how 'bout a rotary phase convertor? I realise it's not the most efficient, but it's kind of a pita to find a 5 hp 1 phase motor at close to 1200 revs, and the convertor'd be about $500 (about 7.5 hp which'd give him about the right output) which is probably less than a new motor with similar specs. It really depends on the situation. what are the tolerences they need? will just about any 5 hp motor do? is this application speed/rpm dependant? does it need a specific frame size that this motor needs? if so a phase convertor is a good option, imo, if they just need an approx. 5hp motor with 1000-1500 or so rev output it'd probably be better to trash the old motor.
plus, hey these things are a breeze to hook up, way simpler than a VFD. and if it's a pretty light-duty app he could even get a static phase convertor (capacitor) which are pretty cheap (but with poor efficiency)
-Will
