(quoted from post at 07:45:03 08/10/15) Can someone give me a pro/con explanation for dummies of positive vs. negative ground. I am having my 1954 Case VAC-14 generator rebuilt. At this time my tractor is set up with negative ground, but I understand it came from the factory with positive ground. Should I switch back?
Thank you,
Glenn F.
always liked this lighter side of grounds:
Here are a couple of takes: ( not ALL factual, just part)
1) Model T Ford had it right with Negative ground, then Ford "fixed" it with the Model A (Pos gnd), then Ford "fixed" it again in 1956 (back to Neg Gnd).
2) Ford was almost ready to go into production with the Model A & discovered that spark was positive...investigation revealed that the coil was manufactured wrong! Henry, being the frugal man that he was, said," take too much time & money to scrap/re-manufacturer all those coils...just reverse the battery cables". Finally fixed that mistake in 1956.
3) Had it wrong with Model T, fixed it with Model A, then made it wrong again in 1956.
4) Had it right with the Model T, messed it up with the Model A, couldn't admit mistake until all the guilty players were dead & then fixed it in 1956.
5) When lightening strikes, it is an electrical discharge from a Negative cloud to a Positive Earth, so if it was good enough for God, then it was good enough for machines. Of course the main current is in the return discharge from Earth to cloud…but the Earth is still the Positive end of it.
And FINALLY,
5) It doesn't make any difference, like left/right hand threads on lug nuts, as long as user knows how it is set up, either work just fine. It is just a convention necessary to facilitate communication.
the bottom line here is electricity could care less - as long as it has a path to follow it'll be as happy as a tornado in a trailer park.