Re: (ET) newbie

["Steven Naugler" <snaugler earthlink net>]

Jeff,
    As you are going forth with your conversion, here is more possible
advice:
    1A.  Technical Service and Parts is the company that bought from Wheel
Horse all of the Wheel Horse and GE stock when Wheel Horse quit the 
electric
tractor business.  (When GE quit the business, Wheel Horse bought it.)  
They
are in Edgarton, WI.  Their phone number is 608-868-6220.  Bill Gunn there
is very knowledgeable and helpful.  They have both new and used GE parts 
and
have found or manufacture  some otherwise unavailable replacements.
    1B.  Ray's Lawnmower is a lawnmower junkyard and has 50ish large frame
tractors.  They are in Boyertown, PA off Route 73.  Their phone number is
610-367-2078.  Normally you'd show up with wrenches and pull off what you
want yourself, so I don't know if they'll pull stuff of for you and ship.
That is my best source of used GE stuff.
    1C.  If you want to replace your single gas motor with a single 
electric
motor, check out the EV web sites or a local fork truck repair shop that
handles electric fork trucks.  Most electric fork trucks I've seen are 36
VDC.  (Technical Service and Parts also works on electric vehicles such as
fork trucks and may also be a source.)
    1D.  I've also heard of a place called Doc's that has a lot of GE 
stuff.
Perhaps someone reading this could find the contact info I can't get my
hands on right now.
    2.  If you go with a used GE traction motor, I believe you'd need a
motor off an E12 or  higher model.  Beware of the permag motors;  Bill Gunn
of Technical Service warned me that the permag large frame tractors were
commonly overheated.  The problem with overheating a GE DC permag motor 
from
the Elek-Traks was that the field magnets would weaken giving you a higher
speed lower torque motor.  And the commutators and brushes weren't designed
for speeds that high, so the motor is both wimpy and short lived at that
point.  Unless you could test the motor I'd stick with a wound field such 
as
from an E12S, E15, or E20.
    3.  If you use the GE tractor motors and want to use existing
accessories, use multiple motors.  Even though the GE motors are a heavier
duty cycle motor than a golf cart motor (an E15 motor is about 1.5 kw and 
an
E20 motor is about 1.8 kw) they will still be insufficient to do the
traction job and the accessory job.
    Hope this helps.

Steve Naugler

----- Original Message -----
From: Jeff Tickner <jefft softlanding com>
To: <elec-trak cosmos5 phy tufts edu>
Sent: Friday, June 04, 1999 8:15 AM
Subject: RE: (ET) newbie


> These sound like valid points to me (for what that's worth). The
> hydrostatic transmission is finned and has a fan on the drive pulley for
> cooling. That means parasitic power losses given off as heat. The power
> issue seems valid also for snowblowing. Any sources for cheap and/or used
> 5HP+ wound field or permag motors? Also, what is the general rule for
> converting Amps or Watts to HP?
>
> Since I already own the tractor and there is something wrong with the
> engine I want to pursue this. Besides, my push mower isn't going to work
> well for snow :)
>
>
> Jeff,
>     Here's my two cents on your conversion.
>     1. I think  you'd be best served with a wound field or permag motor
> which you could run as a single speed motor.
>     2.  You may not be happy with the efficiency of the hydrostatic
> transaxle.
>     4.  Except for light use the 3 hp golf cart motor will probably be 
> too
> light..  So long as the batteries have excess capacity for the actual 
> lawn
> I mow, I'd
> accept the losses in the hydrostatic transmission.  The only problem is
> finding a good used cheap hydrostatic transmission and E15 motor.
>     So good luck with however you do your conversion.
>
> Steve Naugler
>
>
>