Pad mount alternator?

[witzgall]

Our engine has a dual pulley PTO on the front, and there is a pad above it on top of the engine. I found an interesting alternator on eBay:



It is pad mounted, which would allow us to mount it as a second alternator with minimal effort. What was not immediately apparent to me was how one would adjust the belts in such an arrangement?

Any ideas?

Chris

[GordMay]

Balmar Off Engine Alternator Bracket:
See:
Balmar Charging System Accessories
And:
Balmar 5276 Off Engine Bracket - BAL5276

[perchance]

Judging from the four drilled feet on the alternator it looks like four jack screws are required. These could be made up from stainless all thread mounted on some type of base.

[witzgall]

So I use threaded rod and nuts to keep the unit a height above the mounting plate, and then use the nuts to adjust this distance?

Are these designed to be mounted in the rotated position form what is shown in the image?

Chris

Originally Posted by perchance

Judging from the four drilled feet on the alternator it looks like four jack screws are required. These could be made up from stainless all thread mounted on some type of base.

[witzgall]

That bracket is nice, but it is more than the cost of the alternator! I actually saw those at another etailer, but the price is a real turn-off.

Chris

Originally Posted by GordMay

Balmar Off Engine Alternator Bracket:
See:
Balmar Charging System Accessories
And:
Balmar 5276 Off Engine Bracket - BAL5276

[perchance]

there are four feet so you require four rods to mount it. You can mount it with the terminals up or down what ever makes it easiest to connect the wires. the nuts above and below the alternator feet are your adjustment. Once you get the tension you want simply lock the nuts.

[witzgall]

Makes sense, and although the adjustments might take longer, I think that they would be easier to get "just right".

Any drawback to this type of system?

Chris

[perchance]

It is easy to overtighten the belts and taking out the bearings with this system so watch the belt tension.

[chetvaldes]

You could mount the alternator onto a plate which pivots, then add a turnbuckle to adjust the pivoting angle by jacking or stretching. Alternatively, a large spring could be used to maintain belt tension, like most modern cars use nowadays.
This type of fabrication could probably be done without welding, but sometimes welding is the more elegant solution.