TO20 Dead generator

gene in la.

New User
I have aTO20 with a generator that's not putting out any voltage! Have replaced voltage regulator! Checked all wiring! My question is should I have the generator rebuild for $100 or get a conversion kit to 12 volts for $100!!! Any help will be appreciated!!! Thanks Gene in La.
 
Out of curiosity had you polarized the regulator? If you hadn't
you will not get a charge with a new regulator.

Otherwise yes, an alternator conversion will save a lot of
headaches and they make 6 volt pos ground alternators.
 
If it's a show tractor, keep it original!

If it's an occasional use tractor, the 12v conversion will work well.

If it's a daily working tractor expect some starter troubles. The 12v on a 6v starter is mechanically hard on the starter and flywheel gear IMHO.
 
No I have tried polarizing generator, but not sure I did it correctly, please explain again the correct way! I sparked from battery to generator terminal?
 
There are a lot of threads to polarizing. As I understand on a pos ground system jump a wire from the neg terminal to the "A" terminal on then generator and just tap it to get a spark.
 

Tom H. has it right. With the tractor off run a jumper wire from the negative terminal and touch the arm stud on the generator. You should a see a spark when you touch it to it. If you look closely on the generator case you should see an A stamped into the case identifying which one is the armature stud. As far as the generator vs alternator debate, I'm all about originality. I do 90% of my farm work with my TO-20 and it is still 6 volt with a generator. I crank it in below freezing weather and have no problems. Generators have gotten a bad rap over the past few decades but it's not the generators fault. Very few people stop and think about how unmaintained there charging and starting system is. These $20.00 and $30.00 voltage regulators aren't much count. A good one will run you around $60.00 with a lifetime replacement. Make sure you have a good ground where the regulator bolts down.
 



I have a similar dilemma, the pictures attached show what came off my to20, it never charged properly, I got it like that, I was going to clean it up lube the bearings and zap it, but that silver thing looks like its regulator, the one post that has no wire connected had a wire running directly to the battery post, negative, ( I believe or at least it should, it is a positive ground ), so what to do?

option 1 is to get the regulator and see if I can get it wired properly and working, I have a fairly new starter, and a ring gear that comes off so for the longest time I used the hand crank and charged the battery at night just to see if the rest of the tractor holds up, plus I had work to do with it and time was of the essence.

if this don't work I guess I am out $60 and looking at converting it, I think the kit was $150, not sure if it has everything I need, something about a resistor to protect the original coil? I'll need a battery that's for sure, maybe a new coil to be safe, it is starting to add up so what to do,

I was even debating getting a junkyard alternator, make some brackets and run the headlights in series with the battery, keep everything 6 v otherwise, in theory it should work but I wonder why this is not a common fix, I have not read of it elsewhere.

I still have to see about the flywheel, off topic, I will have to split the tractor, I am tempted to weld the ring gear to the flywheel and be done, some recommend getting the revised flywheel, but than I would need a clutch alignment tool, I have a couple from other automotive sets, but likely wont fit, clutch is good so I would not replace it thou in the past I have replaced everything I could when I open something up, this means the rear main too, which I read is a rope,

ohh what to do?

I am not trying to restore the thing just get functional, I got more work this coming summer, on a budget if possible, I am really trying not to get carried away and make a big project out of it ( dam it no pics yet, I'll try and upload them in a bit )
 
http://www.dbelectrical.com/p-7754-regulator-15-amp-output-agricultural-industrial-marine-8040-6158.aspx

this is what I have for a regulator, it is screwed to the generators case, the A post is grounded to the generators case, and the F post goes to this regulators post, from the other to the battery, this is unlike the wiring I saw for these tractors with the proper regulator.

I suppose it could work but it doesn't seem it is wired right, I'm no expert but why would you ground the armature, guess I'll look at those schematic again
mvphoto14247.jpg


mvphoto14248.jpg
 
well I got a new regulator today, its the same part number as the one listed on this site thou I got it from a different site along with an alternator for a different tractor, and I got to say holly moly this thing is huge in comparison with the dinky one that my tractor came with, not to mention I am not sure about the previous wiring schematic.

so I guess I'll be rewiring this tractor according to the original schematic, I believe the proper location for the regulator is by the battery tray, and from what I read a polarizing is in order once properly wired, we'll see how this goes.
mvphoto14337.jpg
 

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