Electric? - Page 2

Dstein16 · #11 02-12-2019, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheesedawg82

Here on the half acre homestead, I can't start up a tractor before 7 AM, and out of respect for the neighbors would prefer to wait until at least 8 AM, but it sure would have been nice to be able to plow the driveway at 4:30 AM and had it cleared out before the city trucks came out.

Yikes! What if you get a ton of snow overnight and have to leave for work before 7 am?

cheesedawg82 · #12 02-12-2019, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dstein16

Yikes! What if you get a ton of snow overnight and have to leave for work before 7 am?

I'm in a small city, population 3500, and our street department rocks. They just don't do a great job on the level streets in the residential neighborhoods like mine until the crew starts their regular shift at 6 AM, and all the plow truck routes go to the bad spots first. If we get a particularly bad storm, the guys will be out in force. It's never a problem to get out of my town, our city road crew is the best in the valley hands down.

I'm in a neighborhood where the houses are next to eachother and most have on street parking, I just happen to have a driveway goingto a garage and parking area in the back. It's 10 steps from the front door to the sidewalk and I have 4 wheel drive, stranded isn't the problem. It would, however, be really nice to get the snow from my driveway plowed across the street and the on street parking spaces cleaned up before the city comes and does their pass, spreading salt.

Greenjeans · #13 02-12-2019, 09:46 AM

Just as a point of information, back in the early 70s General Electric introduced a line of 36 volt electric garden tractors. They were ahead of their time, but they were quite popular and something like 33,000 were produced. The models were the E12, E15 and E20 and were equivalent to 12 to 15 horsepower gas models. You can still find them around, and they were about the size of a conventional Cub Cadet garden tractor. Do a Google search on "Electrak" (that was the GE name) and check them out. It might be easier to use one of them to convert with a Cub Cadet and end up with an electric tractor. They were manufactured in Schenectady NY and it's easier to find them in the Northeast than in other parts of the country.

cooperino · #14 02-12-2019, 11:48 AM

My Grandfather had a GE tractor. I couldn't remember for the life of me who made it. It was about 38 years ago. Thank you for the reminder of what he had. BTW he lived in Syracuse NY so maybe that's why he got it. Im quite certain his was a a GE now that I have seen the pictures however his had a belly mower if I remember correctly. The ones I see online are front mount mowers.

cheesedawg82 · #15 02-12-2019, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenjeans

Just as a point of information, back in the early 70s General Electric introduced a line of 36 volt electric garden tractors. They were ahead of their time, but they were quite popular and something like 33,000 were produced. The models were the E12, E15 and E20 and were equivalent to 12 to 15 horsepower gas models. You can still find them around, and they were about the size of a conventional Cub Cadet garden tractor. Do a Google search on "Electrak" (that was the GE name) and check them out. It might be easier to use one of them to convert with a Cub Cadet and end up with an electric tractor. They were manufactured in Schenectady NY and it's easier to find them in the Northeast than in other parts of the country.

Notable facts about the GE Elec-Trac, from what I gather it has a gear drive with a shunt wound drive motor, eliminating the need for a lot of complicated motor controllers. The "20 hp" equivalent ElecTrac had a 36v 30w motor, and I'm told that's equivalent to 1.9 HP. The division of GE was also later purchased by Wheel Horse and they were sold as Wheel Horse and White/New Idea tractors until 1983. They are very high quality garden tractors and pretty pricey little units without a lot of parts availability.

Personally, if I were to look to spend big money on a factory built electric tractor, the only choice would be a small one that mows with a 32" or smaller deck and a super tight turning radius, like a Cadet 95, which has an available snow plow. I currently mow with a Homelite Jacobsen JR1030 rear engine rider 30" deck. It fits in tight places and does most of the work I'd like to do more quietly already. The Jake does the job well, but it's certainly a cheaply made stamped steel lawn tractor built for the entry level market.

cooperino · #16 02-12-2019, 02:48 PM

Cheesdawg, your in luck. GE made an electrak in the RER size!

darkminion_17 · #17 02-12-2019, 03:14 PM

https://screenshots.firefox.com/Q8ZH...elec-traks.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooperino

Cheesdawg, your in luck. GE made an electrak in the RER size!

cheesedawg82 · #18 02-12-2019, 04:51 PM

Looking at more stuff, I've gathered that a 100 ft lb trolling motor is 36v @ 50a, roughly 2.3 hp, which is a lot more powerful than the Elec Trac's drive motor and they come with pretty nice controllers. It does not look like it would be difficult to make a coupler to attach the hydro's drive shaft to a prop shaft, either. The whole power head might even tuck up inside of the tunnel, too. One might even find a configuration so compact as to hide the batteries under the hood of a 1x50 for the quietest line ever.

I'm going to have to pick my fishing buddies' brains now.

Really can't believe that nobody's put an electric motor on a Hydrostatic tractor, considering so many became donors of engines and other parts for gear drive pullers.

Replacing 125 lbs of Kohler cast iron with 250 lbs of lead battery sounds like a good thing, too.

sawdustdad · #19 02-12-2019, 05:01 PM

Does the trolling motor require water immersion for cooling?

cheesedawg82 · #20 02-12-2019, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sawdustdad

Does the trolling motor require water immersion for cooling?

I'd imagine you'd find out in the first 15 minutes or so.

I'd imagine that you could build a big heat sink from aluminum angle iron pretty easily, and fit it all into a piece of ductwork that matches the factory Cub fan, and I picture it fitting neatly inside of the flywheel guard that's already in place.

Another option is to build a box around the motor that's accessible from the top of the trans tunnel, with some sort of guard over the shaft and coupler. You could then fill the box with ice or snow, keeping the motor cold. Having a little access door to an icebox right there at arms reach could have other uses too.