Diesel Generator Trailer

Electrical: 120/240VAC 37A 1800RPM 60Hz
Mechnaical: Brushless Fidelity Alternator, Lister-Petter Diesel

Home

When this set came to me, it was somewhat forlorn and neglected. Here's what has been done so far:

changed the oil and filter

replaced the oil sump plug with a pipe and ball valve for easy and clean oil changes

repaired a circuit breaker in the field circuit of the regulator

added heavy duty safety chains

gave the outside a coat of flat OD green paint.

installed a new exhaust and quiet muffler

replaced the air cleaner

repaired the alternator belt housing

replaced missing bolts

replaced the stop/turn signals

installed new AC output circuit breakers

added exterior weatherproof 120VAC outlets

added front and rear stabilizer jacks. The front one has a wheel.

The inside was not painted, as it has been green, yellow, and then red over its distinguished career. I still need to clean up the inside of the enclosure and give it a good coat of paint. The machine runs very well and except for some minor seepage, does not seem to use oil and does not smoke. It probably does not have alot of hours on it, as it was used by a rural fire department as an emergency power source and only tested/maintained each month. It was originally a lighting trailer, although the mast and lights are long gone. It was more recently used for 3 days straight to power a communications truck during a Texas State Guard training exercise. The set is easily towed by a half-ton pickup with a 1 7/8" ball and the large fuel tank is good for about 75-85 hours at a 1.2KW load, judging by measuring the fuel level over time.

This unit, although made in the 1970's, offers several advantages over newer, smaller machines:

Heavy flywheel ensures good frequency and voltage stability during load steps such as air conditioner and motor starting.

Manual compression release levers on the top of each cylinder allows free spin-up for easy starting even with a weak battery. (this is shown in the video)

The 14.6HP 1800RPM 2-cylinder Diesel engine will last almost forever. The engine is actually rated for 20HP/2400RPM.

USA and English parts! No cheaply made components.

The charging system alternator, starter and exhaust system can be seen on the left side. The box on top of the service alternator contains wiring terminals and the regulator. The cable from this box goes to the circuit breaker box.	It uses simple pipe for the exhaust, and the muffler is hung at the enclosure wall, so that the system can move with the engine. On the forward cylinder head cover, the compression release lever can be seen.	Image shows the rear stabilizing jack which is removable by a pin. The new exhaust was routed out the the existing hole. When I got it, it had a "mushroom" type muffler which only arrested sparks (if any) and had no effect on the noise. A small 95AH AGM telecom battery is in the case to the right and was used to start it.
On the right side of the engine are the oil filter, oil pressure switch, fuel lift pump with priming lever, and dipstick. The tips of the compression release levers can just barely be seen at the tops of the cylinder head covers. Moving them to the rear opens the exhaust valves. The circuit breaker for the exciter can be seen on the regulator box.	Close-up of the Fidelity alternator. The exciter is at the forward end. The large grille is the exhaust for the engine cooling air.	Close-up of the belt guard and the equipment at the rear of the set.
Above the fuel lift pump is the shutdown lever. It is the rectangular tab withthe two screws and the braided cable running behind it. Pushing it down stops fuel flow to the injection pump.		The large fuel tank..
	Eight outlets for 120VAC. The 240V was split up among these so the user can balance the loads. There is a 240V socket inside the enclosure.	Leveling jack can be easily rotated or removed.
	He4avy duty safety chains and hooks	Trailer lighting connector

	Video of the set running. 9.6MB file size. Right-click and "save as"	Video of starting the set with poorly connected jumper cables on a small/improvised battery to demonstrate the value of a compression relief system. The battery and cables can't supply enough power to crank the engine against compression, so the compression is removed and the engine spins up. First one cylinder is re-engaged, then as the engine comes to life, the other. Also during the video, the decompression levers were engaged while the set was running, and then re-engaged. These levers raise the exhaust valves. Normally you would not do this, but it's harmless if done for a few seconds on a cool engine with no load. There is a (normal) puff of smoke and the engine resumes normal operation. Then it is shut down using the stop lever. 45MB file size. Right-click and "save as"