Adaptation of Golf Cart Starter Generator

I recall the starter/generators having about a 1 to 3 or 4 belt ratio. I really don't think one will adequately start your engine as they are intended to start the one cylinder engines of about 10 hp or so and the torque is pretty limited.

What about adapting an outboard flywheel with a ring gear? It might be possible to use the welding generator as a starter. Onan generators used a scheme like that for many years

Don Young

Thanks, Don.

The "motorize the generator" idea is a good one and I've actually run a thread about it here. The biggest problem is that the generator is 40V DC, so it would presumably take about 3 12v batteries in series to motorize it. Your comment about the Onan generators is interesting, I didn't know about that. Do you remember the specifics, i.e., voltage, wiring, battery charging, etc.? I assume the Onan generators were designed to produce AC power - how did they get the dc battery to motorize the ac generator - maybe it's not that hard, I know 110 v dc will run just about any tool that uses a 110 ac motor with brushes. How were you thinking I might adapt an outboard flywheel?

Bruce

I don't know the details but the Onan AC generators used a separate winding and commutator on the rotor as an exciter to provide DC power for the field windings. The battery was connected to the exciter generator windings for cranking.

I remember the very old Delco 32VDC farm light plants also had no separate starter and connected the 32V system battery to the generator for cranking.

What I envisioned for an outboard flywheel was just mounting a flywheel of any sort with a ring gear to either end of the machine (or perhaps between the engine and generator) and then using a conventional starter supported on a bracket of some sort.

If your welder uses a Continental engine, versions of these engines with starters were extensively used on welders, forklifts, pumps, generators, combines and other machinery. It might be possible to adapt parts from a starter equipped engine. Don Young

I have cranked on welding machine from another by briefly connecting the welding lead from one to the welding lead of another.We had 4 welders on the job..just hand cranked one the "jumped" the others.

we would hook the 2 leads together with the machines at whatever setting they were left at from welding.They were all sa 250 and 300 machines if iremember right.I dont remember if we went ground to ground and bumped the stingers together...or opposite.(ground to stinger) Its been 12 years or more.If you hook them backward the machine will spin backward and not crank up. The boss said it was not good for them...so we did not do it when he was around.

Thanks, everybody. FWIW, I have since learned that the small starter/generators won't work. I talked to a man who actually tried to do it for a lady(!) who had an old SA200 without a starter. He said that when he "geared" (using pulleys) the little starter/generator down low enough to overcome compression, it got hot when the engine ran because the starter/generator was spinning too fast - therefore, no cure. Interestingly, he did say that he had actually and recently used one SA200 to start another by hooking the ground leads together and the stingers together - the non-running generator is therefore motorized and starts the engine. He said it works well and he has long done it with no ill effects - prefers to use large jumper cables to get it done. He said the settings are not too important, just make sure both welders are 40 volt dc (or close to 40 volt). He also said he saw no reason why I couldn't use three 12 volt car batteries (in series) to do the same thing - I think I may try that since I don't have another SA200.

Thanks aga> >>