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OwnerTom Miller
LocationPewamo, Michigan United States map
Email email image
Vehicle1983 Allis-Chalmers 912-hydro
MotorGeneral Electric Series Wound DC
3.3hp series wound 24volt 2800rpm. Turns a little slow for the mower deck so I keep the ground speed slow.
Drivetrainshaft drive hydro-static
ControllerCurtis 1205-111
24-36 volt 500amp. Basicly an electronic throttle with one interlock and low voltage shut off.
Batteries15 Universal Batteries 12350, 12.00 Volt,
12v/35ah SLA wheel chair batteries. These are wired in triples x 5 for 36v and 175ah. The batteries were blems that I got a great deal on.
System Voltage36 Volts
Charger
36v 5a smart charger. I can charge the batteries in about 12h now from 60% DOD. A vast improvement over the 32 hours with the 2a charger at 24v.
Heaterjolly round mr. sun.
DC/DC Converter
none
Instrumentation36v electronic battery meter.
Top Speed6 MPH ( 9 KPH)
Never was speedy with the gas engine, even slower now.
Accelerationmushy
RangeI converted to 36v in late July. the mower deck spins faster and I can mow for 40 min. I am down to 30 min this time of year due to lower temps.
Seating Capacity1 adult
Curb Weight775 Pounds (352 Kilograms)
375lbs of batteries.
Tiresstandard issue garden tractor.
Conversion Timeon and off for 10 months.
Conversion Cost$1200 to $1500. Costs got a little high due to a used motor I purchased on ebay that had an open armature. Huge lesson learned! Some things are better purchased new.
Additional FeaturesCurtis/Albright 200a contactor,
A fun project that was inspired by this web site. It still needs some tweeking, but I am pleased with the results.

7-10 Changed voltage from 24 to 36v. Added heat sinks to the motor and a fan to the front shaft. I also upped the battery count to 15. The range did improve some, but the higher voltage really improved the performance.

Next improvement will be to add a seperate motor to drive the mower deck.

code by jerry