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Step 4Coupler
The coupler is a means of connecting the rotary power of the electric motor to the transmission to power the car.
While there are a number of ways to do this, including keeping the clutch and machining the flywheel, I chose to keep it simple and use a "Lovejoy"-style connector.
Lovejoy connectors have three fingers and a shaft-hole. Put one connector on either shaft, and a rubber "spider" between the two. Poof! you have a mechanical connection!
Lovejoy couplers are designed with a keyway and set-screw, but both the shafts on this project are splined! Splines are much stronger than keys, but much more difficult to machine!
For the transmission, I took the old (broken) clutch plate and ground off the rivets to get just the middle splined center out. The machinist cut off the ears, lathed a step in the Lovejoy coupler, pushed the clutch spline in there, and welded it in place.
The motor spline COULD have been more of a challenge, as I didn't have any part with a spline on it for the shaft to go to. Fortunately, the motor was double-shafted (one on each end) and the back end went to a drum brake, which was the parking brake on the forklift.
I took the drum brake apart, sure enough, it was the same spines on the back end. I was able to get the very center, splined section, of the brake out, and use it to make the motor half of the coupler.
Line up the motor and transmission, with the coupler halves between them (with the spider in there) and bolt both the the adapter plate.
Congratulations! You have an electric car drivetrain!!!
EDIT!:
I ran the car all summer with this set-up, but a few weeks back, it failed. I don't think the issue was the style of coupler. I think the main issue was that I installed the transmission and motor in the car seperate from each other. Because of that, I never got a true center alignment and bench test.
I rebuilt the coupler (with a little help from some friends - OK, I would have been lost without them..) by welding both female splines to a piece of flat steel plate, rounding it off, and adding a tubular jacket.
Then, the new coupler, motor, and transmission were all mounted to each other, tested, centered, and tightened. THEN the whole thing got put it the car.
Been working great since then.
Watch the video - it will make sense.
The first three photos at the bottom are the original "Lovejoy" coupler. The last two photos are of the current one-piece "solid" coupler.
While there are a number of ways to do this, including keeping the clutch and machining the flywheel, I chose to keep it simple and use a "Lovejoy"-style connector.
Lovejoy connectors have three fingers and a shaft-hole. Put one connector on either shaft, and a rubber "spider" between the two. Poof! you have a mechanical connection!
Lovejoy couplers are designed with a keyway and set-screw, but both the shafts on this project are splined! Splines are much stronger than keys, but much more difficult to machine!
For the transmission, I took the old (broken) clutch plate and ground off the rivets to get just the middle splined center out. The machinist cut off the ears, lathed a step in the Lovejoy coupler, pushed the clutch spline in there, and welded it in place.
The motor spline COULD have been more of a challenge, as I didn't have any part with a spline on it for the shaft to go to. Fortunately, the motor was double-shafted (one on each end) and the back end went to a drum brake, which was the parking brake on the forklift.
I took the drum brake apart, sure enough, it was the same spines on the back end. I was able to get the very center, splined section, of the brake out, and use it to make the motor half of the coupler.
Line up the motor and transmission, with the coupler halves between them (with the spider in there) and bolt both the the adapter plate.
Congratulations! You have an electric car drivetrain!!!
EDIT!:
I ran the car all summer with this set-up, but a few weeks back, it failed. I don't think the issue was the style of coupler. I think the main issue was that I installed the transmission and motor in the car seperate from each other. Because of that, I never got a true center alignment and bench test.
I rebuilt the coupler (with a little help from some friends - OK, I would have been lost without them..) by welding both female splines to a piece of flat steel plate, rounding it off, and adding a tubular jacket.
Then, the new coupler, motor, and transmission were all mounted to each other, tested, centered, and tightened. THEN the whole thing got put it the car.
Been working great since then.
Watch the video - it will make sense.
The first three photos at the bottom are the original "Lovejoy" coupler. The last two photos are of the current one-piece "solid" coupler.
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http://www.hubcityinc.com/documents/6q-FarmProductsandAccessories.pdf
Most of those parts on that web page are parts designed for connecting a flywheel to a motor. That way, the original transmission, clutch, and flywheel are all kept together.
My car is clutchless, so it has no need for a flywheel.
great instructable by the way.