Dennis

I am thinking about adding an additional alt. on my 2001. This is for a very high power amp setup. A HO replacement is not really wanted. I want to just add another alt. I am a novice when it comes to fabbing stuff. That usually means I can make it work, but it's not too pretty. Has anyone added an additional alt. to their CTD yet? I'd like to get some ideas on the different brackets and such. Any tips for me? Any advice is welcome.

Busboy

When it comes to alternators....... I like the Chebby! It's hard to beat the built in voltage regulator and easy to fabricate brackets for mounting. I did one just a few months ago on a Landrover, moved it from down low to wayyyy up high to keep it out of the water. Original was a marine generator but the chevy alternator is much more compact and does away with the voltage regulator. The brackets were made from 1/4 inch mild steel and just cut and welded. I bolted everything up before welding then just removed the alternator and welded the brackets together while bolted to the engine, this ensures the bolt holes will line up. Getting a belt to fit in length could be tricky.

Dennis

The belt is one of my worries. The other is finding an alt. that works good at low rpms. My engine speed is rarely over 2k. I was hoping for some pics from someone who has already crossed this bridge. I'm not really sure how to do it yet.

John Faughn

I would say that the best way to do what you want , would be to add a true deep cycle battery , with a battery isolator , so that you do not run your amp off the main batteries .

Dennis

That is exactly what I want to do, except one step further. I will be adding a couple of extra batteries with it's own alt. This setup will have a high amp draw. I wan't to completely isolate this setup from my trucks electrical system.

Busboy

You change the rotational speed by varying the pulley size on the alternator. Choose a pulley thats the same size as the one on the truck. Another way may be to ADD an after-market pulley to the crank and run a separate V belt. This was most often done when installing after-market air conditioning on other vehicles . There are endless sizes of V belts available. If you don't want to run the alternator all the time you could just install a sw in the cab to turn off the field.

John Faughn

You do not need an extra alt , an isolator to charge the 2 systems independently .

Dennis

This is very true. However, I am anticipating an intermittent draw above 400 amps. Hopefully, if my plans work I will also be using a 16 volt system with three to four additional batteries. An additional alternator, maybe even two if I can squeeze them in there, seems like the only viable option.

Tocapet

And get some huge capacitors so that 400 amp draw can be able to suck juice for that Bose Wave-Cannon you have mounted in the truck bed.

HOHN

Capacitors can't store a charge like a battery can. They can't sustain a high draw. A large capacitor is for momentary intermittent peaks of high draw. A sustained draw of 400A requires more than a capacitor.

A Capacitor is a good idea for a bass-heavy system because when bunch thirsty subs fire, they spike draw way more than the nominal system current-- double or more even.

One way you could tackle the alternator thing is buy a belt of approprate length, THEN fab the bracket to fit.

I think a simple Mean Green upgrade to your existing alternator would be sufficient with a battery isolation setup. No need for another alt than I can see.

jmo

Busboy

If you are thinking of more than one additional alternator it may pay you to drive them hydraulically. I'm not sure if the power steering pump could do it but if not there may be a higher capacity pump available. Another option would be a hyd pump on the pto off the xfr case. Yet another option would be an electrical hydraulic pump. Some large jets use hyd driven generators and they work well, these were added after the original design to give longer over water times.