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hunter321 
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 Topic: Allis Chalmers WD 45th 12v
Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 9:22am |
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I am wondering if I need to change anything for wiring to run my tractor on 12volt instead of 6volt. currently I have the generator unhooked and that is it. the rest of the wiring is 6/12 volt compatible. do I need to get an alternator or will the generator be ok for 12 volt
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AC WD45
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 10:18am |
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A healthy 6v system should start a stock WD45 just fine. Curious what the reason for switching is?
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German Shepherd dad
1957 Allis Chalmers WD45
#WD234847
1951 Allis Chalmers WD
#WD88193
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hunter321
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 10:26am |
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i really wanted to keep it 6 but it never started very good so i decided to try 12 and it starts every time. if the generator would work for 12 then i could always go back to 6 when i have more money to redo everything
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DrAllis
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 10:34am |
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My WD-45 has the original 6Volt generator AND cut-out on top of it and I have a small 12 volt battery inside the battery box. The light switch was replaced with new, so the high/low charge feature works. Been like this for 12 years now. I probably put 50 hours a year on it tractor riding. The generators on those a a three-brush design so you can adjust the third brush to control your charge output.
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hunter321
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 10:40am |
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so it will be fine to hookup the generator again
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DrAllis
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 10:55am |
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If the gen is good and the cut-out on top of it is good and the light switch is functional and the light switch panel is GROUNDED, I'd say yes. Mine works and has for more than 10 years. Your results may vary.
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Steve in NJ
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 11:13am |
Wow! I'm amazed the 3 position switch handled the 12 volts all those years Doc! Those switches usually don't handle the fast moving current of 12V's running through them... Hunter, when was the last time you had the Starter gone through. Usually, a slow turning 6V Tractor is due to a worn out dragging Starter motor. One of my rewound 6V Starters would wing that engine over like it had a 12V Battery in it providing the Battery is in good condition along with the cables. I would have a replicable rebuilder go through that whole Starter motor for ya if you have a guy local. Make sure your engine timing is correct as well. A well tuned engine fires right up too! HTH
Steve@B&B
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39'RC, 43'WC, 48'B, 49'G, 50'WF, 65 Big 10, 67'B-110, 75'716H, 2-620's, & a Motorhead wife
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hunter321
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 11:49am |
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some day i might go back to 6 but for now im happy being able to use the tractor
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Gary Burnett
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 11:51am |
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Fought the 6 Volt systems for years on our WD-45,everything had to be in about perfect condition for it to be reliable.Went to 12V alternator life was much better,if the 6V was so good companies would have never had gone to 12V.Plus these days 6V batteries and regulators are junk and cost way too much
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hunter321
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 11:54am |
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if everything goes well I will hopefully be bringing this tractor to the ac connection show in amana
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WF owner
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 2:31pm |
Doc, Did you have to change the coil?
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steve(ill)
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 2:45pm |
YOu can put an external resistor on the 6 v coil so you can use it on 12v... BUT, that coil is OLD and the new resistor has some cost... so best to get a NEW 12v coil wired with the right internal resistance.
I use a 6v generator on a 12v system.. I ended up getting a new 12v regulator for it... I agree with DOC, it would be possible to use the resistor in the light switch to regulate the charge down to 3-4 amps.. If your light switch is bad, you could just get a resistor..... but you still need a good CutOut... If that is bad, then go for the new Regulator..
Edited by steve(ill) - 12 Apr 2024 at 2:47pm
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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WF owner
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 3:51pm |
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I replaced the cut-out and light switch on a couple of my 6 volt tractors with voltage regulators. It's a good upgrade.
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DrAllis
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 6:14pm |
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New 12-volt coil with electronic ignition positive ground.
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Dusty MI
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 8:13pm |
Back in the early 60's I put a 8 volt battery in our '53 WD. Our local A.C. dealer suggested that saying that nothing would need changing. It worked great.
Dusty
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hunter321
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Posted: 13 Apr 2024 at 3:52pm |
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The wiring just cought fire and melted
I have no idea why. But now all the wiring is gone and parts might be destroyed.
I looked over at it and realized that it was smoking from the wires.
Any ideas why this happened.
