# Controller recommendation



## evmetro (Apr 9, 2012)

I am in the market for a controller for a 12 volt 3/4 hp Leeson motor. I have this motor on a walk behind power wagon (basically a 3 wheeled powered wheelbarrow), and it has worked great the last two years since I swapped out the Briggs and Stratton for this electric motor. The drive axle on this rig has 3 speeds, reverse and neutral, so I did not need to worry about anything but coupling the Leeson motor to the input pulley of the drive axle/ transmission. The whole project was done with misc parts that I had laying around, so no money out. Since the max speed of this power wagon is a fast walk, I have been successfully engaging the motor with a contactor, but obviously, I experience a starting lurch and I really doubt that the motor enjoys this perpetual inrush of max current. I am having troubles sourcing an appropriate controller for this rig, and was hoping that somebody may have an economical suggestion? The motor ratings are 12 VDC, 60 amps, 1800 rpm. During peek demands, I can pop a 40 amp fuse, but with a 60 amp fuse and 8 gauge cable, it pulls 750 pounds of load plus it's own weight of 500 pounds up 50 feet of 12% grade with ease at a normal walking speed. This is all the power wagon does, and I can confirm that a $50 Chinese controller from ebay is barely enough to make this wagon move when it is empty and on flat ground... Suggestions?


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## steelneck (Apr 19, 2013)

I recently built a heater control for my 4500W heater. A small 12V PWM module based around a 555 IC driving a 20A/600V SSR. With two or three such SSRs in parallel i think something like that could drive your motor just fine.


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

Hi met,

12V motor controllers are not too common. Curtis might make such a thing but dealers may not carry the models. I hesitate to say Kelly, but I have seen a couple guys use a 12V controller from them. With Kelly, you had better get 3 times (or at minimum twice) the rating you need. They are notorious for over rating their controllers.

There are 12V pallet jacks where you might scavenge a controller. 

major


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## ken will (Dec 19, 2009)

evmetro said:


> The motor ratings are 12 VDC, 60 amps, 1800 rpm.


This one claims it will handle 60 amps.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-50V-60A-...573?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a95af01a5


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## evmetro (Apr 9, 2012)

Thanks fellas for the replies. I have considered going for a 24 volt controller so that I could canibalize one from a mobility scooter, but I also have an electric actuator for the bed dump, plus a bunch of 12 volt relay coils. Guess I will just keep my eyes out and watch craigslist for a pallet jack...


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## evmetro (Apr 9, 2012)

ken will said:


> This one claims it will handle 60 amps.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-50V-60A-...573?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a95af01a5


I picked up a couple different ones like that last year, and they were not worthy. I believe I may have that exact one still mounted to the power cart. Since it was just enough to move the cart around empty, I have the tiny controller wired to one side of an on-off-on switch. I can get the cart moving a little with the switch in the controller position, and then flip the toggle switch all the way down the other direction, which switches from the controller relay to the direct drive contactor. When you do it really fast, you can barely feel the cart switch from the unworthy controller to direct current. The only problem with this routine is that it is too much to do in tight quarters and can lead to an out of control cart until my brain catches up to how to control it. Since 1st gear is unbelievably slow and I can shift the three speeds on the fly, I usually just leave the toggle in direct current mode and live with the small lurch in first gear. Hoakey, but no money invested. Now I am ready to spend a little to make it right.


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