12 volt conversion Yea or Nay?

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Pickerincal

Well-known member
Hey guys, :D

I'm at the point I gotta start thinking about some electrical in my rebuild of my 47. So I'm thinking I want to swap to 12v just to upgrade.. I'm wondering what are the pro's and cons of switching to 12v? I definitely might want to run some brighter or maybe extra lights at some point.
I'm not a purist so it's not that big of deal to me either way.

Thanks, Cheers :beer:

Brian
 
The biggest advantage of the 12 volt single wire alternator over a 6 or 12 volt generator system is the cost of repairs to the generator and regulator.

You can operate 12 volt powered implements if you convert. The Cub with 12 volt alternator makes jump starting other machines relatively easy.

Since you are not a purist, if the electrical system needs work/repairs, convert.

Sort of an edit. I have converted all my tractors to 12 volt single wire alternator. Last one converted was a 6 volt standard Cub. Reason for the conversion on the Cub was that it was the only 6 volt system on the acreage.
 
All 4 of my Farmalls are 6V positive ground. Two have magnetos and two have battery ignitions. All work fine for me. I run 12V LED headlights on my Cub with a 6V->12V step up converter.
 
If you have a sound need for 12 volts, like a sprayer or other 12v accessories, it is more convenient to convert.

Ease of starting is not a sound reason. I personally do not think there is a big cost difference in purchasing 6-volt parts vers 12 volts part but others think there is.

I have led lights on my 6 volts teardrops ( without a step up transformer) that work great and do not load the generator. Quite frankly when I need a sprayer I just put a 12v battery on the tractor floor and run it off that - but I do not spray for 4-5 hours at a clip.

I do use solid state regulators inside the deco regulator. I have not found a 6 volt electromechanical regulator that lasts very long. If I have a 12-volt cub I do convert it to a 12-volt alternator.
 
I converted mine because of I can use the sprayer with mine and to be able to jump start it or use it to jump start, changed the headlight bulbs to regular 12v bulbs but have an led rear spotlight that is great and I'm going to be adding one hidden under the floor deck to light up the front, also added kind of a safety light going on a bracket next to left fender that has a red lens to the back and yellow to the front... The yellow lights up the front of the tractor nicely where you can see all the controls.. so for me, I'm glad I did convert so I could do those extra things.... Picking up another one this weekend (have I mentioned that other posts yet.... :big smile: ) and I'll be converting that one also since I'll have that one in Virginia when ready, so this way I can do the extra lightning also, but going to keep the 6v parts if I or next owner want to switch back
 

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I have one of each and I prefer the 12V. It really cranks the engine and I don't have to fool with voltage regulators, polarizing, etc. and 6V are much more sensitive to connection quality.
 
ajhbike" 6V are much more sensitive to connection quality.[/quote said:
Agreed but cleaning the connections and putting on some dielectric grease the connection is good for a very long time.

I have no starting issues with my 6 volts. A clean carb and tuned cub starts fine on 6 volts.
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I think the biggest problem with converting is getting on the wrong side of the correct police. If 6volts is as good as 12volts, the entire U.S. automotive industry would not have made the change in 1955 & 1956.
 
6 volts is a pain to keep in a lot of ways. 12 is a lot more practical. I personally like the technical challenge of keeping the 6 volts working more than the originality. It is part of how I enjoy this hobby.

My issue with 12 volts when people say "I did it to make the tractor start easier. " My reply to that is: spend the time and money doing a good tune-up and carb adjustment and you can hand crank it.
 
That is one part of the hobby that I don't enjoy. I will leave Lorelei at 6V because I have no issues since the rewire a couple of years ago....Getting them functional and using them is my fun....I am with inairam....each to his own.
 
I have to admit, I'm pretty good at basic mechanics, but when it comes to fine tuning... I'm not that good, that's why when I did my conversion, I went with electronic ignition also, did that with the Cub, 66 mustang and my tiller.... Each one fire right up when I go to start them.. the one I'm picking up this weekend :D and will convert... I'll be keeping the original parts, once I have both Cubs together and settled in Virginia, I'll restore the new one and probably put it back to six volt.
Oh and that tiller, was always a bear to start, now it can sit in my shed for 10 months (with stabilizer in fuel) I can drag it out, choke it and one pull starts, last year took me three... Forgot I had throttle in off position lol
 
ntrenn":3p9z6tyh said:
12 volt....that way you don’t have a unicorn in the horse shed.
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Kind of like how you put that, one day if I'm able to get a collection going, I can leave some stock and standard... But for now, when I usually go to start something up, means I need it for something and I need it to start right then and there.... I restore all the old machinery I get as of now (can't beat the quality), but I will also put them to use
 
Great topic. One that I've been curious about myself. I own 2 cubs. both are 6 volt. One runs, the other I bought in pieces as a project. I've been considering to do a might as well and change it to 12volt but I really have no idea why I would need to. My 1947 starts so well, I haven't considered it. There have been a couple of times I have needed to jumpstart it. but the couple of seconds of 12v has not caused any problems for me. Someone also told me an advantage is the batteries are cheaper. I really don't think it's a viable reason as you need to invest in all the parts for conversion. So I am curious if we'll see any arguments that are truly worth turning my tractors over to 12.
 
If you have trouble a 12v conversion is cheaper than repairing several parts of your 6v. If you don't have trouble I would leave it alone. Cons of a 12v, I havent found one yet. Cons of 6v is very sensitive to contacts not being clean, hard to jump start without causing damage, repairs are expensive alot of times.
 
jsfarmall":367xx2kd said:
hard to jump start without causing damage, repairs are expensive alot of times.
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I do not really agree with the first one. You always have to be careful jumping a battery for safety and prevent damage.

I have seen the cost issue stated here many times but that is not my experience. The guy I used to rebuild a generator when asked told me the price was the same for 6 or 12 to do a complete rebuild including the bushings. Batteries, that are of similar quality and specs are about the same price. Last year I just purchased a 6 v and a 12 v from an interstate battery store both fit in the battery box and the prices were very similar. A quick check on Steiner site the regulators are exactly the same price. I do not know why people keep saying there is such a big difference. I have not seen it.

My issue is I have not found 6 v electromechanical regulators that a reliable. I have tried import, US made, from TM ( who I do not think sells them anymore because of the reliability issues) and Brillman.

I have switched to electronic regulators on the 6 v and put them inside the Delco housing. You can find them on British Car restoration websites.

My experience is the 12v systems have more reliable regulators but if anything goes wrong with charging on one of my 12-volt cubs it gets the one wire alternator and some times they get it if the hood is off for another reason.
 
When guys are stating price difference, they are usually talking about 12v alternator conversion vs components on 6v system. Day in and day out, the components of a 12v alternator system are a lot more reliable than 6v component system. I have six volt on some of mine and I do that for originality only for shows. Yes, six volts will crank fine if done properly, but for tractors that I depend on to fire up because I need a job done, it’s 12v
 
tmays":1i7bujgs said:
When guys are stating price difference, they are usually talking about 12v alternator conversion vs components on 6v system. Day in and day out, the components of a 12v alternator system are a lot more reliable than 6v component system. I have six volt on some of mine and I do that for originality only for shows. Yes, six volts will crank fine if done properly, but for tractors that I depend on to fire up because I need a job done, it’s 12v
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so what problems have you had that you deem it unreliable?
 
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