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Woodmizer lt40 alternator Problem

Started by sawmillhand, April 01, 2012, 06:16:28 PM

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sawmillhand

well i have a big job with my mill. Pics soon to follow. well i got set up milling and my hyd starting to bog down and started to kill the mill. Well being a Electronic Tech i got my meter out and starting checking for ground faults. I then tried to crank the mill and it wouldn't start :(. I knew then it was a low battery changed it out everything worked fine but when i got done with the job i came home and checked the alternator bingo 8) that was the problem not charging. My question is does anybody use a 24hp onan with a alternator and if possible whats the part number bc these want to be parts houses around here cant find nothing with out a year make model of a vehicle. any information would be awesome. all i know its a delco alternator i looked all through my parts manuel and nothing on a alternator.
1990 woodmizer LT40 Hyd  2004 Ford F350 Flatbed. Plenty of tractors.

Magicman

If you do not have a quality alternator rebuilding shop, you should call WM.  A standard automotive alternator simply will not produce the amperage to handle the load the the hydraulics/sawmill requires.

Here is a LINK to my alternator rebuild last July.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

sawmillhand

Thanks mm  yeah i think we have a rebuild shop in town ill wait till monday and go see him. ill give woodmizer a call also. i guess the hyd put a big strain on the battery and alt. i dont have a amp meter need to get one to check and see how many amps its pulling.
1990 woodmizer LT40 Hyd  2004 Ford F350 Flatbed. Plenty of tractors.

Polly

i had a 24hp onan on lt 40 hyd , delco auto alternator worked fine go to alternator rebuild shop and ask for a one wire delco alt , the one wire is hot wire going to battery ,the last one i bought was 65.00  worked fine

isawlogs

 I also swapped out the alternator for an AC DELCO, you need to get the small alternator, it fits right in there no modes to do.
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

customsawyer

Make sure you get a alternator with enough amps. On my LT70s I think it takes 160 amp alt.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

isawlogs

A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

Peder McElroy

I got a Delco 106 amp and it works fine.I also had to change the fan off the old alternator as the new one was too big. I called wm because the book for my 91 lt40 said 61 amps,they said all the new mills used 106amp. Take the old alternator with you to see that it matches up.
Peder

kenlt30

My mill is a LT-30. The hydraulics used to slow down and kill the engine especially when sawing smaller logs. I made sure the alternator belt was tight, checked this and that, etc. Turned out that the battery did not have enough reserve amps. The manual says that the battery should be 120 reserve amps. Best I remember, the old battery had only 80 amps.
I found a 140 reserve amp battery at the Interstate Battery dealer. Fixed the problem. Now if I can figure out how to keep the contact strip from arcing---.
Ken

MHineman

  Check the 4 wire connector that energizes the fields thru the idiot light.  I have a replacement connector, but haven't put it on yet.  I was waiting for it to get warmer since it only acted up now and then. 
  I guess it's warmer now, so I better do my maintenance.
1999 WM LT40, 40 hp 4WD tractor, homemade forks, grapple, Walenstein FX90 skidding winch, Stihl 460 039 saws,  homebuilt kiln, ......

Jim_Rogers

I've had my share of alternator problems in the past as well.

One thing they told us was to never run your hydraulics without the engine running.

As mentioned if you do run your hydraulics with the engine running and doing so makes the engine die it's the battery.

They, WM, told me to get a deep cycle marine battery once. But last time they told me to get a regular one, that didn't matter any more. I don't know why, but they did.

Also, if your red light on your key switch is burnt out the battery will not charge. You should check it by turning on your key switch to run without the engine running. If it doesn't lite up it's burnt out. Replace the red light.

I got a second alternator, I think from WM, and I have one on and one in the parts box for weekend breakdowns. And to keep running while one is being rebuilt. I've been swapping them in and out for years.

