Battery install

Recently acquired my first antique tractor
A Farmall A

I have a question about battery installation
Do I connect the +terminal to the frame ?
I question this but it looks according to the manual to be correct

(quoted from post at 09:49:15 01/25/20) Recently acquired my first antique tractor
A Farmall A

I have a question about battery installation
Do I connect the +terminal to the frame ?
I question this but it looks according to the manual to be correct

Click to expand...

If it has a generator and not a alternator and 6 volt + will be ground.

Not unless it is a + ground tractor. I would hold off until the ones that know wake up.

Yup positive ground originally.

(quoted from post at 09:49:15 01/25/20) Recently acquired my first antique tractor
A Farmall A

I have a question about battery installation
Do I connect the +terminal to the frame ?
I question this but it looks according to the manual to be correct

Click to expand...

It came from the factory with a 6 volt battery, a generator, and positive ground. That was a long time ago and it's possible someone may have switched it to an alternator with a 12 volt battery and negative ground. Can you post a picture or two?

How to check for replaced or modified system from original 6v positive ground. A generator is shown below as compared to an alternator. If it is a
generator it still could be 12 volt, and positive ground. If it is 12v the coil might have a ceramic resistor mounted neer it connected on the terminal
that is supply from the ignition switch, and the coil may say for 12v with external resistor. Or the coil might have words saying for 12v no external
resistor required. Another indication is is if the light bulbs are 12v.
If an alternator, it is 98% likely it is negative ground 12 volts. Hooking it up with a 6v battery with positive ground will probably ruin a 12 volt
alternator. Jim
alternator

generator

As was said,positive ground when new/from the factory.If the old cables are still there,they will tell you.The Positivepost is bigger than the negative post.The clamps will fit accordingly.Hook it up as it was.

Don't all coils have + & - on them, and you hook up the battery the same as the coil? If the + side of the coil is wired to the points then it's a + ground?

(quoted from post at 08:49:15 01/25/20) Recently acquired my first antique tractor
A Farmall A

I have a question about battery installation
Do I connect the +terminal to the frame ?
I question this but it looks according to the manual to be correct

Click to expand...

Your tractor left the factory with a generator with the battery connected (+) ground, but a lot can happen over more than a half-century.

Others have told you how to verify that it still has a generator vs. an alternator conversion.

Most generator charging systems (with certain caveats) can operate at either polarity, depending upon how they are "polarized".

If it still has a generator, note which way the cables fit best on the battery, that is most likely the way it was last connected.

Then, BEFORE STARTUP, polarize the generator.

This will ensure that the generator, at startup, will charge with the same polarity as the battery is connected.

To do that, since your tractor has a Delco charging system which is a "A circuit" system, momentarily jumper the "BATT" and "A" (ARM) terminals at the cutout (mounted on top of the generator).

(If polarizing is NOT done prior to startup, and it happens that the battery was installed the other way last time, as the generator comes up to speed and begins to charge, the cutout points will close and connect the opposite polarities of the battery and generator together, likely destroying the cutout and/or welding the cutout points together, causing the battery to drain through the cutout and generator after shutdown, likely letting the smoke out of the generator.)

So, in summary, it's VERY IMPORTANT in a situation like this to polarize the generator BEFORE startup.

I'm surprised none of the other tractor guys here told you that.

When I was a used tractor dealer I saw so many get their polarity changed over the years its hard to say what you have now. Since it was originally POS ground and iffffffffffff its still a Generator NOT an Alternator, Id go back with the factory original POS ground.

In the event it has a battery powered coil ignition (instead of a Magneto) it would originally had the + terminal to the distributor and if it were changed it may or may not have been reversed as it should have been.

If its still a Generator to be sure and safe I would POLARIZE the generator BEFORE start up !!!!!!!!!!!!

If it has a working ammeter and it registers bass ackwards reverse its leads

There are a lot of unknowns like 6 or 12 volt and genny or alternator and its ground so this is ONLY a start.

John T

No harm in cutting a flat rubber underpad from an inner tube to place under the battery. It provides a wee bit of vibration isolation for the battery.

thank you for your response I have a original condition 6v system. Very helpful thanks again

thanks very helpful

thank you Very much your response to my question was EXTREMELY informative.