# Yet another Buyers controller!!



## rforsha (Oct 11, 2009)

We have replaced every part on the salt dogg poly side sphe-1500 in unit except the spinner motor.
Last year the unit would not auger salt in cold tempatures. We had replaced the Buyers controller in Jan of 09. auger motor, made all new connections for the motor to harness and replaced the vibrator motor in Dec 08. This summer we replaced the auger shaft, bearing and transmission.
Started the year and worked great. One night it was below zero and the unit worked great. The unit never jammed or attempted to lock up. WE were still using the salt from last year. Then we were plowing and salting the other night. We had plowed a section of parking lot and salted it down. Started to plow the next section and I noticed the lights on for the controller (power switch and the green lights above the dials for auger and spinner). I dont salt and plow at the same time, to much power draw. I went to switch the unit off and it was off.
But the lights were on. I shut the truck off, the units on the igntion switch.
The lights were still on, basiclly bleeding power from the input supply from the battery. I felt the top of the controller and it was very hot. 
I mean this controller unit only was used last Jan Feb and part of March.
Dec this winter and how its malfuntioning. Unit is 13 months old. I called the dealer and they said it only has a year warranty.
Where is the quality and basic honest product any more.
We put a used unit in and the spreader pattern even seemed wider. I thought the other unit did not spin the spinner motor as fast, but I thought the spinner is older.
I am taking the controller to a local guy who is going to look at it and I asked him to wire a remote switch for the vibrator motor so we don't have to lean over to operate the switch
We also had a fuse blow on the old unit. I took it apart to replace it and it was soldered to the board. I had him solder a fuse holder to the board so I could just replace the fuse.
Is a Karrier controller better than a Buyers ???????? I noticed the Karrier has a two year warranty. Does it require that you rewired the truck and to the salter for a different controller.

Bob


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## tuney443 (Jun 25, 2006)

I'm surprised to hear your controller problems as I believe you have the older,better,white faced Karrier unit,it just might say Buyers on it,but it's a 2070 Karrier,NOT the POS black faced Chinese made one I and countless others have with the new Salt Doggs.As far as I know,I do believe whether or not it actually says Karrier or Buyers,white face or black,all the plugs will interchange.If you go to Karriers site,you will see some pics of what I'm talking about.


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## rforsha (Oct 11, 2009)

> As far as I know,I do believe whether or not it actually says Karrier or Buyers,white face or black,all the plugs will interchange.If you go to Karriers site,you will see some pics of what I'm talking about.


I did look at Karriers site and it mentioned a pigtail adapter for the 2070 and salt dogg unit. I was unsure if it was a small pigtail to adapt to the vehicle harress or needs to replace the entire harness.
Also the picture of the Karrier 2070 on their site and my year old controller look alike.
I do not want to purchase a more expense version of the junk I already own if this controller is a Karrier with a Buyers label slapped on it.


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## lilweeds (Aug 3, 2007)

Call Bob from Karrier. They will also repair a broken unit. Also it doesn't hurt to have a spare.


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## TSsnplw (Jan 16, 2010)

rforsha;961316 said:


> We have replaced every part on the salt dogg poly side sphe-1500 in unit except the spinner motor.
> Last year the unit would not auger salt in cold tempatures. We had replaced the Buyers controller in Jan of 09. auger motor, made all new connections for the motor to harness and replaced the vibrator motor in Dec 08. This summer we replaced the auger shaft, bearing and transmission.
> Started the year and worked great. One night it was below zero and the unit worked great. The unit never jammed or attempted to lock up. WE were still using the salt from last year. Then we were plowing and salting the other night. We had plowed a section of parking lot and salted it down. Started to plow the next section and I noticed the lights on for the controller (power switch and the green lights above the dials for auger and spinner). I dont salt and plow at the same time, to much power draw. I went to switch the unit off and it was off.
> But the lights were on. I shut the truck off, the units on the igntion switch.
> ...


That sounds sort of like the same problem I had on my spreader last year also, and the problem for me was a motor shorting out issue and not the controller, the controller was just an unfortunate expensive symptom and not the real problem. This may not be your problem though, but you might want to double check you're new and old motors out, and be very suspicious of your newer motor because Buyers had a bad batch of them the first part of last year.

Every time the motor made one complete revolution it would short to ground and the relay in the controller would open and close on every rotation cycle of the motor and overheat the controller until it failed. And that is what I suspect could be causing your controller to get hot and the fuses to blow.

Buyers at that time changed their supplier of motors (read cheaper to save $$$) and kept denying that is was their "new baby" made in China motors that were causing the problem and blamed the controllers instead, no surprise, as that is standard procedure for Buyers as they go into spin control. I have read about many others that had that same motor shorting out problem that destroyed their controllers also, so this was not an isolated one and only problem, sort of like Buyers new made in China black faced controllers fiasco now that are failing faster then they can make them! (I currently have gone thru 3 new black faced controllers and still do not have one that works, #4 is on backorder!)

I just sourced out a different motor vendor off ebay other than Buyers and have not had a problem since.


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