1955 Farmall Cub Wiring

I am rewiring my 1955 Cub. Currently it looks like the wire from the Battery terminal on the regulator goes to battery ignition switch. However, my wiring diagram from my Cub books and from the person I got the wiring from shows the wiring going from the L terminal on the regulator to battery ignition switch. And now the line from the L terminal on the regulator goes to the ameter. It ran okay that way. Should I rewire it per the diagram or how it was wired? Color me confused. :idea:

Sounds like your wires are crossed. Make it match the diagrams.

Jim, Next question. The wiring set I have has two wires going from the lighting switch to the front lights. I think what I have is a three position light switch (O, D, B). On the back of the lighting switch there is a old wire that appears to go to the battery, an old heavier single wire going to the front (that has been cut), an old lighter gauge wire that also has been cut (short so I do know where it originally went), and then an old wire that goes to the fuse.

For the new wiring that goes to front, I assume one wire must be ground and one must be a hot wire. On the light switch, I assume the hot wire (heavier gauge) must connect to the heavier wire on the lighting switch that goes to the front. Then the ground wire (assuming that what it is connects to screw where the lighter weight wire that has been cut. Does this sound right?

It is a 1955 Cub with a voltage regulator and coil, and positive six volt ground. Between the wire that goes to the front and the wire that goes to the battery is a resister. The fuse is not part of the lighting switching, if that is any help.

I assume if I connect the battery before the I connect the lighting wires to the lights, I need to tape the wires apart so they do not spark across.

Am I on the right track? Do not want to let too much smoke out of wiring!!!!

Jim, I looked at the wiring diagram and may be the wiring from the lighting switch that I thought went from the switch to the battery instead goes to the rear light. However, There is still a wire connected to a screw underneath the screw that connects to the wire that goes to the front of the tractor. I do not see this wire/screw on the wiring diagram. Would it be a ground? The wiring diagram just shows single wires going to the lights and my new wiring has two wires going to the lights. Ummm

The light switch is grounded through the body of the switch. IH in those years had no wired grounds. on anything but the battery strap. Jim

Jim, Thanks So I do not need to connect the second wire to anything?

Larry

There should be a ground wire in your harness. I would say it should be pink but given the number of production years and the possibility of replacement harnesses, I am not certain that colors will match. Along with the ground wire, there should be one other wire that goes from the panel to the headlights. Both of these wires should have an in-harness splice so the front has two matching ends to go to each headlight. The splice should be near the fan shroud. You can identify the ground wire by the terminal on the rear end. It should have a terminal with a large hole that will fit under one of the bolts that attaches the panel to the bell housing.

Here is a diagram that shows how your light switch should be wired.
http://www.atis.net/CubFAQ/cub_faq_2.html#q3
Right at the moment, ATIS isn't working. Hopefully it will be back shortly and you can see it.

The fuse holder should have one wire to the hot side of the ignition switch. The other should go to the light switch. The headlight wire should go on the light switch at one end of the resistor. The rear light wire should be at the opposite side of the switch from the headlight wire. There should be a second wire in the harness that goes to the rear light. It is a ground and should be pink and have the large-ended terminal like the front ground wire.

If Jim Becker Says it hs a ground it does. Jim

Jim and Jim, Thanks, I think I got it figured out with your help. I followed the diagrams (which were different from how the old wiring was installed). There is still a small wire coming from the bottom right screw of the switch that I have not figured out. It was cut off anyway. Maybe it was a ground. And I see that a ground wire for the lights goes to the small bolts holding the dash instrument panel on. So all the wires on the new harness used. Now I need to get the gas tank and hood on and clean up the lights and get them ready to be installed (no small task to get them cleaned up). Making progress. Thanks again. It might awhile before I install the battery and check and see if I release any smoked from the wiring!!

Harvester did start adding grounds for the lights, evidently about the time they started using the early late style sealed beams. They continued to ground everything else through the mounting hardware. It would have been helpful if they had added them to things like the generators and voltage regulators.

Wires from the switch to the battery and switch to the fuse are redundant. The switch should only need 3 wires total. The older 4 position switches had a fourth wire for the field control. Use of a full voltage regulator eliminated that wire in 1950.

Your extra wire is probably left over from the mis-wiring you are trying to sort out.

Jim, Thanks. I think part of my problem is I do not understand the wiring, and I am just doing "monkey see, monkey do." However, then I see the existing wiring is different from the wiring diagrams, and the wiring diagrams can vary by serial number, magneto, voltage regulator (or cut off), etc. So I have to keep in mind just what configuration I have and try to figure out why the old wiring was done as it was and why the new wiring is done as the diagrams directed. The original wiring did not seem to have a separate ground to the bolts holding on the instrument panel, so your explanation in a previous message was helpful. The new wiring does have larger ends in one lighting wiring, and I assume as grounds. And, per you second message, that 4th wire from the switch probably was a ground wire that since installation has been cut or broken off.

A year or so ago I did some wiring on an Allis Chalmer C's lights and it was a real bear to get them to work until I did a separate ground wire for them. So, I assume over the years with rust, grime, etc. grounds to the old lights did not work real well and IH started with a separate
grounding wire. In fact, as you know, grounding a six volt battery to a pretty substantial bolt to the frame does not always work very well over the years as rust, etc. collects, and from time to time this has led me to some frustration!!!

Thanks for the help. I am hoping to get the gas tank and hood on the tractor in the next day or two.