12 Volt Conversion

I am a new 9n owner and am looking to convert to the 12 volt. Besides the kit you can get and changing light bulbs is there anything else that need to be done? Does the started need to be changed?

If you buy the kit, that's all you need except for light bulbs. Just make sure the coil resistor is properly matched if you continue to use the old 6 volt coil.

You will without doubt get several responses to your post that question why you are converting to 12 volts.

The general opinion seems to go like this: If you need 12 volts because of some extra equipment you need to operate, then God bless.

But if you're converting because of slow cranking and hard starting, you are not approaching the problem correctly.

There are several reasons why an N tractor will crank slowly, that are far easier and cheaper to fix than converting to 12 volts - which may not solve the problem at all. And fixing these problems will not be wasted effort if you end up converting.

Replace your battery cables. Use large-guage cables, NOT the skinny ones used on modern cars. Make sure all surfaces where the cables connect are clean and bright.

Pull your starter away from the housing, and scrape the mating surfaces clean. This will assure good electrical contact.

Chances are, you'll forget all about converting to 12 volts.

shgremlin........you ask....."Does the started need to be changed?".......NO, unlike 6v litebulbs, 12v on 6v starter motor really spins the starter motor for faster starts. You do NOT have to change the starter motor.......Dell, a 12v advocate for the right reasons. That said, I haven't found the right reason for my eazy starting 6v 52-8N and I know how to do it right the first time. Infact I know 8-ways to do it right and they all work.

Yea, you will need a battery. And, depending on the kit you get, you may or may not need an additional resistor. It depends on coil resistance.

From my experience, I've only found two reasons to convert an N to 12v: If you need to run 12v equipment (sprayers, pumps, lights, etc) or your N has poor compression (like less than 90 lbs) and you do not want to rebuild it, then a 12v conversion makes sense. Otherwise, you will likely be trading one set of problems for another. If an N is hard to start in cold weather (or any weather) find out why & fix it! These tractors have low compression, low HP engines and will start just fine on 6v. There is nothing inherently 'wrong' w/ a 12v conversion. The problem is that there are about 6 different ways to convert the tractor to 12v, all of them work, and an infinite number of ways to do it wrong. If you have a basic understanding of tractor mechanics, you can buy a quality kit & do it correctly. Or, you can buy an alternator & fabricate brackets if you are skilled at that sort of stuff. Of course, if you have a basic understanding of tractor mechanics, you could just as easily fix the problem that you are trying to cure with the 12v conversion. Most problems we read about w/ 12v conversions are as a result of folks getting in over their heads trying to fabricate a conversion, using inferior kits or using kits w/ directions written in Chinese, or buying tractors w/ "Bubba" conversions and now the new owner is stuck with trying to figure it out. All four of my N's are 6v & they all four start the first time, every time, no matter what the weather. You will find that to be the case with folks who live in a lot of places much colder than VA.

Now before the 12v advocates jump me, let me add that lots of folks around here have 12v conversions & are perfectly happy w/ them because the conversions were done correctly. 12v is also more forgiving of poor grounds/weak cables, etc than 6v, so keeping everything "clean, bright & tight" in the system is not as critical. 12v gives you twice as much current & a faster spinning starter. And, because 6v headlights are 35w & 12v are 55w, the headlights are brighter.

Lastly, here is a copy of a post from this board:

Parke1

06-11-2008 04:57:25
216.153.169.120
666141

Re: 2 questions... in reply to Parke1, 06-09-2008 16:44:47

Bruce, you hit the nail on the head!

I started to follow your advice about cleaning all the contacts up. I had inspected the battery cables previously, and they looked to be 1/0 cables, but I checked 'em again, just to be sure. Sure enough, I had been fooled. They were actually some sort of chinsy little cables (I'd guess 4 gauge) with really really thick insulation! I yanked those puppies out and quickly made up some new cables out of welding ground cable. You won't find thicker cables than these anywhere! I hooked them up, finished cleaning all my grounds and contacts, and hit the starter button.

WHOA! This thing cranks about four times faster now, and fires right up! I kept shutting it off and restarting it just to check everything out, and she runs like a top!

Thanks again for the help guys! Now that I know the potential of this 6 volt system when it's running correctly, I'll be forgetting all thoughts of a 12 volt system!
50 Tips

Thanks for the info. I always assumed that switching was the way to go. But i will be rethinking that.

Thanks for the info

Thanks for the reply. I maybe rethinking the conversion.

If you do decide that a 12v conversion is the way to go, plenty of folks on this board have done them and they work well, so you have come to the right place for help. Because you have a frontmount coil, you will need to pay careful attention to the resistor requirements of the new coil. Just check back here for more info.
50 Tips

(quoted from post at 21:21:02 01/26/09) I am a new 9n owner and am looking to convert to the 12 volt. Besides the kit you can get and changing light bulbs is there anything else that need to be done? Does the started need to be changed?

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if you are looking for dependability and don't have the need to fudge with a 60 year old sub par system 12v's is the way to go,,, I know of no 12V kit in a shake and bake box tho i have not got my hands on a TISCO kit so can not say about theirs,,, what i have seen is a mess of missed matched parts, some 6v some 12V compatible,,, with the info available today one can convert to 12v cheaper than he can fudge with a outdated system,,, you particular conversion has one major draw back,,, its the P.O.S. front mount distributor,,, the points don't care the condenser don't care the cap and rotor don't care nor the dist body ,,, its the coil thats temperamental to 12v's but can b over came with the correct resistor,,, its also temperamental to 6v's ,,, I have to guaranty my work and don't have time to chase down 6V demons so all i work on with charging issues git a 12v make over,,, customers tell me their tractor is now enjoyable and dependable,,, after the conversion most of the parts can b had at the local 5 and dime parts house CHEAP and dependable,,, I would bet their are more work'n 12V N's out their than 6V N's,,, I know and the 6v nutz know that a 6V N charging system will not hold a candle to a 12V charging system made over rite,,, I will agree that a 12V conversion will not fix mechanical issues,,, I can only assum you have a good runner and look'n to make your tractor more user frindly if so a 12v conversion made up rite is the only way to go

For sure a 6v system can't compair to a 12v system for wattage.. but.. that said.. a good properly serviced 6v gen, and a good 6v reg, with good wires and batteries, is quite adequate for keeping a 6v battery charged, providing power tot he ignition and running (3) 35w lamps.

soundguy