# Battery Voltage



## rrs26ja (Dec 28, 2002)

I just had to put a new alternator in my 1997 Chevy K1500. Even after installing the new battery, the voltage drops from 14 to around 10 when raising the plow or changing the angle. This is the 2nd year for my Fisher 7 1/2 plow. Seems like the electric motor is drawing a lot of current. Any ideas?


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## OffRoadPlow (Dec 30, 2002)

Is the alternator stock? That may be your problem, not saying that is could not be the plow, but the alt in my friends 1500 draws heavy, the friend then put in an aftermarket with a higher rating and does not see the draw he used to. Just a thought.


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## hyperpack (Oct 24, 2002)

*voltage drop*

I have a 120 amp alt on my old Dodge with a boss V Plow, When I raise it voltage drops to about 9 or 10 volts.This is normal,I can plow continuously for 24+ hours with no problem.I think most pumps draw about the same for plows of similar weight, If your voltage raises to about 14 volts a few seconds after running the pump it sounds like the alternator and battery are working good.
Hyperpack


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

I have a Fisher that puts a pretty good draw on a battery. When my son took the truck to his shop for maintenance, he had a new battery put in. He said it was a "heavy duty" battery. I told him "not good enough" cause it would show a drop to around 10 volts when raising the plow and had him replace it. So far it seems to be doing well. Runs lights, radio, heater and the plow without any discharge.

It might be your battery. I think the new one is a 1000 CCA.


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## Earthscapes (Feb 2, 2001)

The voltage meter in the truck game,, are these things accurate ??

My 90 stays around 13 volts. Move the plow and it drops to 9 volts. I was always worried about the 13 volts,but when i hooked it up to a real gage,,it shows 14.5 with a drop to about 11 

My 02' runs 15-16 on the truck gage and when i hit the plow it drops to 12,,except for last nite 3 degrees below ZERO it dropped to 10 volts. 

That is with both trucks running lights,radio,heater and rotator.


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## fordman (Oct 31, 2001)

The voltage on my truck drops 2-3 volts when lifting the plow and I run dual batteries. Plows do draw quite a bit.


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## Arc Burn (Oct 21, 2002)

I run a 130 amp alt. and dual batteries on a 99' Chevy and it also drops from 14 to 10ish.


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## John DiMartino (Jan 22, 2000)

In the extreme cold we have been having,the draw is very high,due to oil being so thick.If it still does this when the plow is warm,after about 1/2 hr of use,Id be concerned.If its undr 20 degrees much,you should be getting the low temo plow fuild this will help a lot.You can take the truck to a good shop,they can check the battery,and do an amperage draw test on the plow motor,then compare it to the specs.If its within specs dont worry about it,if not replace/rebuid pump motor,or battery which ever is problem.


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## SnowGodFather (Aug 1, 2001)

> _Originally posted by Arc Burn _
> *I run a 130 amp alt. and dual batteries on a 99' Chevy and it also drops from 14 to 10ish. *


157 amp alt dual batts and mine does the same. The lights barrily dim.

You charging system will charge your batt. at 14.5 volts +/- 5%.

When you hit the "starter" motor on you plow (just like starting the truck) you drop your charge from 14 to about 10 because you are putting a "draw" on the system. This is all normal.

Now if you were pulling more then your motor on your pump could be bad or going out.

There is not much difference with the plow system and that starting system except the obvious that the engine is running and warm.

Now if you were not charging the batt then you have a diod problem.

Batt not taking charge batt bad

From what you told us all systems working normal. You are taking an 150 amp draw and about a 4v drop.

As long as you don't drop to much under 10v you are A-OK.


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## SCAPEASAURUSREX (Aug 21, 2001)

I've got a 200 amp alternator and I too still get the voltage drop when using, raising, or angling the plow.. But the voltage jumps back instantly when I take my finger off the plow button.. It runs at 14.5 or 15 ish, and when I hit the plow it drops to like 12... My 150 does the same thing , but that has a stock alternator and a dual batt setup... But the batts are isolated.. gotta change that ..


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## fastjohnny (Nov 14, 2002)

*rrs26ja*

Check this right away. It sounds like you've got battery cable problems. Check the tightness of the positive connection on the battery, the double cable on the sidemount terminals has a tendency to loosen up. In fact, on my truck, it has gotten loose more times I can count. I can tell when it is happening, because I'll see the battery voltage drop more when I raise the plow. I have read about this on a chevy page. Apparantly, the lead gets squished down, and won't allow full torque on the battery bolt. Consequently, resistance increases, and I've seen pictures of the lead terminal actually melting. Mine melted the rubber casing off.