I will be getting thicker gauge wire to rewire everything tomorrow
Edited by hunter321 - 13 Apr 2024 at 3:53pm
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hunter321
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Posted: 13 Apr 2024 at 4:00pm |
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Would upgrading all the wires to 12 gauge be overkill or would it be ok
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steve(ill)
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Posted: 13 Apr 2024 at 4:19pm |
Lots of wires are 18 gague and that is too small... Upgrade to 14 gague makes them a lot more "wear reistant"... 12 gauge is fine if you have room in the light box/ dash to get everything in there... Sometimes the BIGGER wires are harder to FLEX and STUFF into tight areas..... but nothing wrong with 12 gauge.. just overkill..
Where did the fire start ?..... part of LIGHTS wires... GENERATOR wires ? ... SMOKE and fire are a DEAD short of HOT WIRE to ground.
GENERATOR needs a CUTOUT switch or VOLTAGE REGULATOR.. If the CUTOUT is bad, then the "A" wire will be connected to the battery even when the engine is OFF... That can overheat things.... Since you were talking about connecting the GENERATOR.. i would guess your CUTOUT is bad also.
Edited by steve(ill) - 13 Apr 2024 at 4:22pm
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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hunter321
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Posted: 13 Apr 2024 at 4:35pm |
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It didn't really catch fire. I just walked out of the house and saw smoke coming from the tractor and I ran to unhook the battery. I didn't get the generator wires hooked up. The only thing I know right now is that all the wires melted along with the wire loom they were in.
Awhile ago I replaced the original Generator cutout so that is good
Edited by hunter321 - 13 Apr 2024 at 4:36pm
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steve(ill)
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Posted: 13 Apr 2024 at 4:42pm |
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You got a short somewhere.. Sounds like it was time for new wires anyway !
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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hunter321
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Posted: 13 Apr 2024 at 4:43pm |
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I just replaced all the wiring last year.
What would cause a short
There were no bare wires
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jvin248
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Posted: 13 Apr 2024 at 5:45pm |
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A thousand points of failure to guess at.
When you get the harness out you can trace the failure point.
I had battery cables overheating when trying to start (Ferguson 35) as some of the mechanisms in the starter were shorting. Obviously yours was an energized non-starter circuit. I'd guess lights? Maybe you didn't have a fuse in the light circuit?
You can do a clean 12v conversion now.
The typical Delco alternator is fairly inexpensive and has an internal regulator. The 12v coil with an internal resistor. Doing those things cut down the wiring harness complexity and points of future corrosion problems.
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Gary Burnett
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Posted: 13 Apr 2024 at 8:30pm |
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I rewired a WD several years ago,1 wire alternator from DB Electrical,a wire going from the Alternator to the hot post on the starter.Then a fused wire going to the switch,a wire from the switch to the coil. Been working perfect,have a cheap Harbor Freight ($10) tester if I want to reassure myself its charging.Could add light circuit with another fused wire if needed.The alternator adapter bracket off ebay is handy too.
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hunter321
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Posted: 15 Apr 2024 at 10:00am |
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after looking into what happened I found that the only wire that was completely melted was the wire from the generator cutoff to the ammeter. that wire was unhooked at the time the wire melted
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JimD
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Posted: 15 Apr 2024 at 10:06am |
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Then I'll bet you had a short inside your switch box.
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hunter321
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Posted: 15 Apr 2024 at 10:13am |
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any idea what would cause the short
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JimD
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Posted: 15 Apr 2024 at 10:15am |
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You said it was unhooked. How was it shielded to protect from a short against the box?
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Owner of OKtractor.com PM for an instant response on parts. Open M-F 9-6 Central. We have new and used parts. 877-378-6543
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hunter321
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Posted: 15 Apr 2024 at 10:16am |
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it was hooked up inside the electrical box but I had it unhooked at the generator cutout
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DrAllis
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Posted: 15 Apr 2024 at 10:27am |
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That wire had to be touching a ground somehow. That's why it melted. The ammeter would have been showing a hard discharge.
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hunter321
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Posted: 15 Apr 2024 at 10:28am |
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it was really windy that day could the wire have blown into the tractor and gotten grounded
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