battery in a 1927 fordson

twostickmutt

New User
I've been trying to get a 1927 Fordson running after a very lengthy time not started. Can't get any spark from the magneto.I was told that a battery could be used in the mags place. There is a battery box on the tractor. Questions are positive or negative ground and i'm assuming 6 volts on the battery. Is that correct. Thanks for any help.
 
If I remember correctly, they used a "flywheel magneto" and a coil box with 4 "buzz coils" like a "Model T".

If that is true, and there's no charging system, battery polarity won't matter to the coils, as they are fed AC/alternating current from the flywheel "mag".
 
ok bob thanks for the reply. yes there is 4 coil boxes. I noticed there are battery cables also so i'm assuming someone started this (cranked) with a battery hooked up to it. i'll try a battery and see what happens. would a 12 volt batt be too much for it do you think. thanks for the help.
 
I can't answer that for sure, except to say I believe the flywheel "mags" put out quite a few AC Volts when the engine was "at speed".
 
Hello. A bit of a cranky system, but not imposible to fix. You probably need to
remagnitize the little magnets on the flywheel. There is a procedure using a couple of batteries,
Same process as model T cars. Lots of info in old libraries and on the internet.
Take a bit of time and do it right, and make sure the trembler coils are adjusted properly.
Or find and aftermarket distributor and coils like the model A used. At one time there
were many kits to redo an old Fordson/model T engine.
If you want to be somewhat correct, remagnetize the flywheel
 
I had it running today Kris for about 5 seconds off of a battery. I'll rig up a temp. gas can and see just how good it will run after 40 years then I'll see what I can do with the mag. thank you and bob for the replies.
 
There is a switch to run on flywheel magneto or battery. If you hook up a battery wrong, and it sends power to the magneto, you will demagnitize the magneto. The last time I was at Fleet
Farm store, they still had "starting" batteries in stock. They are a combination of
large dry cells connected in one. Produce 6 volts. I think you could use a battery
from one of your power tools. Some claim that you can start with the magneto by itself,
but that could be a killer. Really hard work. Once the engine is warmed up and loose, you
could restart it much easier.

Somewhere along the way, they made towing tractors for industrial use that had electric starters. I wish I could find one. They'd be similar to the E27N, but with worm drive.
 
Hello again. We have a member in our club that has a 1923 Fordson. He says they are a bit tricky and different, but not
that hard to work on. First, everything must be clean. He finally had to dig into his and found a broken wire in his magneto
assembly. soldered it, and it was fine. I have an old model T book. It says the magnets on the flywheel passing the stationsry coils creates
a low tension electric current andis carried from them to the coil box on the dash (or box on tractor) It also says if the points are pitted they should be filed down and adjusted to a trifle less than 1/32 of an inch.
This probably does not help you. The commutator on the front of the motor should also be clean and properly adjusted I think today we would call it a distributor.
Many old model t/fordsons were fitted with a distributor and ignition coil in place of the mag system, apparently ones from a model A also fit.
We have just got a new (ha) 1925 fordson in our club and it was amazing how easy it was to split to get at the magneto etc.
Good luck with your project.
ps. same old member of our club runs an old one cylinder international with a piezzo electric switch from a barbeque.
 

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