Generator system ??

Generator has two terminals, the  "A" armature and "F" the field.... Think of the "A" as being the output (HOT) and the "F"  field as being the ground..  To bypass the Regulator for a test, you can GROUND the F terminal with a jumper.. See if the amp meter jumps up.. also use a voltmeter to test from "A" to GROUND with the jumper in place.. IF you get 6.7 volts ( 6 volt system) or 14 volts ( 12 v system) then you know the Generator is GOOD and the Regulator is the problem....

Old generators can get worn out brushes or shorted wires inside, or dragging bearings, etc....Everything has to be narrowed down to get things to work. Sometimes getting a rebuilt Generator and a NEW regulator set to match is the best long term solution.

There is a guy STEVE at B&B on this site that can do the work for you if you want a professional, long term fix.

Here are some links to helpful info on generators and voltage regulators.  I have three Gen/VR tractors, and the systems work fine if maintained properly. 

There are also several "experts" on this Forum and numerous discussions over the years on the Gen/VR topic (try a search)

Lots of YouTubes, many for older cars and garden tractors, on the topic

Some of the top trouble shooting checks would be....

1. clean to shiny all the wire terminals, battery posts, ground connections to the tractor (remove paint and oil where the Gen and VR touch/ground to the tractor

2. Remove the cover of the VR and clean the contacts of both sets of points

Good luck

After you rebuild the genny, and regulator ,replace 100% of the original wiring ! Over 5-6 DECADES, it's not 'reliable'. Wires corrode, connectors corrode, screws corrode,......

it's an age 'thing'.

Great info sources from all the guys.  When rebuilding old Generators, they need to be completely gutted, new Armatures put in them along with all the components that make up the unit. From there, as Steve mentioned the correct Voltage Regulator needs to be mated to the unit and set up properly. I've been rebuilding these units for over 50 years. Every Gennie that comes in my shop gets the "full treatment". The unit then gets a VR mated to it and run on the 881 machine to dial it in.  Once its done its ready for service. The unit is basically brand new inside, and is ready for many, many years of service providing the wiring system that works with it is in tip top shape! People forget. You can have a real nice rebuilt Generator, but its only going to work as good as the system it connected too! Make sure the wiring system is just as good and you won't have any troubles. In most cases if the wiring system is original, that should be replaced as well not knowing how many Gremblins can be in a 60+ year old system. This includes the Battery & Battery cables as well whether 6V or 12V system.   Thanks for the mention Steve!

Steve@B&B

Just trying to be helpful.........this Thread started out with a request for info on generator/VR repair and maintenance.  The responses from Forum members has been excellent.

However, there does not seem to be any feedback/update on how the originating problem/issue turned out, was it resolved, not solved, still an issue?

The issue was raised last June, and rebooted today with continuation of excellent help postings

I am just flagging the status of the Thread situation here, and hopefully the need for info/help has been resolved

My solid state VR for the D17 was from Clover Systems, a model DR110.  I put it on in 2014, and they may not be in business anymore.  However, many of the vintage car forums have similar generator systems, and have references to other more current vendors. 

Edited:

Here is their website:

Edit#2:

Oops!  Looks like they are no longer in business, but left their website up.