No spark in the 8N

I hope you are NOT DESCRIBING the "infamous ballast resistor" under yer ampmeter.

You write..... ."Seems like the battery won't get a charge and it's only about 4-5 months old"..... .I hope you remembered to re-polarize yer squarecan voltage regulator with an "arc-spark" between its BATT & ARM terminals. Remember, its supposed to be positive ground and you can re-polarize as many times as you want. (engine off)..... ...Dell

I haven't re-polorized and it is hooked up positive ground. At the voltage regulator there is a ground wire on the right (if you were sitting on the tractor), then 3 other wires in a row. I can't read anything there, so which one is the BAT and which one ARM? I feel stupid.

Frontmount 8N's have a sheetmetal brackett that hangs down under the squarecan voltage regulator that holds the headlite switch.

Sidemount 8N's have a "proofmeter" that gitts innna the way and you can't mount a headlite switch there altho the voltage regulator is mounted the same place as the frontmount.

That one wire probably extends across to the "T-shaped" 3-terminal power distribution block with the "infamous ballast resistor" mounted on top of the "T" underneath yer ampmeter.

Just be CAREFULL that you don't short out that single wire.

You can use enny replacement headlite switch you care to install. Usually replacement headlite switches have at least 3-terminals (headlite and taillite) and a fuse. Iff'n it don't fitt the sheetmetal brackett, I'm certain you know how to drill a larger hole..... ....Dell

If you can turn starter over.. battery isn't dead... Save charge circuit for another time to check it.. get ignition running for now. Charge circuit is for all intents and purposes a seperate circuit from the ignition...all they share is the battery and a few inches of copper..

Check power to the coil.. check to see if points open and close... a test lamp or vom is a good tool for this. As others said.. you chanige points in recent history?

Soundguy

You write..... .."Below that is a little square deal with 6 dots on the bottom and it has 1 wire to it. There are 2 lugs on that thing, but only 1 wire goes to it"..... ...This doesn't make enny sense..... unless yer frontmount 1949 has been converted to 12-volts.

In which case, (using my amazing powers of mind-reading) that may have been a convient mounting location for the 12-6volt converting resistor. And iff'n thats the case (12-volts) and only 1-wire, no wonder it don't run. The 12-6volt converting resister block should have 1-wire-INN and 1-wire-OUTT. And is MUST be in series with the "infamous ballast resistor" and the ignition coil from the ignition switch.

You write..... .."A while back, it would die after about an hour and I had to wait a couple hours before I could start it"..... .this is typical BAD IGNITION COIL characteristics. You claim you replaced the squarecan ignition coil. So make certain yer coils danglein' springy-thingy has been gently stretched so you will make certain contact with the distributor's points screw down inside the distributor body..... .....Dell