it for about a week (without charging, float charger said "charged" battery) and went to start it again. This time the starter turned over very slowly and then just stopped. I checked battery with voltmeter-- read 5.4v, so I hooked up a 6v charger to it and went on my way.

Now, battery reads 5.9v but starter still will not turn over (might get a click out of it).

I know I have to correct the wiring problem (actually, VR and Gen don't even have wires connected) but shouldn't the tractor run OK with me charging the battery after using the tractor? Or does this sound like a deeper problem, like a bad starter or defective battery?

I appreciate the help!
wfd2

hello, take the battery back to your napa store and have it tested. sounds like a bad one to me., bob

you might check and clean the battery terminals and cable ends. I run a borrowed H with a sickle mower several hours with a fresh battery and get several starts to boot. Then it sits for another year outside so just not worth fixing the electricals.

Brian

Was the "float charger" also a 6V?

5.9 volts on a 6 v battery, sounds pretty dead to me. I'll bet the voltage drops way down when you try and start.
A fully charged 6 v battery should read about 7.2 volts. 6,9 could indicate one dead cell in the battery if you charged it up.

oops 5.9 could indicate one bad cell if the battery is supposed to be charged up. You can check the cells with one of those little float the balls hydrometers to see which cell.

Check the battery cells using a hydrometer. Should be around 1.250-1.260 on each cell and compare the readings. If one cell reads 1.100
or near that you have a bad cell and need to get another battery. Hal

I gave up on the NAPA brand 6 volt commercial batteries. Had several that died prematurely, so the last new battery I bought came from the local farm store. No problems with that one for over three years.

A good charged up 6 volt battery just setting idle should read 6.3 volts. If its way low there could be a bad cell. See if theres electrolyte above all the plates with no cells exhibiting any off gray or milky color?? Have the battery load tested for free at most auto supply houses. If the battery is okay remove, clean n wire brush and replace each n every battery n starter n ground cable.

John T

Thanks to all for the help!

I'm sure I'll have other questions soon. I'll start by checking the battery and going from there.

Bill