BSA Charging Sets

Sep 20, 2008 14 Replies

We have, by a roundabout way, got hold of the details of a guy in Lancashire who apparently still has 10 ex-army BSA sets in good inhibited condition, with exhaust, manual, toolkit, starting rope, charging lead etc.



He is asking £100 each for them.



We are not involved in any way, we were looking for spares.



Contact me for more details if you are interested..



Peter



-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

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That's still very expensive for one but better than the £250 I found yesterday on the net.

Just for clarification, when we speak of "BSA charging sets", I take it we mean the inclined, air-cooled, all cast iron SV single cylinder engines originated by Johnson in the USA before WW2?

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I have several & when others fail, this will always start on the button & run all day on a little ancient petrol.

Prices are slowly rising & between £50 & £70 is not unusual now for an example complete with it's wire frame. My life is now complete in that I have eventually found an example that generates 230volts AC - not sure if it actually does, mind!

regards,

Kim Siddorn

"campingstoveman" wrote

Yes, these are the 30V 10A versions, of which we now have 3 and Martin also has one.

Pretty simple and robust little units.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

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I have the slightly more unusual 12v 20a canadian WW2 version here if you want to make up the full set. Handy for car batteries.

I'm very interested in finding a small, lightweight 12V charging set. I suffer from sleep apnea so always have to bring my CPAP when camping. It will run off a 12V battery and it would be nice to be able to recharge in the field. My 230V genset is a bit overkill size and weight wise. How big/heavy are these BSA sets?

Michael

I found a manual on the 'net. Nice and compact (15x15x14") but heavy -

100lbs. I'd still like to get my hands on one though and if it's a 30V version then I guess a suitable dump load could be used to charge 12V batteries. Kim, any idea where I find the =A350 ones? ;-)

Michael

A 750w two stroke genset will be smaller and lighter (40lbs or less). Th= ey all(?) have a 12v DC battery charging output of a few amps. Should be ab= le to get one for =A360 or so.

No where near as interesting though.

100lbs? Good Lord above, they don't weigh that much - I can lug one from garage to back of car with a bit of a grunt, negotiating doorways, steps and through the house. They are certainly on the heavy side, but I'd have said about 50-60lbs.

If they DO weigh that much, I'm a lot stronger than I thought!!

Modern two stroke Chinese gennies are about from time to time for as little as £49.99. The 750 watt versions have a 12 volt facility but it is an expensive way of charging a battery. Have you considered a solar panel - quieter too.

regards,

Kim Siddorn

A 750w two stroke genset will be smaller and lighter (40lbs or less). They all(?) have a 12v DC battery charging output of a few amps. Should be able to get one for £60 or so.

No where near as interesting though.

110lbs is best part of 1cwt. Cement etc comes in 25kg (50lb 1/2 cwt ish)= bags these days how does one of those compare?

Chinese 2 stroke expensive way of charging a battery? More so than a BSA= set? Assuming roughly equal capital costs. The 2 stroke will have 230v a= s well...

Needs to be big (aka expensive) and have good light to get a decent char= ge current. A small =A320 ish panel is OK for keeping a lead acid battery topped up but it would take for ever to actually charge one.

I have one of those. Mine only has 230V output so I would need to bring a charger as well. Noisy beast and not very interesting.

Ha, with the amount of sunshine we get in this country I would suffocate in my sleep due to a flat battery. I do have a 40VA panel but they are not easy to transport. A portable waterwheel would be more appropriate ;-)

Michael

Wasn't there a lightweight 12V charger using the JAP 2A engine? I seem to remember one directly coupled to a 12V generator with a built in control panel. About 18inches long, 12 inches wide and 18inches high. Easily lifted by the young (12ish) lad who was displaying it.

Fred

Fred

They are a bit uncomfortable to pick up and carry, but manageable for short distances. That frame is solid steel bar, not tube, and the fuel tank/base is all cast as well.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

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There is also the ALCO Featherweight which is a tall, rangy beast, noisy and far bigger about than it needs to be. Light enough to stagger about with though.

regards,

Kim Siddorn

"g6zru" < wrote

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