Bob,
It looks like you might be at a point where your first decision is whether to make it a 6V or a 12 V system. As your other tractor started life as a 6 but now is 12, it might make sense to have two 12V system tractors. Other guys like me keep 'em oringinal with 6V systems, but then I'm just an old crank. If you keep it 12 - the cheap 6 to 8 gauge battery cables with will work. Don't run the starter too long as Ludwig said, also take it out, run the starter, then reinstall it like miles said. Clean up all the terminals and check to see if you shouldn't replace some or all of those 3 cables. You might run the ground to a bolt holding the starter, as that gives less resistance to ground. Might be a good time to get a replacement starter switch, too. With 12V, you'll need to install a 1.8 ohm ballast resistor on the power line to the coil as it is probably designed to eat 6 volts and will get hot and unhappy if you feed it a diet of 12 volts (but check the coil - either by what's written on the coil or by measuring the resistance between the two primary terminals). Just to be tidy, the + side will come from the ignition and the - side to the distributor if you're 12V neg ground. There's a dead short on a wire or a blown diode in the alternator, or a fritzed regulator causing that leakage you're seeing on the ammeter. For the wiring loom, you're gonna need a mulimeter to check that, and as you don't wanna be Mr. Goodwrench, pull the alternator and take it to a shop. Have them check it as to whether it's setup for 6 or 12 V operation (assuming it's internally regulated, if not, haul in the external regulator with the alt). Also, if you want lights, they'll need to be 12V bulbs; and if you run 12V neg, you'll need to swap the wires on the back of the ammeter or learn that + means - and vice versa. If you keep it 6V pos gnd -- You'll need the big, fat 0 gauge cables to make it happy with the 6V batt you got or the one you exchange at the store. The alt or alt plus regulator will still need to go to the shop if you want to make the system charge. You'll still also have to troubleshoot for a wire loom short if the alt tests 6V pos gnd and working OK. Either way you decide - in the meantime with the charge system off, the coil draws 4 amps or less. With a 50ah battery (which either the 12 or the 6 should come close to) you can run the H for 10 hours plus 4 or 5 starts before you'll need to recharge from an external charger. That should let you get your mowing done as long as you don't use lights. There are 6 and 12 V alternators, and you could conceivably have one in pos or neg ground setup. Odds are it's a 12 V neg gnd alt, but who knows, as there are outfits that change the internal regulator circuits to taste, and yours had a 6V batt. If you want to mess with the alt yourself post back with some identifying info on the alt like Motorola or Delco 10, etc. and somebody can probably set you on the right track. Other than all that -- good luck. As I only have one H, I'm already jealous. Steve
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