keep or loose 3 brush generator on super A

I have had years of charging problems with my super A Farmall, great little mowing machine when it works. The second regulator this year appears to have failed. I get 9V+ from generator when the F terminal is grounded. The generator is a 3 brush,I am told the regulator intended for 2 brush will not work and that i need a cut out and resistor controller for the generator. Adding up the cost of parts i"m told are needed to make this generator work, I"m nearly to the cost of converting to 12 volt alternator. Can this generator be made to work cost effectively, or is 12 volt conversion the most logical way to go?

thanks

mike

1) Is 12 volts most logical, may well be, but I just prefer original equipment. Your tractor only YOU can make that choice.

2) Sure, maybe an M that must be started in extreme cold temps is a better choice for a 12 volt conversion, but an A etc should start fine with a 6 volt system if all else is anywhere near in good shape.

3) "I am told the regulator intended for 2 brush will not work and that i need a cut out and resistor controller for the generator"

Partly true but not necessarily 100% correct. a) Its possible to re wire to convert your genny to a 2 brush b) Ive seen BOTH 2 and 3 brush gennys that used a Voltage Regulator instead of a cutout set up c) If I converted a 3 brush over to a VR system I would move the adjustable brush as close as possible to the fixed brush.

SO IT IS POSSIBLE TO CONVERT YOUR GENNY TO USE A FULL FLEDGED VOLTAGE REGULATOR but it may not be for the timid and may take a bit of knowledge or even experimentation.

Looks to me like it may be simpler to just get a 2 brush and a VR to match it and go that route. The alternative is to stick with a cutout and LHDB light switch.

MANY PROBLEMS IN YOUR SYSTEM IS THE LIGHT SWITCH HAS A POOR GROUND OR ISNT WIRED CORRECT. ID TAKE A LOOK AT THAT FIRST. If your genny charges that well with F grounded maybe all you need is to insure a good ground on the LHDB switch or its bad, maybe has a bad field resistor. Is F on genny wired correct up to the switch??? Is switch well grounded????

Try to fix your genny F to ground problem may be all you need

John T

When I redid a B recently, I just wired in a diode in place of a cut-out. I then adjusted the 3rd brush so it charges 7 to 9 amps at WOT. It is so simple & works just fine. It has a mag and starts on 1st compression &is used for short runs but it keeps the 6 volt battery charged just fine. If I was going to run it hard all day, I would take off the field wire which is now grounded.

Same problem I have had in the past - voltage regs are cheap now. I put several on my A and was quickly over the money I would have spent for the alternator and resistor for the coil. I put the alternator on it and have never looked back. She fires so easy and still has the 6 volt coil. Some of mine use the Delco but I think I put a Hitachi on the A. Same belt, just welded some on the bracket. You could probably get away with a 300 CCA lawn mower battery for $27.

IH used a three brush generator with a voltage regulator for many years after discontinuing the generator used with the cut off system.

A Delco 10SI with a 6 volt regulator can easily replace your original generator and regulator if you want to go that route. They can even be set up as 6 volt positive ground if you want. The 6 volt regulators are one wire units so you only need to attach the wire from the ammeter gauge that goes to the regulator to the output terminal of the alternator to make the electrical connections. If using a negative ground system you would also need to swap the battery cables on the battery and the wires at the coil and ammeter gauge.

You need the correct reg for that gen take the Delco# and then make sure the reg is for that gen. Too many places have a one size fits all and then most dont work correct. I always make sure when buying a new one it is for the three brush gen my Car Quest dealers listings are great. Not many parts men are still around that know their products thats why every one says convert ect. Those systems worked and if kept up with correct polarity ect still will perform like new.

Throw a 12V alternator on it and put the generator parts in a box in case the next owner wants them.

When I get a bad generator I take it to a trusted guy. He checks it out and let's me know how much it will cost to repair it. He rebuilds Delco alternators. If the repair is more than $35 we just swap the generator for the alternator. I have never had a problem with his work. Now that a 6v battery is about the same cost as a 12v it just makes sense.

am I understanding that the three brush can work with a voltage regulator? my tractor does not appear to have the light switch used with the cut out relay. I assumed the tractor was originally regulator controlled and someone at some time put an incorrect generator on it, but I am reading that some tractors came out with 3 brush generators and regulators? . I will look at the third brush adjustment location next week end. I don't know if this observation has any value, but if I tap the regulator with a screwdriver handle the voltage jumps to around 6.5 to 7.5 volts and drops over a matter of a minute or so to around 1 volt and change. rap on the regulator again and it starts the same cycle again.

IH did use the brush generators with regulators for a while before changing over to the 2 brush generators. I am hearing a constant stream of complaints about the new regulators being bad out of the box or failing in a short time, especially if you are buying the $35 or so discount ones. Go to one of the real auto parts stores, such as NAPA, Carquest, etc. and buy their better grade regulator.

My policy with 6v gen systems is simple.
If they work, I keep them clean and leave em be.
If any part of the system fails, it goes 12v without question.
Everything 6v is overpriced today, and it is pretty tough to find a quality 6v 'new' part.

Like the other poster, when 12v, I just use lawn tractor batteries.
even the cheaper 150/175 CCA ones work fine ($19.99).
The electrical load when running is carried by the alternator,
and if the minute or two of fast cranking you get from a small 12V battery doesn't start it,
you have other issues........fix them.......