Diesel Generator or PTO Generator?

[dave1949]

Either type of generator will need to be tested periodically, but stand-alone more than pto since presumably, you know your tractor will start when needed.

Personally, I would be more likely to faithfully do that testing with a stand-alone set compared to hooking up the tractor pto.

Your power does sound very stable. If you aren't in a location that could see long outages from storms causing wide-spread damage, the advice to consider your actual needs is worth considering. You might be driving a tack with a sledge hammer.

 

[Olympus]

My tractor doesn't get used much except to bush hog. It would not be tied up to use for a gen.

A standby generator is twice as high as a diesel and that's not counting installation and running a new gas line.

 

[oosik]

In all honesty, how long has your longest power outrage been? I am 100% electric and in the 32 years I've been out here the longest outage was about 14 hours. Unless you have some medical condition - you can easily survive a 14 hour power outage without a generator. Your food in the freezer will still be frozen rock hard after 14 hours and everything in the refrigerator will still be perfectly edible. Unless you have some very unreliable electric supplier, the generator will see most of its time running just to keep it prepared for an outage.

If you still feel a generator is necessary - be certain you use a reliable calculator to figure the size you need and for goodness sake be certain to contact your electric company so they can inspect the interconnect you will have to install. Be sure to check with a reputable electrician so he can give you an estimate of the cost of the interconnect and cost to install - you will be surprised!!

 

[genusCastor]

My tractor doesn't get used much except to bush hog. It would not be tied up to use for a gen.

Are you going to have your tractor parked where the generator is? Besides having the tractor tied up with a generator, I didn't like the idea of trudging out to the tractor shed in foul weather (rain, mud, etc.) and moving the tractor to where the generator is located. Plus, during heavy rains, our property gets pretty soft (east Texas prairie gumbo), and that's when I'd be trying to move the tractor around.

Nah, I decided to just have a generator in place ready to run. All I gotta do is start it up.

Everyone's situation will be different.

- djb

 

[Olympus]

My shop is directly across the chat driveway from the house. The gen would be stored in the same shop as the tractor. Hook up the gen before leaving the shop. I can get a bigger gen by going PTO as opposed to a complete unit.

 

[Threepoint]

Went through the same dilemma as the OP a few years ago. Here in No. VA we have pretty reliable power, but we lost it for four days from the June 2012 derecho. Was real glad to have a dedicated portable gas generator, 8250 watts. With so much tree damage, we needed our tractor a lot, and in 95 degree heat, we also needed power for the fans, 400 ft. deep well pump, freezers, fridges and TV for the news and weather. Can't power our AC units with that size gen set, but that's just an inconvenience. During "Snowmaggeddon" in February 2010, we lost power for three days and needed the tractor even more, to clear the mile-long driveway that serves us and some neighbors. Now that we've added another tractor, we could use the smaller one for a pto generator, but I still much prefer wheeling out the portable and pushing the start button. Especially if it's in the dark with a flashlight.

 

[Olympus]

Definitely see your point there. Problem is a 13kw PTO gen is $1400 and a 12kw GAS portable is $2100. If such were the that I needed the tractor, I'd unhook from the gen and do the necessary work and then hook back up again to gen. I would not need constant genning power 24/7.

And seeing that I keep amble diesel available, a portable diesel that size is way up there. I don't want or need to keep a large amount of gasoline.

 

[tlm720]

Probably 10 years ago I bought a 12kw pto generator because every time we got a 30mph wind we would lose power. I used it 2 hours in those 10 years. Then during the Christmas holiday in 2013 our county was hit with a nasty ice storm. 90+ % of the county lost power. We were out of power for almost a week. Glad I had the generator. Had to take it to Mom and Dads for Christmas because they have an electric stove/oven and their generator couldn't handle it and Mom was trying to make Christmas dinner. If you don't have electric heat, hot water, AC, or electric stove/oven then the size you are looking at is probably fine. Otherwise I'd go for at least 10 to 12 kw.

 

[Ken45101]

Do you really need to power the entire house during an extended emergency outage? We do well with a 3000 watt quiet Honda. We used to have a 6K+ noisy generator and wouldn't use it because of the noise. I gave it to my son.

If you have a standalone unit, make sure to keep the starting battery in good condition. Our 3000 watt Honda's battery was dead during our last outage, it had been a few months since I had run it. Fortunately, it has a backup pull start and started on the first pull.

For the price difference the OP quoted, I would go with a standalone unit and not have to fool around hooking it up to the tractor.

OTOH, I wouldn't worry about "wearing out the tractor", most tractor engines are made for hours and hours of running at 540 pto speed.

Another thing to consider is the noise level between the tractor and a standalone unit.

I do love the inverter type generators. They are generally quieter and throttle back the engine with smaller loads and save on fuel. 40 gallons of fuel will not last long during an extended outage. If you are out of power for a week, finding fuel locally may be impossible if the outage is widespread. A gallon of fuel per hour will take more than 40 gallons in two days alone.

As for cost, don't overlook the cost of a whole house transfer switch and having it installed. That may cost as much as the generator. Currently, I still use extension cords when we have a power outage. One of these days, I will get a 10 circuit version of this transfer switch
Amazon.com : Reliance Controls 31406CRK Pro/Tran 6-Circuit 30 Amp Generator Transfer Switch Kit With Transfer Switch, 10-Foot Power Cord, And Power Inlet Box For Up To 7, 500-Watt Generators : Manual Transfer Switch : Patio, Lawn & Garden

 

[Notforhire]

As for cost, don't overlook the cost of a whole house transfer switch and having it installed. That may cost as much as the generator. Currently, I still use extension cords when we have a power outage. One of these days, I will get a 10 circuit version of this transfer switch
Amazon.com : Reliance Controls 31406CRK Pro/Tran 6-Circuit 30 Amp Generator Transfer Switch Kit With Transfer Switch, 10-Foot Power Cord, And Power Inlet Box For Up To 7, 500-Watt Generators : Manual Transfer Switch : Patio, Lawn & Garden

I'm glad you brought that up! Using cords, or installing a proper transfer switch, is the way to go.

I have the transfer switch you mentioned. For less than $300 I have a system that is safe, and cannot backfeed the utility.

As a former lineman, I cringe when I see how many people backfeed their panels through a dryer outlet, or some other makeshift setup.:shocked:

Bill