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FMTV LMTV Alternative Alternator 250Amps Direct Mount

C

charlesrg

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Location
Nj
Alternator upgrade is up and running. No need for expensive bracket fabrication. Mount straight to the engine Pad.

Standing on the shoulders of giants like @GeneralDisorder , @MatthewWBailey , Acropper, @Ronmar I've completed my Alternator Upgrade.
I have used info from this thread https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/alternate-alternator-selection.217277


250A 24V alternator conversion.
Parts Needed:
Alternator - BLP4110M
4/0 Cables and Lugs
2/0 Cables and Lugs
1/0 Lugs
Vanner or Cooper Bussman Eaton 21100E00 Bussman 125A and 80A Inline fuses.
68mm pulley Freightliner 01-27441-000 (higher Amps at low RPM)
Serpentine Belt Gates K080694HD (any 70 Inch belt 8 grooves would do)
Bolts McMaster 91502A237 Blue-Dyed Zinc-Plated Alloy Steel Socket Head Screw, M10 x 1.5 mm Thread, 110 mm Long, Packs of 5

Labor:
Shortened the turbo elbow 1/8 and trimmed the inlet pipe, however my Air filters are different from original.
Removed the PP1 box and connected 24V to 24V and 12V to converter.
TL5 cable goes to ground.
Belt gets replaced as new Alternator mounts directly to Caterpillar original belt.

Here is a picture of the engine running.
No new lights on the dash. Ready for the road once I install the final wire looms that should arrive tomorrow.


If anybody has questions please feel free to ask. I'm happy to share details to help others that might need same in the future.
1741204829103.png


Just posted a video with details of the setup:
 
Last edited:
serpico760

serpico760

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
San Diego, CA
charlesrg said:
Alternator upgrade is up and running. No need for expensive bracket fabrication. Mount straight to the engine Pad.

Standing on the shoulders of giants like @GeneralDisorder , @MatthewWBailey , Acropper, @Ronmar I've completed my Alternator Upgrade.
I have used info from this thread https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/alternate-alternator-selection.217277


250A 24V alternator conversion.
Parts Needed:
Alternator - BLP4110M
4/0 Cables and Lugs
2/0 Cables and Lugs
1/0 Lugs
Vanner or Cooper Bussman Eaton 21100E00 Bussman 125A and 80A Inline fuses.
68mm pulley Freightliner 01-27441-000 (higher Amps at low RPM)
Serpentine Belt Gates K080694HD (any 70 Inch belt 8 grooves would do)
Bolts McMaster 91502A237 Blue-Dyed Zinc-Plated Alloy Steel Socket Head Screw, M10 x 1.5 mm Thread, 110 mm Long, Packs of 5

Labor:
Shortened the turbo elbow 1/8 and trimmed the inlet pipe, however my Air filters are different from original.
Removed the PP1 box and connected 24V to 24V and 12V to converter.
TL5 cable goes to ground.
Belt gets replaced as new Alternator mounts directly to Caterpillar original belt.

Here is a picture of the engine running.
No new lights on the dash. Ready for the road once I install the final wire looms that should arrive tomorrow.


If anybody has questions please feel free to ask. I'm happy to share details to help others that might need same in the future.
View attachment 941772


Just posted a video with details of the setup:
Click to expand...
Out of morbid curiosity I looked up the alternator cuz when I tried to click on the link it said malware attempt. It's still a $2,200 alternator! Nice work though
 
A

aw113sgte

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La Crosse, WI
serpico760 said:
Out of morbid curiosity I looked up the alternator cuz when I tried to click on the link it said malware attempt. It's still a $2,200 alternator! Nice work though
Click to expand...
Yeah the good quality brushless units are pricey. When comparing similar specs, our stock units seem to be simarly priced compared to common civilian options.
 
R

Ronmar

Well-known member
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Location
Port angeles wa
Nice project, but what do you have planned for all that power? Real bat-signal searchlight on the back:)

250A@28V is 7KW of power… to put this in perspective, my backup genset for my house is a slow speed diesel, ~6.5HP so can deliver a sustained 3KW of power. That gets me every light in the house, entertainment, keeps the reefer and freezer cold, can run one cooktop burner or a small microwave. When not cooking I can run the water pump or the washing machine, or the dryer on air dryer only… The only thing not on the menu is electric hot water, but its a water cooled engine, so I keep the hot water tank full of hot water using waste heat from the generator, with ~ 1/2 hour recharge time at 1-2KW of load… 7KW would give me electric HW and pretty much life like normal grid power…

its a lot of power… More than the truck will ever need by itself… If you don’t need that much power, this can be done a lot cheaper.

