Positive Ground ? Or not ?

[twowheeler63]

I picked up a "bargain" Simplicity 7112 over the weekend. It would not start - the battery in it was the wrong size and I think battery poles reversed. My 710 has a positive ground. This 7112 has the battery with a negative ground. Question - do all the AC and Simplicity units have positive ground? Or did they change with the newer 80's models? Tuffy

[Guest]

They all have negative ground - but don't go by the color of the cables - verify the post and double check that the battery has been charged in the proper polarity with a voltmeter.

[Al]

Hi, All of the Simplicity's should have a negative ground. The old tractors with the starter generators should function either way as long as the requlator and generator got polarized to match, but negative is correct.. The only thing that would change is that the ammeter would read backwards. A newer unit with a built in alternator would have the charging system damaged with pos ground and the permanent magnet starter would turn backwards and not engage. If a starter had wire fields instead of permanent magnets then it wouldn't care what the polarity was. The majority of small engine starters are Per. Mag. Good luck, Al

[dlcentral]

If the batt. was put in with pos. grd. the starter will turn but in the WRONG direction not allowing the bendix to come out and contact the ring gear!They haven't used pos. grd. in machinery since the 50's! Good Luck! dlc