Ok. Thanks for everybody's help in the earlier thread. The 20HP rotary phase converter is working, but I now need to place it in the garage, about 70+ feet wiring run distance from the main breaker panel.
Given the cost of copper wire these days, my inclination is to run just the two hots to the panel and to put a grounding rod close up to the garage and run a local ground to it. I see no reason to run a neutral line from the panel (the machines are all 3 phase).
I know that I could run a ground line to the panel AND run a local grounding rod, but is it a bad idea to just do a local ground?
What gage wire for a 20HP RPC, but the main/biggest load/machine will be a 10HP spindle and a couple of 2HP machines, never all at the same time? ($ signs get much bigger with the wire gage/diameter :-)
Anybody near San Jose, CA have a spool of #4 or larger gage for cheap? :-)
Thanks in advance!