Generator PTO Generator?

[PUSHINDIRT]

Wanted to say thanks for all the great reading over the past few months! I'm not sure how I survived with-out TBN! Quick question??? Does anyone have any experience with a PTO generator? I have a Kubota 2920 with 21 PTO hp. I can get a pto generator for about $1000.00 (7200kw) do you think it is worth the money? Or would I be better off getting an automatic stand-by unit? Pro's and Con's would be appreciated!
I also noticed the rear PTO has 2 speeds 540 and 960. Is there a generator that runs at the higher pto speed?

Thank-you!

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Wanted to say thanks for all the great reading over the past few months! I'm not sure how I survived with-out TBN! Quick question??? Does anyone have any experience with a PTO generator? I have a Kubota 2920 with 21 PTO hp. I can get a pto generator for about $1000.00 (7200kw) do you think it is worth the money? Or would I be better off getting an automatic stand-by unit? Pro's and Con's would be appreciated!
I also noticed the rear PTO has 2 speeds 540 and 960. Is there a generator that runs at the higher pto speed?

Thank-you!

You can go to page 2 and read up on some different opinions.

"Chinese diesel genset or PTO generator"
______________________________________________

I bought a Northstar PTO Generator with 13,000 surge watts and 12,000 running watts, paid over $1,475 and used it for 3 days.

I was supplying power for the house do to an outage, and i didn't like my tractor running all day running up the hours on it, and couldn't use my tractor for other things if i needed to, so i sold it.

I bought two gas generators so my tractor isn't just sitting in one place.

I use the yellow one for the main house and i already had a 5000 watt for the hot water tank if needed.

 

[George2615]

PTO generator is nice but it will tie up your tractor any time you have an outage.
PTO generator is really nice for use out in the field where there is no power.
For the same money you can get a gas powered standby generator that won't tie up your tractor and could be used in the field. I guess it depends on how much you use the tractor.

In my case I needed a new welder and a larger generator so I bought a Miller NT250 welder generator to serve my welding needs, power in the field, and back up power needs.
To me, an automatic generator is costly. I guess an automatic unit would be fine if your away on vacation and your power goes out for a week while your gone. I'd hate to come home to a freezer full of spoiled food.
These are just my views. The choice is yours.

 

[john_bud]

PTO gen is a good deal as they are small and relatively cheap. You don't have to diddle with an extra engine either.

You can use the high speed pto, but run at a lower rpm engine speed. Normally better on fuel if you are only running light loads.

If you get a dedicated system, get one that runs on propane or natural gas (assuming you have one of them to the house). That will give you enough run time during times of trouble. But, you may run out of house heat if you suck all the propane down !!

jb

 

[bncsauve]

My opinion: for what its worth, less engines to maintain - good, less fuels to maintain - good, having power when needed - priceless! I have a pto generator, because I want to move toward only storing diesel. So, that meant a diesel generator or pto. When I looked around, I found that the cheap diesel generators seemed to have brushes while the pto versions were brushless. For my money, brushless is better from a maintenance and power cleanliness perspective. Seemed to answer the question for me.

 

[LBrown59]

]*[/SIZE]You can go to page 2 and read up on some different opinions.

"Chinese diesel genset or PTO generator"
______________________________________________

*
And here's the link
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/138340-chinese-diesel-genset-power-take.html

 

[PUSHINDIRT]

Thanks to all! I should have done a search or just continued to page 2 first! Thanks for the link!

 

[JB4310]

Thanks to all! I should have done a search or just continued to page 2 first! Thanks for the link!

Yeah, I'm kind of generator talked out, as some others probably are as well, this seems to be a popular discussion in the fall. If You have specific questions there are some highly skilled/ experienced people here (not me).

But when it comes down to comparing pto to stand alone, it turns into arguing personal preferences. I would say it's a pretty even split here on the two, people are passionate on both sides of the issue.

I have both a 10 kw pto and 3 stand alones from 2 - 5.5kw.

