Kubota A450 generator

[trouthound]

Hey guys.

Going through my dad's garage the other day and I found an old Kabuto A450 generator that he had always told me didn't work. So I pulled it out an thought I'd tinker around and see what I could do with it. Well I found out the only problem with it was a faulty Oil level/pressure sensor so i just bypassed it. The little engine runs great, starts first pull, and is nice and quiet. I figured I'd bring it along for dry camping or when I'm boondocking to charge up the batteries if I get in a tight spot and run low on power.

Now here's my question, there is a DC 12v 8.3 amp connection on the generator as well as a 120v AC, it would be better to direct charge from the DC outlet, right? Rather than using a charger from the AC?

This generator has a voltage tuner on it and watching my multimeter I can range the voltage from 14.8v to 21v. What would be the best voltage to run it at? I have been trying to educate myself on 12v DC systems and I remember reading max voltage for flooded drycell is 15.2v, is that correct?

Also, if I ran it at the 14.8v -15v, since there is no charge controller, how long do you think I should run it to top up 4 6v 240 AH assuming I never let them drop below the 12.6V mark? Again, i wouldn't need to get a full charge jsut enough to keep me from dropping below the 12.2V deep discharge point.

Thanks in advance,

mike

[tvman44]

I would not use the 12 volt output to charge a battery except in a emergency, I would rather use a good smart charger plugged into the 120 Vac. Quicker charging and no danger of over charging or over voltage.