6 or 12 volt??

Take it from me, I am the guy that once started a 6 volt Farmall 300 unassisted by any means at -40 degrees F.

I also own 3 tractors with alternator conversions, one of them is 6 volt and has by far been the most sucessful. It has been over ten years and the battery and alternator I installed are still in tractor. I did replace the cables this summer as the old ones were stiff, brittle and had broken covering.

I had a 6 cylinder 100 hp Deere, batteries were 6 years old, coming on fall it got sluggish about starting. I replaced all the battery cables with new 1 gauge. That machine was started every day that winter no boosts and much of the time sub zero weather. I replaced the batteries in that Deere 2 years later.

If I had a dollar for every battery, starter, generator, etc. that has been thrown out across North America, when the real problem was battery cables, I'd be a very wealthy man.

Good luck though with ur decision

Even if you change to a 12 volt system later the cables will never be a wasted expense.

I am like you a 6 volt system never really works well for me, so it really doesn't take much for me to change to 12 volts.

GOOD LUCK

Keep it original and fix it. a guy one told me..."with antique tractors you have to close your eyes and open your wallet" how true

I've got an H on 6 volts. It was 25 degrees today. It turned over quickly and started easily. The system is real simple - battery, cable/connectors, motor, switch.

Rebuild the motor (it's the same motor you'd use for 12V anyway, and you can clean it and install new brushes for less than 5 bucks) and it will turn a lot easier, requiring a lot less current from the battery. Get some cheap 0 or 00 gauge welding cable and connectors to make your own cables, and throw in another 10 bucks or so for a new switch to make sure there are no narrow spots in the road from the battery to the starter. Assuming your 6V batt and charging system is half way decent, your M should turnover as fast as any 12 V system with those changes, at less than or equal to the cost of changing to 12. Besides! -- you'll be able to brag how easily your M starts with the original 6V setup when you take it to shows.

There is some logic to the thought that an alternator makes a world of difference, as it has a higher amperage than any generator. But you can get a 6V positive ground alternator for not much more than a standard 12- ground.

Six volt systems have been starting tractors for years. You'll probably be in for less money in fixing a 6 than converting Given all that, it's hard to see why 12 volt systems are any kind of magic cure all.