Magneto replacement

I've had my 52 DC3 about 15 years. It has a FEL eagle hitch and a Case magneto. I have never had any issues with the mag. Tractor is kept inside. When this tractor left the factory it was mag equipped, why were many tractors of this era converted to a battery ignition system. Since I've known no trouble with this mag I was considering converting my 52 SC back to a mag. Why might I not want to do so.??? gobble

The magneto was the most dependable unit in the era. I know if no issue.I have yet to see a distributor on any D. And u saw quite a few.

one thing makes a distributor better than a mag. Distributors have a centrifugal advance built into the drive that advances the spark timing from idle speed to full no load speed. this advance curve allows a far better idle and low/middle speed engine performance and smoothness, as well as economy. A Mag (used on these tractors) has two timing positions only. On cranking and at cranking engine speeds (hand crank or starter motor) the timing is at or just retarded from TDC. This prevents kickback and broken arms when crank starting and starter motor damage if using a battery starter. The result is that the engine is at full advance when operating at all speeds. This makes for somewhat rough operation at anything but high speed full throttle operation. Though the difference is not obvious unless the timing is changed to full advance when a distributor equipped engine is idling, it is notably better to have the curve. Jim

Pesonally, I would take a mag over a distributor anyday! I am actually looking for the parts to convert my VAC to a mag.

well ya, its a no brainer not to. sure they dont advance but nobody can tell the difference anyhow. i like my mags.

Since magnetos make thier own juice, on top of creating it into a spark and delivering it to the spark plugs as a distributor does, there is more to a mag than a distributor. Doesn't make one dang bit of difference until the day one or the other don't work right. When that happens, mags are more confusing and complicated because there is more to them than a distributor. People learned this after a distributors came out. How much simpler they were to detect and fix problems. With a distributor, you know you have juice if the battery is up. On a mag, you don't really know that if a problem arises.

Mags were the prelude. And many tractors in that era that came out with battery start, were also hand crank startable. Which meant that the tractor could be started by way of hand crank even if the battery was completely dead (IF equiped with a mag). So some people preferred mags for this reason. Especially in the days when people really weren't equiped with battery chargers, extension cords, electrical outlets everywhere, and or jumper cables. Why have all that, when you can just have a magneto?? Alot of people thought this way.

People had thier own preferences for both mag and distributors. What fit somebody's liking, might not fit somebody else's.

If you do not understand mags, afraid to hand crank start, and don't mind having a dead tractor if the battery itself is dead, then maybe you should convert it.

I personally wouldn't do anything unless I ran into problems. And even then, I wouldn't convert to a distributor just because other people have, if I myself personally prefered a mag. Which I somewhat do. Especially on something that CAN be started by hand crank.

Some people AREN'T into the hand cranking bit. I for one am. But it's not for everyone. Some people have the nack for it. Others never ever catch on, and just continue to break arms and knock out teeth if they continue with it.

You kind of got to be a little bit old school, and somewhat of a mechanic to be a hand cranker. If your not that, you'd probably be better suited to just stick to the push button start. And a mag is not required fir that situation.

It's really one of those deals, to each thier own.

My 1950 Farmall C has a mag.
I think, please fact check when I say I think, some fords had a coil and a battery before WW2 and during the war some Fords had metal tires and Mags.

Ford experts can weigh in on that.

Neither one has a notable reliability factor above the other. Both will give the same amount of trouble if neglected. Regarding hand cranking, the magneto is a potentially safer device. A neglected distributor with broken springs or seized advance mechanism will cause injury as soon as the points open (or signal, for you petronix guys) if the advance is stuck a 23 degrees. This is related to the reputation that model Ts have for maiming people. The model T is perfectly safe to hand crank IF you remember to retard the spark, otherwise it will do the same thing as a rusty distributor advance. The reason a mag is safer is that it gives warning of a dangerous situation. If you dont hear the impulse coupling snap, the pawl is missing the striker for some reason, and is firing in advanced position. A distributor sounds the same either way; so you dont really know where the timing is.

thanks one and all for your thoughts and insight on the ignition systems. gobble