motor differences?

[willy m]

can anybody tell me the differences between a regular ele. motor and a compressor? i need a motor for my kmg clone, i have a 2hp 220v 3400rpm comp. motor pulling 12amps. other 2hp 220v motors pull half the amps,why? the motor i have seems to work verry well,ismade well. i am going to buy a marathon 2hp 120v eventually. right now i cant afford to,will the motor i already have be ok? thanks,willy

 

[AcridSaint]

Most compressor motors are usually open drip proof (ODP) and many are not rated for continuous duty. Many compressor motors are overrated, something that is far less common with farm-duty motors.

I have a 2HP compressor motor on a grinder and it works fine, but I don't expect it to actually meet its HP rating, nor do I expect it to last through 10 or 20 years of abuse. Metal dust will probably kill it eventually, but it probably won't be in the time that I have it.

 

[pso]

Different motor designs have different efficiencies. It's analogous to the fuel efficiency of a car. Some will take more current than others to make the same output power. You can find the specs for the motors and make a comparison but you have to make sure that the test conditions are equivalent.