There was a Canadian modification to install the 60 amp US M-series alternator onto the ferrets. This was the same alternator as used on the M38A1Cdn2 and 3s, the M151A2, the chev 5/4 ton, and currently on the MLVW. The alternator only requires 2 wires (battery and an ignition/ field source) and is very reliable. I installed it on a ferret I used to own, and it worked well. I also installed one on my FV432 to replace the troublesome pair of generators which were origional to those vehicles. That was the best modification I ever did to it, and several other guys with them ended up doing the same. It seemed like I was chasing my tail...you would replace one generator to have the other one quit. You would replace that one and the first one would quit. It never ended.
It is a fairly simple installation on the ferret, although made a lot easier by having the engine out at the time.
But I would have to agree with the rest of the guys here. If the master switch has properly isolated the ground from the chassis, then any discharge of the batteries has to lie within the batteries themselves. I ran into the same problem myself with the batteries discharging on my ferret, and also installed the master switch on the one battery box where it would break the circuit at the negative lead.
For a 24 volt system to work properly, both batteries should be in the same relative condition. Mixing old and new batteries will usually cause problems in itself.
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