Phase converter purchase....

[bimmer1980]

After much emailing back and forth over the course of about 3 weeks with a person on craigslist, I go and look at the phase converter he is selling for a friend. We meet at Target and shows me the "5 hp" phase converter. He's got the motor portion of an American Rotary 7.5 hp phase converter and some random "control" box that was supposed to go with it. After looking over the near-new-looking phase converter motor, I figure out that the control box does not go with the motor portion. The motor looked practically brand new, while the random control box had a sticker that listed it as a 1991 model Power Supply for something....

The guy was originally asking about $400 to $500 for the complete phase converter... So I offer him $75 for just the motor part.... and he takes it!

I tell him that if he finds the other part, to let me know.....

 

[A_Pmech]

I'm not familiar with that brand... Are the balance caps in an enclosure above the motor?

The "other box" might have been a static converter which somebody was using to start the rotary.

Edit: Your photo just loaded... Yep, I bet the the other box was a static converter for starting the rotary. No big deal, a couple contactors, some start caps and a couple oil-filled run caps for balancing and you're good to go!

 

[bimmer1980]

a few days later, he emails me and says that he found it! so we arrange to meet again at Target....

I show up, and sure enough, he found the right box to go with the phase converter.....

I figure, well, this is worth a bit more, so I offered him $100, and he took it!

I was expecting a bit more haggling out of him....



New price: $585 from American Rotary
Purchased used for $175

 

[Falcon67]

Feel guilty for making out like a bandit? No, you don't.

 

[A_Pmech]

Ahh! As Ron Popeil says "But wait! There's more!"



Can't buy the caps and contactors for what you paid!

 

[bimmer1980]

yeah, my wife gives me **** about my wheeling and dealing, but hey, he could have counter offered........ I was prepared to pay $250 or even $300.....








p.s. my wife is really great about all the stuff I drag home.... she just likes to tease me....

 

[Torque1st]

The seller probably "found" the unit in someone's garage and wanted cash to support his habit.

 

[reinhardt]

The seller probably "found" the unit in someone's garage and wanted cash to support his habit.

why else would he wanna meet at a target? here's another vote for 'found'..... possible from his work...

 

[bimmer1980]

torque and reinhardt-- Maybe, maybe not......

He said he was selling for a friend that had moved....

Regardless, the connections don't look like it was ripped off from someone. no clipped wires or cut conduit.

It looks like someone hooked it up for testing purposes and left a project half done. there are no holes punched in the enclosure. He also had the manual, but it looked like it had been sitting around.

I've had a few different folks only meet at a public place for craigslist deals....

bottom line, I hope someone wasn't ripped off, but given the communication with the guy, I do think he was on the up and up....

anyhow, back to the topic of phase converters...

 

[cat06]

why else would he wanna meet at a target? here's another vote for 'found'..... possible from his work...

well else?, because he doesn't know who you are and doesn't want a stranger at his house or know what he has there. Many people sell on CL and meet in a neutral location, keeps things safer for both parties, a few people on here have even recommended in in the past

 

[reinhardt]

well else?, because he doesn't know who you are and doesn't want a stranger at his house or know what he has there. Many people sell on CL and meet in a neutral location, keeps things safer for both parties, a few people on here have even recommended in in the past

we had a case local where they met up at a 'neutral' place and the buyer got beat up and robbed... all my purchases have been at seller's house, havent sold much on cl, but what i did sell was at my house. i had the stuff out in the driveway so they didnt need to come in the house tho.

anywho, if its too cheap, then it's either fake, or stolen. sorry to be pessimistic, but hey...

 

[toolchaser]

The American Rotary support staff are really good to deal with. They can E-mail you a manual if you didn't get one

 

[bimmer1980]

The American Rotary support staff are really good to deal with. They can E-mail you a manual if you didn't get one

Yes they are! I had called them to get some info, and they were very helpful. The guy even emailed the manual over to me before I went to look at the phase converter.

As it turned out, the guy I purchased it from had the original manual.

Did you purchase a phase converter from American Rotary? If so, what size did you get? Do you mind posting pics of it installed?

Thanks!

 

[toolchaser]

I bought a 5 hp from them about 3 years ago. I built an outside enclosure for the RPC (one reason I like the American setup is the seperate control panel). As it turns out, I probably wasted my time on the outside installation since this thing runs super quiet! At present it only runs my Index vertical mill as my HAAS runs off 220 single phase. I'll try to post some pics on my next day off, whenever that is...