# '52 ferguson



## aaronvan

Hi guys.
I recently (today) purchased a 1952 ferguson tractor and a brand new bush hog.I have very little experience with tractors but am a fairly handy guy with tools.So here's the story.i went to pick up the tractor today and met the fellow selling it.NIce guy,had a beer with him and he told me what he knew about the tractor.It had been rebuilt a few years ago,runs great ect...no red flags.He then mentions that although it has a generator(not alternator) it has a 12v battery in it???..ok...?
He fired her up and it did indeed sound and run great,Happy,Happy.
Got her loaded up on a flat bed and hauled her to her new home.After about 20 mins of bush hogin'/mowin I shut her off for about 5 mins while the kids admired my ultra straight lines!..But then...no start.Slow to tun over then nothing...nothing at all.popped the hood and noticed the positive battery collar was pretty crappy and the wire was totally loose..I cleaned the connection and post and did the negative side as well....nothing...So after a huge long rant my question is this...Do I replace with a 6 volt or another 12v battery?TBH Im not positive the one i took out was a 12v?it is a napa power,serial number 068854..but my crappy google skills turned up no info?
If anyone could help me out I would be a very happy guy...thanks...and thanks for having me here!


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## ErnieS

Easiest way to tell if a battery is 6 or 12 volts is to count the caps and multiply by 2. If the battery has 6 caps, it is a 12 volt.
Have you tried charging the battery?. It sounds like you have a charging system problem. Do you have a volt meter and a battery charger? We can walk you through diagnosing your problem.


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## aaronvan

Thanks for your reply!
The battery is a "maintenance free" one so no caps or real noticeable cells to count.I am now almost positive it IS as 12V after talking to the seller again.
Im thinking the battery wasn't charging due to the very corroded negative terminal and the almost disconnected wires on the positive.I have the battery on the charger now but she hasn't moved in a hour.
Is it ok to use a 12v battery on a 6 volt system?

Thanks again.


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## ErnieS

Well, it will take out lights, eventually the starter and a 6 volt generator can't charge a 12 volt battery. *Do you have a meter?*
There were 12 volt generators in the late 50's, so perhaps you have after-market generator and starter. 

When the PO started it before you bought it, did it seem to turn over very fast?


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## aaronvan

Hello Ernie,
Well I threw a charge in the 12v last night,replaced the battery collars and put it back in the tractor,she fired right up.It didnt seem to turn excessively fast.I then did about 2 hours of bush hoggin'.She ran great.
I stopped at home hardware and bought a volt meter but embarrassing as it is,I have no idea what setting to put it on to check the generator or battery.With a little googleing Im sure I will figure it out.
I also need to find a tiedown for the battery as it is just sitting in there.If it turns out to be a 6 volt system (as I am 90% sure it is) I will pick up the proper battery.
Thanks again!


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## Thomas

"noticed the positive battery collar was pretty crappy and the wire was totally loose..I cleaned the connection and post and did the negative side as well"

You may want to clean where neg wire ground to,also post connection.


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## aaronvan

Hi Thomas thanks for poppin by!
Ya bud i replaced the ground wire and cleaned the post and ground connection.I just need to figure out how to MAKE SURE the generator and starter are 6 volt.I am 90 percent sure they are.


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## pacerman

I've just changed our Pacer from 6v to 12v. I fitted a Lucas C39 generator in place of the Auto-lite that was on it. I've done this so that I can fit any battary from any of our other vehicles and not have to buy a very expensive 6v battery. The starter works fine on 12v, spins over a lot faster of course so I don't hold my finger on the starter button for a long time while starting! My 1928 Desoto is also now 12v, and has been for over 30 years, and also had no starter problems. Cheers.


