Problem with Grizzly bandsaw motor

[Aaron Wingert]

I've had a problem with my G0514X 19", 3hp, 220v, $1250 bandsaw for the three years since I've had it, and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it. It is motor-related, and I'm not that knoweldgeable about electric motors, so bear with me.

Right now I have a basement wood shop full of smoke. :mad: Blown start capacitor. It smoked so much this time I ran and got the fire extinguisher out of fear that it was actually on fire. :eek: (it wasn't)

Shortly after I bought the saw I blew a start capacitor. Grizzly's tech was helpful and advised that this saw isn't designed to be started and stopped multiple times per hour and that I'd be better off leaving it running. I find that inconvenient and often unsafe but I've learned to heed his advice and manage. Grizzly did send me a new capacitor that time.

Last time the saw went poof I got a very helpful tech on the phone who walked me through digging into the motor itself and checking the contact point on a bakelite board in there....Something to do with little centrifugal contacts that engage as the motor winds up. That contact point had signs of damage so Grizzly sent a new one.

Now I'm back in the same mess. I need my bandsaw for a project and it is dead as a hammer. Gotta drive 35 miles to a friend's to use his bandsaw to have my project done when it was promised. Going to have to order a capacitor from Grizzly or get one at a local electrical shop.

I upgraded to this saw from a G0555, which was a wonderful machine. The G0514X is a joy to use when it is running...Easy to tune, limitless resaw power. But I'm at the point where I am simply afraid to turn the saw on for fear that it'll die again, so it is something I'm wanting to fix once and for all or replace. I'd sell it, but I wouldn't want to sell this lemon to another woodworker unless and until I can fix it for good. I've lost track of how many capacitors I've bought in three years, but it has been a few. After three years of relative patience with the issue I'm at the point that this is unacceptable to me.

Definitely not trying to bash Grizzly here. I like Grizzly and would buy one of their cabinet saws right now if my wife would let me. As stated, I loved my G0555 and my 6" Grizzly jointer. :D Just looking for advice from anybody that knows what might cause the saw to go through capacitors so often.

I'll be calling Grizzly Monday, but I'm hoping to have some ideas of what is causing this when I call them, as I don't want to keep just replacing capacitors and keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks for reading my rambling. :rolleyes: Hope someone has had the same problem and fixed it!

[Chip Lindley]

Aaron, double-check to make sure you have the motor wired correctly. One wrong wire makes all the difference. Also, check the proper path of all connections from the wall plug, through the magnetic starter, to the motor.

If all wire connections check out, the fault is evidently inside the motor. The centrifugal start winding switch is usually the culprit with blown start capacitors. It should slide freely up and down the shaft under spring tension, opening when the motor revs up; returning to it's closed position when the motor spins down. You have already visited it once, so you should already be familiar. If the centrifugal switch is ok, the motor's internal wiring or windings may be faulty.

A reputable motor service can check out the motor for a small fee to let you know what's going on. Of course you will have to dismount the motor and take it in for inspection. A big 3hp motor is worth fixing. If it needs to be rewound, you will have a hard decision to make. Repair or buy another Chinese Grizzly motor or upgrade to Baldor or Leeson. Best of Luck!

[John Davidson]

There is no reason a good motor can not go through several start stop cycles an hour. I have never had problems with any of my tools and stop and start them as needed. That includes my 3 hp Agazzani. If you motor is bad upgrade to Leeson, Marthon or Baldor and you won't have this problem. The Motor Wharehouse has great pricing on replacement motors and I am sure there are other suppliers that have good deals. I would not purchase another motor from Grizzly since they never resolved the problem the first time.

[Michael Schwartz]

I start and stop my motors frequently all day long, every day. Never had an issue on large bandsaws either, we used to start/stop the 20" rockwell I worked with a while back frequently.

I own the 14" grizzly bandsaw and have never had an issue with that motor.

I would check to make sure you have everything wired correctly, and go through everything and check that you have nice tight connections. Beyond that I would ask for a new motor. Sounds like the centrifugal switch is bad.

