Ac WD45 starting

are your battery cables as big around as your finger or have they been replaced with the much lighter / newer auto cables ?  Those dont work well with 6v.

You've probably checked this already, but what about the battery terminals on the cable? Are either of them the universal style with the two little bolts that clamp a tab down on the stripped cable end? I've seen a boat-load of trouble and slow-starting being caused by them: Even when they look good and solid, the stripped cable oxidizes and has a very poor connection there.

Apart from that, I'm usually torn between the idea of converting to 12V. Yes, a properly tuned-up 6V system should have no problem, and it's definitely best to find all the problems before you change to 12V and just mask them. But even at the best of times when it' cranking at a good speed and torque, a 6V system can't crank for long before it starts to lose its gusto, especially since good 6V batteries with decent cranking amps are harder and harder to come by. If your engine's a little tired and sometimes requires more than a second or so of cranking, or if you've accidentally flooded it or something and need to crank for a little longer, a 6V starter system can be a little irksome. My justification for having recently converted my Super W6 is because 6V batteries with decent cranking amps and duty cycles are hard to come by and (when you find them) very expensive, and it sill makes it a pain for boosting other equipment (something I find I'm doing far too often).

One thing to keep in mind if you do the conversion: Most folks will tell you that you don't need to do anything with the starter: a 6V starter will work fine on 12V. While that's (kind of) true, a 6V starter run with 12V will really kick out with a lot of gusto, and this is the cause for a lot of sheared flywheel ring gear teeth on converted tractors. Which isn't the end of the world - it just means a ring gear replacement might be in your future a few years down the road. The old ring-gears don't seem to be hardened nearly as much as the newer aftermarket ones. I've replaced a few, and each time I've taken the old and new rings into work where we have a Rockwell hardness tester. The old ones are always down around 20-30 (Rockwell C) while the new ones are around 40+. One of the few instances where newer, aftermarket parts seem to be better than the OEM.

The electronic ignition is nice to have, but fix the problem you have with the Starter motor first. Take that $130. bucks that you would spend on an E.I. and put it towards the Starter repair. You can always add an E.I. later down the road. The only problem with the 6V system is there isn't a lot of good repair shops out there anymore that do a complete comprehensive job on the old 6V Generators and Starter motors. Older dudes like myself that grew up with 6V and know how to work with it, either retired or passed.  The other problem (and it really isn't a problem) some owners need more accessories such as additional lighting, or attach sprayers and whatever to their Tractors that need more current. When starting to add these types of accessories that need more power, (load) it takes the 6V system out of its realm to keep up with the loads put on that system.  Then, it would be a wise decision to change the complete system over to 12V. BTW, you can still use a Generator to power that 12V system. You don't need to move to an Alternator. The cost factor obviously is more than switching over to an Alternator, but it's completely up to the individual. Some fellers don't like the look of an Alternator on their Tractor that originally came with a Gennie. Again, it's their Tractor and their decision. The system just needs to be designed correctly for the loads that will be put on it. I've changed over many a 6V Gennie to 12V and designed systems that do not have any issues keeping everything on board the Tractor happy.

I've seen a lot of shoddy work over the 53 years I've been doing this stuff. If you have a replicable rebuilder near you that changes out the Armatures as well, then you're in the right shop! 70+ year old arms don't cut it. As I said, I build 12V conversion systems as well, and do a lot of converting Gennies, and Starters to 12V, but I'm not one to poo poo a 6V system. As I said, I grew up with 6V and was taught the correct way to rebuild units when I was a young lad. As long as the components that make up the 6V system are in tip top shape and everything is working together as it should, the old system is still reliable for what it needs to do.  You just have to keep an eyeball on it more and keep things in check so everything on board works perfectly...... HTH

Steve@B&B

I always parked the tractor on a hill...just...in...case...:)

dr p wrote: Professor Dave, Is that all going to be on the exam. LOL I had to get my nephew going to cornell to explain half of that to me.

I was an Avionics tech in the Marines, and I have an Electronics degree in Bio-Medical Engineering.

When Dave talks, I listen