Duramax dual alternator option?

There's another big advantage to having dual alternators. We keep our trucks a long time as a diesel engine is merely just well broken in at 100,000 miles. Serpentine belts do break and alternators do go bad (diodes) or the bearings fail and/or seize. NO charging period! Seized up, you don't run the engine and few know what to do.

Under the rear seat in our truck is a single generator setup OEM serpentine belt. I simply have to install the single alternator belt I carry to turn the good alternator and be on our way while others are sitting in a repair shop or being towed in with their only failed alternator setup. Bend over and grab your ankles as the bill is coming. 15 minutes max and mine's good to go anytime!!! Remember, big bucks usually if your one alternator isn't working seldom happens when you are close to a low cost area as you are RVing away from home. Murphy's law! Dual alternators is a forethought feature worth it's weight in gold and very cheap insurance and give great charging usage rewards everyday!

We have a Mercedes GL350 Its dsl, has supplemental heat, heated seats front and rear, heated steering wheel, power seats, ventilated seats, radio, nav, etc. It doesnt have as many lights on the outside as your truck but it has a whole bunch inside. It might not have the same amp draw for the supplemental heat as your truck, but it puts out heat before its out the driveway.

A second alternator on a truck would be a must have for first response vehicles etc but not so useful for the trailering crowd...at least the majority.

A motorhome is a different story. A second alternator along with a properly gauged (read 0 Gauge wire) direct connection to the battery bank/inverter can replace a generator in many but not all instances. This approach has worked for us for years on our 22 foot B/C that has no generator. For all except Air conditioner use the second alternators output can be connected directly to the input of the battery bank/inverter via large gauge cable. This prevents draw down of the battery bank for longer microwave, toaster, or coffee maker times. Choose an alternator that has higher output at lower or idle RPM. The V10 for example will happily idle for extended periods and uses around 1/2 gallon per hour...comparable to a 4000 watt Onan. It also makes for fast recharge time of the two group 31 AGM batteries when sun is not available. Having said all this we are using a single high output alternator. We copied the idea from a friend who is using a second high output at low RPM alternator. His battery bank is double the size of ours.

nevadanick wrote:
Googled the car and near as i can tell its 180 amp.

If you had the amp draw I have(300amps), your battery would be dead before you got out of the driveway.
What car do you have that has a 1200 watt(120amp), electric heater, also called supplemental heat.
There is a reason Ford requires dual alternators with supplemental heat.You can only get supplemental heat with a diesel, as that is the only truck that has two batteries and has 2 alternators available.
I also have 32 exterior lights, 22 of which are on all the time when the headlights are on.

Googled the car and near as i can tell its 180 amp.

IF you order the engine block heater, check to see just how it operates. My understanding is that all the newer GM block heater cords have a thermostatic control that will not allow it to operate until the outside temp reach 0°F. I know my 2011 GM is this way.

As for having "heated Seats" in Florida, My wife laughed when she found out that her new Honda CRV had them. Well, I know that I use them in my Chevy whenever the temps get a little cool for me. For me the 50's are cold (lived in Florida for to long) so the heated seats really help keep me warm until the Diesel decides to warm up.

travelnutz wrote:
I ordered our D/A with dual alternators on purpose for several reasons. We use inverters for 110 AC operation anywhere on both our TC's and our 5th wheels and always have several big batteries that we want to recharge real fast.

Besides the two under the hood for the D/A truck, there's 2 batteries in the bed for the TC and another in the TC compartment all coupled together for the 1500 watt inverter in the TC and up to 7 for the 2500 watt inverter in the 5th wheel. All batteries are 12V group 31 deepcycle with a 225 minite reserve at a 23 amp draw. That's a lot of silent usable battery amps when dry camping and still living like we had a shore power hookup. True freedom rules! The 7 for the 5th wheel includes the 2 that are in the bed of the truck that are also used for the TC when it's on the truck. They stay in the bed!

Yes, we also do have generators: A built in 3400 watt propane generator in the big TC and a Honda EU2000 mounted on the back of the 5th wheel. However, generators make noise when running and inverters don't! We have silent 110 AC power always at night anytime for the TV and electric blanket etc and in the morning for making coffee and toast and to run the microwave etc. The generators are always there if or when needed for high amperage AC or the RV converter or we can simply start the truck during the day for half an hour and the batteries are quickly recharged.

Overkill to some but perfect to us as we have been RV'ing since 1965, know the real difference, and we like to be comfortable all the time anywhere and are.

It's all about what you want and how you intend to use it or camp anywhere anytime in comfort. We've had this inverter setup on all of our RV's and cabined boats since the late 1980's and use it. Sure have no reason to change now as we know what being truely "self-contained" anywhere anytime really is like and we love it!

The truck also has a 750 watt inverter that runs off the 2 batteries in the bed so we always have 110 AC in the truck also. Spoiled brats!

I'm with you; camping is a great way to "get away from it all" but there's nothing like still being able to watch that big college football game on a Saturday evening and have absolutely no worries about running out of power!

You, Sir, have got this whole recreation thing figured out :B

nevadanick wrote:
Skyhammer, our car has all that stuff plus heated rear seats and has one alternator. So far it keeps up.

You must have a 300 amp alternator.

I have a 2007 duramax. I use the engine heater here in Kent, Wa. Sometimes in the winter the temp come down to the 20's. It's great to have the heater plugged in overnight and in the morning when you take off to work the truck is heated and ready to go. The engine block heater works when plugged in and not at any certain temperature.