[Tom Veatch]

... Blown start capacitor. ... I blew a start capacitor...Now I'm back in the same mess. ...

Typically, start capacitors, unlike run capacitors, are intermittent use devices. There's no more certain way to blow them than to keep them energized for more than a few seconds (exact time will vary) after the motor starts. If your centrifugal switch is sticking so that it doesn't open immediately as the motor comes up to speed (about 70-80% of full rpm), you can count on having to replace the start cap on a regular basis.

Don't know that's where the problem is, but it's the first place I'd look.

[Ray Bell]

Yikes, I hate to hear this. I have the same saw except X2, and have had it for about a month now. Because of other commitments, I have never cut anything with it yet. Just fired it up once to see if it would run, and how it tracked. It seemed to be fine. I hope this isn't a chronic problem with all of these saws. I also hope Grizzly makes this right for you, since this was a problem from the start. Good Luck!

[scott vroom]

I had the same problem with my jointer motor right out of the box (damaged centrifugal contacts). Grizzly sent me a new motor, it arrived 3 days later. Awsome customer service!! I also don't want to bash Grizzly, I have a shop full of their tools and love them. It sounds like you've had trouble with their motor from day 1, if I were you I'd ask them to ship you a new one free of charge.....my guess is that is something they should have done the first time you reported the motor problem(s).

Maybe your post will guilt Shiraz into authorizing the new motor you deserve :D!!

[Willard Foster]

Does this motor have a magnetic starter? My last motor class was thirty years ago, but I thought if you had a magnetic starter, you didn't need the centrifical starter switch. My recollection is the magnetic starter relied upon a momentary contact switch that energized the start windings.

You may want to call an electrician to look at your problem. Also, I wouldn't buy any more start capacitors from Grizzly.


Bill

[Aaron Wingert]

Typically, start capacitors, unlike run capacitors, are intermittent use devices. There's no more certain way to blow them than to keep them energized for more than a few seconds (exact time will vary) after the motor starts. If your centrifugal switch is sticking so that it doesn't open immediately as the motor comes up to speed (about 70-80% of full rpm), you can count on having to replace the start cap on a regular basis.

Don't know that's where the problem is, but it's the first place I'd look.

Tom that might be the ticket but I don't know for sure. The motor has always "clicked" about 1 to 2 seconds after the motor starts, which I attribute to the centrifugal switch kicking in. When the start capacitors go, it is always right after the saw is started, within a few seconds of startup. I suspect you're right that the capacitor is not capable of sustaining the load and isn't kicking over to the run capacitor.

When we replaced that contact point some time ago, the Grizzly tech walked me through it on the phone as I did it, so I'm fairly positive the centrifugal switch is correctly adjusted.

Going to call Grizzly tomorrow in hopes of finding final resolution to this problem. I'll report back and let you all know what transpires.

I appreciate all the advice. :)

[Aaron Wingert]

Spoke to a nice guy at Grizzly this morning. Walked him through the problems I've had since purchasing the saw. He's thinking that the saw is drawing too much amperage, based on an observation I made last night when I took the cover/fan off the motor, regarding damage to the contact behind that centrifugal switch. It was sticking....Seems like the contacts were very slightly tack welded together.

Unfortunately, he said the saw is 3+ years old so he can't do anything for me under warranty. I (maintaining composure and general friendliness) said that in good faith I'd hope that they'd recognize that this has been a problem for me as long as I've owned the saw and Grizzly has failed to correct the problem so it doesn't continue to happen. He put me on hold, checked with a supervisor, came back and apologetically said that there was nothing they would do. He said there was a stretch in time when I hadn't ordered parts in a while, seemingly suggesting that the problem must have been fixed at some point. When you go through as many start capacitors as I have, it is wise to find a local source for 300mfd/250vac start capacitors, and I did. He suggested taking the motor to a motor shop in my area and having it checked out. Or, buy a new motor. $473.00 for their version. A Leeson or Baldor is bound to be at least that based on a quick internet search. I'll sooner buy a new saw than spend $500 on a motor for one that may or may not work right.

