The companies I've asked want about £75 for a 10 hp motor (about $135 I
think).


It is unfortunate, but not an incredible amount. With your 45 A, looks
like 10 HP would be a tad too much for your shop.

I reckon I can probably cope with a 5 hp load, but not 10 hp. Of course
I could use a bigger motor for the convertor, but not run it at full
power, but I'm not sure there's much point.

Britain is too expensive :-(. If I wait I can probably get a bigger
motor for nothing, although I'm not sure how big I could go. We only
have a 230 V 45 A supply in the workshop, although this supplies the


My 10 HP is rated for 30 A current. Starting current could be
higher. I have it on a 60A breaker, although, I think, I could get
away with a smaller breaker if I ran the RPC alone. As it is, I have
my compressor on the same circuit.


workshop alone. I also find free stuff more satisfying, even if I
have to strip it down and recondition it.


No doubt. You have a great developing story!


By the way, how big is your 10 hp motor and how fast does it spin,


I just went and measured it. It is roughly 18 by 11 inches, or
0.45x0.28m. It spins at 1940 RPM. It weight approximately 150-180 lbs,
that's just a guesstimate. I could just take it out of the truck when
I came home.

I just measured mine. It's 14" diameter and 16" long without the shaft.
With the shaft it's nearly 20" long. Sometime I will try to weigh it out
of curiosity.

1940 rpm is a weird speed. Are you sure your motor spins at 1940 rpm?
The synchronous speed for a four pole motor on 60 Hz is 1800 rpm, so
1740 rpm would be more likely.

Best wishes,

Chris