# is the GE Motors part#1351932 a good choice for EV conversion?



## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

is the GE Motors part#1351932
output 13.12 HP 9.8KW
36/48 volt DC motor
Rating 1hr 140 AU1840

sorry if this is a noob question


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

trops357 said:


> is the GE Motors part#1351932
> output 13.12 HP 9.8KW
> 36/48 volt DC motor
> Rating 1hr 140 AU1840
> ...


Maybe 

Sounds like a forklift motor. There are no catalogs for these. And I doubt anyone here recognizes that part #. So pictures, dimensions and weight are nice to see.

Also, no idea if you're converting a micro car or limo. And what you have in mind for the rest of the system.

http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/using-forklift-motor-and-choosing-good-7598.html

You could look over this thread and see if anything resembles your motor and what is said about it. Maybe it would have been a better place for you to post.

Anyway, welcome.

major


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

major said:


> So pictures,
> major


tryin to up pics


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

major said:


> Also, no idea if you're converting a micro car or limo. And what you have in mind for the rest of the system.
> major


an old toyota truck , or possibly something that would be lighter weight,
what model vehicles do well as conversions?


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

trops357 said:


> tryin to up pics


Looks like a great motor. Hard to tell the size. For small pick-ups, guys do well with 9 inch diameter motors. Yours could be 11 or 13 inch? A guy named Dennis runs a 13 inch in an S10 and is about the fastest street legal EV drag racer around. I think it is called smokescreen.

But if you just want a grocery getter, too big a motor just weighs you down and you never use it all. Not that I ever hear complaints about too big a motor, except the guy who put a 9 inch on a go cart


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

major said:


> Looks like a great motor. Hard to tell the size. For small pick-ups, guys do well with 9 inch diameter motors. Yours could be 11 or 13 inch? A guy named Dennis runs a 13 inch in an S10 and is about the fastest street legal EV drag racer around. I think it is called smokescreen.
> 
> But if you just want a grocery getter, too big a motor just weighs you down and you never use it all. Not that I ever hear complaints about too big a motor, except the guy who put a 9 inch on a go cart


thanks for the info. I'll be trying to get up to speed by reading the posts.


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## alvin (Jul 26, 2008)

trops357 said:


> is the GE Motors part#1351932
> output 13.12 HP 9.8KW
> 36/48 volt DC motor
> Rating 1hr 140 AU1840
> ...


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

alvin;187931
I am using that motor in a ranger. 144 volts 11 inch 250 lbs.
I pulled it from a Hyster forklift cleaned the outside and installed it.
I have 800 miles on it so far. I looked at the commutator over the weekend and see no difference from when I put it in. It has plenty of power and acceleration is very good. I really don't know the top speed
because I am not looking for the breaking point. 55 to 60 no problem.
alvin[/quote said:


> thank you for the reply and the info on your experience.
> its a long drive for the motor I pictured : (
> Yesterday I found a fairly close supply of a variety of elec forklift motors.
> I just need to search these forums for some good models to choose from.
> I will definatly see if he has the motor I mentioned in my original post.


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## alvin (Jul 26, 2008)

I bought my motor from a forklift repair shop / bone yard. They sold it to me for the scrap price. I think they liked the idea of an electric conversion. They even gave me the pump motor. 
Good Luck
Alvin


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## trops357 (Jun 15, 2010)

alvin said:


> I bought my motor from a forklift repair shop / bone yard. They sold it to me for the scrap price. I think they liked the idea of an electric conversion. They even gave me the pump motor.
> Good Luck
> Alvin


sweet deal, 
pump motor>?? more research, lol


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## Georgia Tech (Dec 5, 2008)

major said:


> Looks like a great motor. Hard to tell the size. For small pick-ups, guys do well with 9 inch diameter motors. Yours could be 11 or 13 inch? A guy named Dennis runs a 13 inch in an S10 and is about the fastest street legal EV drag racer around. I think it is called smokescreen.
> 
> But if you just want a grocery getter, too big a motor just weighs you down and you never use it all. Not that I ever hear complaints about too big a motor, except the guy who put a 9 inch on a go cart


yeah that would be me....lol..


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## Georgia Tech (Dec 5, 2008)

alvin said:


> trops357 said:
> 
> 
> > is the GE Motors part#1351932
> ...


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## Guest (Jun 18, 2010)

GE motors are real nice. Good rpms and good power and well built. 11" sounds nice. Should be able to do 156 volts or less. Be sure you have your brushes advanced for the higher voltages. 