He was apologetic, I thanked him, I resisted the urge to get angry since he was nice, and we hung up. Pretty disappointed with the outcome here. You hear all these people lauding Grizzly for standing behind their tools.

Anybody want to buy a bandsaw with a bad motor? :(

[Curt Harms]

would charge to diagnose it? I agree, this is not an optimal outcome so far. It'll be interesting to see if Shiraz checks in on this one. I had a similar problem with a Rikon 10-325 motor when I first got it. I called Rikon and offered to swap out the start cap. They declined my offer and sent me a whole new motor.

[Aaron Wingert]

Any idea how much a motor shop would charge to diagnose it?

Not yet Curt. I'm too PO'd about the whole thing right now to even make that phonecall. Not sure I want to know the answer.

What has me most upset is the fact that I found a local source for a few of the start capacitors in the last 3 years and therefore Grizzly looks in their records and sees what appears to be a resolution to the problem since I wasn't ordering parts from them every time a capacitor went out. In hindsight, that was a mistake. I should've been more vocal about the problem and kept my start capacitor orders with them instead of just trying to get the saw running again each time. Mechanically it made no difference because the capacitors were the same rating and the local guy's capacitors occasionally went POOF just the same as Grizzly's.

[Aaron Wingert]

Grizzly customer service comes through folks. Someone (;)) at Grizzly saw this thread and I have been contacted by a very nice lady regarding getting this problem taken care of. She said that their parts department sells very few of these motors, which is testament to the fact that they don't usually have problems.

My heartfelt thanks to them, as well as all of you who have offered your advice.

[Shiraz Balolia]

[QUOTE=Curt Harms;1408833] It'll be interesting to see if Shiraz checks in on this one.QUOTE]

Here's a sequence of events:

12/16/06 Machine ordered
1/09/07 Replaced capacitor and table
2/4/09 Ordered a capacitor (paid for it as a part)
4/9/09 We repaced capacitor "under warranty" , plus sent some new contact points at no charge.

Today - we are offering to replace the motor at no charge.

Here are some do's and don'ts about machine issues (I am sure some people will try to critique this common sense approach):

1) Don't live with a problem. You should not have to. Contact the customer service dept. and if you are having issues we will resolve them. We would have gladly sent out a new motor during the warranty period, and have been known to do that even after the warranty has expired.
2) Don't wait years before contacting us. It is not fair to us. I myself have had issues with something I bought and kept putting off contacting the company until after the warranty expired. I was mad at myself as I knew the company would have fixed it within the warranty period.
3) Do be nice to the people you speak with on the phone (Aaron did that), but this info. is for the people that yell at our operators. Lots do, and we put up with it, but believe me that it reduces your chances of getting help dramatically when you are out of warranty. Do not use profanity at our operators. I have instructed them to hang up on customers that start yelling obscenities. The operators are there to help, not be punching bags.
4) Do not abuse the machine and then expect us to cover everything. It obviously is not the case here, but some people treat the machines like the outsides of barns. We have had several machines returned to us during the warranty period and you would think these machines were 25 years old - left out in the rain, huge dings on the cast iron from where they have used tables for assembling who knows what (probably car engines), etc. Then they claim it does not perform as expected. Some even use the machine for a project and return the machine after completion of the project saying it is "defective". When the machine comes back we find nothing wrong with it. These are just a few examples of what we put up with on a day to day basis.

Anyway, we were able to help Aaron today.

