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Ron, as you can see, opinions vary. I have a '43 Farmall H that I wouldn't convert. It cranks and starts fine with 6 volts, and it is pretty much "retired" as far as work is concerned.
The original generator on my '49 Farmall M lost a front bearing about this time last year. Cranking that tractor on 6 volts was a pure challenge, as it has oversize sleeves and high-compression pistons. It's my loader tractor, and I decided to convert it to 12 volts. I'm glad I did. It had been on an 8 volt battery for about 20 years, and that was an improvement over 6 volts, but in really cold weather, it struggled.
I have a '52 Super M that is running with an 8-volt battery; the rest of the system is the original 6-volt stuff. It's been on 8-volts for over 20 years with no problems. That engine has also been overhauled with oversize sleeves and higher compression pistons. A six volt system will crank it, but not well. It will get the 12 volt treatment this winter, as the wiring on it is beginning to look a bit ragged, and since the M is doing so well, I'll convert this one also.
I know that some on this board can't stand the thought of changing anything from "original" and others can't see why everyone's tractor won't crank well at -30 degrees if proper maintenance is done. When I engage the starter, I want the engine to TURN, not GROAN, and 6 volts won't always do that when the engine's been tricked up to produce 30% to 50% more power that it made when new.
I used Robert Melville's wiring diagrams obtained from the YT site when I did the conversion. They are excellent.
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