Caterpillar Alternator

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New aftermarket Caterpillar alternator are stocked for most models of Cat Equipment. Whether it’s a tractor, industrial equipment, construction equipment, marine engines, or power units, new aftermarket Caterpillar alternator are available. Caterpillar alternator can be identified only by the part number.

This can typically be obtained from the parts manual, or alternatively, the aftermarket dealer can be called. The aftermarket dealer should be able to look up the part number of the Caterpillar alternator using the equipment serial number.

Caterpillar alternator is versatile, and one type of alternator has been designed to be used on a large number of engines. However, care should be taken with this, as alternators cannot be switched around unless its alternators with the same part number.

So, how does a Caterpillar Alternator work? This device is simply a current generating device that is powered (turned) by a moving device, typically on an engine this is a pulley driven by a belt, or sometimes a direct drive shaft. The internal components of the alternator are the stator, external windings, permanent magnets, and brushes to move the current out. Caterpillar alternator is a direct current (d.c) series or compound wire wound device, and can generate twelve (12) volts, twenty four (24) volts, or in some instances, thirty two (32) volts of power, at different wattage. The wattage varies with the engine rpm. The d.c. power from Caterpillar Alternator is used to charge the lead acid batteries. This stored power is used to start the engine, operate its gauges and sensors. In modern engines, ECM’s are now standard features that monitor the engine for emissions control purposes. On Caterpillar alternators, there are typically two or four alternator brushes.The external windings or its permanent magnets of Caterpillar Alternator, has residual magnetism. As the stator of the alternator moved, this residual magnetism increases. This increase in residual magnetism induces a current in the moving stator according to Flemings Left Hand rule. The induced current passes through the alternator brushes to the charging circuit to be either stored in the batteries, or used immediately in some conditions.

Depending on the design of the Caterpillar Alternator, the windings with the permanent magnets may not be used. In many applications, this permanent magnet set is substituted by a winding. This winding has an electrical current passed through it, to build the magnetism that will induce a current in the stator. This Caterpillar Alternator is coupled with a regulator that limits the amount of current generated depending on the current demands of the system. A generator with an almost drained set of batteries will have its alternators working at almost full capacity after startup. For fully charged systems with little or no current demand, the regulator will reduce the amount of electricity that is used to induce current, thus, generating less current.