# Need opinions on Meidensha Forlift Motor



## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi Trops

I think your pictures show both ends - is that so?
looks like a female end on the drive shaft

Could cause problems with your drive adapter


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

Duncan said:


> Hi Trops
> 
> I think your pictures show both ends - is that so?
> looks like a female end on the drive shaft
> ...


Aye, that totally slipped my mind when I found out it was 
only gonna cost me $20.00. Thanks for pointing out the obvious!!!

Mike


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## rillip3 (Jun 19, 2009)

without seeing the usual stat plate or knowing what model, it's hard to tell what kind of motor it is. As was pointed out, it is female, making the adapter more difficult, but $20 is a heck of a price, might be worth a little extra effort in the fabrication. But again, without seeing the plate or knowing the model, it's nearly impossible to know if it was any good for your conversion.


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

rillip3 said:


> without seeing the usual stat plate or knowing what model, it's hard to tell what kind of motor it is. As was pointed out, it is female, making the adapter more difficult, but $20 is a heck of a price, might be worth a little extra effort in the fabrication. But again, without seeing the plate or knowing the model, it's nearly impossible to know if it was any good for your conversion.


Ok, We will probally still pull it out. 
From what I have read it seems that I should not apply more than 12v to test the motor unless it has a load on it. Are there any simple methods to 
add load temporarilly to the motor so that it can be tested at higher voltages?

I have some electrical/electronics background. My friend has a nice size shop and is good at fabrication. We're gonna do the conversion at his shop.

Gonna try to keep video record of it all, been watching yours today .
Gotta try to get info on inspections and insurance for EV conversion in VA.


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## rillip3 (Jun 19, 2009)

trops357 said:


> Ok, We will probally still pull it out. I am trying to keep down as much fabrication as possible. Virginia is a Commonwealth State. The word "Commonwealth" is derrived from the word "Communism". The state comes first here. I have never seen a state that has so many extra laws and restrictions on everything. Everytime I attempt something, the state tells me that I cant. I go online and check 10 other states and they have yet to have laws that make things so difficult. I would move in a fraction of a heartbeat, but my wife's family is here.
> 
> I can give several specific examples, but wont go into them in this thread.
> 
> ...


I hear you on the regulations. Good luck! 

You're right, you should not put very much voltage into it without a load. The easiest way is to attach it to a dynamo. But on a wild guess, you don't have one just lying about. Really, you just need to create some resistance. 

I'm not sure why you'd want to run it at a high voltage without it being attached to something, but if you could attach a shaft and connect it to something like a car brake setup, that would create resistance for it. Or you can use it as a generator; attach some magnets to a shaft, run the magnets through a metal coil, have the coil attach to a resistor (either doing something, like a light-bulb, battery charger, fan, whatever, or just getting hot). 

Those are just a couple of ideas that come to mind, may not be the best ways.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi Trops

Why would you test it at high voltage?

See if it spins at 12v - otherwise visual inspection or resistance measurement

I can't think of anything that a high voltage test would tell you


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

Duncan said:


> Hi Trops
> 
> Why would you test it at high voltage?
> 
> ...


OK, I guess I dont need to test it at higher voltage.
From reading the forums, it looks like to me , and I coould be very wrong since I am so new to this, that folks are using 35/46v motors and applying 144vdc to them. So I though the motor might need to be tested at that voltage also.


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## rillip3 (Jun 19, 2009)

trops357 said:


> OK, I guess I dont need to test it at higher voltage.
> From reading the forums, it looks like to me , and I coould be very wrong since I am so new to this, that folks are using 35/46v motors and applying 144vdc to them. So I though the motor might need to be tested at that voltage also.


Nah. It'll either move or it won't. If there's something stopping it, like a bad bearing, something jammed or locked, a short circuit, etc. it will show itself at low voltage.


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

Hello,
It seems that I photographed the wrong motor before, that was the hydraulic motor. 
I have attached photos of the correct motor here...

Not sure if this is a series motor or not. It looked like it had 4 places for power , not just 2. My understanding was that 2 poles are for SERIES motors, (thats what I need??correct??). And that 4 pole was not series, and not usable.

I think the photo of the name plate is clear enuf for yall to see. 
Might grab the hydraulic motor too, since it has to be removed to get to the big motor.

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo253/trops/?action=view&current=s_ForkliftMotor2005.jpg

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo253/trops/?action=view&current=s_ForkliftMotor2001.jpg

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo253/trops/?action=view&current=s_ForkliftMotor2006.jpg



If anyone gets to read this mesasge , let me know if its not worth pulling this motor. Its about out, but I dont want to pay for it , if it is not a series motor.

thanks


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

Hi again. 
After getting the motor off, turns out it weight was 280 lbs. The price was going to be $100.00

So I had to leave it there. I tried to use jumper cables from my running truck battery, and touched the terminals on the motor. I tried several different configurations on the 4 posts, including trying them all and using the motor housing as ground.

