Boat Autopilot Drive Unit, Benmar Chain and Sprocket Drive, 12Volts

Description: This is a spare Benmar Autopilot Drive Unit. First I threw away the original drive circuit cards, dissemble clean and regrease the gear drive, remove the motor and open and blow out any carbon dust, check bearings, add a little oil to the bearings, and put it all back together. This unit has all metal gears, oilite bushings, and a high quality 12Volt DC motor. A mechanical clutch on the output shaft makes for a low friction steering, no parasitic clutch electrical power, drop dead simple, high quality autopilot drive (if you can fit a sprocket .on your wheel shaft). Most autopilts could care less what is on the 12 Volt output (it applies a voltage, the load accepts a current, and something moves). There is a mechanical slip clutch in the gear assy and on a couple of occasions in a real overcanvassed blow (ie rail in the water) slipped the clutch (NBD). Also included is a push pull cable to engage the clutch that can be cut to length for your particular installation. I have had one installed on my 32ft Island Packet for years. I have driven it with everything from a Raymarine 4,000, now a RM Evo, and most everything in between. I will include a few pages from the manual on how to select the optimum chain sprocket ratio. One thing most do not realize is that it is much more energy efficient to drive the steering wheel shaft than to drive the rudder shaft directly. This has to do with how polar moments are reflected through a mechanical ratio (my current averages 2 to 3 Amps). My Masters Thesis was on automatic control systems for the US Navy. Free Domestic Shipping

Price: 300 USD

Location: Panama City, Florida

End Time: 2024-12-01T22:22:18.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD