Charging Set, 300-Watt Variations

[David Dunlop]

There were a number of manufacturers of these charging sets during World War Two and shortly thereafter. I have several manuals for the ones built by Outboard Marine & Manufacturing Co. Of Canada Limited, based in Peterboro, Ontario and thought it might be helpful to post images of the various versions they made.

The first photo shows what is basically the standard wartime ‘Chorehorse’ for the Canadian and British Armies, side by side. On the left is the Charging Set 300-Watt MK I Canadian Pattern, OMC Model Number CHI-395-4. Note the use of a protective metal shroud over the Control Box as opposed to the steel rod cage employed on the British unit on the right. The designation for the British unit is; Charging Set, 300-Watt MK I British Pattern, with OMC Model Number CHI-395-5. Both these models are powered by the same 5/8-HP, single cylinder air cooled engine and the vast majority of parts are fully interchangeable. Both produce a 12-Volt DC output used for charging either a single 12-Volt Storage Battery, or two 6-Volt Storage Batteries in series.

The second photo is of the Charging Set 300-Watt Model CHI-397-2. This model was designed for use in the Army Office Lorry. It also has a 12-Volt DC output but the power plant is a 1.34-HP, single cylinder air cooled engine with a float feed carburetor, which requires a gravity feed gas tank. Only parts from the generator side of this model are interchangeable with the other two military sets.

The third photo is of a civilian Charging Set, 300-Watt, based on the wartime British Pattern unit, minus the Radio Filterette below the Control Box. Three models of this set were produced; EG1-300, EG2-300 and EG3-300. There is no mention at all in the manual of differences between the three and production was in the early 1950’s, so these model numbers might simply be based on the year of production: 1951, 1952 and 1953. These Charging Sets were targeting the rural farm electrification projects running in parts of Ontario and across the Canadian Prairies into the early 1960’s, in some locations. Getting Hydro Mains run to your farm was expensive, so DC 12-Volt Lighting Systems were very popular and these charging set show up quite regularly in these parts. These gasoline charging sets would be used to frequently compliment wind driven 12-Volt DC generators, which were still common to see sitting on old barns and farm houses, or free standing towers, well into the 1980’s in parts of Southern Manitoba, along with really ornate Lightening Rod setups.

There might be variations in design from other manufacturers in Britain, Canada and The United States, but these are the only manuals I have on hand.


David