Here's a link to a thread I started about my purchase of the pto unit, there are other threads with more in depth discussion comparing the two.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/new-holland-owning-operating/111344-ford-1700-power-take-off.html


What brand of pto for $1,000 and is it new? I've seen them cheaper in the past but that's probably around the going price.

As far as the 2 speed pto, the generator has to be spun at 3600 which equals 540 pto speed, with the higher pto speed you would have to lower engine rpm's to maintain 540 output. lowering engine rpms means less power, thus the fact that only light loads would be able to be maintained, also more difficult for tractor to maintain correct rpms while varying load on genny.

That said, I wish I had 2 speed pto just for those times when you just want to have a few lights on and don't want to leave your tractor at high rpms. It was my first question as a new pto genny owner as well as many others, how can I slow my engine down but still get output on genny.

Good luck, JB.

 

[Soundguy]

For the same money you can get a gas powered standby generator that won't tie up your tractor and .

I havn't found a good source where to buy a gas powered genset that is the same wattage for the same $$ as a pto genset.. kinda seems like a falacy.. since the gen heads will be mor eor less equal price.. and one unit has an engine.. and the other merely has a small gearbox to match rpm's. or were you going for a grape to watermellon comparison of a small gasser vs a larger pto gen?

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

I bought a Northstar PTO Generator with 13,000 surge watts and 12,000 running watts, paid over $1,475 and used it for 3 days..

Dang.. I'd say you got ripped in price. I bought mine for 1000$ back in 04.. and they still are only 1400$ now. ( Don't buy the 260$ pto shaft from northere.. hit your local TSC and pay 80$ ). The 7.2kw units are 930$

I was supplying power for the house do to an outage, and i didn't like my tractor running all day running up the hours on it, and couldn't use my tractor for other things if i needed to, so i sold it.

If you absolutely can't live without power 24/7 at your house for whatever reason.. I suggest getting a auto-backup and transfer setup. save the portable and pto gens for situations where you don't need 24/7 power.

As for reliability? I'd trust my tractor 10x over some aluminum block chinese origin lawnmower engine running WOT for when the lights go out.. and I need some electricity...

building up hours on my tractor? that's what their for right? to use? that's why they put tachs on them.. to see those usefull hours roll up.

soundguy

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Dang.. I'd say you got ripped in price. I bought mine for 1000$ back in 04.. and they still are only 1400$ now. ( Don't buy the 260$ pto shaft from northere.. hit your local TSC and pay 80$ ). The 7.2kw units are 930$




If you absolutely can't live without power 24/7 at your house for whatever reason.. I suggest getting a auto-backup and transfer setup. save the portable and pto gens for situations where you don't need 24/7 power.

As for reliability? I'd trust my tractor 10x over some aluminum block chinese origin lawnmower engine running WOT for when the lights go out.. and I need some electricity...

building up hours on my tractor? that's what their for right? to use? that's why they put tachs on them.. to see those usefull hours roll up.

soundguy

1) I didn't get ripped off, i had some extras with it. i built a stand and bought plugs and heavy duty cable, and sold it for more than i paid.

2) When the power goes off in this area, it can stay off for several days. i have did little research in the auto backup.

3) I trust my tractor engine also, and with the stand by generators i can work on the motors, put new brushes in, a lot cheaper than working on a tractor motor.

4) My tractor is not meant to run up the hours for days sitting in one place 24/7.

5) You can go to the other thread about PTO generators and read the posts and see the link i put in that one.

"Chinese diesel genset or pto generator"

 

[Egon]

Speaking of reliability, where are most the generator heads manufactured and how does one tell if it's a reliable one?

 

[Soundguy]

1) I didn't get ripped off, i had some extras with it. i built a stand and bought plugs and heavy duty cable, and sold it for more than i paid.

I was just going off what you posted in your message. you said verbatim:

I bought a Northstar PTO Generator with 13,000 surge watts and 12,000 running watts, paid over $1,475 and used it for 3 days..

You didn't say you bought a gen, and a pile of extras and paid 'X'.. you said you bought the gen and paid 'X'. Like I said.. i used the (incomplete) info you provided in your previous post to reach my conclusion.