Good luck with your repairs. Oh and I can't tell you what amp mine are but they are something fairly standard, I believe.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

Chuck White

My mill is a '95 LT40HDG24 with an Onan engine and the engine book lists a Delco 61 Amp Alternator, pn-P03804, but I'm pretty sure that the alternator that's on the mill is 106 Amp Delco.

I wasn't having any trouble with the alternator, just wanted to get it checked out, So 2 years ago I took it to the Auto Electric shop and they replaced a few parts and basically rebuilt the alternator for $60.00.  Money well spent.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

sawmillhand

Thanks guys for all the input esp on the amp input i agree it needs to be atleast a 100 amps. jim i agree with you i dont think it would matter on the battery as long as you have a big enough battery. Thanks for the part number chuck that helps alot.
1990 woodmizer LT40 Hyd  2004 Ford F350 Flatbed. Plenty of tractors.

Delawhere Jack

Reviving this old thread with some new info, may save you Onan 24HP mill owners some headaches.

The NAPA part number for a compatible alt is 2134409F. It's 74A where the original was 61A, but otherwise it's identical.

My alt died yesterday, and it took 4 stops at 3 different parts stores to get a replacement. If you can't give Autozone a year make and model, they can't test it on their machine. Luckily at the second store one of the clerks was more of a problem solver and was able to figure out how to test it. It failed. None of them stocked it, but with the info from Autozone, Napa was able to have one shipped in from the warehouse this morning. Installed it today and will resume the job tomorrow.


woodmills1

On my 93 LT 4o onan 24 I used a deep cycle marine battery and a delco alternator with never a problem.
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

backwoods sawyer

Just replaced the alternator on the mill while out of the county, stopped at Napa on saturday spent some time thumbing thru their book and found the match it would be there sunday by 10 am turned up at another Napa 25 miles away I made the drive to save time, 10 min after getting to the mill it was back up and running, took the core into my local starter shop and he found that every component of the alternator had fried/melted. Checked ground and it was gummed up. so picked up a 20' battery cable and will run it from the ground in the lower control box through the aggas track and bolt to the frame to aid in grounding the head to the frame. I have already added a second wire from the alternator to the battery, and a ground from the motor to the ground bolt in the lower control box.

The brass ground will also be getting a good cleaning.

Had to stop at Auto Zone for a starter cylinoid for the mill while at the north end of the state, Make, model only and Kabota was not on their list so tossed out a 78 ford truck, got me running again.       
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

Lacplesis

This looks like this might be the place for my question. The original alternator belt on my LT40HD 28hp gas engine WM busted and I have no claim to being much of a mechanic. As the alternator belt is behind the drive belt it seems I have to remove the drive belt to install a new alt. belt. The drive belt is too tight to easily remove from the pulley. Do I need to loosen the belt via the drive belt turnbuckle or by way of the brake strap adjusting bracket so I can get it off?

Delawhere Jack

Quote from: Lacplesis on August 09, 2014, 07:37:27 PM
This looks like this might be the place for my question. The original alternator belt on my LT40HD 28hp gas engine WM busted and I have no claim to being much of a mechanic. As the alternator belt is behind the drive belt it seems I have to remove the drive belt to install a new alt. belt. The drive belt is too tight to easily remove from the pulley. Do I need to loosen the belt via the drive belt turnbuckle or by way of the brake strap adjusting bracket so I can get it off?

With a fairly new drive belt installed, I was able to remove the engine pulley cover and slip the drive belt off the pulley and put the alternator belt on. It depends on how worn in the drive belt is. If you can't get the drive belt off with the clutch disengaged, then yes, you might need to unbolt the brake strap bracket to get a little extra slack. Scribe a line were the bracket mounts so that you can bolt it back in the same place and not have to fiddle with adjusting it later.

If that doesn't give you enough slack, then you'll need to loosen the turnbuckle. Count the number of turns you make on the body of the turnbuckle, and remember that one of the eyes is LH thread.

Lacplesis

Thanks the belt is old so I will give your suggestions a try in the morning.

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