It never moved. The shaft turns freely though.
I have added some more pics with the motor compleatly removed.
Was a 12v battery not enuf to push it??
adding more pics.

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo253/trops/?action=view&current=s_ForkliftMotor3010.jpg

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo253/trops/?action=view&current=s_ForkliftMotor3008.jpg

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo253/trops/?action=view&current=s_ForkliftMotor3007.jpg

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo253/trops/?action=view&current=s_ForkliftMotor3006.jpg

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo253/trops/?action=view&current=s_ForkliftMotor3001.jpg

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo253/trops/?action=view&current=s_ForkliftMotor3011.jpg

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo253/trops/?action=view&current=s_ForkliftMotor2005.jpg

Let me know if there is another way I should be testing the motor??
Continuity, check for short, Do you think it is worth $100.00 if it runs????
at 280 lb, isnt that too much weight? 100-150 lb , I think that what I read the limit was.

Thanks for taking time to look.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi Trops

As a non expert!

The motor I bought weighs 102Kg nearly as heavy as yours!
And I paid $100 for it - I was told that it was worth that as scrap metal!

You need to determine if it is SEPEX (bad) or series (good)

Can you see the field coil windings - a series motor will have big rectangular hunks of copper
SEPEX will have feeble little coils

Making it go

There should be four big terminals - two going to the brushes - two to the field coils

You need to feed power one brush connection and one field connection
the other brush and field connection need to be connected together

I put the jump leads on one brush and one field and used a spanner to short the other two

Be careful mine kicked with torque reaction

Nothing should connect to ground!

If you make a mistake and connect your battery across the brushes or field coils it probably wont hurt the motor (not so sure about the battery)


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

Duncan said:


> Hi Trops
> 
> As a non expert!
> 
> ...


 Thank you , I will go back and look at it again.
Aye the price of scrap, blew the price way past what i was expecting.

I saw so many posts about motors needing to be between 100-150lbs. 
So I thought this motor was going to be too heavy.

Still not sure if it might be too heavy, I am going to have to go lead acid bats in the begining.

thank you for the information.


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

I wired the motor up and it did try to turn some, not much tho ,had to give the shaft a little start spin and it would continue a little. 
The brushes may not be close enuf to the armature. Need to clean the springs and brushes. I took 600v household wire to jump the brush pole to the field pole. One of the jump wires started to smok after a minute of testing. how big a guage wire do I need to short out those poles? Or do I need a metal Bar/ plate thing , like I have seen on battery banks??
Gonna put some video up on youtube.
search for trops357 on youtube.

Here are a few pics of the motor on the back of my ICE truck.





































Is there anything else I should grab off the forklift? 

Thanks!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkxNcaQmlYU


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

Here is the schematic off the Toyota forklift


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

I was asked to post the forklift's serial number plaque, here it is...


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## albano (Jan 12, 2009)

Hi trops,

This motor is the same motor as we put it on a Nissan 1400 pick up,
They are 4.8kw and it is quiet strong motor as we did 216Nm torque at .500RPM at 144 volts.

We machine the front cover round.


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

albano said:


> Hi trops,
> 
> This motor is the same motor as we put it on a Nissan 1400 pick up,
> They are 4.8kw and it is quiet strong motor as we did 216Nm torque at .500RPM at 144 volts.
> ...


OK, thanks a bunch. I thought we might have to cut part of the plate away from the front. I was comptemplating taking off the pulley from the rear of the motor. I see you have a pully on yours that is hooked up to something? What is it hooked too?

I hope I can get mine to shine up like yours. I can see from your picture that you did a really professional job on your conversion!!


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## albano (Jan 12, 2009)

trops357 said:


> OK, thanks a bunch. I thought we might have to cut part of the plate away from the front. I was comptemplating taking off the pulley from the rear of the motor. I see you have a pully on yours that is hooked up to something? What is it hooked too?
> 
> I hope I can get mine to shine up like yours. I can see from your picture that you did a really professional job on your conversion!!



Thank Trops,

The pulley was for some experimental but it not necessary as i remove it, unless you need a power steering.


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## M1chaels33 (Jun 25, 2010)

Your diagram is showing a series motor, your good to go.


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## dcbusman (Aug 13, 2013)

albano said:


> Hi trops,
> 
> This motor is the same motor as we put it on a Nissan 1400 pick up,
> They are 4.8kw and it is quiet strong motor as we did 216Nm torque at .500RPM at 144 volts.
> ...


 Did you retain the clutch or is it direct ? Nice job btw !!


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

I got a lot of gears with it, not sure about an actual clutch though.
Unfortunatly, It was taking too long to come up with money for the project. I have since sold the truck and motor .


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