you can get a genuine delco 28SI or Bosh equivelent 110A@27V (~3KW) for ~$400. A little less than 1/2 the power, but less than 1/4 the cost… common as hens teeth, parts available anywhere, any auto electric shop can work on it and 3KW is quite a lot of power. With a LMtV’s typical peak load, thats enough to properly support ~300AH of plain wet lead acid, or ~175AH of AGM…

the 36SI is 105A@24 and brushless, but probably closing in on $800(not as common)… both these are available in the same mounts, J180 short, long and pad…

My .02…
 
G

GeneralDisorder

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Portland, OR
The new FMTV A2 runs a 600A @ 28v Prestolite brushless unit.

So you're saying that 17Kw is mildly overkill? C'mon man. Surely you jest. :ROFLMAO:

The HIMARS unit is also 600A - just split 300/12, and 300/24. Hasn't complained bout trying to set my AIH on fire :LOL:

The saving grace is that the HIMARS units were $600 surplus for a minute and are a 30 minute bolt-in for C7's. If Uncle sugar says I need 17KW for $600..... well I aint the kind of cookie to crumble over the news.
 
R

Ronmar

Well-known member
4,030
7,804
113
Location
Port angeles wa
GeneralDisorder said:
The new FMTV A2 runs a 600A @ 28v Prestolite brushless unit.

So you're saying that 17Kw is mildly overkill? C'mon man. Surely you jest. :ROFLMAO:

The HIMARS unit is also 600A - just split 300/12, and 300/24. Hasn't complained bout trying to set my AIH on fire :LOL:

The saving grace is that the HIMARS units were $600 surplus for a minute and are a 30 minute bolt-in for C7's. If Uncle sugar says I need 17KW for $600..... well I aint the kind of cookie to crumble over the news.
Click to expand...
Yea, strange S#!^ happens in the mythical land of mil-spec… I bet that surplus minute didn’t last for long:)
 
G

GeneralDisorder

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Ronmar said:
Yea, strange S#!^ happens in the mythical land of mil-spec… I bet that surplus minute didn’t last for long:)
Click to expand...
Longer than you might think. Still see them from time to time. The investment was in figuring out the part number and what it fits. The HIMARS technical manuals aren't obtainable and Niehoff recently nuked their online support so figuring out what even to look for took some effort. Then it's all about waiting and striking when the moment is right. Not having anyone else competing for them because you're the only one that did the research on the civilian side is the real trick.

HIMARS parts are fun. Especially the early stuff because the FMTV chassis was extensively reworked by Lockheed over many iterations and testing phases. There's a lot of little details that are lost and forgotten since there's comparatively few mechanics that are intimate with their construction or that have examined one in person. And all of this is now ~25 years old. Ancient history to the Army and all of the HIMARS trucks have gone through reset and cab upgrades over the years so many parts that were applicable to our trucks were simply scrapped.
 
Last edited:
C

charlesrg

Member
72
73
18
Location
Nj
Ronmar said:
Nice project, but what do you have planned for all that power? Real bat-signal searchlight on the back:)

250A@28V is 7KW of power… to put this in perspective, my backup genset for my house is a slow speed diesel, ~6.5HP so can deliver a sustained 3KW of power. That gets me every light in the house, entertainment, keeps the reefer and freezer cold, can run one cooktop burner or a small microwave. When not cooking I can run the water pump or the washing machine, or the dryer on air dryer only… The only thing not on the menu is electric hot water, but its a water cooled engine, so I keep the hot water tank full of hot water using waste heat from the generator, with ~ 1/2 hour recharge time at 1-2KW of load… 7KW would give me electric HW and pretty much life like normal grid power…

its a lot of power… More than the truck will ever need by itself… If you don’t need that much power, this can be done a lot cheaper.

you can get a genuine delco 28SI or Bosh equivelent 110A@27V (~3KW) for ~$400. A little less than 1/2 the power, but less than 1/4 the cost… common as hens teeth, parts available anywhere, any auto electric shop can work on it and 3KW is quite a lot of power. With a LMtV’s typical peak load, thats enough to properly support ~300AH of plain wet lead acid, or ~175AH of AGM…

the 36SI is 105A@24 and brushless, but probably closing in on $800(not as common)… both these are available in the same mounts, J180 short, long and pad…

My .02…
Click to expand...
Indeed it's a lot of power, but when you get the real numbers and take the losses you might not be with all the 250A available. In my case I want to ensure I can charge my 900A LIFEPO4 bank at 150A. That would get me back online quickly. Rainy days or camping under trees should not be a problem since I can arrive at camp fully charged.
 
