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Forklift Starter and Alternator
Forklift Starters and Alternators - The starter motor these days is usually either a series-parallel wound direct current electric motor that has a starter solenoid, that is similar to a relay mounted on it, or it could be a permanent-magnet composition. When current from the starting battery is applied to the solenoid, basically via a key-operated switch, the solenoid engages a lever that pushes out the drive pinion that is positioned on the driveshaft and meshes the pinion with the starter ring gear which is found on the flywheel of the engine.
The solenoid closes the high-current contacts for the starter motor, which begins to turn. When the engine starts, the key operated switch is opened and a spring inside the solenoid assembly pulls the pinion gear away from the ring gear. This particular action causes the starter motor to stop. The starter's pinion is clutched to its driveshaft by an overrunning clutch. This allows the pinion to transmit drive in only one direction. Drive is transmitted in this method via the pinion to the flywheel ring gear. The pinion remains engaged, for instance as the operator did not release the key when the engine starts or if the solenoid remains engaged in view of the fact that there is a short. This causes the pinion to spin independently of its driveshaft.
The actions discussed above would prevent the engine from driving the starter. This vital step prevents the starter from spinning so fast that it could fly apart. Unless modifications were made, the sprag clutch arrangement would preclude utilizing the starter as a generator if it was made use of in the hybrid scheme mentioned prior. Normally a regular starter motor is intended for intermittent use which would prevent it being utilized as a generator.
Thus, the electrical parts are meant to function for approximately under thirty seconds to prevent overheating. The overheating results from very slow dissipation of heat due to ohmic losses. The electrical parts are designed to save weight and cost. This is the reason nearly all owner's manuals intended for vehicles recommend the operator to stop for at least ten seconds right after every ten or fifteen seconds of cranking the engine, whenever trying to start an engine which does not turn over instantly.
In the early 1960s, this overrunning-clutch pinion arrangement was phased onto the market. Previous to that time, a Bendix drive was utilized. The Bendix system operates by placing the starter drive pinion on a helically cut driveshaft. When the starter motor starts spinning, the inertia of the drive pinion assembly enables it to ride forward on the helix, thus engaging with the ring gear. Once the engine starts, the backdrive caused from the ring gear allows the pinion to go beyond the rotating speed of the starter. At this instant, the drive pinion is forced back down the helical shaft and hence out of mesh with the ring gear.
The development of Bendix drive was developed in the 1930's with the overrunning-clutch design called the Bendix Folo-Thru drive, developed and introduced during the 1960s. The Folo-Thru drive has a latching mechanism along with a set of flyweights inside the body of the drive unit. This was a lot better as the average Bendix drive used to disengage from the ring as soon as the engine fired, even though it did not stay running.
Once the starter motor is engaged and starts turning, the drive unit is forced forward on the helical shaft by inertia. It then becomes latched into the engaged position. Once the drive unit is spun at a speed higher than what is attained by the starter motor itself, for instance it is backdriven by the running engine, and then the flyweights pull outward in a radial manner. This releases the latch and enables the overdriven drive unit to become spun out of engagement, thus unwanted starter disengagement could be avoided before a successful engine start.
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