Boat lift motor gave out

[Blake0912]

Hi guys i got a wonderful surprise when i went to take my boat out the other day, when i flipped the switch to lower the boat down nothing happened! and yes all the wiring and the switch are good. Its just all the motor does is humm and wont move. This is a 1hp motor from the mid 80's that my family has used since then...now i'm sure the motor is shot and cost of replacing is not the issue. The issue is the boat is still in the lift...how do i get it out with the lift motor not working?? is there a way to manually turn the engine with a torque wrench or something similar?
Any tips/ideas would help i'm just throwing some ideas around in my head.

 

[mla2ofus]

Re: Boat lift motor gave out

If there's a way to disconnect the motor shaft from the drive train, i'd do that first to find if the problem is in the motor or drive train. If it's the motor it's more than likely corrosion in the start/run contacts inside the motor.
Jmho,
mike

 

[JB]

Re: Boat lift motor gave out

If there's a way to disconnect the motor shaft from the drive train, i'd do that first to find if the problem is in the motor or drive train. If it's the motor it's more than likely corrosion in the start/run contacts inside the motor.
Jmho,
mike

Mostly agree. Do not, however, disconnect the drive train until you are very sure that will not drop your boat like a rock.

Start winding contacts might be the trouble, but a 1HP motor might be a capacitor start, so look for the start capacitor also.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Boat lift motor gave out

Might be a good and safe idea to secure the boat in the up position with ropes or straps Before trying to troubleshoot/repair the lift motor, if that boat came crashing down it could kill somebody! Be careful first! Good Luck!

 

[lncoop]

Re: Boat lift motor gave out

25 year old humming motor in a wet environment? My guess is motor replacement time due to seized bearings. Your question regarding manual operation would best be asked of the manufacturer if they're still in business.

 

[sasto]

Re: Boat lift motor gave out

The motor will need to be disconnected after hooking up a couple winches from the upper I-beam to the bunk beam. Then lowered slowly. A motor of that age would have never lasted that long in the envroment here. I think you got your moneys worth. Good Luck!

 

[lncoop]

Re: Boat lift motor gave out

A motor of that age would have never lasted that long in the envroment here. I think you got your moneys worth. Good Luck!

My thoughts exactly. And then some.

 

[rbh]

Re: Boat lift motor gave out

Do boat lift have locking pauls (SP) that engage when the boat is lifted like a car lift at a garage???

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Boat lift motor gave out

I'm 95% sure your motor is connected to a reduction gearbox of some type. Normally, the output speed is normally too high and the output torque to low to do a lot of work of the nature needed in this application.
Now, if your motor does not have an electric brake in it then the gearbox is probably a worm gear style which are self locking on the output shaft and will not 'back drive'.
So you need to investigate to see if there is a gearbox and particularly if it is a worm gear style. If it is you can disconnect the motor from it with a high level of confidence that the load connected to the output will not move.
Thats my two bits...check out the arrangement described above or post a couple of pics and maybe we can help out further.
BP

 

[Pontoon24]

Re: Boat lift motor gave out

Sounds to me like it's only the capacitor. Motors like this need an extra boost to get them going. The capacitor stores an electric charge and releases it in a burst when the switch is thrown. Typically a capacitor costs $10 to $15 at Grainger. Determine if the motor is seized, if not it's almost surely the capacitor. The fact that the motor hums shows electrical continuity to the motor. You could also try (if you can without loosing a finger) turning it on and manually giving the large pulley a spin to get it started. Do Not leave the motor on and humming for more than a few seconds if it doesn't start. A capacitor start motor has 1 or 2 cylindrical bulges on the motor body, thats where the cap or caps are. By the way, this is often the problem on air conditioning units. If your AC isn't working and the outside unit is humming but not running most likely its the fan or compressor motor capacitor. I paid a $135 repair on my AC unit before learning this, next time it went out I fixed it my self for $14

 

[JB]

Re: Boat lift motor gave out

Not quite. The capacitor causes a phase shift in the start winding so the motor has enough torque to get started. In effect, it starts as a 2 phase motor and runs as a single phase motor.

I agree that the capacitor is prime suspect.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Boat lift motor gave out

I hope Blake returns to let us know what the problem was once he has it resolved. I'm all atwitter.