dual to single batteries

[bjbjl6]

New to the forum. Bought what i believe is a 6262 super dexta at auction from a neighbor about a year ago. I will look at id numbers this weekend. Got the tractor to do odd jobs on a small piece of prop away from our main farm. Have ran it some but hav some questions. First off it has to 6get volt batteries that are shot. Can i run one twelve volt under the.hood and get by? Next i had changed the oil and upgraded to new spin on fuel filter when i bought it. I am running 10w30so should i be running something heavier? What other basic maintenance should i perform? One other thing, the lift arms will not come up until the tractor has ran approximately ten minutes. Could it be low on fluid? Where do i check this and does it hav a filter? Thanks

[Brian Cox]

Welcome aboard bjb, I also have a 1962 super and she has one 12 volt battery under the bonnet in front of the fuel tank. Mine is on 20/30D oil for everything. The filler plug for the back end is on the top on the right behind the seat, while the level plug is a nut on the left above and near to the pto lever. You fill till oil starts coming out of the hole

[Brian Cox]

Back again, there is a filter in the hydraulics but I've not been into mine. Remember to check water and gearbox levels

[PghBill]

bjbj16,
Welcome aboard!
Before I threw a 12 volt battery in her. I'd check to see if the 6 volt batteries are wired in parallel ( pos. to pos. and neg. to neg. )which would still give you 6 volts . Or series (pos. to neg.) which would give you 12 volts. Putting 12 volts on a 6 volt system might be a little problematic!
Bill

[bjbjl6]

Unfortunately i unhooked them awhile ago and dont know how they were hooked up. Im hoping someone else with twin batteries will confirm it is 12

[PghBill]

Look at your generator/ dynamo and see if there is a label with the voltage output on it. Or a manufacturer and model number you can look up and find out the output voltage.

[Gavin]

Don't forget that the battery terminals are different sizes for positive and negative so you should be able to identify the polarity (assuming you haven't removed the cables also

[bjbjl6]

Great point! The cables are still on so i should be able to figure it out. Thanks

[ol'Blue]

My 63 Super also had dual batteries because it came from Upstate NY. They were 12 volt batteries hooked up in parallel. Of course at this stage in the game these old tractors are anything but original in most cases.... I do believe though that the electrical system on any of the Supers would be 12 volts....

[JC]

Welcome to Fordson Tractor Pages, bjbjl6.
Your Dexta was originally 12 volts, positive ground. I can't think of a reason that anyone would have changed it to 6 volts. I don't think that you could start it with 6 volts, especially in the winter. Check to see if it still has the original generator, or if someone changed it to an alternator. If it has an alternator, it will be negative ground, instead of positive. A single 12 volt battery should work fine, if its big enough. Two smaller ones in parallel will work, too.

[Cvans]

As soon as my batteries go bad I'm switching to a single.

[welderpaul]

Welcome to Fordson Tractor Pages, bjbjl6.
Your Dexta was originally 12 volts, positive ground. I can't think of a reason that anyone would have changed it to 6 volts. I don't think that you could start it with 6 volts, especially in the winter. Check to see if it still has the original generator, or if someone changed it to an alternator. If it has an alternator, it will be negative ground, instead of positive. A single 12 volt battery should work fine, if its big enough. Two smaller ones in parallel will work, too.

Hi, What is the difference between a generator and an alternator? If it is the original generator, is there any advantage for swapping to an alternator?

Thanks

[Bensdexta]

Hi, What is the difference between a generator and an alternator? If it is the original generator, is there any advantage for swapping to an alternator?

If you want a technical description of the two, try googling.

As far as the user is concerned, an alternator charges at lower engine rpm than a generator, so keeps the battery better charged. Also most alternators have built-in regulators, so you can do away with the separate control box under the lower dash. Alternators are always -ve earth.

So if you want your tractor to be original, fit a generator; if you want to work it, an alternator has advantages.

[welderpaul]

Thank you very much, she is not going to be worked 'properly' so i will keep her in her original condition.

[Jerry Coles]

Parallel Batteries = Both +ve terminals will be on the same cable and both -ve terminals will be on the other cable. So both +ve terminals go to both +ve posts and both -ve terminal will go to both -ve posts. This will give you 6v. 6v //6v.
Series Batteries = You will have a short cable with a +ve terminal on one end and a -ve terminal on the other. The Earth (+ve) cable goes to one battery +ve post, the short cable then goes from that battery's -ve post to the other battery's +ve post and the second battery's -ve post will connect to the solenoid. 6v + 6v = 12v. This is assuming you have a generator (original) fitted (long plain cylindrical body with a large and small stud connections on the back). If you have an alternator it will be a fatter body with laminations visible between cast aluminium ends with usually a two pin plug going into the back of the body through the plastic covering. If you have an Alternator you will not have a regulator under the lower binnacle and the battery connections are reversed ( +ve to earth and +ve to the solenoid).
Good luck and remember to lightly touch the terminals onto the posts before making a hard connection - if you get a big fat spark then check everything again. A shorted battery can cause wires to melt and the battery can blow off sulphuric acid so be careful. (many years spent charging batteries in the Army!)
Cheers
Jerry