About 40 years ago, I bought a box lot of 4 or 5 electric motors at a farm auction, for probably $10. I remember just wanting to put a couple on the shelf for random projects. At least one of them was junk.
When we started beekeeping about 10 years ago, close friend 'lent' me a nice stainless 4-frame honey extractor. Hung one of those old motors on it, and it barely did the job, because it didn't have the torque to spin up the mass - I had to stick my finger in the pulley hole to help it but once it got going, it could handle the load. Used that thing every year. Last couple of years, I just left it outside in the rain between uses - once a year. That motor goes around less than 5000 times on one day each year, then it just sits. It's mounted with the pulley end of the shaft pointing straight up at the rain clouds.
Well, we're going to extract honey tomorrow, and this year, the motor is stuck. So, this afternoon, I tore it down. It's a GE 5KCP32EG rated at 1/4 hp, 1625 RPM. Has to be 50 years old. Probably the first time it was ever opened up since leaving the factory. Pretty simple. There are no brushes in this motor, and by reversing the wiring, you can run it either direction, 120 or 240 amps. I found what I expected to find - top bearing seized from rust. Bottom bearing not bad. There are no oiling ports in the end plates. After I had it apart, I squirted some PJ1 Cable Lube on the top bearing and using a vice to (gently) clamp the bearing, I got it loose! Traded the PJ1 for some motor oil, and after it spit out the rust chunks, the top bearing was freed up nicely! While I was in there, I dressed up the tangs on the rotor with a file (some burrs here and there).
Put it all back together, and that motor is AWESOME! When I plug it in, it immediately spins up to full speed, and is quiet. Seems plenty torquey. I didn't hook it up to the honey extractor yet. Tomorrow it gets the full test. Maybe I won't lose a finger this year after all...
Could find no parts diagrams or written specs online. But, a replacement (Chinese) motor goes for $250 at Grainger. I never thought to take a pic of the bearing numbers while I was in there. But, I'll probably never outlive that motor anyway.
From now on, I'm gonna give that little motor a little more respect!
-Paul
When we started beekeeping about 10 years ago, close friend 'lent' me a nice stainless 4-frame honey extractor. Hung one of those old motors on it, and it barely did the job, because it didn't have the torque to spin up the mass - I had to stick my finger in the pulley hole to help it but once it got going, it could handle the load. Used that thing every year. Last couple of years, I just left it outside in the rain between uses - once a year. That motor goes around less than 5000 times on one day each year, then it just sits. It's mounted with the pulley end of the shaft pointing straight up at the rain clouds.
Well, we're going to extract honey tomorrow, and this year, the motor is stuck. So, this afternoon, I tore it down. It's a GE 5KCP32EG rated at 1/4 hp, 1625 RPM. Has to be 50 years old. Probably the first time it was ever opened up since leaving the factory. Pretty simple. There are no brushes in this motor, and by reversing the wiring, you can run it either direction, 120 or 240 amps. I found what I expected to find - top bearing seized from rust. Bottom bearing not bad. There are no oiling ports in the end plates. After I had it apart, I squirted some PJ1 Cable Lube on the top bearing and using a vice to (gently) clamp the bearing, I got it loose! Traded the PJ1 for some motor oil, and after it spit out the rust chunks, the top bearing was freed up nicely! While I was in there, I dressed up the tangs on the rotor with a file (some burrs here and there).
Put it all back together, and that motor is AWESOME! When I plug it in, it immediately spins up to full speed, and is quiet. Seems plenty torquey. I didn't hook it up to the honey extractor yet. Tomorrow it gets the full test. Maybe I won't lose a finger this year after all...
Could find no parts diagrams or written specs online. But, a replacement (Chinese) motor goes for $250 at Grainger. I never thought to take a pic of the bearing numbers while I was in there. But, I'll probably never outlive that motor anyway.
From now on, I'm gonna give that little motor a little more respect!
-Paul
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