jumping 6v with 12v

I jumped my 6v positive ground oliver super 55 with a 12v jumper pack the other day. Hooked on the starter the 12V(-) with (+) to the frame and then pushed the starter pedal. Worked great for a quick start in cold weather and 6V was low, I needed to get it moved. The tractor is all 6v stock, lights etc. Whats the issues with doing this starting with a jumper pack from time to time.

Probably none if the lights were turned off,the starter is in good condition and it is only an occasional occurence. It could be a little hard on starter bushings if you have to crank on the engine for a while.

No problem at all. Did it all the time when the battery was low before dad's WD45 was converted to 12v.

Leonard

Nothing as long as you do it like you did: I usually go ground to the frame, leave the key or switch on and just touch the neg to the starter post or solenoid...if it starts right up you"re good...if not don"t let it spin over too long, things"ll get hot...short bursts of spin time you"ll be fine. It"s a common practice!

Yours has the rod to engage the bendix into the flywheel? I would just be careful to only push it far enough to engage the bendix and not far enough to let the power feed back up to the battery.

As far as the 12 volts just to the starter motor itself,I've done it more times than I can count with my 77,70 and 66.

As others have indirectly stated it is important that nothing feeds back to the 6V battery. It is not only an issue of harming that battery (and other components in that system) but it could blow apart and would be bad if you were in close proximity.
If this were to be a long term proposition to starting that tractor I would put a terminal block in for the jumper cable and have a button switch between it and the starter in that circuit. Supposedly a guy burned a tractor up years ago around here because he was kind of clumsy with the jumper to the starter terminal and arced it near the carb which was dripping gas from being flooded and set it off.

The issues are just dont do it you keep on and you will blow a 6v up sometime because you forgot something. Only safe way is to remove the connection of the 6v so its out of the system and go to the starter. If you remove the cable from the 6v to the starter it will be out of the system.

Jackers, when you stated:

"Hooked on the starter the 12V(-) with (+) to the frame and then pushed the starter pedal."

Sorry, Im not quite exactly sure what you did.

THE SAFEST WAY TO JUMP START A 6 VOLT TRACTOR WITH A 12 VOLT BATTERY IS TO JUMP THE STARTER MOTOR ONLY i.e. not the entire 6 volt system including the battery. The way you can do that (depending on the type of starter and switch/solenoid it has) is to attach a jumper cable direct to the starter post/stud (if it has one out in open) or the To Starter (NOT to battery) side of a 2 terminal In/Out mechanical push start switch, and then when you want the starter to spin, attach the jumpers other post to a clean non painted case/frame steel part of the tractor or even the starter motor side etc. THAT METHOD APPLIES 12 VOLTS TO THE STARTER ONLYYYYYYYYYYY NOT THE 6 VOLT BATTERY which can be hazardous

NOTE/CAUTION this is ONLY possible if it has a 2 terminal In (Battery side) and Out (starter side) mechanical push start switch or a solenoid. THIS IS NOTTTTTTTTTTT POSSIBLE, if the starter post is hidden under a one (visible) terminal mechanical saddle mount push switch, as you cant get to the starter itself alone and isolated as in the switch types described above.

NOTE If all it has is a ONE VISIBLE TERMINAL saddle mount starter switch with the big battery cable attached to it and you cant get direct to the starter post/stud alone all by itself, IF YOU ATTACH A 12 VOLT BATTERY TO THE INPUT SIDE OF THAT SWITCH, THATS THE SAME AS ATTACHING IT (12 volts) TO THE 6 VOLT BATTERY (that big cable on switch leads to battery remember) AND THATS DANGEROUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DO NOT EVER JUMP A 6 VOLT "BATTERY" USING A 12 VOLT BATTERY, AS THERES A CHANCE SUCH CAN (given the right conditions and circumstances) CAUSE THE BATTERY TO EXPLODE. But its safe to apply 12 volts to the STARTER ONLY if the starter has a post/stud out in the open or uses a 2 terminal In/Out mechanical start switch or solenoid.

You see the confusing part of your statement is that you "pushed the starter switch" which makes it sound like you had the jumper on the hot big battery cable INPUT side of the switch which poses the same dangerous risk as hooking it a 12 volt battery to your 6 volt battery YIKES!!!!!!!! DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME

IF THATS NOT WHAT YOU DID I APOLOGIZE but still all the above is true and accurate and I just dont want to see anybody hrut or loose their eyeseight from battery acid BETTER SAFE THEN SORRY IS THE REASON FOR MY POST,....

Hope this helps, God Bless n keep safe yall

John T

I agree. The ONLY way to do it is to hit the starter only with 12 volts.

I blew a 6 volt battery once by inadvertently hooking it like you would normally jumper a 12 volt with a 12 volt battery. I admit it, a kid that worked for me and I were BSing and I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. The only damage was to the battery and to my ego. It was a heckuva lesson for both of us.

Back when I was a used tractor dealer and went to a lot of auctions, I saw many a 6 volt battery explode when some pencil necked pimpled jacka$$ jumped right at its top with a 12 volt jumper...........

John T

John I did it the bad way. I have a single burried post. So I was in fact hooked to my 6v battery when I closed the circuit with the starter pedal.

Lesson learned.

(quoted from post at 10:13:03 12/29/10) John I did it the bad way. I have a single burried post. So I was in fact hooked to my 6v battery when I closed the circuit with the starter pedal.

Lesson learned.

Click to expand...

ell, every knowledgeable person here & on the planet will tell you not to do what you did, so I'm not going against the masses! How some ever, I have many times "compromised", by having all but the last jumper connection made, then engaging starter, then while it is grinding/struggling, make that last jumper connection, just long enough for a start & immediately remove same. The idea here, being that the 12v battery (including overly large losses in jumper cables/clamps) is, while under starter load, only able to try & drive ~ 9 volts into 6v battery (if even that much), so for a few seconds, it lives for another day. Probably not ideal, but I'll have my heirs post back when & if one ever blows.