installing a one line alternator

i am putting a new one line alternator on my h4. where do you all hook the wire up from the alternator

I got a V6, V8 and and I4 ..in-line 4.. that does not help me know what you got. Always remember us guys on this end are not standing right next to your machine to see it. Here is an easy way, hook it to the post on the starter that the battery cable comes to with a 10 gauge wire. If your machine has an ammeter and you want to see the charge register on it disconnect your battery and disconnect all the wires off one of the terminals on it. One side likely only has one wire on it, takes the wires off the opposite terminal and make sure they are taped or will not touch anything. Reconnect your battery and see if the meter terminals have power. If they do connect the wire from your alternator to the terminal you took the wires off of with a 10 ga. wire along with the others you took off. Disconnect the battery first. Easy as that. If this ..h4 thing.. was a positive ground machine it will need to be converted to negative ground. Essentially that includes making the terminal marked negative on the coil go to the distributor and the plus gets fed from the ignition. If you have ammeter the wires will need swapped to opposite sides of the gauge from there present position.

Do you have an amp gauge?? If yes you hook the wire to the amp gauge non load side

(quoted from post at 17:03:09 04/18/22) i am putting a new one line alternator on my h4. where do you all hook the wire up from the alternator

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rom the alternator output to the hot side of the battery.

Figured out it must be an ..Alice.. crawler, dozer or track loader.

Assuming the Alternators typical NEG Ground is being used on a NEG Ground tractor.

1) If it has an Ammeter, the alternators big main output (I use 10 Gauge or larger) wires up to the LOAD (NOT battery/starter SUPPLY) side of the Ammeter, that's the same side that feeds loads such as Ignition and Lights and is the same side where a wire from the BAT terminal on an old Voltage Regulator or Cutout Relay would have wired prior.

2) With no Ammeter it has to get to the hot ungrounded battery terminal to charge it, and that's often where the big battery cables attaches to the INPUT of a starter switch or solenoid, or sure the battery itself.

NOTE if you were to hook it to the NON LOAD ammeter side as posted below the ammeter wouldn't register the alternators charging output HOOK IT TO THE LOAD SIDE... The ammeters other side is the SUPPLY side and its what gets to the battery.

NOTE if the ammeter registers backwards simply swap its leads side to side, easy peasey

John T

Good afternoon Rich, I did it different, on ammeter equipped tractors I always wired the Alternator to the LOAD SIDE of the ammeter (side that feeds LOADS like ignition and lights) otherwise the meter doesn't register the Alternators charging current, but hey I've been wrong before lol. The ammeters other SUPPLY side connected to the battery SUPPLIES the battery power...

Best wishes take care

John T

If the amp meter is 20+/- Old is on track. If 50 ish, not a problem. Burned out shunts do happen. Jim

thanks to all of you.

Yep the ONLY time Id wire to the SUPPLY (NON Load) side is if the ammeter is bad/open. The correct place to wire is to the LOAD (given a good mater) side or else the alternators current isn't being monitored

Take care Jim

John T

Three wire works better and does not run the battery down .

(quoted from post at 18:40:33 04/19/22)
Three wire works better and does not run the battery down .

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But... But... But, all those wires! So hard to figure out where they go and what they are for!

This post was edited by Carlmac 369 on 04/20/2022 at 05:58 am.