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## aaronvan

Hey guys,I have been working non stop and finaly have had a second to check this thread.I went out and bought a 6v group1 battery,It is on the charger now.
So next time i go to the new farm,(sunday) I want to check the voltage output from the generator.My problem is i dont know what setting to put my Mastercraft multimeter on.Sounds insane but i havnt a clue when it comes to electrical.Here is the one I have.http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow.../Mastercraft+Digital+Multimeter.jsp?locale=en

Also when I checked the oil it seemed a little low.I cant get the filler cap off?? It doesnt twist off just pulls up but i can only get it about 1 inch up then something stops it from inside?Any ideas.WHat engine oil do you folks recommend?Just a 10w 30?

One more thing,When I checked the serial number on the ferguson enthusiast page it came back the the tractor is a 1955 not a '52 as I was told.
I know I am full of rookie questions but I have no one around here to ask and just want the machine to serve me well for a while.

thanks
Aaron


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## dakotamar

Put the meter on dc and plug the leads into the black and the red dc input ( if more than one). If you crank it over and see about 13.8vdc on the battery you will know it is a 12 volt charge system. If it is six volts, you will only see the battery voltage level (12v or what ever the battery measured before hooking it up to the tractor). You would have to run the tractor with out the battery hooked up to measure the actual voltage out of the alternator if you only see 12vdc.


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## aaronvan

Thanks for the input.
So here is where I am at now.So it IS infact a 12v system.I scraped away some grease on the generator and as a "12v" stamped on the side.Also a plate on the generator thats say's" Lucas replacement part number 22850".

Like I have said,the tractor runs VERY nicely..but turns over VERYYYY slowly when starting up even when warm.Today I put in a freshly charged 12v battery and still she turned over like she wasnt going to start....When I put my multimeter ( I have learned the basics) on the battery while she was running the voltage was all over the place ie..12-19-25-4-12. I left her running for a hour and shut her off.30 sec's later still turned over so slowly that is amazing she started at all?
Any ideas guys?
Thanks so much.


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## dakotamar

What's the voltage Of the battery before starting? You can do a YouTube search of cold starting a furgie to see if it starting slow or not. 
When cranking over the engine the volt meter will show all kinds of voltages, that is normal


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## aaronvan

The voltage on the battery before starting is 12.3 or so.I have seen the cold start fergie video and yes mine turns so slow that you would swear there is no way it will start,then some how she catches and fires right up.With the engine warm and running slightly above idol is when I took my voltage reading.
Thanks for your reply.


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## dakotamar

On a side note, are u using a run on coupler on the pro for your bush hog? Do you use chains to keep it at the proper height or have you mastered the lift?


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## aaronvan

I have chains on,but I find I have them set a little to low for real hogin' so I am constantly fiddlin' with the height in heavy stuff.Mowin the fields is "set and forget".


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## shona13

G,Day AAronvan. 
Disconnect the battery and take the starter motor of , take it to an auto electrician I would say either a pickup brush or a winding fault is causing your problem ,make sure you let the sparky know what the problem is . 
Happy Days .
Hutch.


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## bustaknuckle

Have you checked to see if the hood might be touching the battery posts?
On a top mount battery that was in my to30 it was just high enough to touch and short out.
It fried my voltage regulator and the BRAND NEW BATTERY!!!!!


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## aaronvan

shona13 said:


> G,Day AAronvan.
> Disconnect the battery and take the starter motor of , take it to an auto electrician I would say either a pickup brush or a winding fault is causing your problem ,make sure you let the sparky know what the problem is .
> Happy Days .
> Hutch.


Thanks! I took the starter off to day and dropped it off at a auto electric place.I will let you know the results when he calls.I hope this fixes my issue.
Thanks for all the help guys!Bye


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## aaronvan

I just got back from checking on my starter.Apparently there was so much dust from the brushes that is was grounding out and dropping the required voltage to properly operate the starter.I will have it back on the old girl tomorrow.Hopefully this solves my problem!
Thanks again!


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## dakotamar

Glad to hear you solved your problem. I've changed the gas in mine and it is running a lot smoother now, but I need to replace the battery. It just won't hold a charge and the positive is rotting out of the battery.

