need some help guys...gotta power the wagon...

[trickf100]

...okay... new to this site... love it...what i have built is a wagon i use for auto swap meets... over the years it has expanded to a tandem axle with a rack on the back for beer cooler...and yes of course can holders... its totally cool and works wonderful...however...getting heavy and a pain to pull...it has 6 inch rims with pneumatic tires off the front of lawn tractors...was wanting to power this wagon with an electric motor...besides purchasing a mobility scooter and using it guts...was thinking about using an atv winch motor used to raising and lowering a plow blade that i have...only need walking speed...it should have plenty of torque...question is...will it overheat??? and what's the best battery setup??? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...thanks...

 

[r97]

find out its power, 1.5hp, or maybe 200, watts??? should get you to 10mph, youl also need controller, throttel, batteries, and maybe more.
you should add this to you wagon http://www.harborfreight.com/16-oz-can-crusher-46406.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/multi-load-can-crusher-95678.html

 

[trickf100]

thanks r97...unfort. i can't find any specs. online for this motor... no tags on motor either...its about the size of a beer can...maybe a bit shorter...i don't know what else to tell you....straight 12 volt... with reverse switch and relays...ran motor with a large battery charger and notice unit got warm fairly quickly...

 

[r97]

you may want to consider just buying an electric motor, 1.5 or 2hp shouldn't be too expensive

 

[KieranM]

got any pics, might help identify it

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Winches aren't generally happy with continuous duty.

I have heard (I don't know firsthand) that cordless lawnmowers are an excellent source for DC motors for projects like this.

 

[r97]

just buy a new 2hp electric motor and a beer can crusher (link above)

 

[trickf100]

thanks guys for the info...do you have any resources for new motors...what type of battery do you recommend...whats the formula for converting wattage to horsepower...and toystory, if i go with a used dc mower , would i have to gear down the motor or just use a controller...i would liketo keep this on a 12 volt app. if possible...i have found a majority of motors for electric scooters seem to be 24 volt.. thanks again guys...and the can crusher...great idea...

 

[r97]

just google 2hp electric motor, you should find a decent site with good prices pretty soon. just about any motor you use will need to be geared down, i think 24v is a bit more common but if you are only requiring about 2hp you shouldn't have trouble finding 12v, you can always run 12v through a 24v motor, it just wont work as well.

 

[zabac70]

just google 2hp electric motor, you should find a decent site with good prices pretty soon. just about any motor you use will need to be geared down, i think 24v is a bit more common but if you are only requiring about 2hp you shouldn't have trouble finding 12v, you can always run 12v through a 24v motor, it just wont work as well.

NO! Running 24V motor on 12 V can burn it (if it is in use for some period of time), because , motor will draw twice the rated amperage in order to have same power (less RPM too). It can be regulated , but , what is the point? Besides , that kind of regulation costs significant amount of money.
There is no simple formula to calculate HP from Watts , because it's all about efficiency of the motor and system (which is , in general , but not precise , four times more efficient than ICU). By eye balling it , I think that you are looking for 400 W (500 W to be on the safe side , and that will pull with 24 V system - like it does on e bikes). You can try to salvage some 12 V battery operated drill, and that will propel your wagon just fine , with proper gearing.

 

[r97]

for got to mention the controller regulator thinga-ma-bop, you could do this, custom motors may look better tha a drill sticking out the back though.
http://dpxsystems.com/

 

[trickf100]

thanks guys.. i guess i am looking at a 4-500 watt motor with a gear box and preferable in 24 volt...does this mean two 12 volt batteries or do they make a 24 volt battery for this application...

 

[r97]

http://www.monsterscooterparts.com/24-volt-350-watt-motor-controller-throttle-kit.html

http://www.monsterscooterparts.com/ramxbapsetof.html

http://www.monsterscooterparts.com/wanto24vo16a.html, you may need to add a jack shaft because this motor has no gear box, cant beat the motor kits price though! (i hope its a good motor, any thoughts on razor motors???)

 

[zabac70]

If you buy lead(SLA is for this) battery , you can connect two in series to get 24 V , otherwise you connect battery cells in series, in order to get voltage you need (unless you buy already assembled battery pack , like LiIon , LiPo , LiFePO4...which I recommend ). Check also conversion kits for e-bikes(Google , I don't have links at this time), there are some for reasonable prices and they are meant for plug&play...

 

[trickf100]

very cool...what i was considering is a live axle on the rear with a sprocket...now do i need a gear box if i use a controller to adjust the speed??? i am not real familiar with electric motors for this type of application...out of curiosity...how long would a double battery setup like this provide power... i attend some pretty large shows... from 9am til 5pm...lotta walking...of course not continued walking however... you guys are awesome...i'll take pictures of the wagon today and get them out to you so at least you have a clue as to my predicament...thanks again...

 

[r97]

this is the specs for the motor i gave you a link for, these specs may change it if you want it to carry more weight or go faster.http://razor.com/products/mx350-dirt-rocket.php

 

[r97]

may want to find a different motor, this only allows 30min of use

 

[fowler]

the advantage of an electric motor s it delivers full power (hp) at every rmp
u are going to need a controller regardless of the gearbox

also i have no idea above the motors being talked about here in terms of battery life
but when we built an electric racer from an electric bike kit (hub motor) it lasted 50min at full operatoin and stoped working at 1hr and 20min
but this was a race so we flogged it all the way

and these hub motors are tiny (maybe under 1hp

 

[r97]

controller, throttle, motor, chain and sprockets, jack-shaft??(maybe), batteries, battery charger, axle, axle bearings(if choosing live axle), wheel and hub, i forget something major? there may be other small things like master links and extra wires.

 

[r97]

a bike motor kit may be good as it comes with most everything, maybe use wagon as trailer behind a bike with motor kit