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Alternator Help

J

JDH

Member
What is a good single wire alternator that will work on a tractor that will self excite without all the regulators and resistors? Is there such? what would it fit originally? Thanks
 
Most 1 wires alternator need to be spun up to max engine RPM so they can be hard on the tractor engine. The good old Delco 10si 3 wire is simple to wire up and works real good and they are cheap to boot at less then $50
 
You can just buy a cheap 10 SI and stick one of those converter pig tails on it whick makes it kinda like a one wire. I believe Jim at Agri Services in New York (among others) www.wiringharnesses.com sells them. I believe all they do is stick something like a 147 or so ohm (however much resistance as possible to still allow for excitation but limit constant current bleed as much as possible when setting) resistor in the excitation and they, therefore, always draw a smalllllllllll current from the battery when setting..... The simple ignition excitation circuit system with a 10 ohm current limiting safety resistor (NO diodes usually required) is sooooooooooo cheap n easy to install
I see no reason to do otherwise myself, especially considering how cheap and available the 10 SI alternator is versus a one wire

John T
 
Fit originally? If you mean one that currently HAS an alternator vs a generator,yes. What old says is true,you have to wind them up to get them to charge,generally about 1/2 throttle on a tractor,but once they start to charge,you can idle them back down and they'll work all day. The regulator went out on my 1550 Oliver. It had a small one that mounted right on the back of the alternator. A self exiter Delco was cheaper than just the regulator,so I changed that one. I didn't have to change any wiring.All the wires to the regulator were right there,just little short ones to that regulator anyway,so I took them off with the regulator. Only problem I had was that if it sat too long it would draw the battery down. I just cut the big wire that ran to it up under the dash,put a toggle switch in it right next to the key start ignition,and now when I shut it off,I just flip the swicth off. Flip it back on when I start it.
 
I get 1 wire 10si alt from napa for about 63 bucks.dont care if i have to speed up motor for them to charge.I usually dont use a tractor when just idling
 
Hate to tell you this.. but them 1-wire alternators.. still got them regulators n stuff inside of them.. no way to get around that.

but yeah.. a 10si can be had 1-wire. but you may have to jazz the engine to near 2000 rpm when you want it to start charging .. then it will stay charging till it drops below about 350-400 rpm.

soundguy
 
Yes, that is what a one-wire alternator is. Take a 10SI or 12SI. Stick a self-exciting regulator in it. Then, all it needs is to be hooked to the battery positive and nothing else. No external regulators, no resistors, no switches, etc.
 
Jdemarris Is correct. We installed a 65 asmp alternator ,single wire uni directional(rotation of engine doesn"t matter)From Steiner part # ABC 418.Starts charging at idle and will increase as throttle is advanced Lights, Heater wipers all things electrical charges max 14.5 Volts. The only extra expense was the mounting kit# ABC 404 just to let you know we aren"t selling for Steiner, only to let you know where we purchased it from .Our 706I.H. pictures will show it. Steiner shows quite a few alternators (smaller in size & physical dementions in effect a 42 amp)
thats a 3 wire with internal regulator. Hope this helps. LOU& VICTOR
a7898.jpg

a7899.jpg
 
When converting a 10SI alternator to single wire style there can be a lot of variation in RPM needed to get to start charging. On the ones I have converted I have seen minimum RPM range from about 1100 to 2700. That is alternator RPM not engine RPM.
 
Where does the idea come from that adding a diode or resistor is difficult?
An externally excited alternator works far better than the self exciters.
 
Some tractors don't have ignition switches. For those, the one-wire alternator can simplify things since no excite wire or diode is needed.
 
Thanks for the info but is there such thing as a low rpm alternator or can I speed the alternator up by going to a smaller pulley?
 
Higher rpms than what is required draws extra HP from the engine. More wear on the belt and pulleys by putting extra HP through a smaller pulley.
The alternator bearings and brushes wear faster. If belted up to the extreme, the alternator could shred from centrifugal forces. Although the alternator wear and rpm failure is a mute point on a tractor application.
Electricity is not a mystical black art, it all works according to physical laws.
#1 Same charging wire to battery. #2 A wire from the voltage sensing terminal on the alternator to the battery terminal.#3 One and just one simple little wire with a resistor to the ignition switch.
 
Hello JDH,
Alternator speed should be about 2 1/2 times the speed of the engine.
Install a pulley to get that ratio between the drive and the driven pulley.
They, the alternators, are designed to charge at idle, and they can charge as much as 1/3 the capacity at idle speed.
In a class 8 truck 1 wire alternators get what we call an highway pulley, to slow them down and extend the life of the unit.
At twice the idle speed they take care of all the load and battery charging, with no problem.
Guido.
 
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