Hey all, is there a way to bench test a voltage regulator from a 51 8n?

Travis, I can't help you with a bench-test procedure, but we do have a tutorial in our How-To's library on how to test it on your 8N if that option is available to you.

• Click here to view/download it.

Thanks Ed. I followed those tests last summer, and I believe it was step 6 that increased the charging rate. I purchased a new regulator from Amazon, installed it the other day, and yesterday did some more testing. Again, it was step 6 that increased the charging rate. According to the document, this leads me to believe that the new regulator is bad as well. I will order a new one from a more reputable tractor parts store and try that one.