My Tractor Altenator....

[Bob]

 
 I found out why the battery keeps going dead on the tractor... the alternator that my step dad put on there is NOT hooked up ! ... I thought it was because the tractor has been being used like that for 15 some odd years ! but NOPE ! there's not a single wire on that alternator....
it has 2 blades and a battery post on the altenator for electrical hookup....
the big post goes to the battery, that I know... but the other 2 ? thats a mistery...
it has an internal voltage regulator... in it... I think its a Mopar (chevy,gm product) alternator
probably a Motorola...but not sure at all on that.... I think one of the blades has to have power to it as it is the feild or internal magnets on the alternator... the other blade I don't know... possibly a alternator idiot light ?....

if anyone has any ideas please throw them at me ! LOL

I'll look tomorrow and see if I can get a name and amp capacity off it.... I'm purdy sure Ken said it was a Chevy alternator because it had a internal voltage regulator,....its probably about a 1970's vintage ....
....if need be I'll look in my motors manual and see if I can find one that looks like it ! LOL
....
Bob...

[ROADKING]

Yes, I think you are right, one blade I think is called an exciter wire and the other is for the light.

[randy]

on the housing there should be a spade marked F, wire to it through the key switch, straight to the battery + with the output.

[Bob]

Ok thank you both ....
 think that's all I need
I'll hook the F to the on off ignition toggle switch so it is killed when the switch is off, Hot when its on.... the Batt terminal will go to the relay post that connects to the pos battery terminal and that should cure the problem....
I don't need a guage on it, I'll check it to make sure its charging with the VTOM and if I ever have problems <GRIN>
...
I've been working on the saw mill most of the morning.... its about 65deg. here today and really nice outside ! ( been a long time coming LOL !)
...
...
 Now if I can find some terminals for the wiring I'll go put that on and be done with it ! HAHAHAH
...
Bob.....

thanks again for the help !

[geezer]

   Bob     on hooking up wires to alt. if exciter wire and coil hot wire come off same term. you will get feed back and not be able to kill eng. wire off acc.post or if toggle use double pole.

[Bob]

Oh.... you o'l smartie you !  I didn't think of that ! heheheh OK... DPST switch is whats on it... so if I hook it up to the other side of the switch I should be ok.... but I'll have to check and make sure the switch is double pole single throw (DPST) to be sure...(almost positive it is but some switches LOOK like DPST and are actually SPST.) if both sides of the switch are HOT then its a SPST switch
and I'll have to go get me another switch !
....
 I told the wife that I found out the reason the tractor battery keeps dieing every once in a while...
she said "Oh? whats that ? I said the alternator isn't hooked up, there's not a single wire hooked to it!"
 and I burst out laughing ! she wrinkles her eyebrows and  looks at me  with a blank look... and I said "evidently Ken never finished hooking it up, just installed it and never did the wiring!" and that got a laugh out of her... she said yah well that MIGHT HELP keep the battery charged if the Alternator is hooked UP I guess.... hehehehehehhe"
....
and I've wondered why the batteries kept going dead on that thing too ! GOOD GREEF !
... I am surprised that it runs as long as it does in all truthfulness !...
but there is nothing electrical on it but the ignition.... so I guess that don't take all that much !
...
Bob....

[Bob]

Ok I finally got around to wireing up the altenator on the tractor...
I took the biggest wire I could find (under a size 4) and itlooks to be about a #10 multi stranded wire
and hooked that to the batt terminal on the altenator... from there I hooked it to the post on the relay
which for some reason hasn't worked the last few times I've tried it (its a mechanical relay that the transmition shifter presses against it and makes the contacts connect)...
anyway with the batt post connected to the pos. on the battery I found a female spade plug and eired that to a long wire to go to the toggle switch... which is a double pole single throw switch...
I then made a short jumper wire to go from the ignition side to the altenator side of the switch and supplied the p[ower that way to the altenator fields.... I then fired up the tractor and put my vtom on it and nothing...the voltage was at 12.52 vdc... I wiggled the rire on the altenator because I know the spades on the altenator were kind'a rusty... still the same readings... so I swapped the spade plug to the other spade and checked it again and it came up... not much  just 12.82vdc to 12.95vdc ....
I was not very impressed by that reading at all but remembering that it was at 12.52vdc I was incurraged! at least its putting out SOMETHING ! LOL.... I left it on there for a bit and thought that reving up the motor might help and I got it up a bit past 13 vdc when at about 1/2 throttle
and I remembered that Ken took off the pully from the original generator and put it on the altenator because of its wide belt size... its fairly large about 4.5" in o.d. and thats the reason the voltage is so low...
 If I remember correctly Altenators have to turn faster than generators...so it should have a 2" pully on it not that big red one ! LOL
....
anyway... as long as its charging something its better than it was....
and I flipped the switch and it died like normal so I guess I hooked it up right ! HAHAHAHA!
....
I went into town today and went to Tractor Supply and got myself 2- 5lb boxes of welding Rod
a plastic head bucket for my welding helmit (my other one broke) and more gasoline for the tractor
... so if it continues to dry out, I'm ready to go move all that brush with the tractor !
HAHAHAHAHAH
.... I gott'a change the oil though first... seams that its a bit milky looks like water got into it somehow... so I'll drain it out and put some new 40wt in it...
 I've had the Hood off of it all winter but don't think that's the reason water is in the oil...
but its possible... the hood really doesn't cover that much ! LOL !
...
the tractor is still covered with mud... its dried now though ! HAHAHAH   
I figure most of it will fall off on its own.... no sense in wasting the water to wash it off !
besides it will keep the UV rays from damaging the paint ! LOL !
(there's paint on that thing ? Oh...Yah I think there is ! )
.....
Bob.....