Photo Index - Fairbanks, Morse & Co. - Fairbanks-Morse motor

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Fairbanks, Morse & Co.
Beloit, WI, Chicago, IL

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Metal Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Motor
Machine Size:	2 HP
Submitted By:	Donald Moore

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	Fairbanks-Morse motor
Date of Manufacturer:	Early 1900s
Serial Number:	493358
Last Updated	7/26/2022 2:44:08 PM

Comments:

I recently acquired this floor standing grinder at a local auction. The motor is of more interest to me than the grinder. It is a 2HP Repulsion Start Induction motor wired for 220V use. It came with a knife style fuse box that served as the on/off switch. This was replaced by a magnetic paddle switch to protect from accidentally restarting in the event of a power outage. There was no ground wire I could find from the motor so I grounded it to the motor case. It fired up and ran well but was quite loud. I suspected the bearings were bad and was prepared to replace them. However, I first removed all the old grease which looked old and dirty. Then, I re-greased with lithium grease, fired it up again and it runs quietly. It is still a question in my mind if that is the best grease to use but it is what I had. In all, this seems like it is a strong running motor. It is my plan to use the grinder as set up without doing a restore. I would be very interested in finding out more about its origin and whether I should be using a particular type of grease for the bearings. Any feedback or information would be welcome.

Photo 1:

Comments: Motor/Grinder setup
Source: Don Moore

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Photo 2:

Comments: Motor tag
Source: Don Moore

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