Tomato stakes and short break down

[Jim_Rogers]

Today, I was making some more tomato stakes for another neighbor farmer.

She wanted 4' ones.

While I was sawing away, my blade guide motor stopped working.

I looked over and one of the two wires that enter the back of the motor was completely broken off. Right flush at the point where it enters the motor. What a bummer.

Ok, so that's a fairly easy fix. Just remove the brushed cap, where the wire enters, and splice in a wire.

A few tools and wha la the wire is spliced and ready to be put back together.

Now, comes the fun part. Holding the brushes out while you slip the end cap back over the commutator of the armature. Easy to say, not too easy to do.

I tried one idea, that didn't work.
I tried another idea, that didn't work either.

Finally I figure it out.
I put a rubber band around the brushes to hold them back while I slid the cap onto the end of the armature. This worked:





And then when it was up to just about right, I cut the rubber band in half and with a little wiggling around the motor body, got the rubber band out from between the body and the end cap.

Tightened up the end cap screws and ...... and.....nothing..... no in-- no out.....

I loosened up the screws and wiggled the body a little while the switch was activated, and again wha la  8) the motor worked. In and out ok.

I just it needed to be seated correctly to get the brushes to work.

I wanted to pass on this tip to you guys encase you need to do the same thing.

Jim Rogers

[redbeard]

Nice shop trick!  rubber bands are always handy to have around the shop.

[VictorH]

I had the same thing happen only both wires.  I took it apart and spliced the wires back color to color - Got it back together and now in is out and vice versa -  :-\
Oh well

[WH_Conley]

Pull the bolts out and rotate the body of the motor 180 degrees.

[VictorH]

Yeah I figured it was something to do the brush placement.  Thanks for confirming it though.   

[Jim_Rogers]

Pull the bolts out and rotate the body of the motor 180 degrees.

If you don't want to do that, just swap the wires. That is cut the wires if they are not joined outside the motor like mine were, and reconnect them opposite the way they were. My wires are black to red and red to black to make mine work correctly.
Or swap the wires at the switch.

Jim Rogers

[Chuck White]

I hadn't been there, done that Jim.

Thanks for sharing.

Might come in handy one of these days!

[WH_Conley]

You can rotate the motor on mine faster than you can access the switch.

[Jim_Rogers]

Happy birthday Bill

[WH_Conley]

Thanks Jim. Boy, it sure didn't take the forum software long to update the age in the profile. :-\

[john.a.hoover]

A trick I have used to hold motor brushes is to use sewing thread.
You don't need to remove the motor will eat it.
Once you replace the end cap pull on the thread  to break it.

[Jim_Rogers]

Good tip, and it's smaller then the rubber band.
I was thinking about some string, but I had rubber bands on hand.

Jim Rogers

[Jim_Rogers]

Yesterday, I was changing a blade and bumped the wires going into the back of the blade guide motor again.

And afterwards when I tried to move the blade guide in or out the wires smoked a bit.
Then the motor stopped working all together.

I removed the broken blue clips and stripped back the wires and use a pair of butt connectors, to repair the splice.

And I added some wire protectors:



It the kind to wire harness thing that's has like a cork screw cut going from one end to the other so that you can slide it over an existing wire without disconnecting it.

I don't know if this will hold up out in the sun or not. I don't think so, I already see some sun damage to it.

Jim Rogers

The motor works fine now... we'll see after today's milling.

[Slingshot]

    Just kinda wondering what kind of manuever it took to bump the
  wires on the back end of your guide motor when changing a blade : :


_______________________
   

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Jim, you weren't using the back side of your motor for a board return were ya? 

[Jim_Rogers]

My hand hit the wires as I was winding up the tension on the blade....

[Slingshot]

   I thought later that you probably whacked the wires while turning
the tension handle in or out.



_________________

[jcbrotz]

After I broke mine the first time I taped my wires to the motor housing, so I would not break them again.

[Jim_Rogers]

After I broke mine the first time I taped my wires to the motor housing, so I would not break them again.

I may just do that, I see that I do bump them every time I wind up the blade tension.

[Jim_Rogers]

Solved:

[Magicman]

You got it.  My newer model has a rubber/plastic boot over it that holds the wires in a similar fashion.