Do I have a 6v or 12v system???

FarmallJon · May 4, 2011

When I got my '49 H, it had a 6v battery in it. It has always turned over slower than I think it should during starting. I have used it for about a year this way. I few weeks ago I started tearing the H apart for a restoration. When I removed the voltage regulator from he generator, it had "12v" stamped on the bottom of it. The charging system has never worked, so I can not measure the output of the generator. It has a magneto ignition, so the engine doesn't care what voltage the rest of the tractor operates on. Do you think someone put in a 12v starter and generator at one point, and then the owner before me just put in a new 6v battery, thinking that it was correct? That would explain the slow cranking. I'm thinking of trying a 12v battery to see if it cranks at a more normal speed. If it is actually a 6v starter, will I damage it with a 12v battery??

John T · May 4, 2011

The 6 volt systems didnt crank over at any real fast RPM to begin with (depends on temp of course) but if the battery is stong and a heavy rated unit and you use 00 gauge Battery n Starter n Ground cables, a decent H should start okay if the battery n starters in decent shape.

First thing Id do is remove, clean n wire brush, n re attach all battery n starter n ground cables and make sure the battery is good n see what happens and replace the cables with 00 if they happen to be thin and wimpy...

A bad resistive burned starter switch can cause poor cranking also, even if all else is fine, you may wanna take a look at that possibility.

If you only put 6 volts on a 12 volt starter it will crank slower then molasses in January.

You ask "If it is actually a 6v starter, will I damage it with a 12v battery?? "

ANSWER you probably wont damage it (12 on a 6 volt starter) just dont let it crank too long although it can be a bit tougher on starter drives.

John T

Dave Cook · May 4, 2011

It's hard to say if it's changed hands a couple of times. My 1949 C is 6 volt, and I went through quite a few dollars getting it to start fine. Some others may know, but mine came with a cut out, not a regulator, so that was something that had to be changed. It may be that someone who did not know any better put a 12 volt regulator on a 6 volt system. I'd try to determine if it was the original unit.

teddy52food · May 4, 2011

John? If he started it with a 6v battery & the generator & reg are 12 v, would it ruin the regulator? He said the charging never worked. I would take the gen & reg to a test bench to see what is what.

Do I have a 6v or 12v system???

FarmallJon

Member

John T

Well-known Member

Dave Cook

Member

teddy52food

Well-known Member

Similar threads