[Rod Sheridan]

[QUOTE=Curt Harms;1408833] It'll be interesting to see if Shiraz checks in on this one.QUOTE]





1) Don't live with a problem. You should not have to. Contact the customer service dept. and if you are having issues we will resolve them. We would have gladly sent out a new motor during the warranty period, and have been known to do that even after the warranty has expired.
2) Don't wait years before contacting us. It is not fair to us. I myself have had issues with something I bought and kept putting off contacting the company until after the warranty expired. I was mad at myself as I knew the company would have fixed it within the warranty period.
3) Do be nice to the people you speak with on the phone (Aaron did that), but this info. is for the people that yell at our operators. Lots do, and we put up with it, but believe me that it reduces your chances of getting help dramatically when you are out of warranty. Do not use profanity at our operators. I have instructed them to hang up on customers that start yelling obscenities. The operators are there to help, not be punching bags.
.

Words of wisdom that makes life better for everyone............Rod.

[Andrew Joiner]

[QUOTE=Curt Harms;1408833] It'll be interesting to see if Shiraz checks in on this one.QUOTE]

Here's a sequence of events:

12/16/06 Machine ordered
1/09/07 Replaced capacitor and table
2/4/09 Ordered a capacitor (paid for it as a part)
4/9/09 We repaced capacitor "under warranty" , plus sent some new contact points at no charge.

Today - we are offering to replace the motor at no charge.

Here are some do's and don'ts about machine issues (I am sure some people will try to critique this common sense approach):

1) Don't live with a problem. You should not have to. Contact the customer service dept. and if you are having issues we will resolve them. We would have gladly sent out a new motor during the warranty period, and have been known to do that even after the warranty has expired.
2) Don't wait years before contacting us. It is not fair to us. I myself have had issues with something I bought and kept putting off contacting the company until after the warranty expired. I was mad at myself as I knew the company would have fixed it within the warranty period.
3) Do be nice to the people you speak with on the phone (Aaron did that), but this info. is for the people that yell at our operators. Lots do, and we put up with it, but believe me that it reduces your chances of getting help dramatically when you are out of warranty. Do not use profanity at our operators. I have instructed them to hang up on customers that start yelling obscenities. The operators are there to help, not be punching bags.
4) Do not abuse the machine and then expect us to cover everything. It obviously is not the case here, but some people treat the machines like the outsides of barns. We have had several machines returned to us during the warranty period and you would think these machines were 25 years old - left out in the rain, huge dings on the cast iron from where they have used tables for assembling who knows what (probably car engines), etc. Then they claim it does not perform as expected. Some even use the machine for a project and return the machine after completion of the project saying it is "defective". When the machine comes back we find nothing wrong with it. These are just a few examples of what we put up with on a day to day basis.

Anyway, we were able to help Aaron today.

Thanks for your response Shiraz,

Your a great guy to do business with. You're more than fair to your reasonable customers. I can see why Grizzly has grown so big so fast.

[Aaron Wingert]

Thank you Mr. Balolia, I'm humbled and thankful that you're helping me out on this given the fact I've had the saw for some time. I definitely made the mistake of not fussing more than I did when I had problems with the capacitors, which would've worked out better for me and for Grizzly. I've also learned a valuable lesson about getting replacement parts for my tools, regardless of brand. When you look at your records and see only three capacitors ordered, the severity of the issue isn't clearly illustrated, and doesn't reflect the non-Grizzly capacitors that I used. That's not fair to you and could have really worked against me. Seems so simple but it could make all the difference in a warranty claim. From now on any and all replacement parts for my tools will be ordered from the tools' respective manufacturers.

I've always said that I'm a Grizzly customer for life. I'm regretting the two hours from earlier this morning when I doubted that. :)

I couldn't agree more about point #3...There is rarely (if ever) a reason to verbally berate a customer service person or tech on the phone. Those folks work under guidelines set forth by the company they work for and chewing on them is just unfair. Trust me, I know. I work for a city and we get chewed on all the time for all sorts of things that we can't control or didn't have anything to do with!

[Harold Burrell]

I'm a Grizzly customer for life.

+1

(and...+10 charcters so that this will post)

[Ray Bell]

What a great resolution. You gotta love Grizzly. Even though I still haven't had the chance to use my new G0514X2 yet I feel much better about it. I also like the fact that there were not other complaints of the same problem. I know there are a lot of these saws out there. I think you have to expect the occasional problem motor.

