I have a broken gearbox on a pull behind seed/fertilizer spreader (150 LBS max). I usually pull it with a gas golf cart. Would an automotive starter motor work as a spin source for the spreader? I have a few laying around. Or is that going to pull too much current from my carts battery? Or is a starter not meant to be used continuously?
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A smaller DC motor like power window or seat or AC/heater fan would draw less amperage. – blacksmith37 Apr 04 '22 at 14:21
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No, a starter will not be suitable. They are only designed to run for the brief period it takes to start a car engine. A starter would overheat and burn out if left running continuously and as you have said, your battery wouldn’t last long too.
Best to just get a motor designed for that job.
HandyHowie
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All of the above. But here is something I would try. From all your starters choose one that might be best. And also choose a second starter. On the bench, wire the two starters in series so that, in theory, each starter gets 6 volts. See how they run, then pick and choose to get the best combo. Only one starter will be spinning the seed impeller, the other starter is just absorbing some of the extra voltage. If it works, there is less drain on the battery and the speed might be workable. I only suggest this because you have extras available. You could also wire up a 12 volt battery just for the seed spreader. The second battery could get charged between seed days.
John Canon
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2TBH, I'm not following your logic here. How does using two starter motors by underpowering them not draw more power than a single motor? It will slow one motor down (because it will be drawing 6vdc off of the 12vdc connection), but 1/2 of your system will be doing nothing but spinning and therefore be wasting energy. It would be far from an efficient system, to say the least. – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Apr 04 '22 at 12:20