Alternator and LiFePo battery question

Trackrig wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Duty cycle is usually 1/3

Example 120 amp alternator--continuous load 40 amps.

Don - Is your rating what you feel a standard gas engine alternator should be capable of? I ask because I have Leece Neville 165 amp heavy duty alternators on a lot of equipment with diesel engines Nodwells and Tucker Snocats). 33% of 165 amps would be about 55 amps. When running them in the late fall or winter with all of the lights, heaters and engine fans on, I can easily pull 90 to 100 amps. If I'm using the electric winches, I'll run more than that. I haven't had an alternator fail yet, but your post made me curious.

Bill

It is for the Ford alternator on the E-450. Full rated output is 130 amps. Your alternator is far more robust.

I believe Mexicowanderer may have designed the Ford 130 amp unit.

That said, I did get peak loads of greater than 70 amps as I have dual charging paths with 50 amp self resetting circuit breakers. The meter would not go higher than 70--but the breakers would switch off and on.

I'm still on the OEM alternator. On a cold winter night, with the dash heater full on with the headlights, the "house" bank will send power back to the engine. Even so the fan ran slow.

I'm planning on adding a 20 amp dc to DC unit and hope to do that this summer, after I get the SiO2 batteries that I've been wanting for so long.