A series-wound motor develops its maximum torque at start-up and develops less torque as speed increases. It
is ideal for applications involving heavy starting loads. Shunt or parallel-wound motors develop considerably
less start-up torque but maintain a constant speed at all operating loads. Compound motors combine the characteristics of good starting torque with constant speed. The compound design is particularly useful for applications in which heavy loads are suddenly applied. In a starter motor, a shunt coil is frequently used to limit the maximum free speed at which the starter can operate.