How to adapt gas engine to 540 rpm's to generator??

[jburd964]

I did the same thing, saw someone with a box store employee lookin at one and decided to share my experience with the guy. Got to telling him all of the problems I had had with it and realized he was looking at me as if I was crazy. Pissed me off so I left him to finned for himself. Some people....

 

[CubMon]

The speed of the rotor in a generator is directly related to the number of poles it has. Some are designed to run in harmonics of that speed as well. Most of those rotors also include a rotating rectifier assembly, auxiliary windings and regulator for the initial winding excite voltage - rewinding is not easy...

540 RPM is within the range of harmonics of 60 Hz - 3, 6 and 9 etc, etc..

Generac builds to a price....

Bill C.

 

[crazyal]

I have a smaller Generac (4.2k) with a Honda gas engine. So far so good but I really didn't pay much for it. I've used it for a few power outages to keep things like freezers from melting. I was surprised that the windings would be made in a way that they could fail. I guess it saves a little weight and lowers the price but it still seams kind of cheap to me.

I have been toying with the idea of buying a Kubota (or other brand) diesel generator. It looks like for $5k you can get a 10KW stand alone unit. Have you thought about selling your Kohler and the PTO Generator and just buying new?

 

[jburd964]

I just bought the PTO generator used at a 3rd of the cost of a new one and it was the same as the one that I was looking into buying. It's a Tiger Power 15k sold at (http://www.messicks.com/Articles/PTOGenerator.aspx) they come warranted for 5 yrs parts and labor, with copper windings. The only dislike I had about buying it was the it wasn't the commercial model thus the rpms are at 3600 not the preferred 1800. But the price was right and it was a thirty minute drive to pick it up. Now I'm up to about $9000 in generator cost. If this one fails I'll quit and ask Al Gore what he would do....

 

[BobG_in_VA]

I have a smaller Generac (4.2k) with a Honda gas engine. So far so good but I really didn't pay much for it. I've used it for a few power outages to keep things like freezers from melting. I was surprised that the windings would be made in a way that they could fail. I guess it saves a little weight and lowers the price but it still seams kind of cheap to me.

I have been toying with the idea of buying a Kubota (or other brand) diesel generator. It looks like for $5k you can get a 10KW stand alone unit. Have you thought about selling your Kohler and the PTO Generator and just buying new?

For $5K you can buy a Miller Bobcat Gen/Welder...puts out 8-10KW and you can learn to weld as well...mount it on small trailer and pull it where you need it...BobG in VA

 

[jburd964]

Thats kinda like telling me I should have hooked up with Bill Gates in the seventies. I can weld and have welding machine. Bought it for wife and families convience.

 

[crazyal]

For $5K you can buy a Miller Bobcat Gen/Welder...puts out 8-10KW and you can learn to weld as well...mount it on small trailer and pull it where you need it...BobG in VA

I've already got both a Lincoln ac/dc buzz box and a power mig 255 so I never really thought about it. I'm in the middle of building a garage. I ran 100 amp service to it and was thinking it would be nice to make a nice little home for the generator with ducts for air flow and exhaust. Noise wouldn't be a problem as it would be quite a ways from the house. I would like something easy on the diesel. The Kubota sized gensets use about 4/10th of a gallon per hour at half load. Do you know how well the Miller does?

 

[ModMech]

The generator requires a 30hp engine and that power to be transferred to 540 rpm's. I'm wondering if I could find a transfer case of some type that would have spline drive inlet and out. How could I do this as cost efficient as possible.

Synchonous belt drive (cogged tooth belt). I would mount a 18" pulley on the PTO generator input shaft and fab an engine mount above that and use a 3" pulley on the engine. This gives you either PTO or engine drive for the gen, as needs me dictate.

The advantage of a cogged belt is they require lower belt loads, are relatively inexpensive, easy to fit and quiet compared to chains.

 

[hr3]

I have a Generac,, Honda and PTO unit generators ,, Generac is 5 years old,, Honda is about the same,,PTO unit who knows it was used,,, Have had no problems with any one of them...All are serviced every 6mo. which has alot to do with how long things last,,

 

[CubMon]

I have a Generac,, Honda and PTO unit generators ,, Generac is 5 years old,, Honda is about the same,,PTO unit who knows it was used,,, Have had no problems with any one of them...All are serviced every 6mo. which has alot to do with how long things last,,

Betcha the Generac has copper clad aluminum windings! Honda copper. The old PTO one - probably copper.

Aluminum is going to fail for electrical windings - especially rotating and variable inductive demanded ones such as on an armature. Hot, then cold....Fat, then thin. Aluminum thermally expands too much.