Hi Gambler, I have spent some time discussing this with my son in NZ he is a sparky and we believe the problem is the alternator is wired incorrectly, it can't work the way it is. We need a close up pic of the alternator terminals, as it appears it is trying to push power in 2 directions and it can't work. For starters you must run a switched exciter wire. The output wire from the alternator must go directly to the battery positive. The drive motors must be wired from the battery, not from the alternator. If you wire it this way you should see a charge rate at the battery of about 14 volts. Check this and lets know how you get on
