Re: (ET) Curtis or any generic controller setup - Finally.‏

[Robert Troll <roberttroll hotmail com>]

My other ET has three flooded lead acid batteries in it. I can tell you 
already that the sealed Telecom batteries are stronger. The voltage drop 
is less even though they have a smaller AH rating. They are rated for 10 
years and we toss them after 4. I plan on adding an onboard maintenance 
charger and using my external 3 bank bulk charger.

That tractor was completely trashed. Bent frame, cracked tires, bad rear 
box, hood and side panels. And the motor was shorted. Fixed the motor. 
Transmission was fine and more surprisingly the original drive belts were 
not even cracked! Didn't realize how bad it was till I got too deep. It 
just took on a life of its own.

I understand your sentiment. I cant fix that big black box like i can a 
bad solenoid. But i do have a 2 year warranty and it can be sent out for a 
rebuild. The alltrax has been around for ages and i have not heard any 
complaints. I would not buy a new curtis for the ET. But used for a 
hundred or so bucks i will take the chance. I would absolutely buy the 
Alltrax new as there would be even less wiring and it has a history of 
success and support.

My E15 is stock. I consider the E16 to be the best design. Who wants to 
deal with cards just for the privilege of having slightly increased speed. 
Mentally I have a design using those same relays to eliminate the cards. 
Thinking of converting it to something along the lines of a 3 speed 
"select-o-matic".

Most interesting thing about driving with the controller is that you 
basically no longer need to change gears. I left it in 1 all day. Uphill, 
downhill, towing.. Neither the motor or controller got anywhere close to 
warm. Will be real interesting to hook up the amp meter and see what she 
is pulling for power. The controller just gives you that micro fine speed 
control that cannot be duplicated.

And I have already figured out a way to use only one micro relay. Which 
will cut the wiring in half. So the dash will get pulled out once again. 
Can't stress enough how much you can learn by digging into these machines 
yourself. So simple once you figure it out.

-----Original Message-----

From: Charlie
Sent: 17 Aug 2012 21:37:21 GMT
To: Robert Troll
Cc: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
Subject: Re: (ET) Curtis or any generic controller setup - Finally.‏

Nice video!  Thanks for sharing.  I'll be interested in how that
battery pack works out, since I see a lot of those batteries at work.

If I was rebuilding a trashed machine I'd definitely use a modern
controller.  However, I have a working contactor-based system, which
has lasted 40 years, so I'm not in a hurry to replace it with
something that may or may not have a significantly shorter lifespan.

--Charlie

On Fri, Aug 17, 2012 at 2:46 PM, Robert Troll <roberttroll hotmail com> 
wrote:
>
> If there is anyone out there that is considering installing a controller 
> -
> DO IT!
>
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXuTukPdY8U
>
>
> Controls are buttery smooth. I can go from a crawl to full speed and back
> again with no jerkiness or hesitation. I am seriously considering 
> leaving it
> side and hood-less. It just looks cool. Or at least i will run it that 
> way
> in parades.
>
>
>
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