If you can't make it run on 6v, you probably can't make it run on 12v either.
As nearly all 12v advocates will tell you, don't try to fix electrical/performance problems w/ a 12v conversion. Other than brighter lights, a faster spinning starter & the ability to operate 12v auxiliary equipment, a 12v conversion isn't going to make a poorly running tractor run better. You might want to fix whatever problems you are having on your tractor before you spend $200 to find out it had a bad cable or connection. From my experience, I've only found two reasons to convert to 12v: If you need to run 12v equipment (sprayers, pumps, lights, etc) or your N has poor compression (like less than 90 lbs) and you do not want to rebuild it, then a 12v conversion makes sense. Otherwise, you will likely be trading one set of problems for another. If your tractor is hard to start in cold weather (or any weather) find out why & fix it! These tractors have low compression, low HP engines and will start just fine on 6v. There is nothing inherently 'wrong' w/ a 12v conversion. The problem is that there are about 6 different ways to convert the tractor to 12v, all of them work, and an infinite number of ways to do it wrong. If you have a basic understanding of tractor mechanics, you can buy a quality kit (from this site or many others)& do it correctly. Or, you can buy an alternator & fabricate brackets if you are skilled at that sort of stuff. Of course, if you have a basic understanding of tractor mechanics, you could just as easily fix the problem that you are trying to cure with the 12v conversion. Most problems we read about w/ 12v conversions are as a result of folks getting in over their heads trying to fabricate a conversion, using inferior kits or using kits w/ directions written in Chinese, or buying tractors w/ "Bubba" conversions and now the new owner is stuck with trying to figure it out. All four of my N's are 6v & they all four start the first time, every time, no matter what the weather. You will find that to be the case with folks who live in a lot of places much colder than VA.
Now before the 12v advocates give me a spanking, let me add that lots of folks around here have 12v conversions & are perfectly happy w/ them because the conversions were done correctly. 12v is also more forgiving of poor grounds/weak cables, etc than 6v, so keeping everything "clean, bright & tight" in the system is not as critical. 12v gives you twice as much current & a faster spinning starter. And, because 6v headlights are 35w & 12v are 55w, the headlights are brighter.
If you do decide that a 12v conversion is the way to go, plenty of folks on this board have done them and they work well, so you have come to the right place for help!
Lastly, here is a copy of a post from a fellow who fixed his problem rather than spending time & money on a 12v conversion:
Parke1
06-11-2008 04:57:25 216.153.169.120 666141
Re: 2 questions... in reply to Parke1, 06-09-2008 16:44:47
Bruce, you hit the nail on the head!
I started to follow your advice about cleaning all the contacts up. I had inspected the battery cables previously, and they looked to be 1/0 cables, but I checked 'em again, just to be sure. Sure enough, I had been fooled. They were actually some sort of chinsy little cables (I'd guess 4 gauge) with really really thick insulation! I yanked those puppies out and quickly made up some new cables out of welding ground cable. You won't find thicker cables than these anywhere! I hooked them up, finished cleaning all my grounds and contacts, and hit the starter button.
WHOA! This thing cranks about four times faster now, and fires right up! I kept shutting it off and restarting it just to check everything out, and she runs like a top!
Thanks again for the help guys! Now that I know the potential of this 6 volt system when it's running correctly, I'll be forgetting all thoughts of a 12 volt system
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Today's Featured Article - Madison's County - by Anthony West. Philip Madison has been a good friend of mine for quite some time. He has patiently suffered my incessant chit chat on the subject of tractors for longer than I care to remember, and on many occasions he has put himself out, dropped what ever it was he was doing, to come and lend a hand cranking handles, or loading a find onto a trailer. Although he himself has never actually owned or restored a tractor, he was always enthusiastic and always around helping with other peoples projects.
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