What About An Electric Power Trac?????

[stray]

Ok guys I haven't heard any energy around an Electric PT. I wonder if Power-trac ever considered it or will in the future. With the way things are now Conversion thoughts have ran through my mind. $15 versus 2 or 3 to mow the yard. Start first time ever time. Less noise.
Conversion cost and run time are the big questions though.

 

[Spiffy]

They do make the electric personal transport, so PT would have some electric experience.

A while back somebody had started a thread about a conversion too [I think for work in horse barns]. All kinds of neat ideas came up, but no idea what to search for to find it.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

The electric conversion is still on my project list. It fell behind repowering a boat and a custom suspension on a new gooseneck horse trailer. (Retirement just receded by another few years.)

Look at Thread

 

[bjustice]

I owned an ElectTrac electric tractor made by General Electric, (and later by others, Wheel Horse, etc.). There are still bits and pieces in my machine shed. This was in the late '70s. It had six 6 volt batteries and would cut a couple of acres, (or more) on a full charge. Most of the time the tractor charge state was not an issue, as the batteries age, capacity drops of course. It was great for plowing snow, always started. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif It was designated the E20, supposed to be equal to 20HP. The mower was a three motor, three blade unit of about 48" width, mounted in front as in the PowerTrac. I guess I have been involved in XXXX-Tracs for a long time. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif With the new power inverter technology, a new system would be more efficient than the ElecTrac which used some electronics, but still had step-resistors for speed control. A new control system should increase usable time between charges by a significant amount. I think they failed because they were Too quiet. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif There were several attachments, including a snow blower and a 110v rotary power inverter. I am sure this is a do-able project, just requires careful thought as to how to split use of electrical and hydraulic power.
Bill

 

[scrinch]

Charlie, any progress on your project?

I am sure this is a do-able project, just requires careful thought as to how to split use of electrical and hydraulic power.

Why wouldn't you simply drive the current hydraulic system with a single electric motor? Then it seems to me that the most difficult issue would be developing the electronics to maintain balance between the motor output and the hydraulic load.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Charlie, any progress on your project?

I have the Power Trac (an early model little one), an Alltrax pulse width modulation controller and an Etek motor. As noted earlier, I've been diverted by electric boat projects for a competition next fall, but will try to get it together before the year's out.
I plan merely to drive the hydraulics with the electric motor, running at 48V. It will be a replacement wheelbarrow, not a mower.

 

[BTDT]

They make those electric pallet jacks/forklifts, so I don't see why it wouldn't work. Gearing would need to be different, maybe smaller batteries so it wouldn't sink in your yard, mower could be run off of hydraulics that powers the lift cylinder (or some similar setup). I bet in the next 10 years there will be all kinds of recycled technology, and this could be a good thing.

 

[FOURTEEN]

They make those electric pallet jacks/forklifts, so I don't see why it wouldn't work.

It may work, but why bother!! Unless used indoors, the current PT gasoline engine provides excellent power from an inexpensive, reliable, small, light, and energy efficient package!!

Concerning energy efficiency:
Electrically powering a vehicle suffers from large energy losses due to energy state conversion.
A gas engine converts chemical energy (fuel), to heat energy, then to useable mechanical energy.
To use electricity, chemical energy (fuel) is converted to heat energy, to mechanical energy, to electrical energy, through transformers, to chemical energy (batteries), to electrical energy, then to useable mechanical energy with significant energy losses at each step!! Remember that electricity costs money too!!

The problem with gasoline is that it is too familiar!
If it wasn’t so familiar, and someone told us that he had a magic liquid, that just a gallon of it, that cost less than $3, could move a machine, that weighed over two tons with five people inside, 30 miles away, in less than half an hour, we would either be amazed, or say that he was crazy!!!!
If you think gasoline is too expensive, try moving yourself, your car, and your four friends 30 miles in 30 minutes without it!!

!

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

It may work, but why bother!! Unless used indoors, the current PT gasoline engine provides excellent power from an inexpensive, reliable, small, light, and energy efficient package!!

!

Gas engine inside a horse barn? Have you ever tried to reason with a horsewoman?

 

[scrinch]

Concerning energy efficiency:
Electrically powering a vehicle suffers from large energy losses due to energy state conversion.
A gas engine converts chemical energy (fuel), to heat energy, then to useable mechanical energy.
To use electricity, chemical energy (fuel) is converted to heat energy, to mechanical energy, to electrical energy, through transformers, to chemical energy (batteries), to electrical energy, then to useable mechanical energy with significant energy losses at each step!! Remember that electricity costs money too!!

From what I've read, the cumulative efficiency of an electric vehicle, including all the steps you mentioned, is more energy efficient than a gasoline engine, including all the fuel refining and transportation that you didn't mention. They also don't smell and aren't loud. They also can run on coal or nuclear or natural gas fuel. But the real reason to make the conversion might be the same reason that others collect tractors or watch birds or landscape their homes...because they find it an interesting hobby. It's certainly not for everyone, but I find it an interesting idea.

...someone told us that he had a magic liquid, that just a gallon of it, that cost less than $3, could move a machine, that weighed over two tons with five people inside, 30 miles away, in less than half an hour, we would either be amazed, or say that he was crazy!!!!

Good point. But what if someone told us they could do the same thing, but didn't need any of the liquid at all?! Just plug this wire into the wall for a few hours and then go.