C

charlesrg

Member
72
73
18
Location
Nj
GeneralDisorder said:
The new FMTV A2 runs a 600A @ 28v Prestolite brushless unit.

So you're saying that 17Kw is mildly overkill? C'mon man. Surely you jest. :ROFLMAO:

The HIMARS unit is also 600A - just split 300/12, and 300/24. Hasn't complained bout trying to set my AIH on fire :LOL:

The saving grace is that the HIMARS units were $600 surplus for a minute and are a 30 minute bolt-in for C7's. If Uncle sugar says I need 17KW for $600..... well I aint the kind of cookie to crumble over the news.
Click to expand...
The more the merrier, I would be very happy to have all that power, however could not find one for $600. Gosh, $600 is what some guys wanted me to pay for the bracket to mount a J180 alternator.
Once I found that the PAD was the native standard Cat mount I went with that.
 
C

charlesrg

Member
72
73
18
Location
Nj
Ronmar said:
Yea, strange S#!^ happens in the mythical land of mil-spec… I bet that surplus minute didn’t last for long:)
Click to expand...
Totally agree with you. That's why I shared the info, anybody can mount a Pad version straight to the engine and not need to be hunting for military surplus parts.
Delco Remy, Prestolite, Cat and many other standard pad mount alternators bolt straight to our engines. If everybody gets to know that, those at the surplus will have even better price.
 
G

GeneralDisorder

Well-known member
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Ronmar said:
Genuine Delco or a Delco “compatible”:)
Click to expand...
At that price? Chinese knock off for sure. $170 retail means it cost $20 to build it. Maybe $15.

Non-Chinese alternators are in the $600 to $800 range retail for your average passenger car/truck from the dealership. Not low volume stuff - but like a Honda Accord or a Ford F150. Maybe upwards of $1200 on really late model stuff with one-way clutched pulleys, and CANBUS controlled voltage regulation....

$170 is Temu, Wish, and Ali-Express pricing now.

Which is to say - buy a spare. Which he has done so...... (y)
 
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G

GeneralDisorder

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Portland, OR
charlesrg said:
The more the merrier, I would be very happy to have all that power, however could not find one for $600. Gosh, $600 is what some guys wanted me to pay for the bracket to mount a J180 alternator.
Once I found that the PAD was the native standard Cat mount I went with that.
Click to expand...
FWIW I have the 260A / 300A HIMARS style brackets for $250. I had 15 of them made.

The HIMARS bracket fits the 260A but was designed for the larger and heavier 300A. They nixed the welded spring-board design in favor of a bracket that is bent from 3/8" plate and the only weld is for the pivot tube. Much more robust that the original 260A mount that has been known to crack at the pivot block weld and wasn't up to the task with the 98 lb HIMARS alternator.

Now whether these brackets will fit some commercial model like a J-180...... I'm not sure since I haven't tried that. I stayed within the Army ecosystem for my truck so I just don't have any to test with.....

51281c9d-b0be-46d1-947e-c4f8613294e2-1_all_663.jpg

51281c9d-b0be-46d1-947e-c4f8613294e2-1_all_2354.jpg

260 vs 300:

51281c9d-b0be-46d1-947e-c4f8613294e2-1_all_2358.jpg
 
Last edited:
MatthewWBailey

MatthewWBailey

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Ronmar said:
Genuine Delco or a Delco “compatible”:)
Click to expand...
Yes, knock off compatible. I approached it as a throw away part at the time since I was down. (My motor repair guy said he has an estimate of $1400 to rebuild my faulty Niehoff 100a. So that's not going to happen!) I'll track the performance/life of this $170 alt and see what happens.
 
MatthewWBailey

MatthewWBailey

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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GeneralDisorder said:
FWIW I have the 260A / 300A HIMARS style brackets for $250. I had 15 of them made.

The HIMARS bracket fits the 260A but was designed for the larger and heavier 300A. They nixed the welded spring-board design in favor of a bracket that is bent from 3/8" plate and the only weld is for the pivot tube. Much more robust that the original 260A mount that has been known to crack at the pivot block weld and wasn't up to the task with the 98 lb HIMARS alternator.

Now whether these brackets will fit some commercial model like a J-180...... I'm not sure since I haven't tried that. I stayed within the Army ecosystem for my truck so I just don't have any to test with.....

View attachment 941984

View attachment 941985

260 vs 300:

View attachment 941986
Click to expand...
I still Need to get one of those since I have a new looking 300A and a 260A Sitting on the shelf.
 
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