4) My tractor is not meant to run up the hours for days sitting in one place 24/7.

That's a semantic issue about the 'meant' part.....it is perfectly capable of doing so if in good running order. I've seen 'gensets' consisting of an old tractor up on jackstands and an old allis chalmers generator at a dairy... tractor hadn't seen wheels in years... but ran often.

Sure you can work on small engines... that's my point.. reliability. Running those whizzbangs 24/7 perpetually is likely to degrade them, on an hour basis, MUCH more than your tractor engine. I'd trust my tractor engine to run power for 1000 hours, vs a lawnmower engine, if power was that important to me that i couldn't go without it for 5 minutes. ( actually.. I'd also trust a diesel job in a fixed auto-xfer set too.. )

soundguy

 

[George2615]

I havn't found a good source where to buy a gas powered genset that is the same wattage for the same $$ as a pto genset.. kinda seems like a falacy.. since the gen heads will be mor eor less equal price.. and one unit has an engine.. and the other merely has a small gearbox to match rpm's. or were you going for a grape to watermellon comparison of a small gasser vs a larger pto gen?

soundguy

Chris,
I was going by the posters price ($1000) and size (7200 KW) for a PTO generator.

Both Northern tool and TSC have gas powered generators that fit those requirements.

NorthernTool has a 7200 surge / 6KW running w/ 12HP motor for $699.
TSC has 2, an 8750 surge / 6200KW running for $999. and a 8550 surge / 5550 running for $730.

Northern also has PTO generators, a 7800 surge / 7200 continuous for $799. and a 13KW surge / 12K running for $1169. (a little more than his 1K price).

The choice of course is his.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

You didn't say you bought a gen, and a pile of extras and paid 'X'.. you said you bought the gen and paid 'X'. Like I said.. i used the (incomplete) info you provided in your previous post to reach my conclusion.

Sure you can work on small engines... that's my point.. reliability. Running those whizzbangs 24/7 perpetually is likely to degrade them, on an hour basis, MUCH more than your tractor engine. I'd trust my tractor engine to run power for 1000 hours, vs a lawnmower engine, if power was that important to me that i couldn't go without it for 5 minutes. ( actually.. I'd also trust a diesel job in a fixed auto-xfer set too.. )

soundguy

Well you can't just open a box and start using a pto generator. Hooking up a extra breaker box coming from the main, the size and length of cable, and that depends on where you park your tractor, and the two plugs (one for each end)

And the price depends on which local hardware store you bought the extras to get it hooked up.

(So for the one that started this thread, the price was after i bought the other things)

* soundguy i forgot to add the price of fuel i used for 3 days and how much a gallon it was*

I would rather have a whizzbang any day over running my tractor all day, and my cousin builds houses, does all the plumbing and electrical in them. And if it wasn't for his whizzbang, he couldn't have built my house, because their wasn't no power here yet and he has a warehouse full of whizzbangs to do his work.

He can't pack his tractor around like you can a whizzbang.

I don't know where you got the phrase going without power for (5 minutes) but i said 3 days, and we do have a fridge and freezer that has food in it, we don't eat a Mcdonalds every day.

Like someone said in this thread, I'm kind of generator talked out.

Especially when trouble comes in on a thread.
Can you post a picture of that running up the hours on a tractor pto generator of "yours"

 

[Soundguy]

hard to compair a rated 6k, and a rated 6.2k to a rated 7.2k and then call it an even comparison.

soundguy

Chris,
I was going by the posters price ($1000) and size (7200 KW) for a PTO generator.

Both Northern tool and TSC have gas powered generators that fit those requirements.

NorthernTool has a 7200 surge / 6KW running w/ 12HP motor for $699.
TSC has 2, an 8750 surge / 6200KW running for $999. and a 8550 surge / 5550 running for $730.

Northern also has PTO generators, a 7800 surge / 7200 continuous for $799. and a 13KW surge / 12K running for $1169. (a little more than his 1K price).

