Jinma 454 Alternator Upgrade Questions

[soundquest]

I am looking to upgrade my kaput factory Jinma alternator (Jinma 454) to a 12si alternator and have some questions (lots of information out there on this; it's just scattered is all so I am looking to consolidate it here for my benefit and the benefit of others). This is what I know so far:

Must be 3-wire alt.
Must upgrade output wires gauge to allow for the increased output
Voltage regulator is onboard (as opposed to the factory one which is external and prone to high failure rates)
the #A202 pulley is recommended for lower RPM high output to keep up with the resting voltage/amperage drain
must replace the amperage meter with a volt meter
Key switch upgrade (to Ford key switch) is highly recommended

Questions I have:

Do any of the 12Si alternators on Amazon come fitted with the A202 pulley and would fit the bill for this?
What is the ideal amperage output for this application (not doing anything too crazy with my 454 -- will use LED headlights to reduce draw compared to halogen bulbs)
Does anyone know of any threads that walk through this upgrade in a rather comprehensive manner?
Alternator belts -- what size belt do I need (I want something can just go out and buy locally at the brick and mortar parts store)
What is a good volt meter to replace the amperage meter with on this tractor

More questions to follow. Thanks in advance.

 

[stevem5215]

I put on a 65amp one on a Jinma/FarmPro 2420 20hp diesel TY290 engine. It is the 3 wire. I don't remember all the details but I do remember that i didn't change the pulley on it. It worked fine and has this whole time since. It's probably been about 5 or 10 years now. If you search back through my posts you'll probably find it. The only oddity I had to do was to put a longer bracket for the belt tension. I used a bracket from the latch of a barn door at our farm. It fit perfect and has been on there this whole time! Pretty awesome McGyver move I thought. lol.

Steve