1-wire VS 3-wire alternators & battery discharge

For all those who have complained about their batteries draining after tractor sits un-used for a week or so, the content of Mr. J.A. Nicholson's post over on the Farmall board, may explain the problem. I have not personally measured the 'standby' alternator drain on any 1-wire set-up. I have measured that 'standby' drain on several 3-wire set-ups.
Jim says, "The internal VR in some of the one wire systems draws about 200ma (if measured across an open battery terminal) others draw more like 500ma or more."
Whereas, my measurements for 3-wire show 0.75ma.
Best case then is 200/0.75=267X worse AND worst case is 500/0.75=667X worse drain.
Knowing that you can't extract every last amp-hour out of a battery, for sake of this discussion let us assume that we can. Real life results won't be this good, by some margin. Further more, if you did extract every last A-H, then there would be zero left to operate a starter.
Start with a 75amp-hour full charged battery. Apply the 3-wire 0.75ma drain.
75A-H divided by 0.75ma=100,000 hours. Divided by 24hr/day, yields 4,167 days (or 11 years). We all know that most batteries sitting on a shelf connected to nothing won't last that long. So what this says to me is that the 0.75ma drain is reasonably insignificant.
BUT, look what happens when we apply the 267X worse or the 667X worse 1-wire 'standby' drains: the 4,167 days divided by 267=15 days.***
Even worse, 4,167 divided by 667=6 days.*****

NOW, as I said in the beginning, I have not personally measured the 'standby' drain on a 1-wire set-up, but have no reason to doubt Mr. Nicholson. So, it seems reasonable then that a dead battery after a few days might very well be related to a 1-wire alternator.
Rather than speculation or even testimonials, such as 'mine doesn't discharge that fast', I would like to see a good hand full of 'standby' drain current measurements made & posted by anyone able to perform same.
No doubt, all 1-wire regulators are not born equal.
It could be that when & where those high 'standby' drains are encountered, that the regulator is just plain faulty and really has nothing to do with 1-wire vs 3-wire. However, speculation, testimonials are not the answer, just some real current measurements.
I hope we see some measurements!

Ok. I have a one wire on a 52 side mount. Using a FLUKE 179 multimeter, I get a reading of 20mA when put in series with the battery post and battery cable. Did I put the meter in the right place? I use it mostly for checking voltages and continuity, not to familiar with the amp thing! I just replaced the alt a few weeks back because my old one had external VR that over charged. I have not had any problems with dead battery and the tractor has sit for 2 weeks without being started.

(quoted from post at 13:07:52 12/21/08) Ok. I have a one wire on a 52 side mount. Using a FLUKE 179 multimeter, I get a reading of 20mA when put in series with the battery post and battery cable. Did I put the meter in the right place? I use it mostly for checking voltages and continuity, not to familiar with the amp thing! I just replaced the alt a few weeks back because my old one had external VR that over charged. I have not had any problems with dead battery and the tractor has sit for 2 weeks without being started.

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Thanks for the input!
You did good. Meter in right place. By my logic you should have still had 96.3% of battery capacity remaining after 2 weeks (i.e., alt reg only drained off 3.7%), or put another way, IF you did in fact have a 75A-H battery, then you had 72A-H remaining, or yet another way, you should be good for 156 days to total drain. So at 14 days you have a good margin, but not another 142 days & still crank up. Will a half discharged battery still start an engine?
If so, then maybe you can sit for 78 days and still start up.
Thanks, again for your input.

I found that my 12 volt battery on my 52 8N would run down quite often thru non use when I only had a side marker light in the circuit with my 3 wire alternator. I installed a diode in series with the marker lamp and have no longer experience the discharge problem. Figured there was current leakage with only the lamp in the circuit but the addition of the diode blocked the current flow.

(quoted from post at 15:53:37 12/21/08) I found that my 12 volt battery on my 52 8N would run down quite often thru non use when I only had a side marker light in the circuit with my 3 wire alternator. I installed a diode in series with the marker lamp and have no longer experience the discharge problem. Figured there was current leakage with only the lamp in the circuit but the addition of the diode blocked the current flow.

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Given the GM published circuit of the alternator/regulator, that shouldn't happen if all components are good. HOWEVER, we (I specifically) know that the circuit inside the regulator is not the same as published in every regulator ever made by anybody & his brother, so who knows what may be in any given circumstance. I say, if diode works for you, where lamp didn't, you did well to find the solution to your problem. Happy tractoring!