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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

What happens with wrong polarity?

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RAR/IA

06-04-2004 17:27:59




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Anyone have any experience with installing a battery, but with the wrong polarity. It should have been positive ground. Will the starter still work? Will it start and run? What happens to the generator or regulator? Lights won't know the difference, of course. Alternators probably will not like it. Curious what would happen.
Thanks for your experiences.

Roger in Iowa




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Mark Krzyzanowski - IN.

06-08-2004 21:37:32




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 Re: What happens with wrong polarity? in reply to RAR/IA, 06-04-2004 17:27:59  
Pretty lucky if you don't get meltdown and fry components. Output from a generator or alternator is a flat line referenced to O VDC as read by a meter or an oscilliscope - either a flat line above or below your reference, and it seems easy enough that so long as the tractor is seperated from true ground by rubber tires, that nothing bad would occur because 12 VDC is 12 VDC to a common reference, right? Not so. I once made the mistake with a -48 VDC system - had a 50/50 shot of getting it right, and got it wrong. It did not like +48 VDC, and smoked to the tune of a few $K. Should've traced the wires further, but got lazy. My father always did say that I must've been the milk man's kid, and I guess that's why I don't look much like him.

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49 Cubber!

06-05-2004 06:49:59




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 Re: What happens with wrong polarity? in reply to RAR/IA, 06-04-2004 17:27:59  
I think it depends on how complex the system is.Old 141 combime we had didnt care,it would charge either way,I now have the genrator from it on my M and its the same way.My Cub,shows a dischrge when its in backwards.



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Josh (Holt T-35)

06-05-2004 00:54:09




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 Re: What happens with wrong polarity? in reply to RAR/IA, 06-04-2004 17:27:59  
I just had to deal with this on a John Deere 2010. It was given to a friend, with the battery in the wrong way. It started and ran fine with the GEN lite on all the time and the gas gauge didn't work. I put everything right, cleaned the contacts in the regualtor and it is all fine now. I guess we were lucky, no damage to anything.

Josh



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Keith-OR

06-04-2004 22:11:16




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 Re: What happens with wrong polarity? in reply to RAR/IA, 06-04-2004 17:27:59  
Don't know about all the other post. I bought a Fordson Power Major about 6 years ago , did not realize it was 12 volt postive ground. Hooked up a new battery (Neg groung)in it, fried lots of wires. Did not hurt Regulator,or Generator. But did have to replace the wire harness. I eventually removed the generator, replaced it with alternator because the alternator is far more efficient. Would not recomment hooking the battery up backwards might catch thing on fire.

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Larry from MD

06-04-2004 19:38:20




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 Re: What happens with wrong polarity? in reply to RAR/IA, 06-04-2004 17:27:59  
Regulators for generatetors will have the cutout points melted together.



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john *.?-!.* cub owner

06-04-2004 18:56:17




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 Re: What happens with wrong polarity? in reply to RAR/IA, 06-04-2004 17:27:59  
Starter will still work, ignition will work, but coil may heat up and eventually cause trouble.



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jim

06-05-2004 19:04:25




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 Re: Re: What happens with wrong polarity? in reply to john *.?-!.* cub owner, 06-04-2004 18:56:17  
all you have to do is turn the battery around and hook it up, will work ok then, I did this in a truck one time it showed discharge when you reved up the engine, simple change the battery post + to ground - to hot jim



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Paul Janke

06-04-2004 17:46:47




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 Re: What happens with wrong polarity? in reply to RAR/IA, 06-04-2004 17:27:59  
Generator can be made to work either way. Permanent magnet motors will run backward. The diodes in alternators will be backward so you will end up with almost a dead short.



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