Is WD a 6 volt or 12 volt

Here's my new-to-me WD. I got it running last night. Previous owner left it 7 years, not running because of ignition problems. The battery in the box was 12 volt. Can one tell from these photos if this is actually a 12 volt system? If not, how do I differentiate between 6 and 12? Currently is a positive ground system.

Billy

AC1.jpg


ac2.jpg
 
Dang it! Just bought a $116 12-volt battery that I have no other use for and cannot return. Is it cheaper/better to keep the 6 volt system? Or to convert to a 12 volt system?
 
Hes a generator so that is likely to be 6 volts. Can not say what battery is since it has the inclosed caps. If it has 3 holes under the caps for water it is 6 volts if 6 it is 12 volts. As for which is better I switch every thing I have to 12 volts so I only need one size battery on the place and I can move a battery to any thing if need be. You can run your tractor on 12 volts by adding a ballast resister like an O'Reilly's VR-1. You can also run it for many many hours with a charged 12 volt battery and not change the charging system by keeping a battery cahrged
 
Better is a matter of opinion & relativity.

You have magneto ignition, so if you don't drive at night, you can go forever without a charging system, just recharging your 12 volt battery occasionally for starting power. As you have discovered, your starter will work on 12 V. However, it will be quite energetic on 12V, and I believe the anecdotal evidence indicating that that the powerful thrust is a little hard on the starter and potentially the ring gear.

Purists like to keep 6V +ve ground. With clean connections and heavy cables, it works fine, as long as the generator & cutout are functional. When time to repair/replace, it is cheaper to convert to 12V Delco Remy alternator and -ve ground. With only lights drawing another load, you can change bulbs to 12V and reverse connections on the ammeter if you choose to keep it, rather than go to voltage meter. The ammeter will handle the highest charge rates of only the older, low capacity alternators.

Somewhere you have an e-mail from me through YT. When you respond to it, I will be able to answer any specific questions directly.

stu
 

Hi Stu,

No email from you yet. So I checked my profile, and I had to enter a password to make my email visible. You should be able to contact me now.

Stu, your email address is not visible to me on your profile or otherwise.
 

Check both your messages on this forum as well as your e-mail account. I have sent a second message via this site.

stu
 
I have one just like it. Took the mag off and put on a battery ignition system and 12 volt coil because I had it and the mag was sketchy. The charging system doesn't work but I have been running it like this for 15 years, it starts easy so I only charge it a few times a year. I only use it for brush hogin and moving snow for the most part and never saw the need to do anything else to it. When it was 6 v lots of bad words were said trying to start it, way too many times using the crank.
 
Keep your 12V battery, convert it to negative ground with an alternator, you will never regret it.
 
Stu asked about the cylinder. It lifts a homemade snowplow. The tractor also came with an Arps snow thrower. I live in the land of snow, so I'm hoping to get the WD back into top running condition.

plow.jpg


plow1.jpg


Arps.jpg
 
As mentioned previously, you appear to have a magneto ignition.
It can be hand cranked to start and you will not need a battery,
or generator, or have any lights, but the engine will run if
everything is proper. I said "appear" to have a magneto ignition
since it is possible that the magneto could have been converted
to function as a distributor. This is unusual but was sometimes
done. I have been running a 1943 WC with a magneto converted
to a distributor for over 40 years. It can and has been done. If
you have a magneto that is still an active, functioning magneto it
does have advantages.
As far as the battery, It is open to opinions. I like 12 volts
especially in cold weather. You do not need to worry about a
"running" or "ballast" resistor if you have a magneto. I do not
even know where you would install one even if you wanted to
with a functioning magneto.
If the battery will fit in the battery box it makes things
simpler. The 12 volt battery will start the engine quicker and
easier. If you are worried about strain on the starter, just use the
standard 12 volt style (smaller wires/lighter wires) battery cables.
(Just the opposite to using heaver wires/battery cables for a 6
volt battery.)
You can convert to 12 volt battery with negative ground. It
makes some accessories easier to use, such as radios, amplifiers,
power inverters for 110 volt power or other electronics. You can
convert to 12v negative ground and use the original 6 volt
generator. You will need to "polarize" the generator after you
"wire everything up" and before you run the tractor (or
generator) and you will need to regulate the field voltage to get
the generator to charge at 13.6 to 14,2 volts at full rpm with a
charged battery. A "proper" 10 watt rated resistor in the field
voltage wiring will accomplish this. Again, I have been running
an AC tractor with 12 volt battery and the original generator for
many years. (Also have one with an alternator and 12 volt
battery. They both work just fine.)
Remember to change the bulbs in all of lights on the tractor
before you hook up the 12 volt battery. The 6 volt bulbs will
"light up" on 12 volts but they will be very bright, but for a very
short time (think "flash bulbs").
Good luck with your "new" tractor. The WDs can be a real
sweet running tractor. They are short stroke engines. I like to
run them at "high idle" (full throttle) when under heavy load.
They do not like to be "lugged down".
 
Oh you're fine Billy, Just run the 12 and charge it up once in a while. I don't think it hardly pays to spend a lot of time trying to keep a charging system working on occasional use tractors.
 
if you want to push snow. better leave the 12v
battery in it. You can put a delco 10SI alt on it
without much trouble. There are two ways I know to
wire it up and make it work with the magneto. Or get
a one wire setup. most people don't like the way one
wire alt work.
 
(quoted from post at 13:09:32 07/23/14) if you want to push snow. better leave the 12v battery in it. You can put a delco 10SI alt on it without much trouble. There are two ways I know to wire it up and make it work with the magneto. Or get a one wire setup. most people don't like the way one wire alt work.

Tractor guy, I am planning on converting to an alternator. I noticed that Yesterday's Tractor's store sells a kit of brackets for the Allis conversions. Do you recommend the kit?

Billy
 
Yes if the brackets are made for the WD. if the
brackets are the universal brackets that don't fit
anything than I would say maybe.
 

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