48V electrical systems?

[Badfish740]

Has anyone ever seen an M880/M890 with a 48V electrical system? This guy is selling an alternator on Ebay that he claims is 48V and fits Dodge D-Series trucks from '72-'80:


72-80 OEM Mopar Dodge D Series Pickup Truck Alternator 3755791-4 05305 48V 100A


Just looking up information about the M880/M890 I found that they didn't even have 24V primary electrical systems and instead ran a separate 24V generator in place of the power steering pump, but I can't figure out why else a 48V alternator would have been made for a Dodge truck of this vintage other than a military application. Maybe some kind of special communications truck? I've reached out to the seller to ask for verification-I'm looking for a 48V alternator for use as a generator to charge a 48V battery bank. I could use a 12V alternator with a custom regulator or wire two 24V alternators in series, but this is the easiest option if it's legitimate.

 

[Warthog]

The alternator does not have a voltage regulator. The faster you spin it the higher the higher the voltage. There are some youtube videos showing it being used in off-grid applications.

 

[Badfish740]

The alternator does not have a voltage regulator. The faster you spin it the higher the higher the voltage. There are some youtube videos showing it being used in off-grid applications.

Aha...got it. That could work, provided I could keep the RPM smooth enough. Is this true of all Dodge D-Series truck alternators? Sorry for the violation!

 

[Warthog]

I don't know much about them but the 72ish-80 dodge units did not have the internal voltage regulator.

 

[m38inmaine]

The Dodge 880 series has an external voltage regulator and is 12v.

 

[Bob H]

The military Dodge has 28v generators in addition to the 12v sytem
Those versions had 3 batteries, 1 for the truck & 2 for the 24v radio system
(your typical 12v system has a 14v alternator and the 24v system has a 28v generator.)