The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

Hey guys n gals.

I have been having a few problems with my starter cranking the engine over very slowly. I have a fully charged battery, and the tractor starts with a pull very very easy.

Now I kinda started looking into it last night, and I was reading these tractors had a positive ground.

When I replaced the battery Im ALMOST 100 percent positive I hooked the battery up witht he negative to the ground, and the positive to the other cable.

Now Im at work so I cant confirm this at this time, but IF I did this, did I really mess stuff up? I used the tractor for maybe 3 months now, with the battery hooked up wrong (from what i recall) and IF I did have it hooked up backwards, it did start and run and work just as it seems it should.

Can someone fill me in on what I may have messed up, and if the tractor would start at all, if it was hooked up backwards?

I’m almost hundred percent sure your tractor is negative earth. You would have been in trouble the day you put the battery in.
Do you still have the original generator on it?

Thanks for the reply. The reason why I thought I possibley put the battery in backwards, is when I got the tractor, it was hooked up with the ground to the positive terminal. It didnt turn over that way, so I switched it to the "proper" way (in my head it was the proper way) and it worked.

I dont really know if it has the original generator or anything. I would assume so though.

My tractyor is also a 1961 fordson super major, I forgot to add that in my first post.

Your tractor should be positive ground. It would make no difference to the starter or lights and the fact that she turned over is a "red herring". possibly a loose/dirty battery connection.

You will have problems however with the dynamo and it is possible you may even set fire to your tractor.

What you need to do immediately is to remove the two wires from the dynamo, then take a wire from your battery output terminal, not the ground, and connect it to the small terminal on the dynamo for around 10 secs.

Replace the two terminals on the dynamo and hope that the short time it was wired the wrong way round has not caused any problems.

It then will not matter which way round you leave your battery connected as you will have "polarised" your dynamo to charge it correctly.

Thanks for the reply.

One quick question, what is a dynamo? Im not familiar with the term. (also a location would be great!)

preppypyro wrote:Thanks for the reply.

One quick question, what is a dynamo?

Dynamo, generator, same thing

Kiwi Kev

I just wanted to update this thread. My problem for the poor starting, was a few connections that needed new wires, and connectors.

I kinda left it at that, and I think everything is gonna work ok again, I tested the lights and horn and everything works as it did before, so I am thinking maybe someone before me might have polarized the generator so it works this way, cause everything seems to work as it should, the battery doesnt go dead, all the electrical seems to work well.

If you've fitted the battery as a negitive earth/ground and not sure if it's been fitted that way and polarized before, just take a look at your ammeter...

Just after you start up does it swing to Charge + or Discharge - before it comes back towards the centre? it should swing to Charge + if it's been polarized as a negitive earth/ground providing who ever changed it over reversed the wiring at the back of the ammeter.