Golf Cart Welder

[kuntrywelder]

Update, I took the afternoon off and played. Modified frame and mounted Bluestar 140 on Cushman golf cart. Looks bad enough to bite but probably wont. A 2 mile test drive with current set at 110 amps was a little dissapointing. Speed wasn't bad on level ground but we have some very steep hills around here and it slowed badly. Increasing the amps to 140 gave me more power but heated the motor noticably. May finish project or rethink it after dropping back to punt. I believe it would work better with a 24 Volt motor of the same HP rating but I may not be able to find one. We'll see. Thanks to all for input. Expect Mr. Cushman is rolling over in his grave about now....

[kuntrywelder]

Hello, I have been thinking, usually a dangerous thing for me, what if I hooked a 12V battery up in series with the 25V welding current? Would I then get the required 36 or so volts? Would the battery stay charged? Would the leads need to be disconnected when not running to keep the battery from discharging through the welder head? The battery is dead on the welder anyway and I have been using the rope to start it, I could replace it with either a starter or deep cycle battery. Any ideas?

[roady89]

Your battery will explode....seriously. Please do not do that.

[scottyb]

Well i guess that kinda wraps it up for this weekend?
Later

[kuntrywelder]

Roady89, I appreciate the warning and took it seriously. I covered the battery for safety before trying it. It actually worked well with the current backed down to 110 and the RPMs slowed down to a reasonable level on the welder. Performance was improved and the motor did not seem to be heating during a 2 mile road test. Tried a 6 mile one and fried the motor. I think it was more a function of a 30 plus year old motor than the current I was driving it with. I will now punt and install a small Honda engine I adapted a variable speed drive to a couple of years back on another project. Just mechanical engineering on this, no sweat. Thanks

[scottyb]

Those older electric motors were much more durable than todays models. Many of them are running around on 48 to 72 volt systems today. You know that rear end has no reverse, right?

[Bulky]

Got any pictures of the project?

[roady89]

LOL! If you weren't gonna listen anyways then why bother asking. The reason your motor burnt up is lack of voltage and too many amps. Kinda like running a grinder off the 110 side of an SA200 when its putting out too much or not enough voltage.....brownouts are worse, they burn up grinders and drills faster than too much power.

The reason I said "it will explode" is because the battery has internal resistance. Your forcing current "through" the battery no matter how you look at it, the longer you run it in series the more heat it will generate because of this resistance. It might work for a little while and it "might" not explode but I guarantee the battery won't be any good if you keep doing it.

anyways...... Good luck with your project. Looks like your gonna need it. LaTeR!

[kuntrywelder]

Scotty, maybe I leapt to an incorrect conclusion in assuming the motor fried. I was unaware the old motors were so durable. I am on more comfortable ground with a mechanical solution anyway. I know I will have no reverse but without those heavy batteries I can use the "armstrong reverse mechanism" if nothing else. Would probably forget the welder on board and just use it for pickups and deliveries. Bulky I did not take pictures because I wasn't finished, just testing, it does look like it's mean enough to do something with that welder on it but the paint and seats are trash. Thanks

[kuntrywelder]

Roady, I did listen, that's why I covered it for safety. I have seen everything from 9V to heavy equipment batteries explode when improperly charged or handled. I am no expert on electricity so I cannot address your conclusions. After I towed it home I had 3 custormers waiting on me so all I have done is check the welder and battery, both check out fine. I asssumed the motor fried because of it's age. Anyway I will probably go another route, all I'm trying to do is cut my gasoline cost in my business operation. Thanks