Okay so far no responses. I am asking because what may seem like a good deal is possibly very much a fake product.
I'm nursing along a Super Jack QARL 3636+ I bought from a fellow who discovered that he needed a hall sensor and it came with a reed switch. He mentioned that he had a bit of trouble with the vendor returning it and he would have to pay shipping back because it wasn't actually defective. Anyway I got a good deal on the brand new actuator in the box.
Over the past 2 years I've owed it the motor has eaten a gear. Some crafty machine shop work and an old Saginaw gearbox gave me a working gear. I've fashioned a very nice hall sensor and magnet wheel that resolves to 12 pulses/revolution of the drive coupling.
Tuned the hall gap with an oscilloscope.
As it was turning to be time to consider a Venture or Von Weise actuator and getting quotes I pondered across a "housing" or complete motor for 75 bucks plus shipping from a common vendor. The specs showed 2 different gear box motors for the regular duty and heavy duty 2" QARL actuators. There is a stock photo on his page showing the QARL with a tape measure showing a 2" O.D.
So I ordered it. When it got here I found out that it was for a 1-3/4" actuator tube.
Emails back and forth. As usual no direct contact phone number for him. Eventually after "proving" that I had a QARL 3636+ with a 2" tube, and photos of the new motor bore diameter, my motor, the tube with a dial caliper over it. Crap went south.
I was told that I must have a "very old" unit and that the new ones are smaller. But all over the place the QARL has a 2" O.D. tube.
The date code was 2017. I contacted Super Jack and a few other vendors. All replied that they indeed are 2 inches.
Super Jack replied that they are aware of copies (fakes) made of inferior construction and advertised as original. But assured that mine was an OEM product.
Too many people go back and forth with emails with this guy. I asked if he would please pull a new actuator out of the box to show me the tube diameter. No response after that. He was to ship a replacement to me with a return ticket until he found out that all of his "heavy duty QARL" motors were the same and again, Super Jack "hasn't made my actuator in years".
Okay. So. I gutted the motor casting. Put it on my buddy's Bridgeport and bored the hole to the same O.D of my tube + 0.01" and it slipped on and aligned perfect. But still. Is this guy selling fakes? 75 for a motor isn't bad really. For a fake motor, who knows.
FYI. When I gutted it to mill the bore. Both brush contact screws were wobbly loose. Brushes are pip-squeak tiny. Hardly any lube at all in the gears and the motor bronze bearings were dry dry dry.
So there you have it guys.
