Super H Dead Battery

[phil51]

Super H 6 volt system. Is it possible for the battery to be so dead it would cause the tractor to not start when trying to pull start it?

 

[kevinj54]

(quoted from post at 17:47:10 06/10/23) Super H 6 volt system. Is it possible for the battery to be so dead it would cause the tractor to not start when trying to pull start it?

Put a volt meter to it.

No other way to know how dead it is.

 

[phil51]

Read 1.7 on the volt meter. Ive pull started dead tractors many
times, so just wondering if theres something else wrong. But I
was wanting to completely rule out battery before I moved on to
checking other things.

 

[kevinj54]

(quoted from post at 18:11:20 06/10/23) Read 1.7 on the volt meter. Ive pull started dead tractors many
times, so just wondering if theres something else wrong. But I
was wanting to completely rule out battery before I moved on to
checking other things.

Ya prolly need at least 4 volts for the ignition to work.

1.7 ain't gonna cut it.

 

[John T]

Good question Is it possible for the battery to be so dead it would cause the tractor to not start when trying to pull start it?

Speaking from experience as one who was a used tractor dealer for years attended auctions all over, and saw literally hundreds of old tractors pull started the answer is YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS for battery powered coil distributor ignitions

A battery can be so dead and SUBJECT TO the charging system (often shot) and it being a battery powered distributor coil ignition (NOT a Magneto) it cant fire even if pull started

Been there done (or tried lol) that

John T

 

[redforlife]

Yes. It can get to dead to supply sufficient juice to the coil.

If it has original lights, and the light system works, and if it has enough juice to barely get a glim out of the light bulbs when they are turned to dim, it should have enough juice to the coil to pull or crank start. If you can't even get any kind of a glim out of the lights when they are on dim, it likely won't start (battery to dead).

The generator is suppose to create juice if turning, but that requires that system to also be working, and it also requires high enough RPM's. I've seen an H run on a distributor after the battery was disconnected, but it died when the throttle was lowered to run at a lower RPM. So, I wouldn't rely on only the generator working to get one started.

 

[used red MN]

Your generator would have to be working and working quite well. Not sure exactly what the lowest voltage is to fire a 6 volt coil is but 1.7 volts is pretty low. Your generator would have had to be able to be spun long enough and at a speed that it would charge to raise the battery voltage or essentially the charge to a level the coil would be able to fire at. Maybe you were just lucky that the other tractors you pull started did not have batteries that were as low as this one or they had a magneto.

 

[phil51]

Thanks guys for the help. Ill start with a new battery and go
from there.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Before changing everything charge or attempt to charge the battery. See if it will hold a chrge or not then if deemed bad so be it. IF it does then have it load tested. They can read correct voltage and not show good with a load test. I had that case last winter with a tractor would not start with the charger on it for an hour would barely grunt. Pulled batteries and had them tested both shot. Put new batteries in and would not stay up so checked the alternator it was bad also changed that and now has worked fine and sat all winter after corn was done.