# How to identify Baldor motor date codes?



## Wirenuting

You may have an OEM motor. 
You would would have to reference back to the equipments manufacture.
The date code would be in the serial number, but not yours.


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## Jarp Habib

That's still somewhat helpful. Building engineers can't tell me much at all about which motors my predecessor has replaced, but they do have info on original equipment installs.


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## Wirenuting

Jarp Habib said:


> That's still somewhat helpful. Building engineers can't tell me much at all about which motors my predecessor has replaced, but they do have info on original equipment installs.


Why would you need a date code? 
Is it just for a motor history record?

Maybe your in-house buyer has a record of the older transactions. 
If not, ask your normal supplier.


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## John Valdes

The spec number is the most effective way to see exactly what you have.
But you must call Baldor for the explanation. The details.

The spec number is used by the manufacturer, distributor, OEM or end user to verify the motor and its specifications. 

Google this spec number you have provided. Spec 40J002X166G1


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## micromind

This thread got me interested so I stayed after work today and copied down a list of 15 Baldor motors that were easy to get to. 

All of them have an 11 digit serial number that begins with a letter then followed by 10 numbers. 

As near as I can guess (I have no actual facts), the letter is the manufacturing plant. In my case, the letter F is on small motors (1 - 7 1/2HP) and the letter C was on larger ones (25 - 75HP). 

The first 2 numbers may very well be the year, mine ran from 13 - 19. This would make sense based on what I know of them. 

The next 2 numbers could be the month. Mine ran from 04 - 12. 

The next 2 may be the day of the month, mine ran from 01 - 27. 

The last 4..... I have no idea. They ran from 0282 - 4030. 

Using the OPs serial number, I came up with C = A plant designation. 17 - Made in 2017. 01 - Made in January. 18 - Made on the 18th day of Jan. 1132.....I don't know. 

I suspect it was made on 01/18/17 at plant C, wherever that is........could easily be wrong though........


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## micromind

John Valdes said:


> The spec number is the most effective way to see exactly what you have.
> But you must call Baldor for the explanation. The details.
> 
> The spec number is used by the manufacturer, distributor, OEM or end user to verify the motor and its specifications.
> 
> Google this spec number you have provided. Spec 40J002X166G1


This is correct but the date code is not in the spec number. 6 of the motors I looked at were all 1 HP, TEFC, 145TC frame and the spec number was the same on all of them. The serial number was the same as well but the last 4 digits were different. They may very well have been built on the same day, they came on 6 dosing pump skids that were ordered at the same time.


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## Jarp Habib

Wirenuting said:


> Why would you need a date code?
> Is it just for a motor history record?
> 
> Maybe your in-house buyer has a record of the older transactions.
> If not, ask your normal supplier.


For motor history records, inventory and failure rates. Replacement spare stock is supposed to be handled by the engineering department but they've been slipping and just going to grab a motor, throw it in somewhere, and not re-ordering it or even logging what motor went where. Engineering department buys everything through Grainger so they would have some records, but no tracking of which motor goes where once it sits on the shelf.

Had to replace an air handler motor on Tuesday that ground faulted that looked almost brand new, engineer said he thinks that one has been replaced a few times but had no specifics for me, just shrugged and put it on my predecessor. That motor (not the one I posted in the OP) also doesn't have any double letters in the serial. I could have somebody dive back into the ticket system to find when it was replaced, which i probably should do anyway, as it's really time in service that matters most. 

The engineers here have a standing directive to replace like for like, which means when a motor fails replace it with that exact same model number without further analysis, and my predecessor never seemed to do anything about that. When i came in, there were a LOT of blank stares about making sure that motors on VFDs are VFD rated, OPSB motors are for dry locations, "heavy duty" doesn't actually mean anything but "severe duty" does...

My understanding is that the catalog number is the base model, spec number has all the specific features and options. I could see a date code being in either spot but really makes more sense for it to be in the serial number


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## John Valdes

micromind said:


> This is correct but the date code is not in the spec number. 6 of the motors I looked at were all 1 HP, TEFC, 145TC frame and the spec number was the same on all of them. The serial number was the same as well but the last 4 digits were different. They may very well have been built on the same day, they came on 6 dosing pump skids that were ordered at the same time.


Agree. 
I also got a little interested and opened my Baldor 501 catalog that should spell it out real simple how to read the serial number.
Funny part is at one time I could read any Baldor serial number and know everything it meant.
Yesterday I could not even find the instructions. I'm going to check again.


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## Paul_JS

All,

The two alpha-numerical code that provides the date of the manufacture of the motor is STAMPED ON the top, left hand side of the motor nameplate.

EXAMPLE: There is an AREA on the top left hand side of the nameplate with the stencilled contraction for the word number of "NO.". Immediately right of that is the code from which you can determine the date of manufacture. The one I have as an example has the following letter/number sequence:

*CA533013.* All you need for the chart is the "CA" part. For my example, this motor was made in December 1999.

To find the chart, just google it "manufactured date code chart - Baldor.com"


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## pokechecker

Is there a certain year they started doing this? I am unable to post pics, but my nameplate does not have that info. The upper left has the catalog # and the spec # below that. It does appear to be an older style nameplate, as does the physical condition of the motor.

:shrug:

Thanks.


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## paulk52

Jarp Habib said:


> Baldor's website "helpfully" provides this link:
> 
> https://www.baldor.com/mvc/DownloadCenter/Files/BEC-330
> 
> which has a two letter date code system set for motors from 1966 through 2027. Problem is, I can't seem to find two consecutive letters on any of the motors I'm working on, except in the catalog number, which usually starts EM####. But that's not the date code, because literally all of them are EM which would put them in May 2009. For example, I might have the following:
> 
> Cat. No. EM2539T
> Spec 40J002X166G1
> Serial No C1701181132
> 
> What am I missing? Would it be stamped on the frame somewhere, elsewhere on the nameplate?


The page you were looking at is for the Dodge gearboxes. For motors look at the serial number. The first two numbers after the letter are the year (2017) and the next two numbers are the month (January). The Cat. No. is the model.


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