Propickup Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/93729
BUYER'SGUIDE POWER PLAYS Choosing the right high-output alternator for your harder working pickups by Jim Allen (photos by the author or courtesy of the manufacturers) S nowplows, winches, inverters, acces- sory lights, air suspensions, on-board compressors, fuel/lube dispensing equipment, multiple batteries and high-out- put communications/sound systems are all common upgrades found in today's working pickups. If pickups in your fl eet already have – or you are planning on adding – such work necessaries down the road, seriously consider including a high-output alternator into the upgrade budget. The extra expense of upgrading to a high- output alternator could be trouble-averting money well spent. A few of you may have already experienced that magic moment when, after long hours operating with a lot of upgrades that draw COLD AMPS Snowplowing is one of the highest amp-draw scenarios a pickup might see. Not only are you running a snow plow pump, which can draw up to 400 amps, you are running lights, heater, wipers, auxiliary lights, radios, stereo and who knows what else, for long hours at a stretch. Without a charging system well prepped, at the end of a long night plowing, your battery could be partially or fully discharged and your OE alternator could go up in smoke electrical power, the truck battery is nearly dead and you are stuck on the jobsite waiting for help to arrive. The problem could be either the stock alternator doesn't have the output to keep up with the demand – or it has failed due to duty-cycle problems related to high-draw electrical loads. ALTERNATOR KILLERS An OE alternator is generally designed for a short duty-cycle supplying the truck's factory electrical load. Its capacity to handle addi- tional electrical loads from upgrades is small. So long periods operating at its max output to try and meet those electrical demands cre- ate a lot of heat – and electrical components like alternators don't like high heat. Also, because you may be drawing on the battery more often in these cases, the at a young age. Snowplow packages often include higher- repeated partial discharges may shorten the battery life. So, high electrical demand can prematurely kill both the alternator and the battery. Such electrical problems can be easily resolved by replacing the alternator with one of higher output and/or a higher duty-cycle capacity. AMP IT UP To fi nd out how much alternator output is needed, you'll need to do a little amp count- ing: Add up the current draw for all acces- sories running at one time and determine at what rpm that will be (i.e. idle or higher). An accessory's current draw specifi cations can usually be found in the instructions for the product, on a tag affi xed to the equip- ment itself, with a quick search on the web or via a call to the manufacturer. output alternators, as is the case with GM Hds. The stock standard alternator is 125 amps but the snowplow package has a 160-amp alternator with 6.0L engines and dual 125-amp alternators with the 6.6L Duramax diesel. If you are buying a new pickup and plan on plowing or using it in other high-amp-draw situations, order the high-output alternator option that is often also available a la carte. propickupmag.com PROPICKUP 41