# Treadmill motor question



## outsider347 (Apr 13, 2013)

Just picked up a treadmill at a estate sale, & I want to use the motor to run the feed screw on my Atlas Lathe.
It is a permanent magnet 2.5 HP 120v DC motor

To reverse the rotation I assume  i"ll simply reverse the wire connection to the brush terminals?
Correct?

thanks


----------



## Alan Douglas (Apr 14, 2013)

Yes.  I've never used a treadmill motor but I presume they work the same as any others.  It may take a while for the brushes to re-seat themselves.


----------



## Chucketn (Apr 14, 2013)

outsider347,
You are correct. The brush leads are usually red and black. I use a Double Pole Double Through toggle switch to reverse the motor in my applications. Google "reversing switch for dc motors" to get mor info and a wiring diagram.

Chuck


----------



## tigtorch (Apr 14, 2013)

Be careful, most treadmill motors use the flywheel as a fan for cooling the motor.  Reversing it will mess that up.  Also, most flywheels are screwed on such that if reversed they will unscrew.


----------



## outsider347 (Apr 14, 2013)

TigTorch:
yea. I have a treadmill mtr on my drill press without the flywheel/fan & of course it only turns CW. Its been in use for well over a yr now & so far so good

I think Ill remove the flywheel on this one as well. Then turn a .625 OD sleeve & press fit it on the motor shaft. Then attach a .625 ID V pulley with a set screw to the sleeve. Hopefully it will all stay together when I reverse the motor

I made the adapter for the end of the lead screw that I will mount a larger V belt pulley.

Seems that it will work

My goal here is to have a much slower carriage speed as Mr Pete suggests. & yes I know that I can t use this thread cutting, so the original set up will be in tact 

If it works pics to follow
Cheers


----------



## GunsOfNavarone (Sep 6, 2019)

outsider347 said:


> TigTorch:
> yea. I have a treadmill mtr on my drill press without the flywheel/fan & of course it only turns CW. Its been in use for well over a yr now & so far so good
> 
> I think Ill remove the flywheel on this one as well. Then turn a .625 OD sleeve & press fit it on the motor shaft. Then attach a .625 ID V pulley with a set screw to the sleeve. Hopefully it will all stay together when I reverse the motor
> ...


Whatever came of this @outsider347 ?


----------



## martik777 (Sep 6, 2019)

I've been using mine for quiet power feeding (ie: w/o gears engaged) with a 9" pulley on the leadscrew. 

I used the SCR controller shown here: 



no choke was needed


----------



## GunsOfNavarone (Sep 6, 2019)

martik777 said:


> I've been using mine for quiet power feeding (ie: w/o gears engaged) with a 9" pulley on the leadscrew.
> 
> I used the SCR controller shown here:
> 
> ...


I want to replace the noisey, impossible to adjust tension, motor on my Griz G0602z. Needing to reverse direction and having the power for turning etc...are musts. This seems like such an obvious answer. Just like to know the things to look for in a motor before I hit buy now... (EBay of course) i have heard no less than 2.25hp...not sure why as the stock is only one...just what I've read.


----------



## martik777 (Sep 7, 2019)

A 3 phase with a VFD is a better solution - more torque and range.   I got a couple of these for my lathe and mill:








						1.5kW 8A AC220V VFD Single-phase Speed Control Variable Frequency Drive Inverter  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1.5kW 8A AC220V VFD Single-phase Speed Control Variable Frequency Drive Inverter at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




No issues so far

3/4 - 1HP 3 phase motors are cheap on CL or ebay


----------



## hman (Sep 8, 2019)

GunsOfNavarone said:


> I want to replace the noisey, impossible to adjust tension, motor on my Griz G0602z. Needing to reverse direction and having the power for turning etc...are musts. This seems like such an obvious answer. Just like to know the things to look for in a motor before I hit buy now... (EBay of course) i have heard no less than 2.25hp...not sure why as the stock is only one...just what I've read.


Two things to keep in mind ...
1.  Most treadmill motors have the brushes rotationally offset from the "symmetrical" position.  They're optimized for one direction of rotation.  Yes, they'll run in reverse, but not as efficiently.
2.  Threadmill motors power ratings are often based on Chinese horses, which are a lot smaller than American or British horses   Seriously, though, there's all kinds of tricks you can do when rating a motor (such as stall current, instead of running current) that will up the (apparent) horsepower rating of a motor.  Sorta like the power ratings of audio amplifiers from days gone by.


----------



## mattthemuppet2 (Sep 9, 2019)

wow, that's a thread from the dead. If he hasn't updated it in 6 years, he's probably not going to now 

Martik - depends where you're at, I looked for around 8mths and never saw a 3ph motor for sale on CL. While 3ph+VFD are undoubtably better, you'll be lucky to get a 1/2-3/4hp 3ph motor + VFD for under $200 new. Most treadmills come free for the hauling, all of mine did anyway.

hman - I've never seen treadmill motors with offset brushes. I've had 5 or 6, all but one from different manufacturers and they all have brushes at 90deg. No issues with reversing any of them (other than making sure the flywheel doesn't screw itself off). Powerwise, just go off what's possible on a standard 15A 110V outlet - about 1hp, maybe 1 1/2hp. That's the biggest TM motor you're likely to find in a home TM.


----------



## martik777 (Sep 9, 2019)

The VFD's I linked are ~ $50 and I was lucky to get a 1hp motor for $40, the other was free. Have a look on ebay, many are ~$100 with shipping:








						3 phase motor 1 hp for sale | eBay
					

Get the best deals for 3 phase motor 1 hp at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!



					www.ebay.com


----------



## mattthemuppet2 (Sep 9, 2019)

uh sure, we can argue this all day. If I were to go to the trouble of setting up a VFD, I personally wouldn't want to take my chances with a $50 VFD plus I'd want one that runs off 110V (no 220V circuit in the garage). If those work for you great. Teco 510 VFDs, which seem pretty robust and well thought after are ~$130-150:





						Teco-Westinghouse, L510-101-H1-U, 1 HP, Variable Frequency Drive 115 Volt, 1 Phase Input, IP20,  at Dealers Industrial
					

Purchase Teco-Westinghouse, L510-101-H1-U, 1 HP, Variable Frequency Drive 115 Volt, 1 Phase Input, IP20, formerly L510-101-H1-N, from Dealers Industrial




					dealerselectric.com
				



Even the cheapy HY VFDs that run off 110V are about $100 on eBay. So $100 VFD plus $100 3ph motor off eBay = $200.

Or $40 for a BUD box and some switches and I have variable speed that runs off 110V. No big deal which way you want to go to get there, it's the end result that counts, right? But I did spend a considerable amount of time looking and researching the issue and the TM motor(s)+controllers worked out the best for me.


----------



## matthewsx (Sep 9, 2019)

If you decide to buy a motor used make sure to run it first, or at least take a meter with you. I had a guy from Craigslist  sell me a great looking Baldor that was fried inside

John


----------



## GunsOfNavarone (Sep 21, 2019)

Bought a we leeson 1hp, 1800 rpm motor and a teco VFD....hopefully will start the rebuild soon.. Thanks for the input/concerns.


----------