[Dennis Lopeman]

Dangit!! I was going to buy the "bandsaw with a bad motor"!!!!

[Andrew Minear]

[QUOTE=Curt Harms;1408833] It'll be interesting to see if Shiraz checks in on this one.QUOTE]

Here's a sequence of events:

12/16/06 Machine ordered
1/09/07 Replaced capacitor and table
2/4/09 Ordered a capacitor (paid for it as a part)
4/9/09 We repaced capacitor "under warranty" , plus sent some new contact points at no charge.

Today - we are offering to replace the motor at no charge.

Here are some do's and don'ts about machine issues (I am sure some people will try to critique this common sense approach):

1) Don't live with a problem. You should not have to. Contact the customer service dept. and if you are having issues we will resolve them. We would have gladly sent out a new motor during the warranty period, and have been known to do that even after the warranty has expired.
2) Don't wait years before contacting us. It is not fair to us. I myself have had issues with something I bought and kept putting off contacting the company until after the warranty expired. I was mad at myself as I knew the company would have fixed it within the warranty period.
3) Do be nice to the people you speak with on the phone (Aaron did that), but this info. is for the people that yell at our operators. Lots do, and we put up with it, but believe me that it reduces your chances of getting help dramatically when you are out of warranty. Do not use profanity at our operators. I have instructed them to hang up on customers that start yelling obscenities. The operators are there to help, not be punching bags.
4) Do not abuse the machine and then expect us to cover everything. It obviously is not the case here, but some people treat the machines like the outsides of barns. We have had several machines returned to us during the warranty period and you would think these machines were 25 years old - left out in the rain, huge dings on the cast iron from where they have used tables for assembling who knows what (probably car engines), etc. Then they claim it does not perform as expected. Some even use the machine for a project and return the machine after completion of the project saying it is "defective". When the machine comes back we find nothing wrong with it. These are just a few examples of what we put up with on a day to day basis.

Anyway, we were able to help Aaron today.


How reassuring is that? I have Grizzly machines and that is a wonderful response from Shiraz. It shows true dedication from a great company.

Andrew

[Ray Bell]

Dangit!! I was going to buy the "bandsaw with a bad motor"!!!!

LOL, funny Dennis. You were just quietly waiting in the wings hoping for more frustrations-eh?

[Willard Foster]

Shiraz,

Do you ever perform any failure analysis on a return such as this one? I'm just curious on some of the issues you find.

This may be off topic, but let's say a motor is wired for 120 volts. How far can the voltage drop before the motor begins to suffer and be damaged?

Bill

[Danny Hamsley]

Treating customers this way is the reason that the last two machines that I purchased were from Grizzly.

[Shiraz Balolia]

Shiraz,

Do you ever perform any failure analysis on a return such as this one? I'm just curious on some of the issues you find.

This may be off topic, but let's say a motor is wired for 120 volts. How far can the voltage drop before the motor begins to suffer and be damaged?

Bill

If we had a major problem, we would, but this is a rare instance.

You are right, though, about different voltage drops. Different parts of the country have different voltage outputs that can sometimes affect motors.

[Wayne Hendrix]

The more I hear about Grizzly the more convinced I am that the majority of tool purchases in the future will be from them.

[Alan Wright]

I have this same bandsaw (bought in Jan 10') and my cabinet saw is a Grizzly. I haven't had any problems and my buying experience has gone off without a hitch both times I purchased these machines. I'm just a hobbyist, but I keep looking at thier 24" drum sander, and as soon as I come up with the cash, I'm gonna pul the trigger.

