Pretty cool to have your own "forklift" tractor.

Looks like the steering wheel won the toss over the joystick.

I'm still liking it a lot. :thumbup:

Nope we put in an actuator tried it at 12V & it worked but slowly so switched to 24V and due to a design error (mine) broke the clevis at the motor end of the actuator. Have. a new actuator on order.
The steering wheel is toast, it would be a major to fix.
Can any one tell me this.
I have a 4 golf cart batt set up for moving the tractor, and a separate 12 v batt for the forklift winch, what harm if I link the two sets of batts just for the actuator so we have 36V at the actuator. The batts get charged separately and the actuator uses very little power.

What voltage is the actuator designed for? Slight overvoltage with intermittent duty cycle might not kill it (as quickly), but feeding it 50% higher than design voltage sounds a bit iffy. :-)

Charlie

The actuator is a 24V Linak off a hospital bed, the only electrics are a PM motor & the overload switch which is mechanicaly triggered. Not worried so much about the actuator going over voltage. concerned more about using a 12V marine batt in series with a bank of 4 t105's for the small load of the actuator, while continuing to use the GC batts for moving the tractor, and the 12V batt for the forklift winch. The only circuit at 36V will be the actuator which is momentary. Just wonderiing what the experts think of a bit of haywire electrics???

Danger is that each system is grounded. As long as you're just 'tapping' off various voltages with common grounds all to the negative end of the battery string you shoul be ok. Draw the schematic and send before applying power.

Piked up the new actuator yesterday, swapped out the broken part as the new actuator has a shorter neck on it.
Bolted it in and took it for a quick shakedown an hour ago, so far so good, running it at 24V so there is no need for the other battery. Which was never grounded to frame, so if we do decide to tap into it we can, the other way I can speed up the action if needed is to move the actuator closer to the spindle which will increase the load, but reduce the travel.
It is a bit weird, and will take some getting used to I still turn the wheel and nothing happens.
Tomorrow will finish the electrics and we should be back in business.

Tractor is back in service, on light duty until we are sure the bugs are fixed.
Removed the steering wheel and let SWMBO try er out, she thinks it is a bit weird, but got the tractor to the place she wanted to go.Would like to put on a game joystick maybe & replace the solenoid/resistor speed control, as funds allow, then it will be on to my next project a ford 100 that would lend itself to battery power.

Glad to hear its back in action nibs.

The F100 project sounds very interesting too!

Same photos as before, but the last two show the actuator and steering switch.
AKA joy stick.
Sorry I cannot bring the pics over, but perhaps some one would like to, no need for the old ones, just the steering.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/techni...57655044675279

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1441896236

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1441896236

If you do the F100 project, please consider posting it on EcoModder. Lots of DIY EV conversions of road vehicles there.