Just bought a B

Just bought a bought a 1946 B. I got a couple of questions about it for you guys. First of all while it was sitting by the roadside for sale someone stole the battery out of it and cut the battery cables off. I was a little sceptical about hooking juice up to it because I didn't know if it was a positive or negative ground. It has been converted to 12 volt but still uses a generator. Is there a way to check for which type of ground it is without taking the generator off for a rebuild shop to check it out for me? Also it has hand brakes. Can that be updated to foot brakes without a whole lot of trouble. Once I get the tractor home I will post some pics. It's a decent looking tractor with very good tires all around. I gave $400 for it I don't think I got hurt too bad.

Edited by David G. - 05 Jul 2012 at 6:24pm

It's not my first A-C. I've got 4 of them now, but it is the first B I've owned.

Greg Lawler, that was a great answer! I never would of thought of that!
David, you did GREAT on finding a B for that price!

is that wire to dist remark really true??????  that would be a good thing to remember!

it never ceases to amaze me the things I learn by reading the posts on this site! Thank you Greg!!!

He said it has hand brakes so I'm betting it's got a magneto rather than a distributor.

Congratulations! Did you hold a gun on the guy so he would sell it for $400? LOL. A foot brake conversion should be feasible if you can find the parts. I believe the seat frame was different on the hand brake models. I would have thought a 1946 would have had foot brakes.

mtanut wrote: JCSinPITTS,PA wrote: is that wire to dist remark really true??????  that would be a good thing to remember! Yes providing you have a battery ignition and not a magneto.

Only if it was hooked up right to begin with. An engine will run fine with the coil wired backwards.
  ANY TIME you have an open electrical system with a generator, FLASH the genny before starting the engine. It doesn't matter if you have pos ground or neg ground as long as you flash the genny first.
 If you don't flash the genny, you can let the smoke out of something that will cost $$'s to fix and it only takes a second to polarize things right first so you don't have to spend$ fixing it later.


Edited by CTuckerNWIL - 05 Jul 2012 at 8:48pm

I havent checked the serial# yet myself. The guy I bought it from said he was told it was a 46 model. However on the flip side of all of this, the guy didn't even know it was a B and knows nothing at all about tractors. He bought it to help clean up around his lake house pulling tree limbs and stumps he said. It very well could be an older tractor. My plans for it is too put my L59 mower on it and sell my super A that currently mow with. I think the B will make a far better mowing tractor than a super A because it isn't an offset tractor.

I thought generators only charged 6 volt systems. Can an original generator charge a 12 volt battery?

There are 12 volt generators.

If the polarity is wrong the ammeter will read backwards. Greg is right about the coil primary wiring.

C.T. Are you sure it will smoke the generator? ( if hooked up backwards) I know it will definitely fry an alternator.