John Deere 30KW liquid cooled generator

[Dale_Alan]

It sounds as if you think it is a JOHN DEERE engine made by JOHN DEERE. Yanmar Corporation has been making all of John Deere's small engines for many many years and I think they still do.
Dale

 

[newbury]

I think that one thing that would be in your favor would be moving AWAY from propane-fired. While it's certainly convenient, I was pretty shocked at the rate of consumption of propane for a generator versus gas. The cost to operate was something like 35-50% higher based on fuel consumption alone (from what I recall, anyhow). It's very convenient because you can store propane long term, especially if you use it for other things at your house (like I do - gas log fireplace in the master and a propane kitchen stove/oven).

But what is the cost of gas versus propane? The last time I filled my propane tanks, end of April, I paid $2.19/gallon for propane. Gas was around $3.20. Even with gas down to $2.80 there's a big difference in cost in my area. And now with ethanol gas I'm sure propane is less maintenance for carbs etc.

 

[RoyJackson]

It sounds as if you think it is a JOHN DEERE engine made by JOHN DEERE. Yanmar Corporation has been making all of John Deere's small engines for many many years and I think they still do.
Dale

You're incorrect in your statement...
Yanmar makes some of the CUT tractor engines...generator and marine engines are manufactured by Deere.
That's not to put down Yanmar engines...all three of my Deere CUTs have had Yanmar engines...and Yanmar makes great small diesel engines (and also smaller generator and marine engines).

 

[meburdick]

But what is the cost of gas versus propane? The last time I filled my propane tanks, end of April, I paid $2.19/gallon for propane. Gas was around $3.20. Even with gas down to $2.80 there's a big difference in cost in my area. And now with ethanol gas I'm sure propane is less maintenance for carbs etc.

I had similar propane to gas cost ratios here when I did the investigation. And,ultimately, I seem to recall that the overall operating cost was higher on propane. Plus, the amount of propane that I would have to have on hand for a similar three-day outage to last fall seem ridiculous.

On a related note - here in CT, only the "owner" of the propane tank is allowed to fill it (presuming leased tanks). Our governor literally passed an emergency act REQUIRING propane companies to fill tanks whether they owned them or not.

 

[RoyJackson]

This has been a pretty interesting and timely thread...

Although I think the genny pclausen is considering (in his first post) is a really nice unit (and tells me he has a lot more money then I do!!), I'd like to present an alternative. Buy a second (used) tractor to run a PTO generator exclusively. A used CUT or UT and PTO generator combination may be quite a bit less money then a dedicated whole house generator. You wouldn't really need 4WD...just a bare bones tractor, which should keep the purchase price reasonable. A tractor with adequate PTO HP to run a 30kW PTO genny is going to require 60 PTO HP (more or less).
This would keep the generator somewhat mobile and, when (and if) it comes to selling the equipment, you'd have more options.

just something to consider...

 

[murphy1244]

This has been a pretty interesting and timely thread...

Although I think the genny pclausen is considering (in his first post) is a really nice unit (and tells me he has a lot more money then I do!!), I'd like to present an alternative. Buy a second (used) tractor to run a PTO generator exclusively. A used CUT or UT and PTO generator combination may be quite a bit less money then a dedicated whole house generator. You wouldn't really need 4WD...just a bare bones tractor, which should keep the purchase price reasonable. A tractor with adequate PTO HP to run a 30kW PTO genny is going to require 60 PTO HP (more or less).
This would keep the generator somewhat mobile and, when (and if) it comes to selling the equipment, you'd have more options.

just something to consider...

Now your thinking,excuse to buy a nice beater..

 

[pclausen]

I'm certainly not looking just at Deere generators, in fact, the Kubota 25kw from generatorsales.com looks to be a real nice unit as well. In fact, is has a larger 3.3 liter NA engine vs. the 2.4 tuber on the Deere. The Kubota has slightly better fuel economy, and holds 11.1 qts of oil, vs 6.7 on the Deere. The Deere also requires the valves to be adjusted every 250 hours, the Kubota does not. Both make 48hp, so I suspect they are real close performance wise (less than the 25kw vs. 30kw would indicate on paper). The main downside to the Kubota is there does not appear to be a factory option of an enclosure, nor trailer and only a 100 gal fuel tank. I suppose I could cobble something together myself, but I like the option of a turn key solution. Especially for my mother's place where building a shed is not an option.

A dedicated tractor could possibly be an option for me, although if I go that route, I will really regret selling my 25KW PTO generator 2 years ago, and my father's Ford 1910. I was looking at getting a dedicated diesel to run the PTO generator, but at the end of the day, the gearing and overall setup just wasn't suitable for anything other than a tractor, which of course made sense since that is what it was designed for.

Just out of curiosity, would it be possible to install one of these diesel generators in a basement, assuming plenty of ventilation was available? If I went that route, and got the Kubota 25kw, I could save a ton of money.

I had this corner spot in mind:

Double doors to the outside for easily access, and I could dedicate that entire window for ventilation, exhaust. Perhaps build a small partition wall for the whole thing to sit in? That also happens to be the wall my 2 200A panels are on, and the meter base just outside of it.

 

[RoyJackson]

Just out of curiosity, would it be possible to install one of these diesel generators in a basement, assuming plenty of ventilation was available? If I went that route, and got the Kubota 25kw, I could save a ton of money.

Anything is possible if you have the skills and/or money to make it happen. First thing to determine is if the generator will fit through an existing door. After that, you'd need to determine a location and means to keep the fuel going to the generator.
Now, even with good ventilation, you're still going to have the noise of the genny and the smell of diesel...even if the exhaust is vented.
You would also want CO monitors throughout your house.
I would NOT have a generator in my house, period!

Personally, I think it would be more practical to build or modify an existing enclosed trailer (look for an old U-Haul type towable trailer) or, if the unit is to be at a fixed location, look for a shed kit (or even on Craigslist...they're frequently advertised).

 

[pclausen]

Now, even with good ventilation, you're still going to have the noise of the genny and the smell of diesel...even if the exhaust is vented.
You would also want CO monitors throughout your house.
I would NOT have a generator in my house, period!

Yeah, you're probably right Roy. The master bedroom is right above that spot, so from a noise/smell standpoint, I'm sure I wouldn't score ANY points with the wife with that location!

 

[murphy1244]

Don't do it Pete, Thats like having your own gas chamber.Besides I like reading what your buying and building and would miss ya.