Re: (ET) Introduction from Michigan

["David Roden" <etpost drmm net>]

Hi David, and welcome!

I'm not an expert, but I'll try to answer some of your questions. 
Corrections from others welcome.  

On 30 Apr 2024 at 0:44, David Kirk wrote:

> Back then in the middle 70s we had a lot snow and the Elec-Trak did
> not have enough battery capacity to handle the lengthy snow plowing
> sessions so it was sold. 

FWIW, I'm pretty sure that you could buy an extra battery box to hang on 
the back to increase ET running time.  

>  I installed three 100ah deep cycle 12v batteries to give my 36v 

That was the battery scheme used in the light duty small frame tractors. 
Compared to six 6-volt golf car batteries, it will give you less use time 
per charge, and fewer charges before the batteries are junk.

You'll have to connect the front lift to 24 volts instead of 18.  It 
worked 
fine for me.

> The voltage meter reads just into the lower red when fully charged so
> that meter is a problem. 

Or the battery, or the charger.  I suggest that you verifiy it with a 
known-
accurate multimeter.

> The brake was frozen and now that I have it  sort of moving I have no
> spring action to pull it back and I suspect the pads are worn. 

Can't help here, sorry.

> I believe the three copper windings in the front are related to this
> speed switch, is that true, and is there a more modern speed
> controller available to my E12? 

They're not copper, they're nichrome wire, the same stuff used in toasters 
and space heaters.  They act as electrical throttles to limit the motor's 
current and thus the speed.

The GE Homeowner's Manual has useful troubleshooting help.  If you don't 
have a copy yet, I think you can download it from elec-trac dot com.  If 
you can't find it anywhere, I can send you a copy offline.

Some people here like the original controllers because they can work on 
them. I got fed up with mine, and replaced it with a modern solid state 
controller.

There are various brands.  Curtis is popular.  

I wouldn't use a series motor controller, but it seems to work for at 
least 
some folks.  

I recommend using one that can control at least 150 amps, and 300 amps 
would be better.

Installing a generic golf car controller requires some engineering.  A 
background in electronics and electricity helps with this.  Maybe someone 
here has, or knows of, a cookbook approach 

The easy but expensive route is to buy Jim Coate's complete step-by-step 
GE 
controller kit.  To see it, go to freerangeelectric dot com and type 
controller in the search box.

> The three 100AH deep cycle batteries scoots it around the yard and a
> few minutes of mowing, as of tonight, my first shot at driving it. 
> How much driving time would 300AH of battery give me? 

Not to be too pedantic, but you don't have 300 amp-hours, you have 100 amp 
hours at 36 volts.  When you connect batteries in series, you add voltage, 
and the current and amp-hours stay the same.

Except that it's not really 100 AH, because a "100 AH" lead battery won't 
yield that much energy at tractor currents.  It'll be more like 50-60 AH.

At any rate, you have somewhat less than half the total energy storage of 
a 
normal ET with six 6-volt batteries.  

But you should still be able to do more than a few minutes of mowing.  
There are a few possible reasons you might not be getting the stamina you 
should..

Are you sure your batteries are getting a full charge?  Can you check them 
with a battery hydrometer?

Weak motor field current is a possibility.  Or if you have a permanent 
magnet motor (I think some E12s did, someone correct me if that's wrong) 
the magnets may have been weakened when the motor overheated sometime in 
the past.  The clue for this would be high current use (the power use 
meter 
pinned on the right stop).

Check for high current use in the mower motors - bad bearing, bad magnets, 
and so on.  

You say the transaxle turns freely.  Does the drive motor?

> I have no idea if I need to be looking at upgrading these batteries to
> something like, for example, LiFePo or something more exotic, but are
> the deep cycle batteries a good start? 

Various opinions here, but IMO you're better off with good old lead.

You can get into a lot of expense with lithium.  It's not just the cells, 
but also that they need a more sophisticated charger and a BMS (battery 
management system) to be safe and have long lives.

The big benefit of lithium for on-road EVs is that they store a lot of 
energy in a small space.  They are also much lighter for what they store.

But how much energy do you really need to mow the yard or push snow 
around? 
Also, it's a tractor, why would you want it ligher?

> The built-in charger/timer is missing for some reason, while the
> massive charger remains under the black cover. 

Do you mean "charger and timer" or "timer for the charger"?

> I am charging one at a time with a traditional charger, for now. 

I used three 12-volt chargers for years.  I wouldn't suggest one charger 
charging them one after another for very long.  You really need to charge 
a 
flat battery as soon as possible, or it can degrade.

> With new [transaxle] fluid installed and the rear tires up in the air
> I can spin the rear axle and it will continue spinning for just shy of
> a minute, perfectly silent, 

I assume you're using the correct weight of gear lube.

> The belt driving the transmission is most likely original and it slips
> upon starting in both high gears 

I took mine to an auto parts store for a match.  It seemed to work OK.  

Make sure the tension is set correctly.

> adhere very well. Any recommendations of inexpensive yellow that 
> essentially matches the original? 

Rustoleum Farm Equipment John Deere Yellow (#7443830) is supposedly a 
match.

> paint both interior battery boxes with POR15 and then I'll consider
> some other top coating ideas. 

At least one person here is a big POR15 fan.  I used catalyzed acrylic 
enamel for a mower deck underside.  Can you still get that stuff?  The 
vapors are poison so you have to work outdoors with a mask.

> Finally, as a new owner of an essentially bone-stock E12 what should my 
> first goals be to make it a reliable work-horse, with plenty of reserve 
> power during the summer hours? 

As above.  Nice smooth electronic controller so you can move it by 
millimeters.  Good golf car batteries; I suggest Trojan or US Battery.  
I'm 
sure others will have good ideas too.

You're going to love your ET!  


David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA

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