Dak


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## aaronvan

Ok folks,What the heck is going on???I installed the rebuilt starter and a fully charged battery.SAME PROBLEM!!!..Checked the main lead from the positive to where it connects underneth(dont know how to explain it) then the starter main connects there as well and goes to the starter.Cleaned all the connections,tightened everything (where very loose) and still...same problem.Rolls over so slowly that it is amazing it starts at all.LIke so slow that seconds pass with no turn over at all.Then most of the time she fires right up??

will dirty points cause this? voltage regulator?Im out of ideas.


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## dakotamar

Starter relay? Try using a jumper cable ( you know a big heavy gauge one like for jumping batteries) from the battery to the starter and see if it starts at the correct speed. Just get the polarity right. If you are neg ground, positive to the starter should do it.


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## shona13

G,Day aaronvan.
Well you now know the starter motor is good!The battery lead from the NEGATIVE TERMINAL The - goes to the starter safety switch underneath the battery and then the other heavy lead goes to the starter motor inside the safety switch there are two heavy copper contacts and a heavy copper contact ring after some time the contacts and the ring get a bit burned and dont make good contact this causes the symtoms you have got.
Remove the switch it is held on with four bolts and is fairly fiddly to remove ,remove the bolts and lift the switch up and slide a screwdriver underneath to hold it up you will see flat rod connected to the starter switch and a clevis pin which is held in place with a split pin ,using a piece of strong string feed it around the flat linkage rod and tie it of ,this is so that it wont drop down as sometimes it can be a challenge to find it and get it back up ,remove the split pin and VERY CAREFULLY with a pair of long nosed pliers get someone to pull the clevis pin out from the other side dont drop it.
with the switch removed either strip it and try to repair or Replace the switch which is still available and not to expensive generally the bakelite cover on the switch becomes brittle with age and does not need a lot to break.
thats all i can offer .
Happy Days .
Hutch 
P.S. Dont give up


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## aaronvan

Thanks guy's,
So I learned alot about batteries today.Since I charged the old 12v to full capacity I had ruled out the battery as being the source of the problem.While scratching my head today up at the farm and being generaly diggusted with my self for not being able to fix this simple problem,I took the small 12v out of my Ariens lawn tractor and slid her into the Fergi.Bang-o!! Turned over fast as a car and fired right up!!!YE-HAA!!!
So off to home hardware I went and bought a new battery.Had to modify it abit to get it to fit into the ultra narrow battery box.Now the old girl fires right up like she's supposed to!
I always kinda figured that if a battery was fully charged then it would behave just like a new one,not so.
Thanks for all your help with this guys.I got some bush hogging to do!
Aaron.


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## shona13

G,Day aaronvan.
First I must say WELL DONE and second Welcome to tractors.
I would say you have learned two lesssons here one of those lessons that we all learn sometimes and it catches us all out no matter how experienced is to assume something is good when it is anything but as you found out and the Second and most important one NEVER GIVE UP .
Again Well Done .edro:
Be safe .
Hutch.


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## aaronvan

I have one more little problem.
When the tractor is warm and I have been using it.It has a very hard time restarting.Just turns over and over,firing slightly.Eventually I can get her to catch but it is very hard on the stater and who knows what else.
Thanks


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## shona13

G'day aaronvan.
A few things to check,The first one is check and make sure the inlet manifold gasket is not leaking and allowing air to be drawn into the engine and causing a Weak fuel mixture ,an easy way to check is to get a Coke bottle and drill a 1/8 'hole in the cap ,fill with water and use it like a squirty bottle and with the engine running squirt water slowly around the manifold area and if at any time the engine changes revs or runs rough track down where the leak is coming from .
Second thing is the throttle shaft and bush , These wear through time and cause inconsistent fuel mixture , poor idling and bad starting ,you can buy a repair kit and it is not that expensive again use the water to check this, squirt plenty of water around the back of the carburetor.

Another one is the carburetor float level if it is to low the tractor will be hard to start ,also check the fuel mixture there is an adjusting screw on the front of the carburetor.
Try all of this and see how you go .
Happy Days .
Hutch.


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