I am preparing to toss the old 3.0 engine and drop in a motor. That's right, a MOTOR, and a heap of batteries. Just a fun idea for the time being. just got the donor truck a '95 long bed ranger 5 speed, I've got a donor electric forklift and some forklift batteries. I was wondering if anybody on the forum has done this and wants to share their secrets. I am doing this project with my brother as a local delivery vehicle for his furniture company. Our goal is 70 miles on a charge with lead acid batteries. Should be fun, might be a fiasco. We need a catchy name for it.

 

you realize that a gas engine is a motor as well right?

hate to be a dick, but it sounds like you are setting up for failure... but good luck

 

they made ev rangers, not many but u see em pop up on ebay every so often.

 

welcome to R-F, Ben!

 

Yeah man, when I was looking at Rangers there was 4 all electric Rangers for sale for almost nothing in my area on Craigslist. I should've got one just cause they are so rare. Might see if you can dig up some spec's on them to help you along.

 

Go for it! If it cost you almost nothing and you get something out of it then cool! If its a total failure then its still a cool project, kudos for trying. If I had the parts kicking around I'd try it for myself too, but using a forklift motor I would personally think you're not going to get much speed from it but you are also dealing with a vehicles that probably weighs half the amount of a forklift so it might be fine! I've always been a fan of electric and diesel/electric setups.

What's your plan? Use the forklift's tranny or try to mate it to the Ranger's tranny? LR

 

here is a link to where they put a fork lift motor in a geo Electric car conversion on a beer budget - ForkenSwift.com

 

good luck with the swap

 

Its been done before, these will help. You're gonna lose all your bed space though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E56z483fJ3w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw-JRwuPd5Y

P.s. anyone having trouble embedding vids from youtube?

 

I have a VW Thing I would like to convert.

here's a good reference;

DIY Electric Car Forums - Electric Vehicle Build and Conversion Community

 

Technically your wrong.

Engine - Is a fuel powered
Motor - Is electric powered

Everyone calls a engine a motor, but there actually wrong

There is more detail to it then that.

 

According to Wiki: "Motor is a device that creates motion, an engine; it usually refers to either an electrical motor or an internal combustion engine." Just to get technical , but I do personally agree with you on that fact, motor being electric and engine being fuel-based.

Have you started yet? LR

 

Thats because people call it a motor, and its really not a motor.

Its like adding "GOT" to the dictionary. Its not a word, but everyone uses it.

 

From the Merriam-Webster dictionary:


Main Entry: 1mo·tor
Pronunciation: \ˈmō-tər\
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from movēre to move
Date: 1586

1 : one that imparts motion; specifically : prime mover
2 : any of various power units that develop energy or impart motion: as a : a small compact engine b : internal combustion engine; especially : a gasoline engine c : a rotating machine that transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy
3 : motor vehicle; especially : automobile

Dictionary.com:


mo⋅tor
  /ˈmoʊtər/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [moh-ter] Show IPA
–noun
1. a comparatively small and powerful engine, esp. an internal-combustion engine in an automobile, motorboat, or the like.
2. any self-powered vehicle.
3. a person or thing that imparts motion, esp. a contrivance, as a steam engine, that receives and modifies energy from some natural source in order to utilize it in driving machinery.
4. Also called electric motor. Electricity. a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy, as an induction motor.
5. motors, stocks or bonds in automobile companies.
–adjective
6. pertaining to or operated by a motor.
7. of, for, by, or pertaining to motor vehicles: motor freight.
8. designed or for automobiles, their drivers, or their passengers: The hotel has a motor lobby in its parking garage for picking up and discharging passengers.
9. causing or producing motion.
10. Physiology. conveying an impulse that results or tends to result in motion, as a nerve.
11. Psychology, Physiology. Also, motoric. of, pertaining to, or involving muscular movement: a motor response; motor images.
–verb (used without object)
12. to ride or travel in an automobile; drive: They motored up the coast.
–verb (used with object)
13. Chiefly British. to drive or transport by car: He motored his son to school.
Use motor in a Sentence
See images of motor
Search motor on the Web
Origin:
1580–90; < L mōtor mover, equiv. to mō- (var. s. of movēre to move ) + -tor -tor

I can keep going if you wish I've been drinking since 4:30 am and I'm in a good mood lol.

Don't mean it to start a fight, but I'm just saying that according to the dictionary they're the same thing (maybe getting too technical now huh?).

Using 'got' for me is like using 'irregardless'. Its not technically a word either (it is in the colloquial usage of English, in the dictionary it's the improper use of regardless), but I like using it just to **** off my friends with English majors. I love arguing this stuff. LR

 

Powed!!

Welcome to RF.

 

in the end this is the difference.

"A motor is converting electric energy into mechanical energy. A engine is converting chemical energy into mechanical energy. "

"* A motor converts electricity or other forms of kinetic energy into a mechanical motion *

* An engine is a mechanical device that uses a fuel source to create an output *"

 

Yup, I completely agree with you 100% dude, thats the way I see it too. I was merely just pointing out what the dictionary had to say about it. Meh, I'm drunk and bored and trying to decide whether or not to sober up for work, thats all. Shtty couple of days to deal with and need somewhere to vent.

And to think, I believe I actually started this to back up the little Weezl after the fact that the last time I was in this mood I'm pretty sure he ended up getting the brunt of my attitude. I don't recall a lot of it though. Typing drunk requires far too much concentration and re-typing btw.. LR

 

...and I'm pretty certain I completely derailed the hell out of this thread too. LR

 

lol, drunk and typing is always fun.

 

Much safer than drunk and walking.. or driving

 

Sounds like you've been hanging around Korey for too long. You are a dick!! LOL

 

nah man, motors, commonly refer to electric motors, but water turbines are classified as motors also, where as engines are, as you say, a means to burn a fuel, internally, to create mechanical power... motor is a general term, the specific one is electric motor (shortened to just motor) i have always been taught exactly what matt has put down below. i'm not trying to start an argument about it though, it's not exactly an important item...

nah, i'm not trying to be a dick about it... it just seems like a huge fiasco to get the project done, possibly something that is not worth it, i would hate to see him get all excited about his project, have everyone encourage him along the way, just for it not to work out... if there is people looking at it from both sides, it softens the blow a little... to be honest with you, i would love to see this project happen and work! and like i said in my first post, i wish the OP luck in it, and i hope it does work... but there are a lot of forces working against him...

 

heres some lemon juice for the eyes....

'hydraulic' motor..... yup. no one mentioned it so i thought i would.

 

It was always explained to me as a motor gets power from an external source whereas an engine creates its own power.

Not that it really matters though. lol

 

From the research I done, I will use electro-mechanical thrust device, motor, and fab an adapter plate to the 5 speed in the ranger. I guess they typically only use a few gears (like 1 and 3) because the motor has like 10 times the torque of a combustion engine. The batteries I plan to try are for electric pallet jacks. 2 or 3 of them, they are roughly 24" tall, 30" wide, 8" thick. set them behind the cab, maybe cut out the floor of the bed and set them on the frame rails with some good brackets to try to keep the weight low and centered. I may end up going over the max GVW, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
I will toss the old engine related parts, get a small electric hydrolic pump for the power steering or just go with armstrong steering, and another vacume pump for the power brakes. I'll make it go before I worry about control and stopping.