Am I crazy to go magneto?

Hello,

I have a C, CA, and a WD with distributors. I have a WC with a magneto. I rarely use the C and CA because presently I don't have a good 6 volt battery. I usually end up using the WC because it has a magneto and starts right up with the crank.

I'm tempted to take the money I would pay for batteries and rebuild two of my fm magnetos.

I'm sick of buying batteries for tractors that get little use.   

Am I nuts?

Thanks, acisbest

Lead acid batteries don't survive well being ignored for long periods. They go bad.

To get much longer battery life get some battery maintainers made for 6 volts and connect them once a month until the battery maintainer signals its completed the charge. That can get 7 to 10 years out of even a garden tractor battery that without that gentle controlled charging might need to be replaced every year.

Gerald J.

If your generator is working right, it doesn't take much power to make a spark (on 6 volt) when crank starting.

You definitely need a battery to get spark with a distributor. What I should have said is that you don't need a very good battery.

Edited by WF owner - 20 Jun 2017 at 6:26am

OK, I'll go down another road....
Convert the C and CA to 12 volt. Grab a couple CS-130 style alternators from scrapyard for couple of bucks(be sure to get connector ! ).
 Benefits for going 12V include
1) easy boosting from car or truck....
2) better battery recharging using alternator,especially for those 10 minute-1 hr uses.
3) ability to add winches, cheap 12V LED lights, etc.
4) old gennies could be spare for WC ??
5) NO hand cranking...
6) cheaper, no maintenance  12V battery compared to 6V $$$$ ones !

options, just thinking of options....

Jay

I do the same as Gerald with the seldom used batts.  also on the lawn tractor and Z turn in the winter.

Use the Deltran models and just leave them plugged in.

Sure is nice to have things crank up in the spring just like you had come back from wally world with a new batt.

I just found this 6/12 volt smart charger.

Another valid argument for 12 volt battery replacing a 6 volt battery is that few 6 volt batteries are made and those in the stores have likely sat unattended and not charged on the shelf for half a year or more which does not make them better. It hurts their capacity and quality.

Then with a 6 volt system, there is little tolerance for dirty connections. In my experience (beginning with 6 volt cars in the 1950s) 6 volt battery posts and connectors need to be cleaned twice a year, while 12 volt battery posts probably should be cleaned every couple years but often go a lot longer between cleaning.

Fundamental trouble with the conversion is that its not original. However the SAE standard of vehicular (applicable to tractors too) before about 1960 allowed 6 or 12 volts positive or negative ground, then changed to preferring 12 volts, and by 1970 changed to allowing only 12 volts negative ground. And has remained the same since. 12 volt negative ground surely reduces confusion for neophytes jumping systems or replacing batteries. I think the avoidance of positive ground is because of solid state radios and vehicular controls and displays. Transistors and integrated circuits do not tolerate reversed polarity, they blow faster than fast acting fuses, so in solid state circuits fuses are more an indication of device failure than simple overload.

The voltage regulation of solid state regulators in most common alternators is so more precise it definitely lengthens battery life by being sure the battery is fully charged, but never overcharged. Previous regulator designs didn't hold voltage as well (and were allowed by SAE standards).

Gerald J.

I have a Leroi air compressor with a Leroi (essentially WD-45) engine and I originally put a battery in it and it has a mag on it.  After the battery failed I quit putting batteries on it and just use the arm-strong starter.  It always starts within 2 or 3 pulls and doesn't crank hard enough to justify the upkeep of a battery.  The unit mainly gets used just in the fall for cleaning combines, and occasionally for sandblasting or running a jackhammer in the summer.