The solution is to add a washer or two, preferably brass or non corrosive material, to the battery bolt, between the two cables, and retorque. I ve been meaning to do this. Just too tired after coming in from the route, and usually in a hurry to get to the other job.

Good luck

John


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## bgrover (Jan 29, 2002)

Chris,

Which truck is your 200 amp alt. in? Where did you get it? I'm looking for one for my '95 F250 460 but the biggest I've found is a 135 amp.

Thanks!


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## John DiMartino (Jan 22, 2000)

Bill, powermaster sells a 200 amp for a lot of trucks.It is a Gm 140CSI alternator rewound for 200amps.I swapped a140 into my 89 GMC,its a strong alternaotr stock,must be an animal rewound.


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## CPSS (Mar 15, 2002)

The Fisher motor is rated at just over 1000 watts. At 12 volts thats 85 amps of current. Its pretty normal for the voltage to drop 2 volts under that load. The problem is if your headlights, warning beacon, defroster motor and radio are also on, you might be drawing more current from the battery than you are putting in. We run the dual alternators and dual batteries in our PSD's, I think that is the ultimate set up. You could always swap the stock alternator out, or at the very least, increase the battery size, or ad a second one.


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## GVLawnCare (Jan 12, 2003)

*Low Voltage*

Here's one thing to keep in mind. Plow motors draw ALOT af amperage. I have a 8' Western on a '95 F-250. I hooked a meter up to my motor and it draws around 175 amps. The manufacturer sais it's supposed to draw 183 amps. Thats alot of power considering you are running other things at the same time. (Heater, headlights, warning lights, radio, etc.) It is completely normal for the volts to drop while raising or angling your plow as long as the volts come right back up to a normal range right away.


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## porkhead1 (Jan 28, 2003)

Your trucks electrical system takes a beatin when you're plowing....lights on.....heater on...wipers on ( maybe)...Brake lights when stopping to back up.....+ everytime you manuver the plow your drawing another 175 + amps.....yes, your volt gauge will drop...... But, make sure its coming right back up when you release the controls for the plow. All systems have 12volts reguardless of vehicle......the differences are in the amount of "push" that voltage has = amps. Even with high-amp alternators, you'll still see a voltage drop. Alternators are rated at rpms above what you're plowing at so you're not getting the full amperage at "plowing speeds". Some suggestions.....make sure your battery (or batteries) have a lot of "Reserve Power" ( rated in minutes)....its kind of like "stored energy"....keep your terminals corrosion-free for better electrical connection....make sure your alternator belt is in good shape & not slipping or shiney... keep your battery(ies) full of water.....you may want to even put them on a trickle-charger to make sure they're fully charged when you start out...... Install a good brand name "Amp" guage to keep an eye on your alternator & make sure its working.
I'm sure I missed some things, but I hope you get the idea....you can't spend hours pushing snow without putting some time back into making sure your truck's ready for the next snow event...


Good luck.....


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## SnowGodFather (Aug 1, 2001)

> _Originally posted by porkhead1 _
> * All systems have 12volts reguardless of vehicle......the differences are in the amount of "push" that voltage has = amps. *


Word would be "draw".

*All systems have 12volts reguardless of vehicle*

Now a days unless it's 24v. BUT your charging system reads 12v then you have a "problem". It must read over 14v. If it's reading 12v then you're not charging.

*make sure your battery (or batteries) have a lot of "Reserve Power" ( rated in minutes)....*

CCA + reserve minutes, must have both. a 1000 amp batt is no good if it has a 400 CCA and 30 reserve minutes.

*keep your battery(ies) full of water*

Most batt's are maintenance free and won't have a place to even check to fill them.

*you may want to even put them on a trickle-charger to make sure they're fully charged when you start out*

Once an automorive non deep cycle batt. has not been fully charged it will not ever reach it's full capasity like when it was new. The moment you use it once it goes down. If you have to trickle charge it you better start looking for a replacement.

That's all good so called preventitive, but some of it is wasted time, and your better off buying a new $60-$70 batt.

5 years in the tire and batt biz.


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## wxmn6 (May 23, 2001)

> _Originally posted by SnowGodFather _
> *Word would be "draw". *


Actually porkhead1 is correct. Voltage is the difference in amount of "push" but a proper term would be "electro motive force." The higher the voltage that the system has, the less current it will draws. Load in the electrical circuit "draw" current, not voltage.


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## SnowGodFather (Aug 1, 2001)

> _Originally posted by wxmn6 _
> *Actually porkhead1 is correct. Voltage is the difference in amount of "push" but a proper term would be "electro motive force." The higher the voltage that the system has, the less current it will draws. Load in the electrical circuit "draw" current, not voltage. *


An electric motor "draws" amps. Apms = load. Load = a "draw".

There is no "push" in electric termanology.


