[dragunovsks]

Anybody ever built a wind generator? As some of you may know I'm restoring an antique tractor and one thing I plan on doing will be to convert it from 6 to 12 volt which involves swapping the factory generator for a 12 volt alternator. Just wondering if I could use the generator to build a wind generator, would be perfect to run a battery maintainer. Any thoughts?

[rocshaman]

Found this article on the subject....

Generators make DC current, and batteries need DC for charging. Generators were used in automobiles until around 1970, when alternators became more practical (due to the availability of cheap, small diodes). Even old car generators must spin too fast to be practical for wind power, but there have been many good plans for modifying them. Check out our PRODUCTS page for the LeJay Manual , which contains many useful, though involved, plans for doing this. Generators are fairly complex compared to alternators. They must have brushes, and complex commutators. Brushes require maintenance, and commutators can wear out....

Full article here, they do offer some solutions:

http://otherpower.com/otherpower_wind_alternators.html

Good luck

[Vincine]

I thought a generator was just a motor 'running backwards'. That is, for example, a fan whose blades are being turned by the wind would generate electricity.

[c3shooter]

A generator is a DC motor running backwards. An AC motor does not work the same way.

Matter of fact, you need a diode type circuit to keep stored current in the battery from flowing back into the generator, and having a big electric fan.

Yes, you can make the blades for a wind generator from redwood or spruce (there IS an airfoil shape, not just a fan blade) or you can use a sail wing, or a Savonius rotor. But before stuffing a lot of time and money into that, determine how much power that generator will produce, and at what rpm (will need to gear way up).

[Trez]

I would sell it on ebay... Working or not a old IHC generator is probably worth some $$$.... I sold a non-working generator (with the brackets) off a my 9N and got about $80 for it...
The alternator kits usually come with the brackets, so you shouldnt need the old ones...

[hiwall]

Small wind generators are not very practical(maybe not the big ones either).

[Vincine]

Practical?

I've read that an 11 mph wind average is required for wind generators. How they can figure that without knowing what the cost of your instillation, generator, and grid power costs, etc., are I don’t know.