Just ran Sparky the electric tractor.

nibs · 09-12-11, 04:09 PM

Have been puttering with the conversion on a Craftsman II (917 mod) Today built a quick and dirty battery mount and hooked up the wiring. Hopped on and toured around the yard. The motor is a series wound 3.5 HP (@ 24 Volts) and I am using the original resistance speed control. Since that type of speed control is not efficient except at full power, we will try to use it at full power and use the gears to control speed. No pictures until all the "haywire" is prettied up, which probably means next year. But hey we are all excited about having joined the electric club.

nibs · 09-18-11, 09:14 PM

Spent the last two days mounting the speed control with a foot pedal, swmbo says Mr Goldberg would like it. Now she can drive it, it is easier than driving the car.

Ryland · 09-18-11, 11:58 PM

why a foot pedal?? why not just a twist knob throttle?

nibs · 09-19-11, 11:05 AM

Put in a pedal for a couple of reasons,
1) wanted a dead man switch, because there are no other safeties on the tractor.
2) for the first couple of days I put the speed control (slider type) on the dash cowl with a vise grip, so that it was hand operated, found that I tended to use the brake pedal for speed control, the motor tried to fight it, something was going to break. There is no clutch on the drive line.
With the foot pedal the tendency is to take my foot off the gas before using the brake, if we find that other drivers are trying to use the brake while the motor is running, I will add a brake pedal switch to shut off the motor if you press the brake pedal.
Tony

Edit to note the tractor is a gear jammer, rather than hydrostatic

nibs · 06-13-12, 07:50 PM

Our electric tractor is doing fine, we have 4 used 6V golf cart batts, rescued from the golf course, really pulls well and is very quiet. Still not happy with the foot speed control, but every time I work on it it gets a bit better. I have a fork lift attachment for the front end, which will help with building our rock walls. We mostly use the tractor for towing, and so far it has worked very well, it will out pull our smaller gas powered tractor which we pretty much use only for mowing now.

Daox · 06-13-12, 09:48 PM

Glad to hear its working out. Got any pictures?

nibs · 06-13-12, 11:55 PM

Haven't done any pics, they would only show four golf cart batts where the engine used to be, and an electric motor under the floor between the footrests.

nibs · 05-11-13, 11:33 PM

Today I put a small mower deck on the front of sparky, had a 24V motor and blade from a battery powered push mower so it mows a 20" swath, works fine, in the next few days will rip apart another battery powered push mower and mount it on the deck then we will be able to mow like the big boys. I find that having the deck out front allows me to get the mower deck into places that my old (just died) riding mower would not. SWMBO would not let me take apart the 2nd batt mower because it was the only way we had to mow, now with proof of concept I get the other mower. (grin)
Tony.

nibs · 05-13-13, 10:49 PM

Mounted the second mower motor & blade today, it is sweet, quiet and cuts pretty well. I may lower the deck a little, but it is a bit rough here while we are building.
Still have to work out the wiring, right now I just put a jumper to the positive post on the batt bank. Will probably get around to putting on a relay when time is available.
Tony

Daox · 05-14-13, 11:44 AM

Sounds cool. Got any pictures?

09-12-11, 04:09 PM	#1
nibs Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 206 Thanks: 1 Thanked 18 Times in 17 Posts	Just ran Sparky the electric tractor. Have been puttering with the conversion on a Craftsman II (917 mod) Today built a quick and dirty battery mount and hooked up the wiring. Hopped on and toured around the yard. The motor is a series wound 3.5 HP (@ 24 Volts) and I am using the original resistance speed control. Since that type of speed control is not efficient except at full power, we will try to use it at full power and use the gears to control speed. No pictures until all the "haywire" is prettied up, which probably means next year. But hey we are all excited about having joined the electric club.

09-19-11, 11:05 AM	#4
nibs Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 206 Thanks: 1 Thanked 18 Times in 17 Posts	Put in a pedal for a couple of reasons, 1) wanted a dead man switch, because there are no other safeties on the tractor. 2) for the first couple of days I put the speed control (slider type) on the dash cowl with a vise grip, so that it was hand operated, found that I tended to use the brake pedal for speed control, the motor tried to fight it, something was going to break. There is no clutch on the drive line. With the foot pedal the tendency is to take my foot off the gas before using the brake, if we find that other drivers are trying to use the brake while the motor is running, I will add a brake pedal switch to shut off the motor if you press the brake pedal. Tony Edit to note the tractor is a gear jammer, rather than hydrostatic Last edited by nibs; 09-19-11 at 11:09 AM..

06-13-12, 09:48 PM	#6
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Glad to hear its working out. Got any pictures? __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

05-14-13, 11:44 AM	#10
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Sounds cool. Got any pictures? __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

09-18-11, 09:14 PM	#2
nibs Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 206 Thanks: 1 Thanked 18 Times in 17 Posts	Spent the last two days mounting the speed control with a foot pedal, swmbo says Mr Goldberg would like it. Now she can drive it, it is easier than driving the car.

09-18-11, 11:58 PM	#3
Ryland Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Western Wisconsin. Posts: 913 Thanks: 127 Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts	why a foot pedal?? why not just a twist knob throttle?

06-13-12, 07:50 PM	#5
nibs Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 206 Thanks: 1 Thanked 18 Times in 17 Posts	Our electric tractor is doing fine, we have 4 used 6V golf cart batts, rescued from the golf course, really pulls well and is very quiet. Still not happy with the foot speed control, but every time I work on it it gets a bit better. I have a fork lift attachment for the front end, which will help with building our rock walls. We mostly use the tractor for towing, and so far it has worked very well, it will out pull our smaller gas powered tractor which we pretty much use only for mowing now.

06-13-12, 11:55 PM	#7
nibs Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 206 Thanks: 1 Thanked 18 Times in 17 Posts	Haven't done any pics, they would only show four golf cart batts where the engine used to be, and an electric motor under the floor between the footrests.

05-11-13, 11:33 PM	#8
nibs Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 206 Thanks: 1 Thanked 18 Times in 17 Posts	Today I put a small mower deck on the front of sparky, had a 24V motor and blade from a battery powered push mower so it mows a 20" swath, works fine, in the next few days will rip apart another battery powered push mower and mount it on the deck then we will be able to mow like the big boys. I find that having the deck out front allows me to get the mower deck into places that my old (just died) riding mower would not. SWMBO would not let me take apart the 2nd batt mower because it was the only way we had to mow, now with proof of concept I get the other mower. (grin) Tony.

05-13-13, 10:49 PM	#9
nibs Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 206 Thanks: 1 Thanked 18 Times in 17 Posts	Mounted the second mower motor & blade today, it is sweet, quiet and cuts pretty well. I may lower the deck a little, but it is a bit rough here while we are building. Still have to work out the wiring, right now I just put a jumper to the positive post on the batt bank. Will probably get around to putting on a relay when time is available. Tony