I have a "49 WD that has been a problem with the starting system. A new battery (6v) just can"t seem to turn it over. In fact, the starter switch (new) doesn"t appear to connect until I put on a 12v jumper. If I install a 12v battery would I need to change the generator set-up? Or is this inadvisable. I have a friend who uses 12 on and Oliver and gets by great.

Thanks

It sounds very much like cables that are much too small. Very dirty connections can also cause the problem. I think you should have at least 1 guage and 00 would be excellent.

Had the same problem once. Connections were dirty everywhere. Kept acting like a dead battery. Cleaned every connection and put new battery terminals on and started like new.

What do you have for cables? If you went to the local auto parts store for new cables, you probably have 6ga (12V) cables. They absolutely won't work on a 6V system. You MUST have at least 2ga preferably 00ga cable to carry the amps needed. When you have half the volts it takes twice the amps to do the same work. When you have twice the volts, you only need half the amps. That's why 12V systems have thinner cable.
If you still want to go with 12V neg ground, you need a ballast resistor, or you can use a coil with a built in ballast. I have a coil from a Kohler K series single cyl on my CA. Works just fine and no need to deal with a separate resistor. You can continue to use your original generator with a cutout relay on it as is, or you can upgrade to a regulator or even an alternator. I ended up swapping my original 6V generator for a 12V generator from a D17 so it could keep an original look. The bigger generator reliably keeps my battery up even with extra lights.

Your starter may be weak and putting a 12 volt battery on it, it then has enough power to make up for the weak starter.

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