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Farmall & IHC Tractors Discussion Forum
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MTA- 12V or 6V??

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RookieFarmer

11-30-2006 07:43:57




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I recently purchased a Farmall MTA and I'm not much of a mechanic. I pulled the battery and disposed of it prior to seeing if it is 6V or 12V. How do I tell if my tractor is 6V or has been converted to 12V? If it is a 12V, will it be negative or positive ground? Are there any tests I can do that won't burn up my starter?




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RookieFarmer

11-30-2006 14:17:46




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 Re: MTA- 12V or 6V?? in reply to RookieFarmer, 11-30-2006 07:43:57  
Thanks guys for all your help...I'll be heading north to my shop (where the MTA is) this weekend and I'll check it out and hopefully get it running. I'll post back my results or let you know if I need further help. Keep up the good work!!!



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CNKS

11-30-2006 11:58:03




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 Re: MTA- 12V or 6V?? in reply to RookieFarmer, 11-30-2006 07:43:57  
Teddy is correct. But, if it has an generator it is VERY likely to be 6 volt. It is also possible to convert a 6 volt generator to 12, eliminating the color of the tag thing. If it has the original regulator, somewhere on the underside of the regulator it will say "6 volt positive ground". A replacement 6 volt regulator, or a 12 volt one may not be marked. If it has an alternator it is likely 12 volt, but 6 volt alternators do exist. But, 99% of the time if it has a generator it is 6, alternator 12.

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teddy52food

11-30-2006 10:24:41




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 Re: MTA- 12V or 6V?? in reply to RookieFarmer, 11-30-2006 07:43:57  
If the tag on the generator is black , it is a 6 volt. If it is red, it is a 12 volt. ( Delco )



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John T

11-30-2006 09:56:30




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 Re: MTA- 12V or 6V?? in reply to RookieFarmer, 11-30-2006 07:43:57  
Rookie, All I can do sittin here not looking at your tractor is provide some clues as to how its currently configured. Since many got changed polarity and/or voltage over the years REGARDLESS how they were originally, I will proceed as we dont know what it was before..... ..

1) You might take a look at the coil for any 6 or 12 volt labels??? If its clearly labeled 6 volts AND If THERE IS NOT any external series ballast resistor wired before it and after the ignition switch (if its not a Magneto equipped ignition) it was probably a 6 volt tractor. HOWEVER if it has an external ballast resistor ahead of the coil ORRRRR RRR if it has a full 12 volt coil, it was probably at 12 volts. If theres no labels, a 6 volt coil primary would be around 1.25 to 1.75 ohms or so, while if its a 12 volt coil it would be more like 3 ohms. The primary is measured between the coils lil + and -terminals.

2) This is hard to describe over the net (if there I may be able to tell you) but if you apply 12 volts to the starter and she cranks reallyyyyy yyyy fast, it was probably a 6 volt system. The starter still turns the same direction regardless of battery polarity. If its a 12 volt starter and you apply 6 volts, it would crank reallyyyyy yyyyy slowwwww wwwww.

3) If it has any working lights and 6 volts were applied (or if you can read any labeling on the bulbs) they would glow normal brightness but 12 volts would make them burn reallyyyyy yy bright just a second then they would burn out. 6 volts on 12 volt lights would make them glow reallyyyyy yyyy dim.

Tell you what, Im ordinarily NOT a fan of voltage conversions on smaller tractors like an H or C or B etc buttttt ttt on an M Id be tempted to go ahead n make her 12 volts now since you gotta buy a new battery anwyay. If you wanna keep her at 6 volts, however, thats still not any problem ESPECIALY if you discover it already has 6 volt coil and lights.

If you stay at 6 volts and use a regular generator (maybe one on it is fine???) Id go with Positive ground (be sure n polarize the genny before you start her),,,,, ,,,,, ,,If you wanna go 12 volts or especially if you go the alternator route, then Id go negative ground.

Post back any question

best wishes

John T

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Ron in Nebr

11-30-2006 16:21:27




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 Re: MTA- 12V or 6V?? in reply to John T, 11-30-2006 09:56:30  
For what it's worth, in regards to John T's #2 answer about the starter voltages, probably the vast majority of 12v conversions still use the original style 6v starter.

Running 12v through them will make 'em spin faster, but won't burn them up, so they're seldom changed out to a 12v unit when making the conversion.



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Rustyfarmall

11-30-2006 08:13:05




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 Re: MTA- 12V or 6V?? in reply to RookieFarmer, 11-30-2006 07:43:57  
The tractor would originally have been a six volt, positive ground set-up. If the tractor is equipped with a generator, it is most likely still a six volt, but is possible to have a 12 volt generator, which is most likely to be a negative ground. If the tractor is equipped with an alternator, the chances are about 99.9% percent that it is a 12 volt negative ground. Another thing, if the battery you took out had 3 caps on it, it was a six volt. 12 volt batteries will have 6 caps. Now, one good thing about these old tractors, the starter really doesn't care if it is hooked up to 6 volts or 12 volts, and it does not care if it is positive ground or negative, although cranking the engine over for long periods of time with 12 volts could cause damage to the starter.

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