Buying something this expensive (for me anyway) off the internet is a little scary. If Griz customrer service was spotty, I for one would not take the risk of buying from them. I live in upstate NY, so getting to their brick and mortar store is a 4 hour drive. I've bought these tools, sight unseen, based on internet research alone. There are hundreds, if not thousands of guys like me buying their products. Their customer service and "internet reputation" is critical to thier continued success. unless this changes, I'm a grizzly customer for life as well!! :o

[Paul Johnstone]

What has me most upset is the fact that I found a local source for a few of the start capacitors in the last 3 years and therefore Grizzly looks in their records and sees what appears to be a resolution to the problem s.

I think another lesson is that if a tool is not working right on day 1, get it exchanged/refunded right away. You tried to work with the tool and get it to work, and now you are being hung out to dry. EDIT: I guess they finally took care of you, since you took your case to the internet. Thank God for that. However, you did have to jump through a lot of hoops vs not accepting the initial machine.

Really, I think it's a load of BS that they told you the bandsaw wasn't designed to be turned on and off multiple times per hour. The saw is defective if that is the case. That's a serious safety issue.

[Dennis Lopeman]

Paul... for the record, I think that he was NOT hung out to dry in this case... it was looking that way for only a couple hours (the morning) and then the Grizzly came through for him and is going to make it all right...

unless I missed something new!

[Dennis Lopeman]

LOL, funny Dennis. You were just quietly waiting in the wings hoping for more frustrations-eh?


Well... I was just going to stick another motor on it... How hard can it be? I don't need all that other stuff, just make the motor turn a couple wheels...

I'm sure there's more to it than that. I would love if Grizzly would just go ahead and teach me, by sending me a G0514X2B to test... for a while... eh? Anyone listening? :D Hello?

[Aaron Wingert]

Came home from work today to find the new motor from Grizzly waiting for me on the front porch. Next day!!! They've got a technician calling me tomorrow afternoon to walk me through the removal of the old motor and to help me get the new one going. Looking forward to getting back to making sawdust!

[Aaron Wingert]

I received my motor yesterday and got everything all ready to go over when the tech called today at the scheduled time of 5:00pm. He called at 5:01pm. Very nice guy, very patient and very knowledgeable as well. He talked me through removal of the motor, which would've been easier with the help of a friend but I managed. It was much more simple than I expected so we didn't stay on the phone for the reassembly process. I figured I could always call back if something confused me.

Reassembly went just fine later this evening and I did talk my father in law into helping.

I fired it up and what a difference. The saw sounds totally different. Quiet and smooth. The switch-over from the start capacitor to the run capacitor is not even audible like it was before....That kind of scared me at first just because I'm used to hearing it sort of upshift. After a few starts she's running great.

Grizzly's tech also assured me that the machine can be started and stopped a reasonable amount and that I shouldn't really concern myself with it. He said that it could blow a capacitor if I went crazy and constantly started and stopped it but under normal use there's nothing to worry about.

Pretty sure we can stamp this one PROBLEM SOLVED.

Thank you Shiraz. Thank you Grizzly.

[Neil Brooks]

Woo-hoo !!!!

[Eddie Darby]

He said there was a stretch in time when I hadn't ordered parts in a while, seemingly suggesting that the problem must have been fixed at some point. When you go through as many start capacitors as I have, it is wise to find a local source for 300mfd/250vac start capacitors, and I did.

Anybody want to buy a bandsaw with a bad motor? :(

This seems to me to be a bad customer service case, on a lower level.
If you had the problem from the get go, why would they consider it fixed "to their own satisfaction", if you still have it! You sure you weren't talking to a lawyer instead? LOL

I would scan the receipts from your local source/store and email them to Grizzly, then that 'boat won't float' no more!

Send also I picture of the welded switch while you are at it.
This is not your everyday problem, and so it is possible that someone higher up at Grizzly will need to handle this, so be patient, and persistent, and you will persevere. Keep telling yourself that Grizzly has excellent customer service!!! They do, they really do!

Then let us know how it all turns out.

Post Script: I see that it has turned for the better!!!!!!!!!!! Great Stuff!!! This one goes above and beyond the normal level of service!

