The Ford Barn

rotorwrench · 12-09-2023, 12:49 PM

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This has always been a drawback of the 3-brush type generators. If set primarily for lights ON opertion, the amperage will be high enough to overcharge the battery when running with lights OFF. A person can run the headlamps all the time or the new alternative is to change the bulbs to LED types. It takes much less amperage to operate the LEDs but they are expensive.

Back in the day, folks would run the headlights a while with the generator set for daytime operation and the lights would slowly dim out as the battery was pulling the load. Most folks didn't know how to adjust the generator but some folks did. The powerhouse generators were easier to adjust but folks still didn't want to mess with them. Later in the 30s. Ford started offering the two stage generator controller as an option. They had a cut out and a bypass relay in an oval shaped can on the generator. When the headlights were turned on a relay would open and allow full amperage to the system. I think it used a dropping resistor when the lights were off and bypassed the resistor when lights were on. These were offered right up through 1939 when the two brush generators came out. They had some reliability problems so they likely were not all that popular. I still see them on flea-pay now and then but most folks don't know what they are.

If a person runs the halogen type head lamp bulbs then they should convert to an alternator in order to have the current capability to pull the load on them. An old 3-brush type or a 5-brush powerhouse can just barely pull halogen type bulbs. It would slowly lose battery capacity while running for long periods at night.

12-09-2023, 12:49 PM	#6
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 17,410	Re: Powerhouse Genny Charge/Discharge Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) This has always been a drawback of the 3-brush type generators. If set primarily for lights ON opertion, the amperage will be high enough to overcharge the battery when running with lights OFF. A person can run the headlamps all the time or the new alternative is to change the bulbs to LED types. It takes much less amperage to operate the LEDs but they are expensive. Back in the day, folks would run the headlights a while with the generator set for daytime operation and the lights would slowly dim out as the battery was pulling the load. Most folks didn't know how to adjust the generator but some folks did. The powerhouse generators were easier to adjust but folks still didn't want to mess with them. Later in the 30s. Ford started offering the two stage generator controller as an option. They had a cut out and a bypass relay in an oval shaped can on the generator. When the headlights were turned on a relay would open and allow full amperage to the system. I think it used a dropping resistor when the lights were off and bypassed the resistor when lights were on. These were offered right up through 1939 when the two brush generators came out. They had some reliability problems so they likely were not all that popular. I still see them on flea-pay now and then but most folks don't know what they are. If a person runs the halogen type head lamp bulbs then they should convert to an alternator in order to have the current capability to pull the load on them. An old 3-brush type or a 5-brush powerhouse can just barely pull halogen type bulbs. It would slowly lose battery capacity while running for long periods at night. Last edited by rotorwrench; 12-10-2023 at 02:23 PM.