Tractor shop question? elevator

Tractorcedric · Jul 27, 2019

So I have this old shop that was a dairy barn. I put a new roof on it and while I was at it I made a sort of upstairs storage area. My plan was to use an old roll around man lift I have. The man lift was made to use some 12 volt batteries and a charger. I would like to convert it to 120 volts and not need a battery. Lift is now just the mast with a platform. The mast is bolted to the wall. It works good but a battery is always needing charged or got put into another tractor. How could I wire it up to run on 120 volts? Thanks

old · Jul 27, 2019

Depending on how many amps it draws hooking a battery charge to it would work if it does not pull to many amps. Or depending on how it works and is hooked up changing the motor to a 120 volt AC motor may work

jeffcat · Jul 27, 2019

Just leave the stupid battery on it and use a Shumacher battery maintainer, will last for years and nothing needs modifications.

fixerupper · Jul 27, 2019

The electrical experts here will be able to help you much more than me. I dont know if the present DC up, down switching and limit stop switches will control an AC motor or not. Could be as simple as finding the right AC motor or it might require rewiring. Its over my head.

Bill in IL · Jul 27, 2019

I think it will cost you more to get a large enough power supply to convert it than to just use a battery. Those dc pump motors are similar to a starter motor and draw large current but for short amounts of time.

With that said i assume its hydraulic powered by a dc motor so what if you swap in a small ac motor and pump unit for your dc pump and motor? Again probably cost prohibitive unless this is really what you want.

paul · Jul 27, 2019

Jeff has by far the easiest solution. And cheapest.

Stuff either needs a lot of volts and a few amps to run. Like, 120v by 10 amps.

Or it takes a few volts and massive amps to run. Like, 12 volts and 100 amps.

A power supply to convert from 120v to 12v is pretty easy for low draw stuff.

But you also need to convert from several amps to very high amps I would guess, and that takes thick copper or thicker aluminum, and will be spendy deal.

Battery maintainer and a good enough battery, and you are done cheap simple easy.

Paul

Tractorcedric · Jul 27, 2019

Hey thanks for all of the responses? It does just look like an oversized starter motor. I guess I will just bite the bullet and put a good battery on it. I am getting to old to climb the latter any more.

Destroked 450 · Jul 27, 2019

To go AC you'd need a motor and pump system like is used on auto lifts but your looking at $500-1000 for a motor and pump.
A good battery and battery maintainer would be the cheapest and simplest.
I like the group 31 truck batteries with studs, a simple ring terminal on the cable and 3/8 nut on the stud, had less corrosion problems with studied batteries than with post.

JimB2 · Jul 27, 2019

If it had been 20 years ago you could of found a 220 VAC in and 12 VDC @300 Amps out from an old mainframe computer but they were all recycle by year 2000.

504 · Jul 28, 2019

I would use a deep cycle boat battery and a maintainer. As said before, it will last for years.

Tractor shop question? elevator

Tractorcedric

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old

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jeffcat

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fixerupper

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Bill in IL

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paul

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Tractorcedric

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Destroked 450

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JimB2

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504

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