High amp or dual alternators and batteries for my 2005 z71 suburban?
- Thread starter kojackJKU
- Start date
utherjorge
Observer
I'm about to pull the trigger on this in a few weeks, I think. Only one alternator, because I don't need that much juice...so I think.
200-amp alt
200-amp alt
rayra
Expedition Leader
I would think it depends on your pattern of use. I would also think the high amp and more battery would be the better overall setup. You have the bigger bank to draw upon, while the high-amp makes good the draw, instead of relying on a high production providing most of your draw and then overtaxing a single battery when the alternator(s) are not sufficient supply.
really depends on the electrical load of your plow and how often you fiddle with it. If you take a setting and make a long run, it would be better than making short moves and constantly changing plow settings.
really depends on the electrical load of your plow and how often you fiddle with it. If you take a setting and make a long run, it would be better than making short moves and constantly changing plow settings.
I had the same problem with my dad's old plow truck. It turned out to be an inadequate grounding between the plow frame and the battery. Check your powers and ground lines first. I'd hate to see you spend all that time fixing something that wasn't really wrong in the first place.
1stDeuce
Explorer
Oh Kojak... Deja-vu... I'm sticking with my alternator advice from last year, in that you should use the largest OE alternator you can get. My experience with aftermarket high amp alternators is that they don't last long if you ask them to put out a lot all the time.
Your 4 volt claim is a little misleading... The factory gauge bottoms out at 9V, and the truck will shut off if the voltage actually gets much below 8.5. If you're checking somewhere else with a volt meter, and you really are seeing voltage that low, you definitely have wiring issues, grounding problems, corrosion on the battery cables, etc.
How is your plow wired? Are the ground and battery + connections attached directly to the battery, and not to the fuse block or jump stud or frame? They need to both be straight to the battery or you're going to see more drop than you should. Check the factory positive battery cables also. They tend to corrode internally in humid environments, or places where salt is used on the roads, and that will cause huge voltage drops and charging problems. Negative cables don't typically corrode. Replacing the positive battery cable to the junction where the alternator wire meets it is good insurance. Upgrading the alternator charge wire size may also help a little too.
With a 'Burb, you have the ability to run both heaters on high, seat heaters, window and mirror defrosters, etc. That's a lot of draw all by itself, so turn that stuff down or off as conditions permit. Even a high amp alternator won't charge much at lower engine RPM's, so if you are doing a decent bit of plowing without much drive time and lots of stuff on, try plowing in low range, and shift all the way down to 1st when plowing forward. That'll get the engine RPM's up, which will boost alternator output quite a bit.
If the battery that's in there has been run dead a time or two, it's probably junk. Running a battery completely dead even just 2x will take about 80% off a battery's reserve capacity. (Admittedly hard to do on a Chevy, as they tend to turn all lights off after 20 minutes...) I'd recommend having your battery load tested just to be sure it's still good.
If it tests good, you can go to dual batteries. This will ONLY help prevent the voltage drop that you're seeing when running the plow motor, it won't keep the system from running down over time if your draw really is too much for your charge system. Wire the new battery directly to your stock battery with 2 or 4 ga wire, then run the plow off the new battery, not the old one. That get plenty of charge to the new battery, but will prevent you from seeing the as much voltage drop at the main battery, which is better for the rest of the truck. (Fuel pumps HATE low voltage.) You don't need to use a solenoid between them. (EVERY GM diesel is wired direct, and I've never had or heard of "fighting" between batteries running them dead.)
I don't know your plowing habits, so I'll share a few things that can make a huge difference. Even if you're already doing these things, they might help someone else...
-Angle BEFORE dropping the blade, not after.
-Angle one direction and plow as much as possible in that direction, then angle the other direction and plow that way, resist the temptation to angle back and forth with each run.
-You don't need to lift or angle until it bottoms every time. When you bottom the hydraulics, draw is really high.
-Let the plow start to ride up the snowbank before you start lifting it. Just bump the lift button for a second or so as the plow rides up the bank, then back up, you don't have to run the lift all the way up every time.
These habits came from plowing with a 63a alternator, and having to make it last all day. Basically, most of the time you're running the plow motor, it should be running without much load.
Hopefully you find something in the above that helps your case!!
Good Luck!
Chris
Your 4 volt claim is a little misleading... The factory gauge bottoms out at 9V, and the truck will shut off if the voltage actually gets much below 8.5. If you're checking somewhere else with a volt meter, and you really are seeing voltage that low, you definitely have wiring issues, grounding problems, corrosion on the battery cables, etc.
How is your plow wired? Are the ground and battery + connections attached directly to the battery, and not to the fuse block or jump stud or frame? They need to both be straight to the battery or you're going to see more drop than you should. Check the factory positive battery cables also. They tend to corrode internally in humid environments, or places where salt is used on the roads, and that will cause huge voltage drops and charging problems. Negative cables don't typically corrode. Replacing the positive battery cable to the junction where the alternator wire meets it is good insurance. Upgrading the alternator charge wire size may also help a little too.
With a 'Burb, you have the ability to run both heaters on high, seat heaters, window and mirror defrosters, etc. That's a lot of draw all by itself, so turn that stuff down or off as conditions permit. Even a high amp alternator won't charge much at lower engine RPM's, so if you are doing a decent bit of plowing without much drive time and lots of stuff on, try plowing in low range, and shift all the way down to 1st when plowing forward. That'll get the engine RPM's up, which will boost alternator output quite a bit.
If the battery that's in there has been run dead a time or two, it's probably junk. Running a battery completely dead even just 2x will take about 80% off a battery's reserve capacity. (Admittedly hard to do on a Chevy, as they tend to turn all lights off after 20 minutes...) I'd recommend having your battery load tested just to be sure it's still good.
If it tests good, you can go to dual batteries. This will ONLY help prevent the voltage drop that you're seeing when running the plow motor, it won't keep the system from running down over time if your draw really is too much for your charge system. Wire the new battery directly to your stock battery with 2 or 4 ga wire, then run the plow off the new battery, not the old one. That get plenty of charge to the new battery, but will prevent you from seeing the as much voltage drop at the main battery, which is better for the rest of the truck. (Fuel pumps HATE low voltage.) You don't need to use a solenoid between them. (EVERY GM diesel is wired direct, and I've never had or heard of "fighting" between batteries running them dead.)
I don't know your plowing habits, so I'll share a few things that can make a huge difference. Even if you're already doing these things, they might help someone else...
-Angle BEFORE dropping the blade, not after.
-Angle one direction and plow as much as possible in that direction, then angle the other direction and plow that way, resist the temptation to angle back and forth with each run.
-You don't need to lift or angle until it bottoms every time. When you bottom the hydraulics, draw is really high.
-Let the plow start to ride up the snowbank before you start lifting it. Just bump the lift button for a second or so as the plow rides up the bank, then back up, you don't have to run the lift all the way up every time.
These habits came from plowing with a 63a alternator, and having to make it last all day. Basically, most of the time you're running the plow motor, it should be running without much load.
Hopefully you find something in the above that helps your case!!
Good Luck!
Chris