Thinking about a Triple Alt System

[cgtboy1988]

I am thinking about getting a M109 deuce to use as an offroad/towing/RV/etc vehicle and need a good 12v electric supply (for things like a CB radio and inverters for various electronics). In any event, this topic has been covered to a pretty good extent with people using both battery equalizers and separate alternators. I was thinking about going with a triple alternator setup though, consisting of the stock 24v alternator for the primary driving batteries and two separate 12v alternators to power two separate battery packs. One of the 12v sources would be for things like stereo, aux lights, CB radio, etc things that would be controlled generally from the cab in addition to balancing other items with the other circuit. The other alternator would be used for things like a refrigerator, rear box/living area lighting, microwave, etc with 1500 watt pure sine wave inverters. As I would have two 12v supplies, however, I thought about having a switch to use them as a backup ignition by wiring them in series. I have attached a diagram of what I would do. Is there anything I seem to be missing in the diagram, or anything that would likely not work? I think that running the two 12v supplies in series for an extended period of time may not be wise, but it seems to me that it would work well as a backup ignition source. I would not be changing the stock 24v setup except adding a switch on the battery- I would simply be adding two other alternators.

 

[Cleptomaniac]

Im not gonna jump u like some outher people but dont you think it would be alot easier to run a 24-12v converter and a 12v alt?
This would give you 24v and 12v for the truck operation. Then you could have a alt. for the camper. If you could cram the 3 alts in the engine compartment you would be making alot of extra drag on the engine. Remember this thing is not a power house!!

Good luck and welcome to SS
Danny

 

[mightymanx]

I would run dual 24's then use a converter like the Newmar one that is in the classifieds. more than enough power for your needs and one **** of a lot simpler fab.

But have at it if you want. I am interested in the outcome if you go that way.

 

[cgtboy1988]

Im not gonna jump u like some outher people but dont you think it would be alot easier to run a 24-12v converter and a 12v alt?
This would give you 24v and 12v for the truck operation. Then you could have a alt. for the camper. If you could cram the 3 alts in the engine compartment you would be making alot of extra drag on the engine. Remember this thing is not a power house!!

Good luck and welcome to SS
Danny

Your concerns are things I was thinking of as well. I have not yet worked on a deuce and do not have one yet to poke around in so I am not sure how much physical space I have to work with. That said, I have seen quad alt systems installed in Escelades and even some passenger cars before- they were installed to power some massive stereo systems, which would make me think it is possible to fit em in. The engine power requirement is a concern; I planned on using extremely high power output alternators (custom built up to 400 amps- I want to be able to run live sound out of the thing with tube guitar/bass amplifiers, which are power hungry) as well for the 12v system which would not make the situation better. Part of the reason I wanted to go with more alternators rather than electronic 24-12v converters is that I do not want to be limited by those electronics. I will look into them though and see what they are rated to.

 

[deuceaid]

I have seen quad alt systems installed in Escelades and even some passenger cars before..

get a generator then, and stop looking at lowriders with too much bass, (ps I do like them,,,but not on an MV)

 

[cgtboy1988]

get a generator then, and stop looking at lowriders with too much bass, (ps I do like them,,,but not on an MV)

Not too much into the whole huge car audio thing myself. A generator may be the best option though for my application; I was just thinking that something self contained would be more convenient to use than bothering with a separate generator every time I wanted 120v and with a triple alt setup have the feature of being an easily accessible backup ignition system. In any event, I will take some measurements next time I see a deuce and see if 3 alts could even be fit under the hood.

 

[Recovry4x4]

An efficient Honda genset and a good 12V alt could go along way. Use the 12V alt to charge/maintain a bank of house batts ( maybe 4 golfcart batts). Use the genset for longer stationary periods. The Honda would probably be 10 times more efficient than using the multifuel as a campsite powersource.

 

[59apache]

dual alt's are enough. You can use something like this: Sterling Power Products: Split Charge Diodes
to charge 2 12V batterys.....
Use 4 equal batterys, so you can change them in case of emergency (for example, if your starting batterys are dead, but the 2 12V are fine, you can mount them in the battery box and start.)

just my 2 cents

greets Juergen