Did this happen on it's own, or has the switch been recently replaced?
Either way, easy to test with a volt meter.
Disconnect the small wire from the starter solenoid.
Put the volt meter on the + terminal of the coil to ground.
Turn the ignition switch to the on position, should get near battery voltage on the meter.
Slowly turn the switch to start position, watch the volt meter closely. The voltage should not vary. Try it several times, hold the switch in start position and move the key around, it should maintain a steady battery voltage reading.
If it drops, every time, and there has been electrical changes made, possibly the switch is wired wrong. If the reading is erratic, or no voltage to the coil in start position, the switch is bad.
That is a common problem, especially if the tractor stays outside. Be sure to use a tractor or marine switch, as automotive switches are not water and dirt resistant.
If that test passes, try an actual cranking voltage test. You will need an analog meter.
Pull the coil wire so the engine won't start. Take a voltage reading at the coil while cranking. It will be hard to get a steady reading, but the volts should stay above 8-9 volts. If it drops below that, load test the battery. If the battery tests good, could be a bad connection. Feel for hot connections, discolored, corroded, connections. Some of those grounded the battery to the sheet metal, a common bad connection. Feel for warm cables, if any battery cables have been replaced, be sure they are big enough gauge. Many times automotive cables are too small, more insulation than wire.
Finally check the condition of the starter. If the bushings are worn it will draw too many amps, nothing left to fire the coil.
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Today's Featured Article - Ford Part Number Trivia - by Forum Participants. "Replaced by" means the part was superseded. All of my part books date back to 1964 and New Holland have changed some part numbers. They usually put the old Ford part number on the package. I was suppressed when I looked up the part number of the auxiliary drive shaft because for some reason the part number went through a radical change and it lost its "Basic Part Number". Ford part numbers follow the following rules. Most part numbers are in three parts. The middle part is called the
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