Air conditioning question

[Mike Arman <armanmik@n-jcenter.com>]

How many Hp does the a/c take on a 5000? Anyone know the rating or the #of
BTUs the unit is rated at? Anyone have any general information on this?

Thought came to me today about powering air conditioner compressors - all
the car makers do it from the crankshaft - with all the attendant belt
problems, miserable access, flex hoses from the wiggling engine to the rest
of the unit, and they are a PITA to fix and keep running.

Alternators can be easily rewired to give 110 volts - suppose we put an
auxiliary (second, dedicated) alternator where the a/c compressor currently
lives, and use the electricity (110 volts, at say, 6 or 7 amps) to drive a
household style sealed A/c compressor, mounted with rubber mounts on the
chassis - eliminates uneven engine drag, eliminates most rubber flex hoses.
Even a separate electric motor driving the standard automotive compressor
would be an improvement. And of course, you could mount this
motor/compressor unit almost anywhere you wanted instead of making it share
the crowded and hot real estate under the hood.

Any thoughts on this?

Best Regards,

Mike Arman