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## John DiMartino (Jan 22, 2000)

Porkhead,welcome to plowsite! A lot of good advice,here,btu one thing I did want to comment on was the amp guage.I do not use them,mostly because the require you to run the full amperage into the cab and thru the guage and back to the battery .There is to much of a chance of a failed guage,or connection problem running it into the cab and i dont like running wire that thick into the cab,with a 200amp alt you'd need to run a 0 guage wire into the cab.I preffer a voltmeter,if its lower than usuall you have a problem,and it can be wired with 22 guage wire,and a 3 amp fuse if you'd like.


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## wxmn6 (May 23, 2001)

> _Originally posted by SnowGodFather _
> * There is no "push" in electric termanology. *


Read the post again:

Voltage is the difference in amount of "push" but a proper term would be "electro motive force."


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## SnowGodFather (Aug 1, 2001)

> the differences are in the amount of "push" that voltage has = amps.


That means draw.

electromotive force 
NOUN: abbr. EMF The energy per unit charge that is converted reversibly from chemical, mechanical, or other forms of energy into electrical energy in a battery or dynamo.

AMP
NOUN: The strength of an electric current expressed in amperes

push

VERB: To exert outward pressure or force against something.

Current
4. Symbol i, I Electricity a. A flow of electric charge. b. The amount of electric charge flowing past a specified circuit point per unit time.

draw 
To deplete by consuming or spending:

This dic is vegue.

Back to square #1 "draw"


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## porkhead1 (Jan 28, 2003)

Geezz.....my first post & look what I started.......

Sorry, I should not have used the word "push" in reference to amps. But that's how I think of electricty......amps being the unit of measurement for "pushing" the voltage thru the wire. 

Anyway, one other thing as far as vehicle alternators, would be to have a talk with your local alt./starter repair shop & see if they can come up with a smaller diameter alt. pulley which will increase your low rpm amp output.


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## wxmn6 (May 23, 2001)

Snowgodfather, 

I just read our posts over again and again for an half dozen times. I became suspicious why you posted something that agrees with my posts, such as the fact that load is what draws the current. I now see why you got confused with my posts. What I am trying to say is that voltage is the difference in amount of "push". I did not say that it is equal to current, or amps. I assume that you thought that I meant that it is equal to current which is not true. Voltage is an electrical measurement of potenital difference, electrical pressure, or electromotive force (EMF). This is what I am trying to point out. 

I re-read the porkhead1's post over again about the voltage and current. His wording got me a bit confused at that time, leading me to think in another way. So that cause me to misunderstood his wording. No offense porkhead1. It is perfectly understanding that we all have our own way of wording. So once again, no offense. :waving: 

It turned out that we are both correct the whole time, but we misunderstood each other. We only are humam.  




Just for educational reference, voltage is the force that pushes the electrons through a wire and is often referred as electrical pressure. Voltage DO NOT flow. It cannot flow. There is no such thing as voltage flowing through the wire. I know that some of you may not agree, but this is true. Voltage is what pushes the current through a wire, but voltage cannot flow through a wire. Current is a flow of electrons through a wire, or a conductive substance. A load, such as electric pump, is what draws the current. Amps is the amount of current that the load is drawing. 



By the way, porkhead1, welcome to Plowsite! :waving:


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## SnowGodFather (Aug 1, 2001)

> _Originally posted by wxmn6 _
> *
> 
> By the way, porkhead1, welcome to Plowsite! :waving: *


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## Leethehandyman (Jan 8, 2003)

Wow....not sure we need another post here but I'll add my 2 cents. I had similar troubles when I first went to a Fisher selinoid power pack. I would literally run out of 12 volt power( call it what you want) . I was plowing school parking lots 10 hours at a stretch. Up down left right constantly.I was running 65 amp alternator and one battery. After many failed remidies I ended up with the Guys at ALLStart in Chichester NH.They have a shop in Dover too. Her is what they told me....Get a 94 amp (this is on a 86 Chevy k20) altenator. That will supply all the power you need AND it will do it at low rpm's ! He told me to be careful in the plow situation of going to the 120 and higher amp altenators. These require higher (over 3000) rpm's to generate the 120 amps. At lower rpms they generate less, sometimes well less. Something about the internal stuff in the 94 amp allows it to produce a constant 94 amps. He stated this would be enough to run the plow and moderate lights(strobes/back ups). I added another battery and the 65 amp altenator he rebuilt for me beefed up to 94 and I have not had another problem.Voltage drops but he stated that would be normal. One other thing he added which I found interesting and to be true( he showed me on the meter)...a parts store rebuild may not put out what it is rated for. The altenator I brought him was a month old 65 amp and was only putting out 56 amps!! The rebuild he did put out about 96!!


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