dual alternators

It is called Rapid Heat by Ford and operate on `12V.
$250 option and Ford is not telling the Wattage.

ggardne2 wrote:
Electric cabin heater is standard on new Super Duty Diesel's in cold climates. It is simply a supplemental heater to help with cabin warm-up in cold climate since Diesel engines have such a long warm-up time when the vehicle is operated at light load.

Is the electric cabin heater 12v or 120v ?

travelnutz wrote:
I have dual alternators on my Duramax and ordered the truck with that option. Dual 145 amp. .... Works fabulously! Very short recharging time even when recharging with the diesel engine idling. Will have the same exact setup if we were to buy a new Duramax truck too!

What gauge is your battery charging line between truck and trailer?

I have dual alternators on my Duramax and ordered the truck with that option. Dual 145 amp. A single standard alternator would have a hard job keeping up with and fast recharging of the 2 truck chassis batteries and the 7 Group 31 deep cycle batteries for the 5th wheel with it's 2500 watt inverter. Works fabulously! Very short recharging time even when recharging with the diesel engine idling. Will have the same exact setup if we were to buy a new Duramax truck too!

joeshmoe wrote:
Ever try to start your truck on one battery? I don't recommend it.

For the record, I didn't say anything about redundant starting. Anyway, since so many people are interested in starting, take a look at this guys project. ;)

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1475925-diy-experiment-ultra-capacitor-bank.html

No, it's not related to batteries, but we are off topic anyway.

jimh425 wrote:

As far as two versus one goes, redundancy is usually a good thing and probably why Super Duty diesels have two batteries.

Your 6.4 has a 17.5:1 compression ratio. Mine has 18. Add in 8 high amp. glow plugs, FICM and fuel pump, you need no less than 1700CCA. Can't get that out of one battery. You need two. Ever try to start your truck on one battery? I don't recommend it.

ggardne2 wrote:
Electric cabin heater is standard on new Super Duty Diesel's in cold climates. It is simply a supplemental heater to help with cabin warm-up in cold climate since Diesel engines have such a long warm-up time when the vehicle is operated at light load.

In terms of two batteries, that is to provide enough current to crank the Diesel engine in cold climates while at the same time maintaining current for your glow plug system.

Diesels do produce very little heat at idle to start with.
Cold-climate vehicles do come with Webasto heaters as on average commute in cold weather diesel never reaches operating temp.
For some reason Webasto is not an option on US models.
Years ago I ended up in No. Dakota in winter with intention to sleep in the cabin.
The cabin was well warmed up due to hauling, but right after midnight I woke up due to cold. The hot engine at idle cooled down and dash temp gauge went down to 0.
I pushed gas pedal to give it more heat, but it was not much use.
Electric heater not only keeps cabin at comfort level, but also adds load to the engine- keeping it warmer as well.
But dual alternators are installed without electric heaters as well.
Might be good for those who install 4000W stereo in their Superduties.

deltabravo wrote:

54suds wrote:
Two alternators can also serve as a jerry-rigged replacement for larger alternators by combining two in series to reach the same level of power output, which is particularly helpful in improvised repair situations.

??

Your post is confusing.

They aren't hooked in series.

the information I posted was a cut & paste

whether a installation will be series or parallel depend on ,number of battery banks, controller capablity ,ect ,ect

If I ran dual alternators on a truck camper rig (and I have thought about retrofitting on my 2015 Ford), I would isolate the second alternator so that it is only charging the camper house battery, and add an external regulator. The external regulator can be set up to properly charge AGM batteries. Probably the best way to do this is to buy an aftermarket alternator from Balmar or other marine supplier, and the mounting parts from Ford. That would be the premium truck camper charge setup.

But with two solar panels on the roof, I never seem to have to worry about charge - the charge wire from the truck isn't even hooked up.

Dual alternators' secondary function may be to replenish run down batteries after the vehicle has been sitting with accessories running. However, their primary purpose is to run a few constant high draw accessories or many low draw accessories at once while the engine is running and not drain the batteries. If your truck has the "high idle" option, the dual alternators can keep up with the load of work/spot lights and an electrically driven pump without tapping into the battery reserve.

The alternators are run in parallel and may have smart switching (like I described on the Ford) for better engine efficiency under lower electrical loads. I have not seen an OEM system from the Big 3 that offers isolation to one of the batteries or alternators, although there are aftermarket products that allow for this.