Soundguy et al PTO Gen ???

[DAP]

I have the NorthStar 7800w PTO generator .. It is bolted to a Hornier 1/2 ton Carryall with PT lumber for the 3PH and works like a gem.

Nice having 220 and 115 house current out in the field sometimes... mainly I used it for the power outages to keep the sump pump going when needed.

The generator was 770 USD, the carry all was 48 USD (ebay) and the wood was about 15 USD ...

 

[Doc_Bob]

Many 70 - 100 pto hp ag utility tractors have an "economy" pto setting where the rated speed (540 or 1000 depending upon the spline/equip you have chosen) . Don't recall the NH TS/TL having this though I may be wrong.

My NH TN70A does not have this option.
Bob

 

[Soundguy]

I did similar. My norther 12.5kw genny came bolted to a pallet. I took that palle dand bolted it to a cheap KK carryall. I believe the price was similar to what you quoted.. 45$ or 48 $ sounds right. I bought a eurocardan pto shaft from tractor supply for about 40$ cheaper ( tax included ) than the shaft plus shipping from northern. Same specs.. etc. Works out great to be able to tote power out to an edge of your property. I've also used the tracto to load the genny on the front o fthe trailer, and then load up another implement like a mower, so i can head out and do work at my parents, etc. That way I got power available if i need it.. etc.

soundguy

I have the NorthStar 7800w PTO generator .. It is bolted to a Hornier 1/2 ton Carryall with PT lumber for the 3PH and works like a gem.

Nice having 220 and 115 house current out in the field sometimes... mainly I used it for the power outages to keep the sump pump going when needed.

The generator was 770 USD, the carry all was 48 USD (ebay) and the wood was about 15 USD ...

 

[burnetma]

I have the Tiger Power unit and my 65 PTO HP tractor does not even now it is there. I bought the unit as the flood waters were about to crest over the road leading to the dealership (just in time!). I used it for about 4 hours per day for the next 6 days. Saved me a lot of time and money.

Two complaints.
1. The wheeled cart is so short I had to place the unit on blocks to get the right PTO shaft angle.
2. The power was not as clean as I had hoped. I need to get it into the shop and see if they can do something to clean it up. A lot of voltage fluctuation at lower amperage draws (less than 5 kw draw). Maybe a smaller unit might do better???

 

[Soundguy]

I'm not sure of the regulation scheme on that unit.. however I do know that on many units.. at extremely low load, the rectification is not great... a few kw on a 65kw unit might hit that category. What's she look like at 10% load? should be ( hopefully) pretty clean?

 

[SkyPup]

You seem to have a "Grand L", which has an "intellipanel" ...so, to find out the engine RPM setting to achieve 540 at the PTO, idle the tractor, push in the clutch, and engage the PTO (having checked that nothing will contact the splined shaft ...remove the rubber cover, first, if you have one) ...then, with the PTO engaged, push the dashboard button until the LCD display on the panel is showing PTO RPM's ...then increase the engine RPM until you have 540 indicated on the LCD ...now, look at the Tach and note the engine RPM ...it will likely be 2450-2500 ...memorize it.

Generally, that engine RPM setting will be below the peak horsepower setting, but actually just beyond the max torque setting ...the reason for setting it on the "backside" of the torque curve is so that if there is a load that suddenly starts to bog down the engine, the torque will actually rise momentarily and may see you through a small transient overload and not stall.

My guess is that this is the answer you would get if you posted in the Kubota user forum

That is how it works on both our Kubota's when we put our 13kW PTO genny onto them, doesn't get much easier than that!

 

[BTDT]

I did a search and it's been a couple years since anyone mentioned it, but Hardy Diesel website has some reasonable portable generators if anyone cares to take a look.

 

[burnetma]

Soundguy,
My mistake the tractor is 65 HP, the TigerPower is 15 kW. The power fluctuation seems to reduce with load, but I haven't been able to get a lot of load on it yet to make it go away. Just the hot water heater, water pump, refrigerator and some lights. Obviously the tractor never noticed the draw, thus the pto speed is constant. Not sure how accurate the governor would be, but it is a brand new tractor. I will have to measure the voltage and frequency as a function of load the next time I use it. Should be an interesting science experiment.

 

[zzvyb6]

Gentlemen (FYI):
I've been using a WinPower 50KW rated pto generator for about 10 years now. I bought it at a dairy operation auction. Even though my tractor is "only" 38 hp, its the best thing for the ranch (besides the tractor) that I ever bought. Mine is on a trailer with highway rated tires. This is because I can lend it out to others who need it for water or heat and they have their own tractor. I use mine for many things besides stand-by power, even for house a/c during the summertime power failures here in Michigan. I can run a hedge trimmer out at the road, a power painter for fences in the fields, and for welding in remote areas. Nothing like a taking my power washer out "there" with a feed trough in the loader for feedwater. A couple of comments. My WinPower has a phase meter to check on 60 cycle output, This is important for motors and I Must run it at 540 pto rpm. I'm not worried about having enough tractor. The worst draw is the a/c compressors + the well + the clothes dryer all at once since the family never learned about phasing in such usage. The tractor never loads down other than you can here the governor kick out a burst of throttle every once in a while. Yes I could use a smaller unit but my cost ($1400) was too good to turn down. The only real caution I've been given is about grounding and turning off the loads smoothly when & if you disconnect. If you have a high load on-board and you cut the main breaker, the unit can flip over becase of the inertial reaction of the field release. The unit is very economical. I burn about 5 gal a day when things are bad. Plan on a good cut out system on the house or barn because you can be powering the neighbors if you don't pull the outside world off the line. Also, plan on more than normal usage as you will become popular with the neighbors, especially is they have animals that need drinking water.

Thanks for listening. I wish I had such a forum when I started out.
Bill

 

[Soundguy]

That water heater, by itself is a quite sufficient load to make enough current flow.. if it is a 15kw genny and a 2500-5500 heater element...

If it's new.. I'd take it back if the power is fluctuating on it under that substantial of a load. On my 12.5kw northern genny just a few hundred watts is enough load for stable voltage.. etc..

Soundguy

Soundguy,
My mistake the tractor is 65 HP, the TigerPower is 15 kW. The power fluctuation seems to reduce with load, but I haven't been able to get a lot of load on it yet to make it go away. Just the hot water heater, water pump, refrigerator and some lights. Obviously the tractor never noticed the draw, thus the pto speed is constant. Not sure how accurate the governor would be, but it is a brand new tractor. I will have to measure the voltage and frequency as a function of load the next time I use it. Should be an interesting science experiment.