Pete


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

As my dive into this ev thing I just picked up a GE #1351932 forklift motor and a 1972 VW Super Beetle. Where did you guys find a splined object to fit on the end of the GE shaft? Eveything people are doing seems to involve a keyed shaft on their electric motor. Since you guys used this motor I thought I'd bug you first. Thank you!


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## onegreenev (May 18, 2012)

Buggeee said:


> As my dive into this ev thing I just picked up a GE #1351932 forklift motor and a 1972 VW Super Beetle. Where did you guys find a splined object to fit on the end of the GE shaft? Eveything people are doing seems to involve a keyed shaft on their electric motor. Since you guys used this motor I thought I'd bug you first. Thank you!


Most people are still using keyed shafts. Not sure of the splined shaft but if you find a spline coupler to fit be sure its a good fit. One place in SanDiego is doing keyed shaft with an interference fit coupler. No chance for wobble or slippage or damage to the keyed shaft. Its solid tight. Those are best. They are using them on DC and mostly now AC motors. The GE is a good quality motor but its still best to have a keyed shaft. Reason, more choices for couplers and adapters. I still have a GE motor. Nice unit. But mine is a key shaft.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Here I will disagree with onegreen

Just about everything uses splined shafts - keyed shafts are rare in any industrial or automotive application

There are bound to be some but I can't think of any automotive application that uses a keyed shaft

Where a keyed shaft is used it is normal for the key to be an alignment aid and the actual loads to be transmitted by friction - this is especially true with a tapered shaft

Get the correct female spline to go with the male spline and you should be good for hundreds of thousands of miles


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

Since the forklift motor I have has the splined shaft, I'll be looking to find the correct size female splined object. Maybe I can get whatever the forklift originally had there. This was a traction drive motor. Does anyone know the industry name for the female splined part that goes on there? That would help my search terms as I have not yet found a parts diagram. From the model number searches this came from a Hyster forklift. Thank you EV fans!


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## alvin (Jul 26, 2008)

I called it a pinion gear. The Hyster dealer found the part ,they wanted $800 for it.

I went back to the junkyard and got it from the forklift that the motor came from.

Alvin


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi Bugee
Is that a dual shaft motor - a lot of them are
If it is in the forklift there will be a brake on the other end - and some (all) of them use the same spline on each end

If you can find the brake there will be a female spline piece in there that connects to the brake drum 

In my car I simply made a disc that bolted on to that part and onto the end of the prop shaft


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## onegreenev (May 18, 2012)

Duncan said:


> Here I will disagree with onegreen
> 
> Just about everything uses splined shafts - keyed shafts are rare in any industrial or automotive application
> 
> ...


Show me where he can go find an adaptor and coupler for a splined shaft? I am fully aware that splined shafts are common in industrial and automotive applications but for the DIY guys building conversions, the couplers for splined are pretty much non existent. That is where Im coming from.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi Onegreen

There will be a female splined bit on the forklift - all I did was machine up an adapter piece to fit that 

I had originally intended machining the clutch plate center to weld/bolt the splined part to
But as I did away with the gearbox I only had to make a simple plate to bolt the splined part to the propshaft end

Keyed shafts are OK IF you clamp them so that you are transmitting the torque through friction but if you are using the key you have a very short lived system


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## onegreenev (May 18, 2012)

Duncan said:


> Hi Onegreen
> 
> There will be a female splined bit on the forklift - all I did was machine up an adapter piece to fit that
> 
> ...


Yes but for the majority that don't have the ability to machine up something perfectly or have access to a reasonably priced machine shop that can do that perfectly the only option is a keyed shaft. Which by the way covers most everyone trying their hand at a DIY conversion. Those lucky enough to have their own machine shop and are skilled enough, super. The rest of us, not so much. Sucks but that is the reality of this issue. I have access to a machine shop that can do the work but the prices are higher than if I went out to purchase the most expensive adapter and coupler kit for a key shaft motor. Sucks but that is a reality too. Just giving a realistic perspective to anyone wanting to do a conversion and for those who jump in with both feet before digging up more information and finding out the decision may have cost them extra money right out of the gate. Our job is to hopefully get the information out before that happens so they have realistic expectations and knowledge to build a successful electric car conversion. It is no longer an experiment, it is a thing to build one. Its doable and the rewards fun.


