10kw PTO generator vs 16kw

[vsteel]

I can't for the life of me understand the appeal of buying a PTO generator.

A stand alone gasoline genset is cheaper, uses less fuel, and won't rack up hours on an expensive machine.

One of the things I think people miss is they try and compare a cheap Harbor Freight or big box store genset to a PTO generator. The power quality and the build is not even in the same ballpark. It would be like comparing a little Home Depot riding lawnmower to a 3 cylinder diesel tractor with a finish mower.

THD is HUGE these days because so many things have little computers in them. Because of globalization a lot of things can take pretty big swings in voltage and frequency but you need to have good sine waves. There are not many things that can handle dirty power. Those cheap little gensets can and often do put out bad power, how much did you save by burning out a lot of your electronics? A lot of those little gensets are designed to run lights and restive loads or even tools like drills and saws. Those types of loads can take terrible power and still work just fine. To get good power you are going to be buying a generator that will cost a lot more than the same sized PTO generator.

The second thing that gets me is people say that it puts hours on an expensive engine. Yes it is expensive but you can also put a LOT more hours on it than the cheaper engine. How many of the people who say it is putting too many hours on the tractor are putting 1K-2K hours a year on their tractors and wearing them out after about 5 to 7 years and quicker replacement is a concern? How many multiples of the cheap engine are you going to have to go through to equal the amount of hours that can be put on a tractor engine?

I am not saying that a PTO generator is best for all, I have a long post in another thread giving the pros and cons, but lets at least talk about them on the same playing field.

 

[newbury]

I can't for the life of me understand the appeal of buying a PTO generator.

A stand alone gasoline genset is cheaper, uses less fuel, and won't rack up hours on an expensive machine.

I've:
12k Winco PTO.
6K honda powered gas
8 K dual fuel, gas/LP (on loan to my son).

The Winco was the least expensive, $600, lightly used.

I can't understand why so many people who have tractors are worried about "racking up hours" on a tractor diesel engine. They are "born to run".

I don't worry about the fuel getting stale, the plugs going bad, the mice eating the wires.

 

[orangeandgreen]

Tractors have steering wheels and seats because they are designed to have an operator present. They have gauges/ idiot lights to notify the operator if something starts moving in a bad direction. ( mr Murphy at work). With the tractor spinning the generator and everyone in the house, who is going to react to the alarm of the gauge/ idiot light?
Stand by generators have sensors to shut down the generator if there is a problem. Some have panels inside the house to notify of problems.
It's a matter of using the best tool for the job.

 

[newbury]

Tractors have steering wheels and seats because they are designed to have an operator present. They have gauges/ idiot lights to notify the operator if something starts moving in a bad direction. ( mr Murphy at work). With the tractor spinning the generator and everyone in the house, who is going to react to the alarm of the gauge/ idiot light?
Stand by generators have sensors to shut down the generator if there is a problem. Some have panels inside the house to notify of problems.
It's a matter of using the best tool for the job.

My tractors are engines on wheels designed to do jobs I need done.

Would you run a tractor for a PTO splitter?
What about a chipper?
Or a sawmill?

My generators have gauges I check occasionally. My tractors also have gauges. When I run my generators I have to go out and check the gauges.

I expect most people would like to be able to just go out and buy a stand by generator to run their house, and a tractor for every attachment, and a shed for every tractor.

This thread was like the last Republican debate, about size.
The question was

I don't even have my tractor yet so I am looking for sage advise from those who may know.
On the same 40hp tractor with the same light load on each would a 16w PTO generator use more fuel than a 10kw?

Perhaps the OP should just get a natural gas pipeline run to his house for a standby generator. And save his tractor for a few hours a year of use like so many others do on TBN.

He seemed to lay out many good reasons he wants a PTO genset.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've yet to see any farmers around here, worried about leaving their tractor sitting, running a pump or gen set.. I don't worry about it either...

In all the years I, or one of my friends has been doing so, not one of us has lost an engine or had any problems with our tractors.

Could it be that we just buy higher quality tractors so we don't have to worry about it?? lol

SR

 

[ColoradoBound]

My tractors are engines on wheels designed to do jobs I need done.

Perhaps the OP should just get a natural gas pipeline run to his house for a standby generator. And save his tractor for a few hours a year of use like so many others do on TBN.

That would be a bit hard to do since there is no natural gas in the area only propane.

Plus I asked a specific question about PTO generators not gasoline, propane, natural gas or any other type of generator. There are many reasons that I want a PTO generator but not having another engine to maintain is one of them and I don't mind putting the hours on my tractor.

 

[jenkinsph]

That would be a bit hard to do since there is no natural gas in the area only propane.

Plus I asked a specific question about PTO generators not gasoline, propane, natural gas or any other type of generator. There are many reasons that I want a PTO generator but not having another engine to maintain is one of them and I don't mind putting the hours on my tractor.

Just go out and buy a pto generator that will fit with your tractor and needs. But I recommend you set aside some cash for a more portable genset such as a Honda 2000EI or 3000EI because you will need it. You will soon grow tired of listening to the tractor run at high rpms' I suspect. Living off the grid isn't for everyone and isn't for most people who think it is after a year or so.

 

[vsteel]

Tractors have steering wheels and seats because they are designed to have an operator present. They have gauges/ idiot lights to notify the operator if something starts moving in a bad direction. ( mr Murphy at work). With the tractor spinning the generator and everyone in the house, who is going to react to the alarm of the gauge/ idiot light?
Stand by generators have sensors to shut down the generator if there is a problem. Some have panels inside the house to notify of problems.
It's a matter of using the best tool for the job.

I would disagree with that. For over 100 years tractors have been doing belt work where you were not with the tractor as you were running something else. If you have ever run a belt driven machine you know the tractor isn't that close to what you are doing. I don't care how great your hearing is, you are not going to hear a little buzzer over the sound of a hammer mill or sawmill. Tractors have a seat and steering wheels because SOME of the jobs they do require a driver. Even modern machines with a seat safety switch have means to override it and get out of the tractor to run stationary machines.

Even the low oil shutoff is subject to Murphy though if you were really worried it wouldn't be that hard to setup a little wireless camera so you could watch the gauges on your phone or wire in a temp/oil Murphy switch. Lots of ways to solve that problem.