A while back, I picked up a speedranger motor / gearbox to use on my Pratt & Whitney 3C mill.
I bought it from a guy that I've dealt with before and who knows Pratt & Whitney machines, as he has owned several.
Well, it turns out that:
A: it's not the same unit as the 3C, it's only 1/2 hp (although the gearbox looks to be the same).
B: all the parts are not from the same unit. The end bell on the motor side is the wrong diameter
C: the armature looks wrong. It's got a commutator on it, but the housing has no place for brushes.
The variable speed unit appears to be fine, and the armature has a splined shaft that goes into the gearbox. I've spun the armature and run the gearbox thru its range and it appears to be fine.
It has the benchtop control unit and the rotary cable that attaches to the speedranger unit.
I can't ascribe motive, but there's no way that a guy that knows P&W machines like he does would not know this wasn't anything you could get working.
He doesn't answer his emails anymore.
You could gut the windings out of the center section, mount a motor in there and use the spline on the end of the shaft to drive the gearbox and you'd have something usable. You could also attach a pulley to the opposite end of the armature and run that with an external motor. You can make an adapter ring for the end bell, if you need that to support the end of the armature. The end bell sits away from the center housing, so you could make an adapter ring to take up the space and change the diameter. I'm sure there's ways to work it, I just don't have the time and I'm clearing the shop of abandoned projects.
I have $100 into this and would just like to get my money back.
I suspect that the speed control crank unit is probably worth at least that on ebay.
This is local pickup in southeast Connecticut.
This thing is dang heavy. I can help get it into your car, but it's up to you to get it out.
Steve
I bought it from a guy that I've dealt with before and who knows Pratt & Whitney machines, as he has owned several.
Well, it turns out that:
A: it's not the same unit as the 3C, it's only 1/2 hp (although the gearbox looks to be the same).
B: all the parts are not from the same unit. The end bell on the motor side is the wrong diameter
C: the armature looks wrong. It's got a commutator on it, but the housing has no place for brushes.
The variable speed unit appears to be fine, and the armature has a splined shaft that goes into the gearbox. I've spun the armature and run the gearbox thru its range and it appears to be fine.
It has the benchtop control unit and the rotary cable that attaches to the speedranger unit.
I can't ascribe motive, but there's no way that a guy that knows P&W machines like he does would not know this wasn't anything you could get working.
He doesn't answer his emails anymore.
You could gut the windings out of the center section, mount a motor in there and use the spline on the end of the shaft to drive the gearbox and you'd have something usable. You could also attach a pulley to the opposite end of the armature and run that with an external motor. You can make an adapter ring for the end bell, if you need that to support the end of the armature. The end bell sits away from the center housing, so you could make an adapter ring to take up the space and change the diameter. I'm sure there's ways to work it, I just don't have the time and I'm clearing the shop of abandoned projects.
I have $100 into this and would just like to get my money back.
I suspect that the speed control crank unit is probably worth at least that on ebay.
This is local pickup in southeast Connecticut.
This thing is dang heavy. I can help get it into your car, but it's up to you to get it out.
Steve
