craneplaneguy
10 kW
I recently completed my most ambitious e bike project yet, converting my 36 VDC TV to a 52 VDC battery. This meant installing a new controller, if nothing else I wanted to get rid of the 20 mph top speed I was limited to before. It is up and running now, just the other day I had a crane job right in the middle of town, after completing it I got the TV out of it's custom built storage box on the crane and in short order went to: Harbor Freight, Wells Fargo Bank, Lowes, Home Depot and a Farm and Ranch supply, all within 1 mile of each other in a congested (for this area anyway) area with lots of traffic.In the past, pre TV, I would have ran these errands using the crane, as once back in the crane shed I would be clear across town, and once there I am also only 13 miles from home. The last thing I want to do is back track the wrong direction. So this leads me to use the crane on the way back from a job to get groceries and other things. Sure, it's easy to see where I'm parked when I walk out of a store (it has my name on it in 12" letters, and is the tallest/biggest thing in the parking lot) but other then that it's not the ideal errand running vehicle
I have the minuscule Toyota Yaris for that, but when I'm in the 'hood doing crane work, having the TV on board is working out great, easier to park also. At the grocery store or other big box stores, I ride right up to the doors, then walk it in and park it by the shopping carts or lean it up against a soda machine, somewhere out of the way, but inside between the usual two sets of doors. No complaints from anyone so far doing this, and if it's in eye shot of a store employee, I'll even tell them 'keep an eye on my bike, I'll be right back."Anyway, my top speed now is at least 30 mph, faster then the BBSHD low geared fat bike, slower then the higher geared Montague, fast enough now and just what I wanted. I have no PAS now, just the twist grip that it came with, and no display and I can live with that. My built in voltmeter on the LUNA supplied 11.5 AH Panasonic battery is my only instrumentation. I understand that with a Cycle Analyst I could re program my controller, to offer a bit smoother throttle response (I think, if so, I still need to learn HOW), and of course have a display to play with. But for now, I'll keep it simple as my other two rides are my main rides, the ones I plan on getting out in the boonies with.
The battery slips in and out easily and quickly, all I have to do is pull the seat and unplug the wires and it slides right out. This allows me to "borrow" the battery for use as an aux on my other rides, that's the plan though I have yet to do it due to the weather so far. I couldn't find a rear rack that fit the unusual layout of the TV, so I built my own out of 4130 3/8" dia. CM, .035 wall. Tough welding with my MIG, even with .025 wire! I weld a lot, but it's angle iron etc., this was good practice for me, dealing with this thin stuff. Once the rack was completed, I looked at all the rear bike bags I could find on the internet, and then went to Lowes and Home Depot and found exactly what I was looking for, for less then 20 bucks! This tool bag has a metal rod in the top, so that when you unzip it opens all the way up and stays there, it will also function as a mudflap/fender of sorts. I thought briefly of using some aircraft piano hinge like I did my battery box, to allow quick removal of the bag from the rack by pulling two pins, but blew that off as needlessly complex and just zip tied it down, after using 2 pieces of smurf tube to give the zip ties something to pull against, a thin piece of cheap paneling provides a solid floor inside.
Best of all, and just exactly like what happened on my recent rear rack work on my Sturgis Bullet, I got it all done and THEN noticed I had a perfect left over spot to carry another battery. Hell, I couldn't have designed it so perfect, I got lucky again! I think I'm done for now with the TV, and will make no attempt to make it stealthy, it's too weird looking to avoid any undue attention anyway, but is perfect for my particular needs as a crane dingy.
Don't tell anybody.......
