They Charge Batteries Using A 4 HP Honda Gas Motor Belt-Driving A GM Alternator

They Charge Batteries Using A 4 HP Honda Gas Motor Belt-Driving A GM Alternator FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 33-2-41 My family has lived off grid for 10 years in the Yukon and although we have tons of daylight in the summer, winter days get down to as short as six hours - not enough hours of solar power to supply our needs. So we charge our batteries using a 4 hp Honda gas motor belt-driving a GM alternator. The motor and alternator mount on a small wagon so it's easy to move around. To make the bracket for the alternator, a friend welded brackets to a steel plate so I could mount a sliding adjuster from a scrap vehicle to the alternator to adjust belt tension. I use an alternator with no regulator but one with a built-in voltage regulator would probably be a safer choice. A couple hours a day is usually enough to supply our needs for electricity in the dark months. (Doug Martens, dmartens@northwestel.net)

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