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Steve, Thanks for the feedback, its fun to discuss electrical subjects even if we bore others lol and its good to see people actually read these posts and think about them. I strongly agree in the good ol USA all are entitled to their opinions, regardless if they are right or wrong or based on fact or are educated or lay opinions. God Bless the USA..... . where all are entitled to their opinions, be they right or left or wrong lol I definitely agree its best to replace them old switches with new as they may be damaged like arcing or carbon build up and more typical is the contactor tensions are just loose and worn out. REPLACE OLD WORN OUT SWITCHES PERIOD but if they are good and NOT worn out, I maintain there is absolutely no need whatsoever to replace them SOLELY cuz ur converting from 6 to 12 volts. In fact, given the same load being switched, at twice the voltage, they only have to switch ONE HALF the current and would actually WORK BETTER AND EVEN LAST LONGER !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! Even if you converted from 6 to 12 volts and replaced say lights with 12 volt units (i.e. a different load), the current the switch would have to interrupt might be around the same AND THE SWITCH WILL STILL HANLDE IT FINE as its the current NOT SO MUCH THE VOLTAGE the switches capacity is concerned with. HOWEVER I defy you to find an auto or tractor toggle or push type switch with a DC voltage withstand rating so low that it would be suitable for ONLY 6 volts but NOT for 12 volts !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! If that were so, the intended for 6 volt DC use withstand rating might be so low it couldnt be used on 12 volts!!!!! Switches are rated moreso for the amount of current they can switch then the max voltage they can withstand, which is much higher then their operating voltage anyway, which is why I say one used on a 6 volt tractor will work fine (assuming its not worn out) if you convert to 12 volts. The DC Voltage withstand rating is that voltage which will not allow arcing between components and for which there would be no insulation failures and believe me, ITS MUCH HIGHER THEM THE RATED OPERATING VOLTAGE. I looked at some switch catalogs and the only ratings I found were 12 volts DC or 277 VAC AND I DIDNT EVEN FIND ANY SWITCHES RATED FOR ONLY 6 VOLTS DC. I suspect the switches used on old 6 volt tractors are rated sufficient for 12 volts anyway, without any arcing or insulation failures??? I JUST DONT SEE THEM WORKING ON 6 VOLTS, BUT IF USED AT 12 THERE WOULD BE INSTANTANEOUS VOLTAGE BREAKDOWN CUZ OF SUCH EXTREME "HIGH" LOL VOLTAGE. I see no way they would not have a voltage withstand rating so low that 12 volts would cause them to arc between members or their insulation break down but NOT so at 6 volts !!!!! !!!!! The DC voltage withstand rating has to be MUCH higher then the UL approved intended operating voltage, like maybe at least 50 volts or even more, if theyre gonna be approved for 6 or 12 volt DC applications. THERFORE I MUST MAINTAIN MY ORIGINAL POSITION THAT ANY STANDARD TOGGLE OR PUSH PULL TRACTOR OR AUTOMOTIVE SWITCH THAT WAS USED ON A 6 VOLT TRACTOR IS SUITABLE FOR USE IF YOU CONVERT TO 12 VOLTS. If all they used then was 6 volts and it was the standard of the day, I then suspect and "admit" they may have carried 6 volt labels,,,,, ,, but I still bet their DC voltage withstand rating would have been way higher then only 6 volts (like maybe 50 or more) whereby 12 volt use would NOT cause voltage arcing or breakdown. HOWEVER I would still replace any old worn switches for safety reasons if I were rewiring REGARDLESS if I were staying at 6 or changing to 12 volts. I respectfully disagree with your statement,,,,, , "Not all 6V switches will handle what a 12V system can dish out. That is a very INCORRECT statement if I ever heard one"..... which I believe was in response to an earlier statement of mine alluding to the fact a 6 volt switch can handle 12 volts (something like that??) TO THE CONTRARY, for the same load to be switched with that switch, if youre operating at 12 volts THE CURRENT WOULD ONLY BE HALF what it was at 6 volts. THERFORE the old switch would WORK EVEN BETTER AND LAST LONGER !!!!! !!! 12 Volts dont necessarily "dish out" anything as you stated, the current a switch might interrupt depends upon the voltage and load, and again, at 12 volts it will "dish out" (as you call it) ONLY HALF THE CURRENT and is only working half as it did when used at 6 volts !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! What many laymen dont understand is that the work a switch does and whats its main rating is concerned with IS THE CURRENT IT SWITCHES NOT AT WHAT VOLTAGE ITS OPERATING. A switch that is rated to switch 20 amps (regardless if at 6 or 12 volts) is much smaller and lighter then one for the same voltage but rated to switch 100 amps. Again, however, ITS THE CURRENT MORE THEN THE VOLTAGE that determines the switches design, while the voltage withstand ratign would still be MUCH higher then 6 or 12 volts and is therefore suitable for EITHER. AMMETER I think we pretty welll agree on their use. Earlier I stated something like a 20 amp max ammeter likely wouldnt suffice if a 50 or 60 amp alternator were used, while a 30 amp "might" depending on the alteranors rating. NOWWWWW if you use like a 100 amp alternator, an old 20 or even 30 amp unit is gonna be severely over current and I would definitely get a higher rated ammeter. Thanks again Steve for this fun discussion and sorry if we bore the others..... .... I guess the bottom line is I would replace any old worn out switches when rewiring REGARDLESS if at 6 or 12 volts, but theres no electrical engineering need or reason to replace a "good" switch SOLELY cuz ur converting from 6 to 12 volts, as its ability to withstand voltages is likely MUCH higher then 6 volts anyway, and I SERIOUSLY doubt any arcing or insulation failures would suddenly manifest themselves caused by such "higher" (12 instead of 6 lol) voltages. Until proven otherwise, "Thats my story and Im stickin to it" lol Take care Steve, John Nordhoff Electrical Engineer, BSEE, Purdue University, 1970. Doctor of Jurisprudence, JD, Indiana University School of law, 1994.
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Rod