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

Thank you all for great information. One end of the shaft (where the pinion gear might have been) is 1 and 5/8 inch with 25 splines and the other end (where the brake might have been) is 1 and 1/8 inch with 17 splines. They both have threaded holes in the end of the shaft to bolt on whatever The name "pinion gear" has been very useful in searches and I am coming up with results now. Those gears seem to be expensive, even used - but I may stumble on one. I have found a source for splined hubs for hydraulic farm and industrial uses, which are splined on the inside and smooth on the outside so those might make for a beginning. Also there seem to be splined hubs of various sizes as shapes for 4x4 drivetrains, my be one of those would be a start.


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## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

The splines should be standardized and the specifications listed somewhere like the machinists handbook. The web search will be a bit trying, but you should be able to input the model number of the motor and see what it goes into, or what sae spec the shaft is and ditto. I would bet somebody makes a transmission for a vehicle that uses this.


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

Ev Duuuuudes! I think I found it. I Googled endlessly and found that some old Ford Tractors have a 1 and 5/8 inch 25 spline clutch disk so I ordered one for 55 bucks!!! (The least expensive forklift pinion gear I could find was about $300). Lots of you guys are tearing the center out of the ICE clutch to make the transmission side of the coupler so I'm going to try tearing the center out of this tractor clutch to make the electic motor side of the coupler. Tractors have lots of torque right? Wish me luck!


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

....and it seems that some old Case Tractors have a clutch with a 1 and 1/8 inch 17 spline center so I ordered one of those for another 50 bucks. I'll save that so I have something to make a pully for the rear shaft of the motor if I ever put it in a different vehicle that has power steering or whatever. Too much fun


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

These old Tractor clutch discs seem to come in every conceivable diameter and spline number configuration known to man. I bet diy spline shafted folks could get lucky in this tractor clutch disk world of parts no matter what they are looking for. Does someone know how to link this into the forklift motor thread or the coupler thread or wherever it might be helpful? (Thank you Mod I don't know how to navigate forums at all). Keep on Buggin!


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

Alright! The antique tractor clutch discs have arrived. 

The rear shaft one fits perfectly - meaning it just barely gets started on the spline shaft and I'd have to hammer it on the rest of the way and then install the end bolt, so that one would be a very, very snug attachment.

The front one however slides right on all the way by hand and has the tiniest bit of slack so you can feel the tiny little click as you rotate the motor back and forth by the disk. I have to think that will never do under load as the throttle is applied and released it must just beat those splines out of existence. Any chance there is a method to tighten that fit? Or perhaps I'll just weld that part to the shaft once it's on? In the meantime I may order a different model with the same specs and see If get lucky with a tighter fit like on the rear one. Any Ideas are greatly welcomed!


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

Tapping on the shaft carefully is not too bad but hammering on a spline probably would ruin the locked motor bearing, which would be troublesome to replace if something was welded on shaft. Yes there are ways to remedy a loose fit. Sounds like you would benefit from getting a machinist to have a look at it.


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

For the slightly tight end - Glad to have received your advice before I started beating up the motor bearing. It's a double ended shaft so if I tap on it at all I'll make sure the other end is against something hard to take the shock through the shaft (end to end) rather than have the shaft held in place by the internal bearings. The motor is not installed yet.

For the slightly loose end - does anyone have any ideas as to the methods or words used to describe how to slightly tighten a splined object on a splined shaft? Jargon can be useful for searches. I know I can shim handlebars in a bike for example. 

Thank you all


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

Buggeee said:


> For the slightly tight end - Glad to have received your advice before I started beating up the motor bearing. It's a double ended shaft so if I tap on it at all I'll make sure the other end is against something hard to take the shock through the shaft (end to end) rather than have the shaft held in place by the internal bearings. The motor is not installed yet.
> 
> For the slightly loose end - does anyone have any ideas as to the methods or words used to describe how to slightly tighten a splined object on a splined shaft? Jargon can be useful for searches. I know I can shim handlebars in a bike for example.
> 
> Thank you all


I can't recall the process name but a machinist should know. It's like a metal deposition on a worn bearing journal adding several .001" and then ground to size .0001's. Not sure it'd work on spline. Need to determine which part is out of spec. On female spline may be able to plate it. It should be able to live with a slip fit but not loose. Even tight ones will loosen a bit when hot. I can't tell what you have from here... why I recommended have a pro look at it.


