Generator PTO vs Gas Engine Generator

[RoyJackson]

twist the 3pt arms? really? 3pt arms size will be compariable to pto hp.. IE.. more pto hp = bigger tractor = bigger arms. thus if your pto genny and thus laod will be sized for your tractor.

whoever told you it will twist the 3pt arms off must have ever actually used one.

I have read the trailer type (the ones not connected to the 3PH) can rotate from the PTO torque if not bolted down to the trailer.

 

[joshuabardwell]

One theory I've heard is that the torque will twist or rotate the 3-pt arms.

The three-point arms are made to hold an implement that is being run on the PTO. How much torque do you think a tiller puts on the arms? What good would the PTO be if it was capable of torquing off the three-point arms?!

 

[joshuabardwell]

Regarding the PTO generators, does the PTO have to be run at 540RPM?

Or, can you run the tractor at less than 540 if you don't need the full load? For instance, if I have a PTO generator that puts out 10kw continuous at 540, can I run it at say half that if I only need 5kw? Or does it have to be run at 540 to keep a constant 60hz or something?

It must be run at 540 to keep a constant 60 Hz, exactly. What will happen as the load increases is the governor will have to give the engine more fuel to keep the motor running at 540 rpms, so your fuel consumption will go up as your electrical load goes up, but your engine RPMs must remain constant.

The exact PTO RPM to produce 60 Hz will vary slightly from unit to unit. Most, if not all, have a display that shows the voltage and frequency, and you use that to set your RPMs to whatever produces the right values.

 

[Piston]

It must be run at 540 to keep a constant 60 Hz, exactly. What will happen as the load increases is the governor will have to give the engine more fuel to keep the motor running at 540 rpms, so your fuel consumption will go up as your electrical load goes up, but your engine RPMs must remain constant.

I'm not sure if I have a governer? I believe that when I put a load on my tractor at 540, the RPM's will drop, the will only come back up to 540 if I give it more throttle, or reduce the load. Although, I haven't really paid attention to whether or not it truly is 'governed' because I never thought twice about it.

 

[dex3361]

I'm not sure if I have a governer? I believe that when I put a load on my tractor at 540, the RPM's will drop, the will only come back up to 540 if I give it more throttle, or reduce the load. Although, I haven't really paid attention to whether or not it truly is 'governed' because I never thought twice about it.

If your talking about the tractor you have listed the Kubota L4610 has a governer and will doa great job spinning a generator. What I do on my L4400 is adjust the frequency to 61 hz no load and when a load is applied it settles at 60 hz and holds steady. The PTO is right at the 540rpm speed.

 

[Soundguy]

I have read the trailer type (the ones not connected to the 3PH) can rotate from the PTO torque if not bolted down to the trailer.

yes.. if the pto gen is setting their naked and not attached to something. it WILL try to spin over with even a light load.

I don't like the trailer ones as they don't seem stable. the cary-all 3pt mounted ones are rock solid.

Plus.. I have had that rig setup with my arc welder on the pallate too.. and been able to drive around my farm and weld up gates.. and run pole saws and drills and whatnot. good mobile work platform.. and you can backup easy with it.. and trailer it.. unlike a lil 10cf trailer like many are built around.. load that on a deckover equipmetn trailer... easy with a caryall.. NOT EASY wit the lil trailer!

 

[Soundguy]

I'm not sure if I have a governer? I believe that when I put a load on my tractor at 540, the RPM's will drop, the will only come back up to 540 if I give it more throttle, or reduce the load. Although, I haven't really paid attention to whether or not it truly is 'governed' because I never thought twice about it.

yes you do.. it's built into the injector pump.

it's not infinite mind you.. it has a limited range.. etc.

 

[Piston]

Thanks Soundguy and dex, for clearing up the governer thing for me. It sounds like I might be more interested in a PTO generator after all I'm having a transfer switch installed next week in my home and have been reading up on some of these threads for some advice. I haven't had to ask too many questions as I've learned a lot just from what's already been posted.

 

[Soundguy]

if you have a tractor.. a pto gen is cheaper wattage and yer tractor is likely way more engineered than the lawnmower engine running the genset.

downside is you can't laod the pto gen into the trunk and take it camping.. etc. ( but you can get an inverter.. )

 

[Piston]

downside is you can't laod the pto gen into the trunk and take it camping..

That's okay, camping and generators don't mix anyways...