Cat 12 8T upgrades

I didn’t come up with these upgrades on my own. They really stem from past discussions on this forum, so thank you to those who shared their knowledge over the years. The idea started here.

I added a 12 volt alternator to my Cat 12 and ran it off the backside of the original 6 volt alternator using pulleys. If I remember right, I used about a 5 inch pulley on the lower side. It works well enough that I can idle the machine way down and still keep the battery charging.

I also replaced the two 6 volt heater fans with a pair of inexpensive 12 volt radiator fans. The original fans were still functional, but it was more practical and cost effective for me to convert over rather than rebuild or chase parts for the old setup.

With the 12 volt system in place, I now have 12 LED lights on the machine. Makes a big difference here in central Minnesota when pushing snow after dark. The cab heat works great as well. Once the machine is warmed up, I usually have the fans turned down low or even crack a window.

Just sharing in case it helps the next guy down the road, like others here helped me.

Very nice, thanks for posting! Direct or pony start?

Very nice that you have HEAT in the cab and controls that allow you to run one or both fans. What have you done for keeping the windshield and side windows fog free, fan too move the air across the windshield? With the advent of LED lighting - less power demand for sure. What have you done to keep the light lenses from snow accumulation, that was always a problem even before LED that do not generate enough heat to keep them clear. - cts

Your alternator set up looks very close to mine

I used a simple speed controller so I can adjust both the fan speed and direction. After some trial and error, I actually found that running the fans in reverse, blowing toward the (right side) glass/door, worked the best for me. It seems to roll the heat up along the right side window and then carry it across the front windshield. It seemed to moves the warm air where it needs to go.

As for the LED lights, they do seem to give off just enough heat to help keep snow clear as well. That said, it has been a pretty mild winter here so far and I have only had the machine out plowing twice, so I have not fully put it to the test yet. Time will tell once we get a real stretch of cold weather.

Hope that helps.