The Lister Powered Generator Set
Since acquiring the Lister 10/2 twin cylinder diesel back in 1995, I've wanted to put a substantial load on the engine in order to work it in a way for which it was designed, and also to allow the public to hear this engine under full load. Through working with a fellow engine fan, George Breckenridge (http://www.utterpower.com) and his association with a generator manufacturer, I was able to obtain both a new 7.5 kW generator head and a beautifully machined special pulley for a project of mine. This project was the mating of the Lister 10/2 with the generator head to create a rather substantial power house. After a much needed clean up of the engine and some new fabrication of mounts and rails, the components came together.
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A new adjustable mount is fabricated for the generator. The steel is fairly heavy gauge since the generator weighs in at about 212 pounds.
The water tank, engine, and generator are brought together for the first time on the new wood rails for the initial measuring and fitting. Belt length is determined, as is the required adjustment travel for the generator mount.
The generator from the factory had a small, light weight meter box mounted on top of the generator frame. To give the unit a more vintage look, a larger, more conventional looking box was adapted to the frame. The frame is cast iron and the mount for the box was just a rough, unmachined area, so the full frame was put into the mill and a cleaning cut was taken to create a nice flat surface for the new box to mount on.
The new box is trial fitted on the generator frame. The black object inside the box is the full wave bridge rectifier used to convert the field excitation AC voltage to DC for the field windings. The bigger box will also act as a better heat sink for the rectifier.
With a simple custom cover installed on the box, the frame is now about ready to prep for paint.
The front end housing originally came with thin, stamped sheet metal grills on the sides and large openings in the bottom of the casting. To keep with the vintage look and to keep the critters out of the unit, brass screen was added to the bottom openings and heavy plate grills were fabricated.
Once the front end casting was completed, the entire unit was sanded, primered and painted with the green used on the engine, while the box was painted black with a silver cover.
With the new wood rails cut and painted, the generator head gets bolted to its new mount.
A special thanks to George and his people for their time and effort!
The water tank, engine, and generator are brought together for the first time on the new wood rails for the initial measuring and fitting. Belt length is determined, as is the required adjustment travel for the generator mount.
The generator from the factory had a small, light weight meter box mounted on top of the generator frame. To give the unit a more vintage look, a larger, more conventional looking box was adapted to the frame. The frame is cast iron and the mount for the box was just a rough, unmachined area, so the full frame was put into the mill and a cleaning cut was taken to create a nice flat surface for the new box to mount on.
The new box is trial fitted on the generator frame. The black object inside the box is the full wave bridge rectifier used to convert the field excitation AC voltage to DC for the field windings. The bigger box will also act as a better heat sink for the rectifier.
With a simple custom cover installed on the box, the frame is now about ready to prep for paint.
The front end housing originally came with thin, stamped sheet metal grills on the sides and large openings in the bottom of the casting. To keep with the vintage look and to keep the critters out of the unit, brass screen was added to the bottom openings and heavy plate grills were fabricated.
Once the front end casting was completed, the entire unit was sanded, primered and painted with the green used on the engine, while the box was painted black with a silver cover.
With the new wood rails cut and painted, the generator head gets bolted to its new mount.