To 30 generator

I got a new battery for my to 30. I need to polarize the system. Which is the A terminal and which is the F terminal on this generator. I've scraped it and don't see a stamping, thank you

The "A" and "F" markings are there, you just gotta put a little elbow grease to a wire brush to see them.

Also, if you can find the "BATT" and "GEN" or "ARM" terminals at the voltage regulator you can polarize by momentarily jumpering them.

Also, if the charging system was previously working and you have the battery connected the same as the old one, there's NO need to polarize just because you've swapped out the battery.

On the other hand, polarizing at ANY time as long as it's done correctly, doesn't hurt anything, either!

Thank you bob. Everything is fine charging wise just updated an old battery. I thought you always had to polarize if the battery was unhooked

No, as long as everything was working and the battery is connected back up the same way, you don't need to polarize.

If the tractor has sat unused for YEARS, the battery connected backwards, or the generator taken off, banged around, and/or repaired its ALWAYS prudent to polarize before startup.

In your case, the generator didn't even "know" that you changed out the battery because, at shutdown, the cutout (or cutout component in the VR) completely disconnects the generator from the battery.

To add just a tidbit to Bobs excellent answer, it doesn't appear to be so on your Generator, but FYI on some the ARM post is bigger in diameter then the FLD post. Also, if you have an accurate at low ohms range ohm meter you can measure the resistance from the posts to case/frame. The higher resistance post to frame would be FLD and ARM the lower but both are pretty low, ARM near zero FLD maybe 3 to 6 more ohms. NOTE this is true only for a Class A generator, some Fords used Class B.

John T

Seems i got more problems than a dead battery. Installed the new one and nothing. The starters swith is original operated by the gearshift. Not sure if it's engaging by moving the gearshift lever? It doesn't seem to go very far. The tractor is new to me and was my grandfathers. Wires all need replaced as they are dry rotted and maybe poor connection. Guess I gotta get on those replaced and brush up on electrical to see where I have power and where I don't.

How do I bypass the safety switch? It's 6 volt positive ground. Do I put jumper cables on the negative post on the battery and attach it to the electrical stud on the starter and the positive post on the battery to the starter mounting stud or frame. Is this correct to get the starter to turn over? Thanks

Trying to bypass the starter switch with jumper cables is not going to be easy. The amp draw is so great on a 6 volt system, you probably won't get a good enough connection to crank it, and run the risk of melting the threads on the starter post so the nut won't come off.

The "safety switch" is not really a safety switch as most think. It "is" the starter switch, a large, high amp contactor that directly powers the starter. To test it, connect a test light or volt meter from the starter post to a bare metal ground, try the starter. If there is power to the starter post, and the starter doesn't run, there is a problem with the starter.

If no power to the starter, check for power at the battery side of the starter switch. Try the starter to put the circuit under load. If there is power to the starter switch, and none coming out, the starter switch is bad. Replacing the switch is easy, economical, and the only safe way to repair it!

BTW, I can faintly see the outside post of the generator is stamped F (field), so that leaves the post nearest he engine to be the A (armature).

I'm with Steve on a lot of this, using jumper cables to direct jump a starter isn't the easiest thing to do since you may draw very high current and those loose jumped clamps may not make good enough contact. It can be done, you need a good clean shiny starter post/stud and a good tight jumper clamp and Id attach that first with other jumper cable end good and tight to a clean bright shiny battery post, then with the other jumper good n tight on the other battery post, I make the final frame ground connection down by the starter (NOT near battery) to a frame place that's clean n bright and push her down tight and expect sparks.

First thing Id do is remove, clean n wire brush, then re attach each and every battery and starter and switch and ground connection.

Those high current direct push start switches (if that's what you have???) go bad cuz the copper contacts get burned and pitted and carboned. Just because you get a voltage reading on the starter stud when starter is depressed don't prove the switch is absolutely good or bad as it can still be high resistance due to carbon or pitting etc. Once all the cables and connections and grounds are known to be good, turn on a light or place a voltmeter on the battery and push the starter, if the voltage don't hardly drop or lights don't dim and all else is good (cables and connections and grounds and starter itself) then the switch may be shot. However if the voltage drops drastically and lights dim way down the switch is working so the starter may be bad or its drive mechanically stuck/jammed into the flywheel

Make sure the battery is good and full charged, a bad connection or ground is always my first suspect

John T

Update, I cleaned up the wires on the key switch, starter, coil. Still nothing. I have a few more that I need to do. My dad just didn't have the tools I'll have to bring mine down to finish up. After reading and looking it over I pushed a little harder on the shifter and jiggled it also. Fired right up as usual. Start, stopped it a few times and the same thing, it would finally fire off, just like always. So I have a bad connection still somewhere or the starter switch is bad. I don't think the old battery was bad now. Getting a new one was in order as the old battery was several years old. Winter would of probobly killed it anyhow. I still can't see from the parts book how the switch is hooked to the shifter. Is it actually hooked or does some form of plunger activate it? Thanks everyone.

Which ever one that goes to the reg and has 6v.

Steve, you have great eyesite. After some scrubbing I did find the F stamped on the outside post. It's off to the side not the front like I expected, thanks.