[John Stan]

I received my motor yesterday and got everything all ready to go over when the tech called today at the scheduled time of 5:00pm. He called at 5:01pm. Very nice guy, very patient and very knowledgeable as well. He talked me through removal of the motor, which would've been easier with the help of a friend but I managed. It was much more simple than I expected so we didn't stay on the phone for the reassembly process. I figured I could always call back if something confused me.

Reassembly went just fine later this evening and I did talk my father in law into helping.

I fired it up and what a difference. The saw sounds totally different. Quiet and smooth. The switch-over from the start capacitor to the run capacitor is not even audible like it was before....That kind of scared me at first just because I'm used to hearing it sort of upshift. After a few starts she's running great.

Grizzly's tech also assured me that the machine can be started and stopped a reasonable amount and that I shouldn't really concern myself with it. He said that it could blow a capacitor if I went crazy and constantly started and stopped it but under normal use there's nothing to worry about.

Pretty sure we can stamp this one PROBLEM SOLVED.

Thank you Shiraz. Thank you Grizzly.


Grizzly and Shiraz are class acts. I very much enjoy the G0636X bandsaw and 8 inch jointer I have. Most importantly, I know they will stand behind the products.

[James Griffin]

I have the same problem since I bought my 21" grizzly bandsaw, no one can fix the motor and as of today, they have no more ideas. Over 10 hours on motor problems in 70 hours of use, multiple parts bought for over $300 and installled over at least 7 hours, countless tests, no hope. Grizzly has gone wrong here, I can never buy from them again (have over 10K of grizzly machines right now but no more) (This is a Go531B 5hp bought in November 2010, one motor replaced under warranty, next motor failed after warranty with less then 50 hours of use) This is activity number 288155 just in case anyone from Grizzly cares.

[Phil Thien]

I have the same problem since I bought my 21" grizzly bandsaw, no one can fix the motor and as of today, they have no more ideas. Over 10 hours on motor problems in 70 hours of use, multiple parts bought for over $300 and installled over at least 7 hours, countless tests, no hope. Grizzly has gone wrong here, I can never buy from them again (have over 10K of grizzly machines right now but no more) (This is a Go531B 5hp bought in November 2010, one motor replaced under warranty, next motor failed after warranty with less then 50 hours of use) This is activity number 288155 just in case anyone from Grizzly cares.

I hope they can help you out.

What does Grizzly do with the bad motors that get returned? I'd hope they'd have a motor guy that fixes them up. If they do, they could send people that deserve a free motor a repaired unit, and customers could use the shipping carton to return their bad motor (which would then be fixed and given to the next guy).

I suppose they could even repair non-Grizzly motors. I'd imagine they'd be able to get a high-enough volume to make some bucks at it.

Also wouldn't be a bad idea to invest in high-end CNC grinders and offer sharpening.

All good ways to add to US staffing, and make a few bucks, too. And I think it would add to customer confidence ("we fix all brands of motors, and we sharpen all brands of tooling").

[Gordon Eyre]

Shiraz, I was so impressed with your follow up to this service problem. Because of the reputation of your company I have just placed an order for a G0604ZX jointer and it is being prepared for shipment as i type this. I am excited about this purchase and it will look great beside my new Grizzly bandsaw. I hope that someday I can visit your Billingham site.

[James Griffin]

I did get off the phone with Grizzly a little while ago. They don't take any responsibility for the problem since it is outside of the warranty. (Even though it is a repeat of exact same problem under warranty--- refused per manager consultation by a tech). They said they might refund me for the bad mag switch I bought 2 weeks ago for $224.00 and some of the capacitors that exploded as a result of following techs instructions). One of the instructions was to turn the mag switch (old one, not defective one) all the way and see if it helped. the saw ran for 60 seconds and capacitor exploded. Etc. I think they won't have a choice but to refund for the bad part, but they are out of ideas and the saw won't run, even after extensive testing. I told them I was going to sell it for scrap (my real intention) and they said they were sorry but they understand. Just don't understand how a company can function like this, but hey, its out of warranty so guess I'm out the $2300 for the saw, 150 for extra table and all the parts that blew. Obviously, I am shopping for a new company, we are a business and don't have time to be a saw repairman any more. Does anyone know a company that either almost never has issues or will help in cases like this? I need to buy a new bandsaw soon.

