Curt's 1955 Farmall Cub, SN 192959

[clm2112]

Hey Curt, I got my alternator in like yours. Do you mind sharing with me how you wired it up? I know the nut lug goes to the amp gauge but what about the plug? Are both connectors used & what are they hooked to?

Ok, the lug with the nut is the alternator output. It needs to go to the battery via the starter. I used a pretty heavy wire for that. Alternator is rated around 40 amps output, so I sized the wire accordingly. I swapped the original charging ammeter for a volt meter, so I am not wired the same way. I don't know if you can pump 40 amps through the factory Ammeter.

In order to get any output from the alternator, it needs to be supplied with 12V to power the field. That is what the two spade connectors are for in the "T" socket. One of them is the field (the switched Ignition lead.) The other spade lug is for an optional charge indicator lamp. On early nippon-deso alternators, that had to be connected via a lamp to 12V, but modern ones do not need to be connected at all.

So, in my case, I only have two wires: A big one from the alternator lug to the lug on the starter. Then a small gauge wire between the "I" spade connector to the ignition switch.

Here is what I used as a guide:

[Slim140]

Thanks for sharing Curt. Luckily I planned ahead when I bought my gauges and got a little bigger IH one

[clm2112]

In actual use, you will probably never see the full output of the alternator without grounding out the field-test on the alternator. But the wire used should be sized to handle that worst-case scenario to keep from having a melt-down. I think it is a 10 ga wire on mine and it is only about 2' long. Bit of over-kill.

I think you will be happy with the alternator conversion. My Cub gets used about every other day. Short runs, spending a lot of time at idle. It hasn't needed to be hooked up to a charger since I converted it. With the old generator, it wasn't spinning fast enough, long enough, to recharge the battery... so after a few weeks of use the battery needed to be put on a charger. So nice to just hop on and hit the starter.

[Slim140]

This alternator in this link is a true "1 wire" alternator. You run one wire to the battery and that's it. It doesn't need another wire hooked to it, it doesn't need to be disconnected with a switch when not in use. Plus it's cheaper than the one you got. I bought one like you have and it has to have 2 wires with one on a switch or the battery will drain, ask me how I know, lol. It's also cheaper than the one you got. It has the same mounting brackets as the one you have. I only put this on here for future reference and other people looking for an alternator. This one wire is awesome for those of us running a magneto with no off/on switch with power and not having to add another switch. Thanks for sharing with me Curt!
https://www.dbelectrical.com/products/c ... 12180.html

[clm2112]

Starting the next phase of the rebuild... dealing with getting the implements ready for use.

Just got the 2-way plow and disc out of the shed (buried behind a bunch of dead law mowers and 3-point attachments.) Now it is a matter of cleaning them with a wire wheel and brushes, as well as getting the moving parts to, well, umm, actually move again.

[gjpgonzo]

May I see more pictures of the back of your cub. I am also looking to tow a trailer, but I don't know what attachments I need to have on the back.

[clm2112]

This alternator in this link is a true "1 wire" alternator. You run one wire to the battery and that's it.

Post back later to let me know how it works. It is essentially the same Denso alternator with the field circuits hot all the time. I wonder if it just has a diode between the battery output terminal and the ignition terminal. (Used to do that with GM/Delco SI alternators with the same results) If the current draw from the rectifier is low enough, then your Cub could sit for months without drawing down the battery.

[clm2112]

May I see more pictures of the back of your cub. I am also looking to tow a trailer, but I don't know what attachments I need to have on the back.

Here's what I ended up doing... welding up a 2" receiver hitch to a Fast-Hitch point.

http://www.farmallcub.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=93990

There's also an alternative method from another list member that welded tabs onto the receiver hitch tube and pinned it under the drawbar just like the factory tab. Last method is to get a 2" ball with a shank small enough to go through the hole in the factory hitch. It is simple and effective if you just want to tow a trailer and not handle any other receiver-hitch accessories.

You probably want to add a pair of steel eyes as well, to serve as attachments for your trailer's safety chains. I don't bother with the chains (yeah, shame on me) but in theory it is extra insurance should the ball-hitch come apart for some reason.

While trailer brakes are possible for me (my Cub has been converted to 12 volt) you may not be in a position to do that. The 6 volt, positive ground, system of the Cub really isn't conducive to using any modern electrical accessories, like the trailer lights & electric brakes.

[Slim140]

This alternator in this link is a true "1 wire" alternator. You run one wire to the battery and that's it.

Post back later to let me know how it works. It is essentially the same Denso alternator with the field circuits hot all the time. I wonder if it just has a diode between the battery output terminal and the ignition terminal. (Used to do that with GM/Delco SI alternators with the same results) If the current draw from the rectifier is low enough, then your Cub could sit for months without drawing down the battery.

So far so good on the Cub I put it on. It had been sitting for about 2 weeks and I moved it the other day with no weak battery. My niece has one on her H Farmall and hasn't had issues with it either and it is a parade tractor so it sits quite a bit, that is where I got the part number from was hers.

[scotlem]

love the 55. you've done a nice job on her

[clm2112]

Welp... I survived another winter.

I also managed to roll the Cub onto its side in a slow-motion accident. It felt a bit like one of those Wile E. Coyote cartoon moments... one moment I was motoring up the gravel road towards the house, the next moment the road collapsed and dumped me over into a creek. Right about then I just wanted to pull a 45 and put the Cub out of it's misery. I wish I would have taken a picture of that moment... tractor laying on the left side, bleeding oil out onto the ground out of the dipstick tube.

In the end, the actual damage done was pretty minor. Scratched up the paint on the left fender and tore the seat cover trying to lift the Cub out of the creek using chains and a front-end loader. (I guess Dad's John Deere is good for something after all.)

So, here I am a few months later, back working of various odds and ends. A few days ago I got the jigsaw puzzle that is the mower reassembled. Not too bad, but I still have to make a few of those odd plow bolts to replace the carriage bolts connecting the cutter bar to the castings.



And for the past few days I have been getting the two-way plow cleaned up and ready for use. The bulk of the work being done with a wire-wheel to knock 40 years of rust off of it. Almost done today, just re-installed the Left-Hand coulter on. Paint is still drying, but given the rains of the past few days, it will be next week before I can take a stab at plowing one of the fields with it. I am hoping the plow was set up right decades ago.. some of the adjustments are not going to be possible without grinding off bolts and replacing them.



I suppose I should start blasting the rust off of the discs... perhaps tomorrow.

[Don McCombs]

I have been wondering where you were. We haven't heard from you in a while. Glad both you and the Cub are OK.

[clm2112]

Alrighty, looks like tomorrow is the day to see if the Cub can still pull a plow... well... more like the day to see if I remember how to make the Cub pull the plow. Plow is all cleaned up, everything greased and free to move around. Just have to wait for daylight to come.



Started working on the discs. Going to be a challenge, the grease in the journals has solidified. I guess I'll have to take them apart and see if I can clean them out. One rather disappointing discovery was that three of the four grease fittings are missing. Looks like I'll need some time on the lathe to make a few of the fittings.

[clm2112]

Well... it works I plowed up a 75 yard x 100 yard patch of the field today. Had to call it quits when it started to rain.




And, you can hear how bad 1st gear is... shame the Cub can't plow in 2nd gear (I tried, only made it halfway down a furrow when it stalled.)

[Don McCombs]

Looks great!