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## nucleus (May 18, 2012)

Buggeee said:


> Alright! The antique tractor clutch discs have arrived.
> 
> The rear shaft one fits perfectly - meaning it just barely gets started on the spline shaft and I'd have to hammer it on the rest of the way and then install the end bolt, so that one would be a very, very snug attachment.
> 
> The front one however slides right on all the way by hand and has the tiniest bit of slack so you can feel the tiny little click as you rotate the motor back and forth by the disk. I have to think that will never do under load as the throttle is applied and released it must just beat those splines out of existence. Any chance there is a method to tighten that fit? Or perhaps I'll just weld that part to the shaft once it's on? In the meantime I may order a different model with the same specs and see If get lucky with a tighter fit like on the rear one. Any Ideas are greatly welcomed!


For the tight fit, I recommend heating the female side and chilling the male side, they should drop into place and when the temperatures equalize have a nice tight fit.

I don't have a solution for the slack...


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

How loose are you talking?
can you get hold of an old gearbox and compare the fit of the splines at the clutch end with the splines on the clutch plate?
Or the output end to the splines on the propshaft?

Neither of these is "tight"


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

Fantastic ideas. 

For the tight one - Heat on the female side would be just enough expansion to get it on without abusing it because I'd does start by hand.

For the loose one - thank you for the theory and related jargon as it really helps the visualization for me and will help me communicate with the machinist. (I wasn't ignoring that advice to talk to a machinist and I have a friend from years ago who is in manufacturing - and he was a first year adopter of the Prius, so this will be a great excuse to see what he's up to these days). In the meantime though I have the ICE and couple flywheels with clutch packs in boxes out there so I can't wait to get out there and check the fit of the bug's clutch on the transaxle to see how tight that actually is. She came home in a basket so everything is readily accessible to play with. The tractor clutch to GE motor fit on the loose end is not sloppy at all. You can just feel a little click to it when you change directions while rotating it.


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## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

Well for starters, you could bell the end by whacking on it with a hammer. That tightens the fit, but only for a 1/4 inch. A press and a torch is needed to do the whole shaft, essentially trading length into diameter. You can spraylat or hard chrome plate more material on the splines but that is pricey. If you are good at brazing, you could add braze to opposite splines until the fit is snug. I suspect the motor shaft had a lousy fit to the original splined shaft on the forklift and the owner just ran it that way until...

Get someone to mike the shaft and the motor and see how far off they are. Sounds like a case for tig welding.


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

me < dunder-mifflin head. 

Issue resolved. I noticed that the GE motor shaft has a slight outward taper or ramp to each of the splines at the inner part of the shaft just before it enters the motor housing. The tractor clutch has enough depth to get pushed into the recess until it bottoms out on the tapers while having the disk still clear the motor housing. Snug as a bug in a rug. This leaves about a half inch of shaft sticking out so a spacer or coupler component there will allow the end bolt to sandwich it all on there tight. I was picturing a spacer on the inside but just by switching a spacer to the outside and the clutch part to the inside the issue resolves cleanly because of those tapers.

Now I'm graduating to the threads about couplers... life is good.

In the meantime, if anyone could point me to a handy thread about advancing brushes that would be quite kind... its an 11" motor labeled for 36 and 48 volts and I'd like to run it at 120 or 144 based on the speed and acceleration stats people are posting on these bug conversions. I'll go surf around in here and see what I find.

Thank you everybody.


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

finding lots of advancing threads so good there too. enjoy the ride


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

alvin said:


> trops357 said:
> 
> 
> > is the GE Motors part#1351932
> ...


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## Buggeee (Dec 11, 2016)

Duncan said:


> How loose are you talking?
> can you get hold of an old gearbox and compare the fit of the splines at the clutch end with the splines on the clutch plate?
> Or the output end to the splines on the propshaft?
> 
> Neither of these is "tight"


For the future information of anyone working with one of these GE 11" spline shaft motors, I got a vw clutch plate and slid it on the splined shaft of the vw transaxle like Duncan recommended and the fit feels exactly like the Ford tractor clutch plate slid on the splined shaft of the GE electric forklift motor. Neither one is sloppy and neither one is smashed-together-tight either.

So I think the coupler is a simpler matter now. Remove the centers of the two clutch disks and bolt them together. I'll need a spacer between them to account for the inch of non-splined VW shaft that would have gone into the pilot bearing of the VW flywheel. The GE side of the spacer will need a face with a hole in the center to bolt the assembly to the GE shaft with the threaded hole that is in the center of the GE shaft. So the spacer will look like a cup with a hole drilled in the bottom. The center of the Ford tractor clutch will be bolted to the bottom of the cup and the center of the VW clutch will be bolted to the top of the cup. One bolt through the center of the bottom of the cup will hold the coupler assembly to the GE shaft and then it slides onto the VW shaft when I mount the motor to the transaxle.


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