wiring a 6-volt flasher

[Ronald Florence]

I'm install a flashing amber light on an old John Deere tractor with a
6-volt, positive-ground electrical system. The only 6-volt flasher I
could find in auto-parts stores has three connections, instead of the
two I expected, and no wiring diagram. From the bottom, the three
pins are
____________
/ \
/ -- P \
| |
| | X | L |
| |
\ /
\_____________/

I tried putting the power on the `X' pin and the light on the `L' pin,
with no luck. I've also tried a dozen variations, all without getting
the light to flash. Questions:

1. How do I wire this as the equivalent of a two-wire flasher?
If, as I expect, the `P' pin is for a pilot light, what size
resistor can I substitute?

2. Could my experimenting have `cooked' the flasher?

3. Would a 12-volt 2-wire flasher work on a 6-volt system?

Thanks.
--

Ronald Florence
r...@mlfarm.com

[Frank Mallory]

RF> I tried putting the power on the `X' pin and the light on the `L' pin,
RF> with no luck. I've also tried a dozen variations, all without getting
RF> the light to flash. Questions:
RF>
RF> 1. How do I wire this as the equivalent of a two-wire flasher?
RF> If, as I expect, the `P' pin is for a pilot light, what size
RF> resistor can I substitute?

Just a guess: "P" stands for "Power" (+6v from ignition lead), "X" stands for
turn signal switch, and "B" is an extra lead for the signal lamp on vehicles
that don't have separate left/right pilot lamps.

RF> 2. Could my experimenting have `cooked' the flasher?

Doubtful. But it could have been defective from the start.

RF> 3. Would a 12-volt 2-wire flasher work on a 6-volt system?

Possibly. But even if you could find one that works on reverse polarity, the
flash rate would drop substantially.