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Reverse Polarity

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SouthernOutlaw
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Re: Reverse Polarity

Postby SouthernOutlaw » Fri Jan 29, 2016 8:28 am

One of the many things I love about this forum is the fact that even at 65, and working on and rebuilding, restoring old equipment all my life, I learn something every day. I honestly have learned more about 6 volt systems from this one thread than I have over the past 55 years. Time to do some research.

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Matt Kirsch
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Re: Reverse Polarity

Postby Matt Kirsch » Fri Jan 29, 2016 4:55 pm

Polarizing is VERY simple.

You need a piece of insulated wire, pretty much any piece of insulated wire will do, but it does need to have insulation, and thicker wire will be easier to deal with because it is stiffer.

Install the battery the "correct" original way: POS to the frame ground. NEG to the cable that runs to the front of the tractor. Ignore color.

DO NOT TRY TO START THE TRACTOR YET.

Strip 1/4" off each end of the wire.

Using the picture provided above, locate the corresponding tabs on your Cub's voltage regulator.

Hold one end of the wire against the hardest tab to reach, which is the one in behind the regulator. In fact it may be easier to crane your neck and find where it connects to the generator up under the hood. It would be the A terminal if you could see the generator.

Touch the other end of the wire against the BAT terminal on the regulator as shown in the picture above.

Place the wire in your toolbox for future use.

That's it!

Smokeycub
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Re: Reverse Polarity

Postby Smokeycub » Sat Jan 30, 2016 1:57 pm

In answer to your question about connecting a new 6V battery, it should be + positive cable to ground and the - negative cable to the starter switch, the same goes if you correct the polarity of your old battery. Polarize your generator as the others have stated.
Ray
Smokeycub
Attachments - 193 plow - 144 cultivator - 22 mower - 28A disc harrow - 54 leveling blade - Woods 59C2 - drag harrows - Mott D9 flail - flat belt pulley
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drmathieu
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Re: Reverse Polarity

Postby drmathieu » Sat Jan 30, 2016 7:22 pm

Good news = got tractor started without buying a battery. :mrgreen:

I left the trickle charger on the battery hooked up backwards for a few hours(still confuses me) and the tractor started on this warm Virginia Saturday! I thank all of you guys for your help. I think this would be a good thread to save because I just noticed another guy just bought an older Cub that needs a battery and will probably have the POS ground to it. Is there any way to check to see if your Cub or any tractor car etc. has the POS ground? Any test? Sound like if you buy a new battery and hook it up "normally" , you will ruin your generator.

Any thoughts?

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John *.?-!.* cub owner
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Re: Reverse Polarity

Postby John *.?-!.* cub owner » Sat Jan 30, 2016 10:43 pm

Reversing the battery will not burn out your generator unless it was already on it's last legs. Practically all 6 volt systems are positive ground. There were a few negative ground systems, but they are rare.
If you are not part of the solution,
you are part of the problem!!!

Criswell
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Re: Reverse Polarity

Postby Criswell » Sun Jan 31, 2016 11:53 am

John *.?-!.* cub owner wrote:Practically all 6 volt systems are positive ground. There were a few negative ground systems, but they are rare.


I wouldn't exactly label the cars that General Motors built from the 1930's through the 1950's as being rare. With the exceptions being larger GMC trucks and their military contracts(positive ground). And don't forget the venerable Model T, 12.3 million built between 1919 and 1927 (electrical option era) all negative ground.

Some vehicles/tractors/equipment are positive ground and some are negative ground. The best thing to do before starting to turn any wrenches is to read your manuals and do your research. Find out and be sure of which system your vehicle/tractor was supposed to have versus what is on it now. When dealing with older equipment and vehicles, never go by or trust the color of a battery cable. Cables get changed over time, red may not always equal positive.

As for ruining your generator, having the wrong cutout/regulator for the system that you have will give you far more problems. The cutouts/regulators were made for either a negative or a positive ground system. Using the wrong polarity cutout/regulator will severely shorten its lifespan and its performance. Be certain that you have the correct polarity cutout/regulator for your system.
You will damage your generator if you are running the tractor with the battery cables disconnected or without a cutout/regulator installed, in short you will cook the generator. The energy that is being created by the turning generator will have nowhere to go and will build up excess heat which will melt the solder in the armature. This is why the "DANGER" decal was on the front battery plate of the battery box.
Where you are, right now, is of absolutly no use unless you are able to get away from it, FAST!

Smokeycub
10+ Years
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Posts: 1050
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2011 10:47 am
Zip Code: 44266
Tractors Owned: 48 F Cub #11678
65 Cub Cadet 104
70 450C JD loader
67 Cub Cadet 107
90 B7100HST-D Kubota
72 Cub Cadet 149
54 Super C
Circle of Safety: Y
Location: Ravenna, Ohio

Re: Reverse Polarity

Postby Smokeycub » Mon Feb 01, 2016 8:27 am

drmathieu wrote:I left the trickle charger on the battery hooked up backwards for a few hours(still confuses me) and the tractor started on this warm Virginia Saturday! I thank all of you guys for your help. I think this would be a good thread to save because I just noticed another guy just bought an older Cub that needs a battery and will probably have the POS ground to it. Is there any way to check to see if your Cub or any tractor car etc. has the POS ground? Any test? Sound like if you buy a new battery and hook it up "normally" , you will ruin your generator.


A Cub with a mag will start and run with the battery wired either positive or negative ground. The starter doesn't care which way, it will turn in the correct direction. As mentioned before a battery can be charged with reverse polarity which sounds like what has happened to yours, in other words the + positive terminal of your battery has become the - negative terminal. If the ammeter is working and the generator is charging it will show it's discharging when in fact it's charging the battery, albeit reverse polarity. "Normal" hook up is what's normal to the tractor, i.e. +positive ground for most 6V Cubs. Hope that helps.

If it were mine, I would discharge the battery ask previously mentioned and recharge it with the correct polarity, much less confusing that way, and repolarize the generator. Good luck :coffee:
Ray
Smokeycub
Attachments - 193 plow - 144 cultivator - 22 mower - 28A disc harrow - 54 leveling blade - Woods 59C2 - drag harrows - Mott D9 flail - flat belt pulley
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The squeaky wheel may get the grease but it's usually the first to be replaced!


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