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.

 

[3930dave]

The aluminum wire shell game usually starts up when copper gets spendy.... same nonsense went on here (Ontario, Canada) back in the late 70's/early 80's with house wiring..... great way to start a fire at an AC outlet.

All machines need maintenance, that's a given. These auto-transfer Generac units seems to have way too many components failing early in their life... anybody who has been through this wants to get the word out, as the Total Cost of Ownership is huge.... enough so to seriously start closing the gap on a "real" industrial system. It's a double problem, even if you have lotsa $$$ to play with, it can be a challenge to find service..... either the people who can do this type of work don't want to touch these Generacs, or they are already making too much money with other lines/activities.

Personally, I'm thinking for power, either go really cheap (small, effectively disposable generators, or at least they don't require on-site service), or big $$$$$ (decent PTO, or Onan auto transfer box). This middle ground (low end, home use auto transfer a la Generac), doesn't appeal to me - you end up spending a not small amount of money, for what seems to be pretty shaky reliability.

I remain open to be persuaded otherwise, over time. Presently, at a minimum I'd be looking for a v. good Parts AND LABOUR warranty from Generac, and would require extensive references from the contractor before plunking down my cash.

To be fair - if I didn't install it myself, I'd require the same contractor references regardless of what brand I was buying.

Caveat Emptor is all I'm really saying. Rgds, D.

 

[CubMon]

And some manufacturers believe: mundus vult decipi

 

[zzvyb6]

Just trying to stay on the original subject, can you remove the front end of the pto alternator and get attached to the main rotor shaft?

My WinPower has options for 540 or 1000 rpm ptos. This is done via a different set of gears and bell housing. If yours is a 3600 rpm rotor and you have a 3600 rpm motor, the motor rotor toater otta floater minus Kuboter, eh?

 

[Duffster]

the motor rotor toater otta floater minus Kuboter, eh?

:laughing:

 

[jburd964]

My neighbor ran a welding machine for lights in the after math of Rita, his about a quarter mile from me with no other houses between use and it was loud. So If I was to build some type of housing for a welder/ generator as for myself I'm planning to build the enclosure with foam board on the walls and also build something similar to a chimney for the exhaust with build in deflector baffles up several feet to absorb the noise. This is all planned for long term outages. Rita had use out for 5 days. The welder wasn't extremely load even though I could hear it inside my house at 1/4 mile, but constant is kinda like the kids and booming car radios. Just something I could live without.

 

[BobG_in_VA]

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.

Oh, sorry to bother you.....BobG in VA

 

[jburd964]

I'm going to have alook and see if there any away to setup the ratio as you state with the winpower. I just got out of hospital a coulpe days ago and ant up to par yet. I was lookin at the generac kohler set up today theres about a 2" space between the motor housing and generator windings, and some how it's being reduced. As soon as I can I'm gonna start disassembling it and see what I got. Maybe between your suggestion and what ever is already there I can make something work. Going to call Dynagen the manufacturer of the Tigerpower.

 

[hr3]

To all those reading this "Thread".. Generac has never used aluminum wire in any of there gen sets.. and anyone saying they do is miss informed or just talking "trash" about a product they know nothing about.. Keep to the facts guys or keep to yourself,,,

 

[Duffster]

To all those reading this "Thread".. Generac has never used aluminum wire in any of there gen sets.. and anyone saying they do is miss informed or just talking "trash" about a product they know nothing about.. Keep to the facts guys or keep to yourself,,,

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[3930dave]

Just to be clear.....

Never said the Generac's have Al wire - cited a serious problem (True) with Al wire in another application.

I have a close friend (a PEng.) who experienced various early life failures with a professionally installed Generac (True). I will not refer to it again here, if anyone wants details, PM me and I will get the 411 on the parts/labour/downtime involved to you privately.

I have zero time for threadjacking or spreading alleged trash, and will not post again here - apologies (seriously) for any perceived diversion from solving the problem cited.

Best wishes to the original poster for getting your gen throwing electrons the way it should. Kind Rgds, D.