The choice of course is his.

 

[Soundguy]

Well you can't just open a box and start using a pto generator.

Why not? I did?

it came truck delivery on a pallet. I unloaded it with my tractor using a carryall to lift the pallet off the drop deck on the truck.. I put a couple lag screws thru the pallet intot he carry-all and then I put gear oil in the gearbox, and connected my pto shaft to it.. 10 seconds later I was making power.???? just grap the extension cords and go.

it's obvious you don't like pto gensets and was not happy with your experience with them.. no problem.. they are still a viable power generation option for a person who wants electric on demand, has a tractor he's not afraid to use, and wants a low-ball dollar per KW cost.

some people just aren't comfortable wioth some of those requirements... no problem. some people just need a small gasser to toss inthe back of the truck and go camping with. for them.. the ptogenset is less than useless.... it's all in application and intention.

soundguy

 

[40_acre_mule]

Well, I have the North Star 13 kw. I'm the world's worst when it comes to firing up all my gas powered gizmos. I got the pto genny because I wanted to know it would work when I needed it. Too many times, I've gone to use a weed eater or a chainsaw, only to spend hours getting it running again. Sometimes, after a bad hurricane, the parts store isn't open for days.
On the other hand, I do manage to take good care of the tractor. And I use it pretty regularly. And it is reliable.
I used the pto genny and the tractor for over two weeks after Katrina. I didn't run it 24/7. We didn't know when we would be able to buy more diesel. So, we only ran the tractor for about 3 hours every morning and about 5 hours every evening. We have a well, (not city water), so without electricity, we don't have water. I've got the genny mounted on a 3ph stand, so it only takes a minute to uncouple. I was able to use the tractor during the day without any problems.

 

[Egon]

I got one the cheap whizbangs. Just a small one at 3600 watts. It weights around 125 pounds so it is portable. It would even fit in the trunk of a car.

During Hurricane Juan it kept the houses of several relatives going when they lost their Hydro. The cost of freezer and fridge food saved was definitely greater than the cost of the Whizzbang. They surely didn't complain about it.

It can fit in the back of my P/U so I can go out to the lake and use some power drills etc. when splitting rocks. The tractor don't fit in the box!

Last time I used it it had been sitting for a year and a half and did start on the first pull???

So far this piece of JUNK has served me well. I didn't even get ripped off when I bought it!

It does seem reasonable that whizbangs will come in all type of quality grades. It would also be reasonable to expect the PTO Generators to vary in quality.

Now I don't really care what any one else buys. I got what I need/want at the moment.

Honda = Whizzbang ??

 

[jimgerken]

Total cost of ownership would include price to buy, hookup costs, fuel for outages and test/maintenance running sessions, repairs, etc. PTO will always win this comparison. The wizbangs are more transportable, but will not last as long. I had a top of the line Honda powered unit and used it for five years, for backup at home twice (really saved us), and many times for mobile use to build a hangar in an open field with no power. I liked that unit, and could wheel it up ramps to put it in the pickup and go with it. But it was heavy, overkill for mobile use at 6500 watts peak, and the BIG problem with it: Every **** year I had to clean the carb. Even though I ran it every couple months and used Stabil in the gas, it just clogged the low speed jet all the time so it would not start right. I got good at cleaning it, but still a hassle. So I sold it and bought a PTO unit. Twice the capacity. I run it once in a while (but was told I would not have to by manufacturer), and whenever I walk by it in the shed I turn over the input shaft a few turns by hand to keep the upper gear in the gearbox covered in oil (also manf. recommendation). The only thing I really miss is mobile use. Oh, I added wiring to my tractor shed this year, and installed a generator outlet to the wall, in a good location so the generator cord can reach it while the tractor itself sits inside the shed with the overhead door open in front of it and the exhaust aimed out the door to the east (away from prevailing winds), and side walk door open on the south for fresh air in. Now I feel I have a great setup so the tractor no longer sits at the power pole in the middle of the yard, in the rain, etc. Havent had to use it yet, but ready. good luck