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Battery disconnect, tractor stalls

M

mike88

Member
My N8 has been converted to a 12v system. I have a battery drain situation, so I disconnected the battery while it was running and it stalled. on every other motor that I have worked on, and granted they have all had alternators, the motor should remain running. This one has a generator and I know that it require 9v to remain running, just wondering how the generator works and if it might be bad?
 
All (nearly) of the collection of "expert" posters will go ballistic over disconnecting the battery while running, but with your mechanical VR & generator, yes it should stay running. Still not the beast way to check & diagnose the charging system. Measure charging current, battery voltage while running at speed as well as after sitting not running for 30 minutes or so. On modern machines, the transient voltages generated by disconnect/connect of battery has the potential to damage sensitive electronic components, hence the 'alarm' generally expressed.
 
(quoted from post at 11:16:28 05/09/17) My N8 has been converted to a 12v system. I have a battery drain situation, so I disconnected the battery while it was running and it stalled. on every other motor that I have worked on, and granted they have all had alternators, the motor should remain running. This one has a generator and I know that it require 9v to remain running, just wondering how the generator works and if it might be bad?
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Just getting some back ground info , it is very rare to have a 12v generator . How do you know it is 12v ? what is the voltage with the motor off verse with the motor running ? Is this a set up that you have run for years and just now having problems or is this a new tractor to you ?

It is my novice understanding that generators are not going to put out 12v at idle , which may not be enough voltage to operate the ignition without a battery in the system .
 
I just bought it, the generator says 12v on the side, The guy that sold it to me put a disconnect on the battery because his grandpa told him that if it didn't that it would run the battery down. Didn't sound right to me. I believe that you should not have to add anything extra to an existing setup to make it work. I replaced the battery because it left me stranded in my back pasture, but now have tasked myself to making it correct and not just good enough (it works, don't fix it).

Once I bought a 72 Chev truck and the guy said that he was having battery problems. I found out that he had the alternator wired backwards.

So with all of the genius in the world today I am sure to check everything and anything questionable. My question was, should the tractor stall if I disconnect the battery on a 12v system with a generator. But now I am asking, should I convert it over to an alternator system? I think he has the generator wired backwards but I haven't spent much time looking at it.. just thinking about it.
 
(quoted from post at 14:19:36 05/09/17) I just bought it, the generator says 12v on the side, The guy that sold it to me put a disconnect on the battery because his grandpa told him that if it didn't that it would run the battery down. Didn't sound right to me. I believe that you should not have to add anything extra to an existing setup to make it work. I replaced the battery because it left me stranded in my back pasture, but now have tasked myself to making it correct and not just good enough (it works, don't fix it).

Once I bought a 72 Chev truck and the guy said that he was having battery problems. I found out that he had the alternator wired backwards.

So with all of the genius in the world today I am sure to check everything and anything questionable. My question was, should the tractor stall if I disconnect the battery on a 12v system with a generator. But now I am asking, should I convert it over to an alternator system? I think he has the generator wired backwards but I haven't spent much time looking at it.. just thinking about it.
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Alternators are generally more trouble free & easier to work on & obtain parts to repair. That being said, I have generator/electro-mechanical VR systems that still function perfectly well after 67 years(6v), 63 years(6v), and 55(12v) years. At least two of the three still have original VRs on them. I don't have any alternators duplicating that!
 
It might be a good time to convert to an alternator and be done with it. I recently converted both of my 8ns to 12 volts and i really like how easy they start. I waited until I needed new batteries anyway and went for it. No more messing with junk voltage regulators
 
Oh, and one more thing. Alternators do have an always present battery drain (although very small, will over many months deplete a battery), whereas a generator/VR has no such drain. Eqmt used often means this does not matter.
 
That is good information but if I don't need to spend the money I don't want to. The amp meter shows to be neg voltage even on the new battery. I am not sure that he didn't
wire it with a negative ground, what do you think? I think that I will check the wiring tonight and report back tomorrow. ;) thanks again
 
(quoted from post at 14:58:32 05/09/17) That is good information but if I don't need to spend the money I don't want to. The amp meter shows to be neg voltage even on the new battery. I am not sure that he didn't
wire it with a negative ground, what do you think? I think that I will check the wiring tonight and report back tomorrow. ;) thanks again
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f an ammeter it reads amperes. If a voltmeter, it reads volts. Often when converted from Positive ground to Negative ground, folks do not change the ammeter wiring, so they read backwards. One of mine has been backward so long (~40 years), that if I were to reverse it, at every startup it would alarm me for a couple seconds anyway. :)
 
(quoted from post at 13:58:32 05/09/17) That is good information but if I don't need to spend the money I don't want to.
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A working used 12v generator will easily sell for twice the price of a chevy alternator . Just food for though . Some people like to work on tractors and some don't , nothing wrong with that .
 
12 volt systems generally are NEG ground. It baffles me when I see someone who simply switches out the 6 volt battery with a 12 volt, and changes nothing else. When eliminating the generator and voltage regulator and installing a 12 volt battery, add an alternator wired NEG ground and also the proper 12v coil and ballast resistor. Google JMOR's Wiring Diagrams and see the correct ways to wire these old N's. Yes, when you disconnect the battery the engine will stop running. Where is spark gonna come from???

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)
 
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