12V system with 6V battery

Earlier I had posted about a 2N with a Magneto. Turned out to
just a fount mount distributor.
Anyway, it jumped up on my trailer and followed me home. Been
converted to 12 Volts. Fairly good shape. Still has the original
red paint on the fan belt from when it was converted to a Red
Belly.
The only battery I have that will fit in to it is a 6V. Can it be run
with a 6V? At least for testing purposes? Only spare 12V battery I
have is a big industrial one. Did jump it with that to the 6V one.
Not sure about the switches which I guess are original. This is
the first 'N' have owned that still uses the starter button down by
the shifter. It has two toggle Switches. I'm guess the one closest
to the steering is the ignition. Then the other to the left of it is
the lights. Then o'course the horn button to the left of that. With
the cigarette light being above that. No matter what position any
switch is in I'm show about 0.8 volts at the coil. Should the
ignition switch be in the up or down position to be on. I've only
messed with it a little yesterday since it had a layer of ice on it.
Can I run a wire start from the battery to the coil? Or would that
just risk burning the points. I'd just like to hear it run for right
now. Then work on getting every thing right. Got it soaking in
ATF now. Was running when parked in 07. The guy had gotten it
due to a death in the family and just never messed with it.
I do have another 2N on 12V but it was converted completely
different. On that one, the guy just drilled thru the coil and run
the High tension wire down thru it an used a coil like found only
an old car. It has a key switch for starting.

You'll need to trace out those toggle switches.
Not original. Original key switch was under the left side of the
steering column. On that V shape forward of the steering column.

You can hot wire it, but I would not run it long that way.
As you say, could burn up the points and the coil.
Probably more important, don't leave it hooked up that way while
NOT running. If the points are closed it will burn up the coil.

You'll need to figure out if it is a 12V or 6V coil too in order to
get the right amount of resistance in series so as not to ruin it.

You can hot wire it and run it for a short while (10 min or so) without burning the coil or points. I've bought two or three tractors that were wired that way and the PO was using them.

"Did jump it with that to the 6V one."

That is not recommended. If you are going to jump a 6 volt system. Connect the 12 volt battery directly to the starter. If the coil is a 12 volt coil the six volt battery probably will not power the ignition system.

Wouldn't it make more sense to just buy a 12 volt battery that fits and not take a chance of messing something up? Your going to need one when you start using it anyway.

might just put longer leads so I could hook up the bigger battery. Put off buying any new battery as long as possible. That way the new battery will be fresh as possible. Won't use the tractor till spring any way

Here's pictures. My other 2N has it's key at the same place as the toggle switch closest to the steering.

See the big hole to the right of the gauge in the first pic?
That's where the original key switch went.

Yes Thanks, I figgered that out since you other post. Funny , I
never knowest that hole on my other 2N. May be I should just
convert back to 6V. I've got a few 6V batteries setting around
not doing anything. Main thing I want to do now is just see it
run. If I find it needs major work at the rate I work it could take
years to get it going. I've still got an 8N I'm going threw. Main
thing there slowing me down is paint. I just can't paint over
grime. If I paint one, it's going to be painted right.

By the way if you put a 6 volt battery in and the 12 volt charging system is working you will in fact fry the battery in short order unless you disable the charging system. Shoot you might even blow the battery up and that would not be a good thing to have battery acid all over the place

Easy enough to do. Only thing you need electrically to make it
run is power to the coil. (starter if you don't want to crank it!)
I see they have an added ceramic resistor.
Is the original ballast resistor on the back side of the dash wired up?
It's a three post terminal with a wire wound resistor across it.
Battery hooks to the lower post of the three terminals, key switch
between that lower post and one end of the resistor, other end of
the resistor to the coil. Skip that ceramic one if the original is wired.
Leave the charging system completely disconnected.
Don't need it to test.

Ballast resistor:

I did disconnect the generator. First thing I did with my other 2N was connect the battery up with a positive ground. Learned later with a 12V alternator it should be a negative ground. If the alternator worked when I got it, it didn't shortly there after. On both the 8N and 2N I have running now the gen/alt are nothing more than idler wheels. I just recharge after using.

Ya on the common alternator system the moment you hook up a battery + ground you will fry the alternator

I learned that years ago from this page, but much to late for the alternator. But other than the gen/Alt the tractor it self don't care which way you hook it up.

Well sort of. On the 9N/2N the coil is a one wire set up so switching the ground can not be done so to tell the truth the spark jumps back wards is hooked up - ground so there is a small spark loss from that but not enough to matter unless you already have a weak spark problem