Converting my chief to a modern Machine...

[mustangwagz]

Not really.....in general that type alternator does not put out squat at idle. Rev it up and see what happens. The meter should read 30 or so volts. It must be much higher in AC because when it is rectified down you loose a lot. At 100% efficiency DC=AC times .707....(RMS)....and nothing is 100% efficient. Plus you have to charge a battery at a higher voltage than the battery its self, usually 14-15 volts

so..in theory..it may actually be charging..just not at idle? cuz..it does seem to be holding a charge..not loosing any really, i left the house with 12.50 volts, ran it for like 30 mins with the lights on, came back and measured again, and it was still at 12.48 volts..so...maybe just at idle it aint charging?

[racerone3]

thanks for chiming in Jim, I was in the middle of replying to another thread when it dawned on me that I failed to mention reving it up

[jpswift1]

thanks for chiming in Jim, I was in the middle of replying to another thread when it dawned on me that I failed to mention reving it up

You guys are right on the ball with this one. I'm not too good with electronics, but I know that Briggs rates their charging systems for when the engine is spinning at a higher RPM. An ammeter might be a good idea to help you monitor what's going on with your electronics. I run them on all my machines and they're really great to have.

[racerone3]

if you have a volt meter, put the leads on the battery posts. check voltage with the engine off. Fire it up and you should see an initial drop. once it's running, voltage should stabilize around 12 to 12.5 volts. then rev the engine to around 2200, if voltage climbs at this point, you are charging.

the briggs regulator will not allow output without some sort of input on the DC side (IE: hooked to a battery) hence the need for a specific tester, but watching volts at the battery at varied RPM's gives a pretty good picture of what's going on

[mustangwagz]

You guys are right on the ball with this one. I'm not too good with electronics, but I know that Briggs rates their charging systems for when the engine is spinning at a higher RPM. An ammeter might be a good idea to help you monitor what's going on with your electronics. I run them on all my machines and they're really great to have.

Well dam..so...maybe some charging mods will need to be done?..My Intek mower shows like 14 volts at idle, its charging. if i shut it down it reads at a little over 12..so...its charging a good 2 volts or so at idle..Can this be achieved on my 16 as well if i change some stuffff around? or am i just gonna have to live with it boys? My motor currently has the stator with 2 black wires, yellow plug on it. REgulator has 2 yellow wires, yellow plug, and the charge wire is red with red plug. so i know its the 10-16 amp charge setup. motor model is a 303447-0411-01

thanks guys for all your info so far!

[racerone3]

If you find that it's charging at speeds above idle, I really wouldn't worry about it unless you are running a ton of lights, or plan to make a lot of short trips shutting the engine down between each one and therefore not giving it time to charge. My Wild Wolf is set up very similarly and I've never had to use the pull start

[mustangwagz]

ahh ok, ill check it today. aint had the patience to tear into wiring. lol i been doin other odd stuff. put a beverage holder on it, got my kill switch all wired up. (briggs wiring harness with the diodes in it was messed up..so i bypassed it..i cant see spending 20 bucks on it..lol)

Gonna open up the vent holes today, give it some more breathing room. ill get a few more snaps of it today with the good camera.

[thebuggyman1]

so..in theory..it may actually be charging..just not at idle? cuz..it does seem to be holding a charge..not loosing any really, i left the house with 12.50 volts, ran it for like 30 mins with the lights on, came back and measured again, and it was still at 12.48 volts..so...maybe just at idle it aint charging?

Let's see if I can make alterator theory simple and understandable...probably not. lol
The permanent magnets create "lines of flux". This is basically the magnetic waves. All you need to create elctricity is a conductor passing through these. This is the coils wrapped around a steel core (stator). The more movement through the lines of flux the more electricity produced. A 10A alternator will produce 10A at hi rpm, in a mower thats the 3600 rpm that you'd mow at. Cut the rpms and the charge will be reduced significantly......My uneducated guess is: 3600rpm=10A, then 1800rpm = one quarter of that at best or 2.5A , At idle you would have a trickle charge. At some point the losses from converting AC to DC and regulating it to 14v will be larger than the stator output. So the charge would be zero!

[amphibious drew]

"lines of flux"!

oh man, i shouldnt have passed on the flux capacitor. Wagz, do you got one. It should be right in the middle above the seat in front of your mr fusion.

[mustangwagz]

my flux capacitor only gets used once a month if that...depends alot on weather, sleeping patterns, attitude, mood, etc etc..lol

On the explaining of alternation. by buggyman: I gotcha boss. so your explanation is understandable. i do understand alternators for the most part. i just found it odd that at an idle it didnt make much of anything. Figured id would charge at a rate of semi-consistancy. seeing as most alternators increase battery voltage by a little bit, even at idle. however, if briggs does it their own way, the high rpm thing is understandable. i just thought it was odd that my mower with a verticle twin charged 14v at idle or WOT regardless. along with all my other gadgets i own that are charging system equipped. Ill check later if i get a chance and report back with my findings. I did however, open up my vent hole, and it looks dam good if i do say so myself. (pictures to come..no worries..im slow and busy today.)

i got to get my chimeny cleaned out and also setup some new black stove pipe for this seasons heating...soon snow will be here..and my house will be a sweltering 90 degree's even when its 0 degrees outside. Muhaha! i also went for a little ride this morning on the mule, there's a Butt-load of good wood for the taking across the road where they logged. They got me access to alot of "been-dead" wood that is Key for this year's burning! Gotta love dead standing locust, oak, cherry, and maple! Muhaha!

[mustangwagz]

Got a snapshot of the vent hole enlarging. couldnt find good camera though. figures..

anyhow, went on a nice big ride today as well with it. The briggs was best thing i did...really made the machine alot more enjoyable.. i went out with intentions of trying to break it, so far..its great. lol it climbs over stuff like a mad man at low rpm..smells way better, no more cloud around me. when we stop to talk, i can talk over the sound of the engine, and not have to worry about it wanting to stall or idle irraticaly. i mean, all in all, its way better than when i bought it. Best part is...ive done all the work/modding, so i know exactly what, when, where and how i did it all. no guessing games! lol Woot!

Ive also got plans for making some cargo area for it as well, but ill make a new thread for that when its time. Ive also gotta get a winch setup on the winch plate.

vent.jpg

[Stonewall]

Lookin' great Wagz!! This thread is really making me want to get back on my v-twin upgrade project!! Post up some video of this beast!

[jpswift1]

Wow, what a clean looking 4 stroke upgrade! Love the machine, and excellent work wagz!

[mustangwagz]

Lookin' great Wagz!! This thread is really making me want to get back on my v-twin upgrade project!! Post up some video of this beast!

Well get out there and get started on it man! lol Ill try n get some video for all yinz...guess ill have to joint youtube..lol

Wow, what a clean looking 4 stroke upgrade! Love the machine, and excellent work wagz!

Thanks JP, much appreciated! but no worries..still not done yet. lol

[Stonewall]

If you use Gmail, then you already have a Youtube account. Can't wait to see it in action, those Attex's look like really cool machines!

Unfortunatly my 6x6 is on hold while I'm doing a 3 wheeler restoration for a neighbor.