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I have one of your competitors products -- an alternator type combination welder and power unit with 120V DC power on a Ford Diesel 3/4 ton 4x4. Their welder is very marginal in its ability to weld -- even with my engine running at full speed!
I just can't get it running fast enough. My diesel engine red lines at 3700 rpm -- not fast enough to get enough welding power. (I had to put a 2” pulley on the alternator to get it to do as well as it does.)
How will a ZENA welder perform on my truck?
At what engine rpm does your ZENA unit need to turn to get full power?

Don't worry, you do not need to run your engine anywhere near that fast to get super results from any ZENA welder. About half that speed will do very nicely (maybe even a bit less).

Our Power Generator must run at about 6500 rpm. Once the generator reaches a minimum speed for 150A, 100% duty operation, more speed (up to 18000+ rpm) is OK, but will not provide significant additional power and is not necessary.

Engine speed needed usually depends on crank pulley diameter (assuming that initial drive is from this source). There is a chart for determining this in the ZENA Installation Manual and, if you do not have a tachometer, there is an alternate method that can be used with a high degree of accuracy to determine proper operating speed. For example:

As to your vehicle, most diesels that we have looked at only need to run at about 1800-1900 RPM for proper welding operation. However, with most of the newer, turbo diesels, customers report that the trucks are hard to hold reliably at RPM settings in this range (because that is where the turbo starts to come on), so they often choose to set their welding speed to 2500-2600. The welder doesn't care -- and provides excellent results at either setting. Remember, we use electronic means to control power rather than engine speed.

Remember, also, that unlike your current under hood welder, which has to run at high rpm continuously, thanks to our automatic engine speed control kit, with a ZENA welder, your engine will only be at high idle when your are actually burning a rod. The rest of the time it will be idling quietly.


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