The idea of using an 8 volt battery came about when generators still had cutout relays instead of actual voltage regulators. A generator with a cutout relay will charge an 8 volt battery, just a little slower than it would a 6 volt battery, because all the cutout relay does is disconnect the generator when its not running to keep the battery from discharging. With a cutout relay, the generator puts out whatever the battery will take, with a regulator the output voltage of the generator is limited to what the voltage regulator is set for.
Using 8 volts on a 6 volt system that's otherwise in good shape will in fact give you a little extra starting boost, however, it will also eat light bulbs. Using an 8 volt battery to try to compensate for a 6 volt system in poor condition will just lead to additional problems.
Battery cables are the biggest problem with a 6 volt system - just look at all the questions on this site. People assume that a 12 volt cable will work on a 6 volt system, but that's not true. 6 volt starters draw at least twice the current than an equivalent 12 volt starter, which requires cables also capable of carrying twice the current. Voltage is immaterial when it comes to battery cable selection.
I've currently got two tractors & two vehicles with 6 volt systems, all of which will start just fine on 6 volts as long as I use the proper size cable & keep the terminals clean.
A 8 volt battery is a poor work-around for some other problem.
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Today's Featured Article - Harvestin Hay: The Early Years (Part 2) - by Pat Browning. The summer of 1950 was the start of a new era in farming for our family. I was thirteen, and Kathy (my oldest sister) was seven. At this age, I believed tractor farming was the only way, hot stuff -- and given a chance I probably would have used the tractor, Dad's first, a 1936 Model "A" John Deere, to go bring in the cows! And I think Dad was ready for some automation too. And so it was that we acquired a good, used J. I. Case, wire tie hay baler. In addition to a person to drive th
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