Battery ?

I have a 51 6 volt 8N, I keep a trickle charger on it all the time, took it to a friend to do some work on it, after sitting for 2 weeks it wouldn't start, no clicking nothing, he had to jump it to get it started,could it be battery or something else.

" I keep a trickle charger on it all the time"

A battery charger, even a "trickle" charger, left unattended will eventually boil out a battery. That's one reason float chargers were invented.



While you could have other problems, the battery is the likely suspect. It's easy enough to check; see tip # 49. Or take it to a parts store and let them check it.
75 Tips

(quoted from post at 04:37:15 06/29/18) I have a 51 6 volt 8N, I keep a trickle charger on it all the time, took it to a friend to do some work on it, after sitting for 2 weeks it wouldn't start, no clicking nothing, he had to jump it to get it started,could it be battery or something else.

Click to expand...

Yes exactly, it could be the battery or something else....did your friend do any checking before he jump started it? If not I would check the battery voltage, a fully charged 6 volt should read approximately 6.3 volts. If low, charge the battery and recheck the voltage. If the voltage checks okay, the real test of the battery is a load test, most places that sell batterys can do this for you. If the battery checks out then the problem is likely else where.

I call it a trickle charger, it is a Schumacher Maintainer 1.5 Amp, would that be different than a trickle charger?

Don't know. What's its manual say?
75 Tips

I'll have to look it's in the barn, thanks to both of you for the help.

A clicking starter, nothing else is an indication the battery is dead, and/or the wiring is all jazzed up. A 1951 8N would have the angle -mount (side) distributor on the RH side and the generator on the LH side. Yes? As mentioned, a battery trickle charge can overcharge a battery. Simply charging a battery does not mean it a good battery. The battery is essential to start and maintain the charging system. It must sustain a full charge, UNDER LOAD, with the specific gravity/electrolyte at a certain level. You can get a hydrometer to check yourself but any starter shop or parts store has the bench test equipment to do so, fast and usually for free. Another misconception too is just because you have a 6V battery does NOT mean the rest of the circuit is wired correctly. The original 8N 6V/POS GRM circuit uses a generator and a voltage regulator. Search WIRING PICTOGRAMS by JMOR and find your setup, then confirm yours is wired EXACTLY as shown, no deviations. 99/98% of non-starting issues arise because of poor/incorrect wiring jobs, whether 6V/POS GRN or 2V/NEG GRN. While the battery is in the shop getting tested, go thru the wiring step by step. If you have lights, disconnect them to remove from the equation for now -you can always reconnect once problem is solved. They also could be part of the problem if not wired correctly. Perform a continuity test on each wire -you don't need nor want power to do that. Also do not simply go by the wire color codes. Colors do not conduct electrons. Chances are you no longer have the original cloth covered correctly color coded wires anyway. Root cause problem solving applied her as with any problem. Start with the basics and do not buy and replace any parts until problem is determined. Report back with findings...

FORD 8N TRACTOR WIRING DIAGRAM -ALL 48-52:

FORD changed to the side mount distributor in early 1950 and at the same time introduced the 8N-10000-B Generator, a larger output unit, rated now at 20 AMPS and moved to the LH side of engine. The two earlier generators were rated at an 11.5 AMP output. ALL 8N generators were 3-WIRE, A-CIRCUIT design units. Only the 8N-10000 and 8N-10000-A units were 3-Brush and had the 3rd Brush adjustment screw on the back end plate.


Tim Daley(MI)

I have a 6 volt Batteryminder that I use on my two tractors. But I only put it on once a month for about 24 hours on each tractor. Another brand is Battery Tender. They are more than just a trickle charger. They have built in circuitry that just keeps the battery at float voltage and can de-sulsifey.

I always disconnect the ground post. Seems work for me

(quoted from post at 05:37:50 06/29/18) I call it a trickle charger, it is a Schumacher Maintainer 1.5 Amp, would that be different than a trickle charger?

Click to expand...

I have a Schmucher 1.5 amp Maintainer, actually I have two:

The first one is a Model SEM-1562A and was purchased in 2012. In the manual it talks about the Maintain Mode (Float Mode Monitoring) and the charger's ability to maintain a healthy battery for extended periods of time. The manual also includes a chart indicating that for large batteries, greater than 200 CCA, the battery must be fully charged before the charger can properly maintain it. Using the charger to charge a large battery, that was not fully charged could cause the large battery to become unable to hold a charge.

The second one is a model SEM-1562A-CA and was purchased in 2018. In the manual it talks about the Maintain Mode (Float Mode Monitoring) and the charger's ability to maintain a healthy battery for extended periods of time. The manual does not contain the battery size chart or any restrictions relative to charging large batteries.

These are nice chargers in that they automatically detect 6V or 12V and will maintain either one. In addition both have a Desulfation Mode which is what prompted my first purchase. However, I do not leave the chargers connected to the battery and always disconnect after several days. To me "extended periods of time" does not mean leave it connected 24/7/365/Forever.

Finally, I restrict the use of my Model SEM-1562A to the lawn tractors and smaller batteries.

Hi Ken, I have the same type
of maintainer as you, I leave
it on all winter long and
most of the summer, maybe I
should take it off every once
in a while, thanks

(quoted from post at 07:37:50 06/29/18) I call it a trickle charger, it is a Schumacher Maintainer 1.5 Amp, would that be different than a trickle charger?

Click to expand...

While the model number would help, that sure sounds like a float mode charger. Googling "Schumacher Maintainer 1.5 Amp" brings up one on Amazon that is described as "Schumacher's Speed Charge Maintainer maintains both 6-volt and 12-volt batteries, keeping them at full charge using float-mode monitoring. The unit will automatically switch from full-charge to float-mode monitoring when the battery is charged to prevent damage."