Went to bed early last night and woke up at 02:00, couldnt get back to sleep and here is one of the things I was thinking about.
I have a Cub Lo Boy that discharges slightly when the ignition is turned on which is good. But it discharges more with the engine running which is not good. So, I don't want to discuss troubleshooting the charging system there is plenty of that in my files and archives, but I did think of this:
Maybe the previous owner arched something while changing cables, battery, etc and it needs to be repolarized.

But here is what bothered me, on a standard ignition system (NOT magneto) don't you polarize the system every time you turn the ignition on!? Because with the ignition switch on you are sending current from the battery through the entire system in the direction you want it to flow.

Thanks,
Dell

No. When the ignition is turned on, you are sending electricity to the ignition system. There is electricity at the BAT terminal of the regulator at all times, ignition on or not. The regulator makes the connection between the generator and battery in response to electricty produced by the generator.

You are however partly right. If an engine has a combined starter-generator unit, it will be polarized each time the starter is engaged. A lot of Cub Cadets and some of the numbered Lo-Boy tractors have starter-generator systems.

First of all, one doesnt need to Re Poalrize very often, only perhaps if the genny has set unused for a really really longgggggggggggggg time or if its been to a shop and had work and possibly got Polarized at the incorrect Polarity, or one reversed his battery polarity...

Next NO YOU DO NOT POLARIZE THE GENNY EVERY TIME YOU TURN ON THE IGNITION...To Polarize you have to pass current through the gennys Field windings which imparts a certain degree of residual North/South magnetism in the soft iron Field Poles encircled by the field windings. BUTTTTTTTTTTTTT theres no connection created by turning on the ignition from the battery to the genny (for any field current path) since the cutout relay (between VR's BAT and GEN/ARM) is still open. IE turning on the Ignition switch DOES NOT cause the gennys Field windings to conduct current which is required to Polarize. Its when you by flash jump hot battery voltage (such as present on the VR's BAT terminal) to the VR's GEN/ARM terminal or gennys ARM post (which is connected internally to the Field coils) that the fields draw current setting the North/South residual magnetic field in the correct orientation.

Clear as mud huh lol

John T