[AT] JD Distributor vs. Magneto

szabelski at wildblue.net szabelski at wildblue.net
Tue Mar 10 06:11:01 PDT 2020


Last time I went to get a coil for my 42’ H, the counter guy talked to me about putting an electronic ignition. He said he could have it for me in a day or two. There’s not a lot to the kit, so I’m guessing it’s a simple install (???), maybe the timing is a little bit of an issue?

Carl
----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Offiler <soffiler at gmail.com>
To: Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 05:59:14 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: [AT] JD Distributor vs. Magneto

I am a fan of NAPA but not sure what you'll find there for electronic
ignition kits.  Pertronix is the typical go-to for old tractors:

https://pertronix.com/categories

SO


On Tue, Mar 10, 2020 at 1:33 AM <szabelski at wildblue.net> wrote:

> Mag or distributor, you won’t see any real difference, they both have
> points, condensers, rotors and rotor caps. The difference is how the
> “spark” is generated.  You need to have the correct condenser and the gap
> set properly no matter what you have,
>
> Now if you want to go full upgrade, go to someplace like your local NAPA
> and get an electronic ignition system for your tractor. They’re claimed to
> work better with less issues. Not 100% sure what it takes to put one in,
> but it doesn’t sound like much from what I’ve been told.
>
> Carl
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: STEVE ALLEN <steveallen855 at centurytel.net>
> To: at at lists.antique-tractor.com
> Sent: Mon, 09 Mar 2020 16:12:16 -0400 (EDT)
> Subject: [AT] JD Distributor vs. Magneto
>
> Going Saturday to look at a late JD A.  I have a fair amount of experience
> with both an A and a B with mags, but I have never used one with a
> distributor before.
>
> Now, I've had several vehicles over the years which used the old points
> distributors, so I know the basics--well, I *knew* them years ago, anyway.
> But I am curious what sorts of differences I can expect between a mag
> tractor and a distributor tractor.  I know that the distributor tractor
> will need to have a battery to run.  Are the differences otherwise
> transparent to the guy in the operator's seat?
>
> Thanks.
>
> The "original" Steve Allen
> JD A & B (and maybe another A) near Rolla, MO
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