Hi everyone, we have a 87 case w14, which runs completely on 24v.. we only use it for snow and ofcourse it's becoming harder to fine 24v electrical stuffs, like lights, radio, wiper motor etc etc... a friend has swapped a 6v to 12v by changing the alternator and starter to 12v on a old tractor... is this same theory applicable to my situation? Any info would be great!!!
The "starter" will be an issue.. I don't think 12v will turn a 24v starter. What engine?? If the injection pump has an electric shut off solenoid on it.. that'll need to be changed.. not a big deal.
You will have to change relays, solenoids, motors, gauges ect. which on an '87 may not be that big of a deal but I'm not sure it's worth it.
I agree, I'm not sure it's worth it. First of all, 24V works far better firing off cold (Ontario) engines if they have a good starter and good fresh batteries as opposed to 12V. As for lights, plenty of 24V aftermarket lights out there. Radio? If we're talking AM/FM radios, plenty of used equipment dismantlers/parts prolly have shelves of 24V radios they've taken out of machines. If we're talking CB, a 24V to 12V resistor from Radio Shack would take care of that. Again, don't know if it's worth it to drop to 12V. JMO
Most all LED lighting is multi voltage, 12-24 volt. A voltage reducer for the jams can be had from NAPA. A wobbly cable with a little voltage drop on 24 volts is far more tolerable than on 12 volt. The biggest problem will be finding a 12 volt motor for the stove! you gotta have heat in the winter!
Repowerguy has it right- The led has made lighting ,not near the problem it used to be. Most of them will run 12 or 24. (check when buying) You just need to buy the other stuff online or order it (relay's, solenoids etc), the auto parts stores aren't going to carry the 24v, but they can all get it. 24 volt isn't going away, there's lots of new stuff that's 24v.
Keep it 24V its far superior to twelve volt in the same way that 12 is way better than 6 on your friends tractor Every thing is available in 24 although you may have to keep a spare headlight on hand as they may not have one on the shelf at the parts store but can order in or an equipment dealer All of our machines have a voltage converters for the stereo, two way radio,strobe lights, phone chargers, ect
Can you find a 12V wiper motor for a W14? On the military 6X6's we run we left them 24V. Ran off one 12V battery in the system and rewired some switches. Now they can pull standard dump trailers with 12V systems. Might consider a total change if that big 24V generator went out.
I agree keeping it 24v is best. Don't be tempted to tap off the low 12v battery. It will get undercharged and the high will get overcharged if you use much load this way. If you must do it for heavier loads, there is a device that stacks across both batteries and equalizes the high one into the low one when the low one gets lower. Otherwise for small devices a 24 to 12 converter is usually simpler.
Check military surplus for your needs. They run 24 volts for lights, air conditioners, alternators, regulators and such.
Thanks for the input guys! Great info...
And if you need something you are having a problem finding I'm sure a post to this forum will get you more options than you need! At least leaving it straight 24 volt is better than going the 12-24 route with the " serious problem switch " like Mack and others used back in the day! They actually called them "series parallel switches" but anyone who dealt with them knew better!
I've had a similar situation with our old hough 65 loaders. I just hooked up a universal fuse box to one battery to get 12v to the fuse box. Then I've been able to hookup aftermarket radios, heaters, etc. that run on 12v. I enjoy reading everyone's posts!
Again, the 12v battery that is being loaded will be undercharged if you do this. Depending on the loads that are applied to it. Best case the high side battery will use a little extra water, but the imbalance can get severe depending.
That's what I kinda thought when I first did it, but I haven't had any trouble in approximately 20 years.
On my 24 volt machines, I use the Victron Orion 24to12 converters. Never a failure, and they run my $1000 low band radios. For price, size, and reliability, they can't be beat. Used to use the huge Transpo and Actron units...when they failed, 24v went thru the 12v equipment downstream. I get them through Jamestown Distributors (boat people). I also use the Vanner battery equalizers on my 12v loaders, allowing a 12v drop tank with high current pump to be connected to one battery. The pump's inductive load is too much for a 24to12 converter. Equalizers are more expensive, but never an issue there either.
Especially when they're rigged up positive ground...makes your head explode working on it!