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Woodmizer alternator

Started by richie47, December 14, 2006, 05:51:12 AM

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richie47

Blew a diode in my new [14 months old] Woodmizer LT HD40 the other day - then found out through the Oz [sole] agent that W/M have a 1 year warranty for international brothers like me and 2 years for in-country folk like you guys.  Seemed like a slight injustice but that's the way the cookie bends....etc.  Of course the alternator is Delco-Remy , [W/M have their own  part no on it] and that particular model is unavailable here but have a great auto-lec who can source anything - he came up with a 120 amp item which should suit the requirements.
W/M haven't bothered to make their alt available in Oz...why should they care?   They have sold at least 50 machines here and it would be a simple courtesy to supply the local dealer with a few...they may even sell them.
Anyone had similar problems with alternators on W/mizers?  I gather my incident was just plumb bad luck rather than normal.
By the way, may be travelling through the States in 07, would like to meet a few folk in the timber scene and swap ideas, or at least improve the Oz/America relationship.  Can talk under water with a mouthful of barbed wire.  Prefer the warmer climates, but would go anywhere much to meet wood-butchers.

regards,

richie
richie

woodmills1

the alternator is one of the few things I have replaced on mine.  Got it from an auto parts store.
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

sparks

"W/M haven't bothered to make their alt available in Oz...why should they care?   They have sold at least 50 machines here and it would be a simple courtesy to supply the local dealer with a few...they may even sell them."

The Wood-Mizer dealer in your area is an independent. We do not set his inventory. We do have dealers that build their inventory as demand requires. It could be he has not had enough alternators failures to warrant stocking them yet. You should ask him. He should stock alternators for our mills. But your issue would be with him not Wood-Mizer. Your statement that, why should Wood-mizer care, does not reflect the majority of the 30,000 mill owners around the world. Wood-mizer has been called, by its customer, the best customer service oriented company they have seen. We do all we can to keep our customers up and running.

I will tell you if you have a 140 amp alternator on your mill and you put a 120 amp alternator on it you may have trouble keeping the battery charged if it has hydraulics.    Thanks
\"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.\" Abraham Lincoln

Tom

Yep, Woodmizer is top knotch when it comes to keeping their customers in business. 

I ran an LT40HD for many years and went through a lot of alternators. I don't think that I ever bought one from Wood Mizer. 

The first place I would go would be the auto electric shop where I would get it rebuilt for half of the cost of a new one.  They usually have some that they can sell you as spares if you want.  I kept a spare one on the truck.   One of those alternators can be rebuilt in an hour or less.

Alternators and batteries get a lot of tough use on a Wood Mizer.  Expect for them to be a fairly high maintenance item.  The hydraulic motor and all the start and stop is tough on the electric system.  Just think of the things on the mill that don't use electricity.

Bibbyman

Quote from: richie47 on December 14, 2006, 05:51:12 AM
Blew a diode in my new [14 months old] Woodmizer LT HD40 the other day -

I ask this question out of pure ignorance so please forgive me in advance. smiley_heh_heh


If the alternator blew a diode, wouldn't it be feasible to just replace that component?

Conversely,  if a bearing, shaft, coil, etc. went out of a WM Delco alternator, would it be possible to buy an new or rebuilt alternator and change out the diode, etc. from the old WM Delco alternator?

Somewhere, sometime I got the idea that the WM Delco alternators were only special because of the non-stock combination of otherwise standard Delco parts. 

I'm sure Sparks can help me figure this one out.  smiley_headscratch
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

sparks

The only alternator specially built for us is the 190 amp on the LT70's. What that means is we have a company buy the parts from Delco and build the alternator. Delco makes the parts but they do not build that type of alternator. Any Delco distributor could ordered parts to rebuild it since they all are Delco parts.

The 61 amp alternator we used on older mills is no longer made by Delco. It is now a CS130 105 amp and it can be found at auto part stores. The same goes for the CS140 140 amp. It can be found at auto parts stores. If you cannot find them that means the area where you live has never had a call for it but it can be ordered.

At times it is cheaper to rebuild. Usually if the rebuild is more than half the price of the alternator, buy the alternator.

The number on the alternators do not usually cross to automotive. Most parts stores can match the housing and amp rating though.      Hope this helps.    Thanks
\"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.\" Abraham Lincoln

woodmills1

Yep they looked at my alternator and just went in the back and brought one out.


Brings up something I was thinkin about since the seasonal post I made.  The alternator/battery on my mill works hard.  If you look at the wonderful package it is, part of the wonder is the electric head drive and the electric driven hydraulics.  Why do I know a loose belt is deadly in the winter, watch the red light on the control board when you lift a haydraulic lever on a cold morning.  If your charge is marginal the red light comes on.  Look at what I am doing with 24 horse power.  The circle mill close has a way big diesel, and the better one down the road has a diesel powered electric generator on site.  I love my orange. :D :D
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

amberwood

Richie. I have just replaced the alternator on my  97 LT40SH..it had been prev replaced with a bosch from a late model commodore. it suits vR-vX??? It was off the shelf at Repco. AUD$120?? Even the v pulley matched.

I am over here/there (US Canada) at the moment. You get use to 0oC being a warm day..or come in summer. i spent the last couple of days with local loggers and visited a couple of local mills. It is all useful info to take home.

DTR
MS460 Magnum
MS250
DAF CF85-430
ASV RC-85 track loader

Tom Vorac

Hi,
I just had my alternator go bad on my 91 WM.  Took the alternator to the repair shop and for $85.00 they rebuilt it and had me running in a day.

Tom V

thecfarm

Tom Vorac,welcome to the forum.Good imput you have.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Polly

 :alternator and starter rebuild shops in ky have delco alt. with internal reg, you run one hot wire from alt. to pos, post on battery twenty five dollars exc, if you got old delco to trade in  works fine on my lt 40  :D :D  course hillbellies do things different  :D :D  8)

ScottAR

All the late model Delco alternators are pretty similar on the inside. Just the case and the connectors are different.  The 105amp and 140amp are both used on chubbolet pickups
...er uh Holden trucks.  Any shop should be able to fix or replace that alternator.
I sold two of the 105s yesterday.

Polly, I can't count the number of tractors and power units around here running the GM 2 wire alternator.  Alas, if the new LT40 needs 105amps, the old alts just won't push that much.  One for a '79 caddy is close but costs as much as a late model one. 
:-\

One power unit mechanic customer of mine buys the 2wire units 4-5 at a time so he doesn't have to come to town everytime. 



Scott
"There is much that I need to do, even more that I want to do, and even less that I can do."
[Magicman]

Polly

 8) 8) :D :D like i said the little one wire delco works fine on my lt 40 hydraulic i cant help it if us hillbellies dont know mutch  :D :D

richie47

Thanks for all the input - yes maybe I was judging W/M a little hastily re their agent here...
to answer all the questions:

1. My local techie scoured the country for a similar model with the same mounts - the 140 amp chev model is NOT available here at all.
2. Delco R is not such a common brand here and the diode/heat sink part was not available in the country.  At all. One is on the way however and then I'll have a spare alt.   Total cost about $350 aus.
3.  Thanks for the tips, amberwood, Polly and sparks, the 120amp seems to be doing the job for the moment, just had to change belt size [easy] and grind a bit of bracket away.  Battery seems to be holding up  after 3 weeks work.  Didn't look at commodore bits but will next time; the 140 amp rating was very hard to match according to my techie.
and with less than 1/10th your population we dont have the parts range you do.  Wish we did.

Thanks again to all.  r
richie

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