***"not necessary to disconnect both cables when working on electrical, just the negative/black?"*** That is correct.....So long as the negative/black cable is in fact, the GROUND cable for the vehicle electrical system. And in most machines built in the last 40 years or so, the negative/black is the ground conductor. But you must "cling to" every word of the description. "Negative", "Black", "Ground"! Each word must be considered as a separate and individual criterion when you are preparing to "put a tool" to the battery terminals. (this is a lesson, listen up) There are currently (no pun) no laws governing the colors of wires and cables used in AUTOMOTIVE applications. There are "generally accepted and recognized practices", but no REGULATIONS. Black is nearly universally used as the color (by OEMs) of the negative battery cable, Red for positive cable, but some OEMs might decide to use black cables for BOTH positive and negative conductors leading from the battery posts. And, additionally, you must always consider that the original RED positive cable.....might have been replaced with a BLACK cable. Furthermore, the OEM, BLACK negative cable, might have been replaced with a RED one (you see all kinds of things in "used equipment". The odds of finding a BLACK cable for the positive conductor are actually pretty good, while the odds for finding a RED cable for the negative conductor are slim (but I have found them more than once). Nonetheless, since it only requires that you "look at" the markings on the battery (positive+, negative-), that is what you MUST DO,.... each and every time you prepare to "put a tool" on a battery terminal. ALSO, when you identify the negative post/cable of the battery......trace the cable to where it connects next. If the negative cable connects to the vehicle frame, chassis, or engine block....it is the GROUND conductor. This configuration is what you will find on just about every machine/vehicle of recent manufacture. But, it makes sense to understand the relationship of "color vs. polarity vs. function" in a vehicle electrical system. IF the black cable is connected to the negative battery post at one end, and to the "vehicle ground" at the other end.........that is the only cable you need to remove from the battery in order to render the electrical system "inert" and safe to work on. Even that statement will have "limitations" if the vehicle has advanced electronics and engine/cab controls, but for MOST L&G tractors, it is the best, safest, practice. ................................................... Getting back to your Huskee. Before doing the next test, disconnect the GROUND cable from the battery. Leave all wires connected to the solenoid "posts",.... connected for the test. The black/blue pair will be removed but reconnected in this procedure. To further test whether the solenoid is defective (shorting inside the solenoid), if the first series of tests point in that direction, remove the mounting bolts of the solenoid (where solenoid mtg bracket fastens to chassis/frame. Reconnect the black/blue pair of wires to their same chassis/frame bolt and secure with nut. Use some kind of non-metallic, electrically insulating material (suitable piece of cardboard, carpet, even an old sneaker will do) to set the solenoid on so it can't touch a grounded surface (chassis). Once you have the solenoid resting on the non-metallic material, reconnect the ground cable to the battery negative post. Now, operate the ignition switch to the start position. If the fuse does not "blow" now, it indicates the solenoid has an internal short to ground (fuse DID NOT blow because no ground was provided for the "short" to use). Don't expect the solenoid to operate during the test. Access to the solenoid on my Huskee is somewhat "difficult at best", but I find I can get a better view of it by going in from the right side floorboard/step area (front end of center console and backside of engine). I have to lock the brake/clutch pedal down to get more room for my head. In taking the photos, I went through the battery access under seat AND from the other end I described above.

What you are looking for is a DPDT toggle switch, that is double throw double pole. It has six contacts, the two middle are for each side of the feed and the outside ones will go to the different devices. I believe that you should switch both sides of the power feed so that you are removing any possibility of shock from the device not in use. Problem is most of these switches I have seen are not rated high enough current wise. Try checking with Radio Shack or some other electronic supply house they might be able to point you in the right direction. I believe this is going to be considered a speciality item but they do exist.

Mike, Thanks so much for the quick reply. I was talking to the "technical support" person at Wolf and described my panel to them. That's where I got the information that my two 30-amp breakers were like a 60-amp one and would be ok. I guess I thought this made sense since my existing oven called for 40 amps. (House and oven are seven years old.) Maybe if you would be kind enough to elaborate on why the oven was done this way - two breakers attached to one another - I would be better able to explain this to the oven installers to see if I need to have an electrician here first to switch the two 30s for a 50. Thank you. Amy

DavidR, Phases are nothing more than comparing multiple electrical waves with respect to time. So assuming two waves, if they both peak at the same time, they're said to be "in" phase, or 0 degrees "out of phase". When the power company creates power, they do exactly what you suggest, and put the windings 120 degrees apart, and deliver 3 phases of power. That's why if you look at overhead transmission lines, they're always in groups of three. However, that's not the only way to create a phase difference. As Brickeyee pointed out, single phase motors use capacitors to start (and sometimes run) the motors. What they're doing with the capacitors is creating a second phase. Residential US power comes from a single phase which is delivered to the house via a center-tap transformer. By definition, the two hot legs are 180 degrees out of phase with each other. By convention, though, we don't call this 2-phase, because at one time, power was delivered as 90-degree out of phase, and was called 2-phase. (I'm not sure if this still exists anywhere). One thing that you might find interesting is that the fans on many computers and audio equipment are 3-phase to both prolong their lives, and to make them quieter. All it takes is a little bit of electronics to transform single phase into multiphase power.