Starter/Gen Question

[dodge trucker]

I have a couple of old but working Delco starter generators sitting here.
Problem is that they are set up for CW rotation.
Is there a way to reverse this rotation? so that it could be used on a Cub
go inside and switch a couple of wires around maybe? or is it more involved than that?

[ironman]

Just last year I was in the opposite situation. I had Cub S/G's but I needed a clockwise one for a Case I was working on. Did a ton of research about changing the rotation and a lot of other folks had been looking for the same answer and nobody ever found one. But here is what I did learn.....
It's not just a matter of switching a few wires. The field coils have to be changed, for sure. Also, the brushes ride on the armature at the opposite angle because of the opposite rotation, so the brush holders have to be changed. Don't know about the amature.

Bottom line is, it's more trouble and cost than it's worth. On the other hand, if you are inclined to sell them, I am sure there are people out there looking for what you got. I ended up buying one from an OCC member.

[MikeMasheris]

Armature is the same you need different fields to change rotation

[dodge trucker]

ok thanks. In that case, anyone here interested in a trade?
I'll pay to ship mine to you, and you pay to ship yours to me. if we aren't close enough to meet up somewhere. PM me if interested. gotta check the top shelf in the garage and make 110% sure they are still where I last remember seeing them.... in case it matters I know at least 1 of mine, came from a Sears Suburban with a cast iron Tecumseh. probably both considering who they came from..

At this point I think I will be at the AJ's tractor show/ swap in Oregon IL (near Rockford and DeKalb, IL., area) next weekend unless we get a washout like last year. (it is our wedding anniversary that day, so that may be the only other possible kink in that idea)
am debating whether to bring some of my other junk and a table or not yet...
not much Cub stuff at the moment, but if I do bring my extras, I will have a few Cub pieces.....

[R Bedell]

Bottom line is, it's more trouble and cost than it's worth.

Ditto. Not worth it.

[dodge trucker]

ok, that answers that....

I know that were talking 2 different electrical systems here but back when I worked industrial maintenance (I didn't get into the electrical side) they would have us millwrights do the mechanical nuts and bolts of replacing a motor, lining up shafts, pressing bearings, shimming, etc but we had to call the electricians to wire them up.... they were mostly 3 phase 480V. and we had to test run them before turning back over to production. More often than not they bame from the shelf wired backwards and the electricians pulled a cover off of the motor, swapped a few wires, and we had a motor that spun as we need it to. was thinking I might get lucky here and have a similar easy solution.... my luck, it don't look like it.

[ironman]

AC motors will run equally well either direction, they use a starter winding to get them going in the desired direction. Those would be the wires that the electricians swapped.

[dodge trucker]

Somehow I was thinking that DC motors were the easier ones to reverse direction on.

[ironman]

A simple DC motor, to make it run either direction, yes, just reverse the input polarity.
But don't forget we are also talking about a generator here and you've got to have the juice it produces coming out correctly to match the system.