[Phil Thien]

Does anyone know a company that either almost never has issues or will help in cases like this? I need to buy a new bandsaw soon.

I think people have been pretty happy w/ their Agazzani saws.

I have dealt w/ Eagle Tools before (Jesse). You might start there.

For a quick background, when everyone was dropping Inca stuff, Jesse bought-up all their inventory (machines and parts). Yes, he is making a buck selling the gear. But his prices are FAIR and he did it to make sure his Inca customers were taken care of.

Now THAT, my friend, is service.

[Curt Harms]

If the rest of the saw has been trouble free, would it make more sense to replace the motor with a non-Grizzly motor rather than replace the whole saw? I had a similar problem with a Rikon band saw, I suspect the start cap but Rikon sent me a whole new motor. Said something to the effect of "who knows what else is wrong".

[James Griffin]

If the rest of the saw has been trouble free, would it make more sense to replace the motor with a non-Grizzly motor rather than replace the whole saw? I had a similar problem with a Rikon band saw, I suspect the start cap but Rikon sent me a whole new motor. Said something to the effect of "who knows what else is wrong".

That was my first thought, so thanks for mentioning it. I thought I could go out and get a baldor motor. I checked with Grizzly and they said that to their knowledge no other motor will fit it and the non standard face mount won't allow standard motors. Also, we can't find out if the motor is the real problem, as other electrical issues exist and after all tests no one knows what is going on. Other issue is the saw came with a wheel that has been machined too large where the bearing is on the upper wheel (not noticed until after warranty was over) and causes it to eat bearings, as well as shudder a little because the bearing is bouncing around inside the upper wheel. I contacted Grizzly about that over 3.5 weeks ago, spoke to Hayes the tech, and he said he'd call me back about whether they might replace it. No call back and have asked for results about the wheel 3 times but the new techs that answer the phone say there is not any information about it. I have tried to talk to managers, but they won't allow it (2 attempts in last 2 weeks).

[Ray Bell]

Wow, I was surprised to see this old thread come up again. I bought my Grizzly G0514X2 bandsaw in March 2010. As received it blew 2 (if I remember correctly) starter capacitors These were both replaced free of charge. After the second one blew, with the tech on the phone as it happened, they decided to send a new motor. Now I am not a production shop, so I don't use this as much as some folks, but I have been very happy with the saw since. Good luck James on whatever decision you make.

[James Griffin]

Hi Ray,

Yes, I decided to put it here because the blowing of start capacitors was a common denominator. I did get a call from a manager today at Grizzly. Happy to say they have agreed to take the motor back and send a new one. Certainly they didn't have to, I do appreciate that because the motors with shipping are about $700. Since I use the saw often (like 3 times a week for 20 minutes currently) but lightly, maybe at least I'll get some more time out of it, and with any luck no more problems. Third motor should be the charm! I will update when I get the solution finalized, because since Grizzly is now saying they are going to step in and make this right, they certainly deserve to get positive feedback. I will do that assuming we get it all straight. As to the vibration caused by the wheel machining issue (bearings too loose), I am letting that go. It doesn't really interfere with my work, so I can deal with that. I'm glad you had no further problems, maybe after this I won't either. Thanks for the good wishes.

[Phil Thien]

It is stories like this that I find encouraging. At a time when there are threads about Delta machines where parts aren't available to save your life (warranty or not), we've got another outfit (Grizzly) stepping up to the plate, again.

[Marvin Wilson]

As a precaution You should check the amperage on the line to the saw both before and after the switch. Low amperage can cause all sorts of nasty problems and while the motor may well be the issue it would be wise to eliminate this as well. Magnetic switches can be temperamental and low amperage causes overheating. Why take a chance, good luck and God bless.