electric motor conversion for a BCS or Gravely?

[ottawarob]

The AC electric motor route would be more advantageous in Europe, where 3-phase to the house is fairly common. I could run a pretty big motor on our 400V 25A 3-phase. Dragging the cable around would be a bear though! :-D

Absolutely terrifying too, if you roto-tilled through a cord! :O

 

[buickanddeere]

LOL, I'm closer, Ste Adele, QC.
and B4 lived in Pierrefonds and flew fro Les Cedres.

How is the country of Quebec closer to south western Ontario vs the east coast of Lake Huron ?

 

[addame]

Hi All,

I have a BCS 853 and I am planning to do the electric conversion this summer.
Do anyone have an idea where I can buy a used motor such as the DD0-4002 used by Reid here in Quebec?
I would also know if this motor will be ok: "Motenergy ME0201013601 Enclosed PMAC Motor, 12-96 VDC, 17 hp pk" found in electricmotorsport website (I can not post the link as I am new to the forum ).
Any other motor suggestions?

Thank you all!

Hi All.

With the batteries sorted out it was the BCS electric drivetrain that needed attention. Our BCS is a circa 2001 model 730GX11 though I guess I could rebadge it 730E when I'm done. I found what turns out to be a perfect DC motor in an industrial auction (Advanced Motors and Drives DD0-4002 aka 2450003). I built an adapter plate to fit the DC motor to the existing motor mount "cone" and replaced the clutch with a driveline fabricated out of a scrap BCS clutch and a variety of other adapters and bits, joined, welded, turned, etc.

~ Reid Allaway
Tourne-Sol Co-operative Farm, les C鐡res, QC, CAN

 

[Reid in QC]

I have a BCS 853 and I am planning to do the electric conversion this summer.
Do anyone have an idea where I can buy a used motor such as the DD0-4002 used by Reid here in Quebec?
I would also know if this motor will be ok: "Motenergy ME0201013601 Enclosed PMAC Motor, 12-96 VDC, 17 hp pk" found in electricmotorsport website (I can not post the link as I am new to the forum ).
Any other motor suggestions?

Hi addame.

I think you're on the right track. You probably want to aim for a 48V battery system and a motor that can provide peak power of 3 to 5kW. That's totally overkill but for all the trouble the conversion will be you might as well go bigger and never lack for power. Steer clear of anything liquid cooled (like the overstock Motenergy units you found at Emotorsport) or higher voltage systems >48V (like Golden Motor or other chinese AC units) because the cost savings on the motor will be dwarfed by the expense of controller and battery assemblies. It's ultimately far cheaper, and safer, to build with 24, 36 or 48V for this kind of project and allows you to scavenge really robust parts from the industrial world rather than consumer-oriented gear of more recent vintage.

I'd even consider buying a complete electric jigger to take all the parts from it as it's a very similar drive to what you want, though motor integration is often very good on them and thus trickier to extract and reuse their motor.

I do think that many of the brushed DC Motenergy/Etek/Manta/Mars motors would be suitable to this kind of project and if you could find one used that seems possibly a good choice. I'd tend to steer away from the PMDC and AC variants because the benefits would be probably be minimal and the controller more expensive, programming/tuning possibly more involved. I doubt you'll get through more than one set of brushes in your lifetime with a BCS so the claim that a brushed DC motor is high-maintenance is a little disingenuous.

It is worth noting that that there are two very differenct motors in the list I enumerated above. Some of them (Etek for sure and possibly some Manta/Mars/Motenergy) are Lynch-type motors : pancake-like form factor, unique winding and commutation deisng with brushes on the flat, unique high power, original design by British Lynch fella. The actual Lynch brand (LEMxx) and Agni branded motors will be far too big for your project but there's a good chance you could find a used Etek somewhere and though it would also be a bit oversize maybe you have some high load tools like flail mower or similar. The other Motenergy/Mars/Manta brushed DC motors I see seem to all be PMDC with lots of poles and lots of brushes, I suppose to increase torque as PMDC tends to have poorer torque performance than series-wound or sepex configurations. I obviously don't know much about any of these motors but there is a wealth of information on EV enthusiast forums like endless-sphere.com and diyelectriccar.com plus a huge community of more experienced users. Note that Motenergy, and probably the others, have made a multitude of configurations suitable for different voltages and applications. Be sure to double-check the specs against your needs and buy a low voltage variant so you're not stuck building a 96V battery and buying a crap Kelly controller when 48V and cheaper better controller would have sufficed.

If you choose to look for a more conventional motor (series wound or sepex) like I did I'd suggest you talk to forklift dealers and seek their help in locating a suitable 1.5-3kW motor with a cooperative output shaft. Golf carts also use motors in this size range but they sometimes have stupid shaft configurations or even use the diff housing as drive-end motor case and bearing support so no good for other uses. Floor scrubbers/polishers, street sweepers, scissor lifts, airport or industrial utility vehicles... any of these might have a suitable motor and possibly a controller you could use. If you're looking at a Sepex or series-wound motor you basically need something about 6 to 8" in diameter that weighs 20 lbs and that'll do for torque and power handling. Steer clear of motors that were used to drive hydraulic pumps as these usually have female output shafts that are a pain to adapt to. If you go this route you really want something like the DD0-4002 I used or its twin that's available new: D&D model ES-10E-33 . I believe that a sepex motor (aka separately excited) is far superior to series-wound for a walk-behind tractor and controllers aren't that hard to find though they're a bit more expensive.

Keep in mind you have VERY limited space and weight to fit everything in. Your BCS is worse than useless if your new drive puts it out of balance or makes it bulkier than the original config. Send more questions as your project evolves and read through my build thread at DIYelectriccar.com to see what you can learn from that.

Good luck and please let us know what you decide to do.

~ reid

 

[addame]

Thank you very Reid for all those valuable information!
I'll post updates of my conversion.
Have a nice day

 

[jbradley]

Absolutely terrifying too, if you roto-tilled through a cord! :O

When I first got my BCS 732, I was so anxious to try it out, that I decided to till a 30 in wide strip alongside my sister's garden (I was 70 miles from home and wasn't going to be home for a week). The BCS's tines rotate at 10-20 times the wheel speed and can send it flying if it grabs untilled ground. The tiller took off and I didn't let go, and probably wrapped 10 feet of the garden hose around the tines. An electric cord wouldn't stand a chance. (And it won't stand a chance against the snow thrower, either. Nor will a garden hose. The snow thrower doesn't do well with baling twine. I will have to replace one of the seals as a result.)

 

[edwardgoodridge]

Years ago at one of the gravely tractor clubs a owner posted a pix of his gravely electric conversion using one of the later kohler models for doing it. He towed behind it a trailer for holding batteries. While he obviously enjoyed his project what practical value it had I don't know. It might make more sense to use house current which at least could allow useful work, but from my own experience with corded chain saws and weed wackers the hassle and possible dangers of that are pretty obvious. Post pix when you have it done, I for one am interested in what you finally do.

 

[edwardgoodridge]

Kohler offered engines probably still does that ran on natural gas maybe propane it had carb changes all build in.

 

[edwardgoodridge]

A later gravely model with diesel is very economical and has plenty of torque too. Its been done and a conversion adapter is available for many engines.

 

[buickanddeere]

Kubota builds an entire line of drop in direct replacement spark ignition engines to swap into any equipment using a Kubota diesel . The spark ignition line of engines was designed for applications where a Tier IV emission diesel does not cope well with stop start and light duty operation. And for where propane or natural gas fuel is desired .
Here is the link as in the past a long line of people called me a liar . Kubota Engine America - Kubota SI Series