Diesel Generator or PTO Generator?

[grsthegreat]

i install lots of whole house generators...doing 2 this week alone. You need to do some load calcs.
1. are all major appliances gas or electric
2. is there a well or sewer pump
3. square footage of house and lighting load
4. can you easily isolate the heavy use loads
5. can you easily install a transfer switch.

all this needs to be taken into count in determining generator size

personally, i wouldnt use as tractor mounted generator cause every time power has failed at my place, its been in the dead of winter and ive needed the tractor for other stuff...like snow removal


oh, and my house has a whole house generator system and it gets used more times than i like to think. We seem to lose power for as long a 1-2 days several times a year. I actually went ahead and installed a manual transfer switch in my shop with a 30 amp exterior plug cause the last time i couldnt open my rollup door for 3 days except manually...and that sucked. Also, my air compressor went dry,and had to take trailer to service station to air up tire. I rely on my equipment too much to be left without power.

My current backup system will only power the house. It doesnt have enough power for the other 2 buildings attached to the same power source, and doesnt link to the basement...which wasnt completed when system was installed.

As i am now a Generac dealer and installer, my next plan is to install a quiet source 22KW unit... or might possibly drop to the new 22KW air cooled unit with automatic 200 amp transfer switch. This unit would power entire house AND the barn. Last major power outage my horse water troughs froze and it was a pain in the butt to fix the damage.

but i never have the time to work on my own stuff anymore.

 

[Olympus]

i install lots of whole house generators...doing 2 this week alone. You need to do some load calcs.
1. are all major appliances gas or electric
2. is there a well or sewer pump
3. square footage of house and lighting load
4. can you easily isolate the heavy use loads
5. can you easily install a transfer switch.

all this needs to be taken into count in determining generator size

personally, i wouldnt use as tractor mounted generator cause every time power has failed at my place, its been in the dead of winter and ive needed the tractor for other stuff...like snow removal

Good points. My house is mostly gas. The only appliances that electric are two reefers, dishwasher, and washer/dryer. We have gas heat and also a wood stove. We are on a well, but it's not a private well. It's communal. No sewer pump, we have septic system. Square footage is about 2000ish. I can easily isolate large circuits. And I can easily install a transfer switch.

I have a front bucket on my tractor that I could use to push snow if necessary. But again, it takes me all of 5 minutes to unhook and reattach a 3pt implement.

 

[Soundguy]

I have a front bucket on my tractor that I could use to push snow if necessary. But again, it takes me all of 5 minutes to unhook and reattach a 3pt implement.

I know many times the argument against pto gen use is it ties up your tractor.

Living in hurricane central, I can honestly say i never needed to be on my tractor doing something during power making times.. and I have multiple tractors. IE. I was never making power AND doing something else.

Unless someone is running power for a life support machine ( O2.. etc.. ).. then you can shut down your genny for 10 minutes if you just have to push that tree off your flower bed

 

[tcartwri]

I second the opinion that starting a diesel genset during the most likely time of need ( winter ) could be a major bear.

 

[stonypass]

I live in MO as well and usually when we lose power its only for a short time (20min to a few hours) but several years ago we had a bad ice storm that caused power outages for large portions of several counties. It was out for a week at my house, and some areas more like three weeks. You couldn't buy batteries much less a generator, and many gas stations couldn't pump fuel.

My thought was to have a generator large enough to run the well pump (5kw to start it according to our well guy), wash and dry clothes (electric dryer) shower, keep the fridge going etc. We have wood heat so for me I'd only run it no more than 5-6hrs per day total.

I bought a used 12/15KW PTO generator with drive shaft and 220v/50a cord, and mounted it on a 3pt carry all for a total of about $900. I've tested it on everything in the house including a 4Ton AC unit and it will run it all, just not at the same time. I also keep about 50 gallons of diesel in the barn with a 12V pump I run from the tractor or truck battery, this is my summer mowing fuel and if needed fuel to power the generator. I can store up to 150 gal if needed.

Your 23hp tractor will run a generator this large (if that's PTOhp), look at this model it's what I have and produces good stable power. I like my PTO setup because its plenty of power, no extra engine to maintain and since I use the tractor on a regular basis I know it will start in any weather. Every fall I power the house with it for a couple of hours and know its ready if needed.

On your concerns:
Tractors are made to run many hours continuously under heavy loads like mowing, and generating power will likely be an easier task since the load is usually less than what the generator is capable of anyway. It is nice to have reserve power for peaks however.

On wearing your tractor out: If I lost power for 7 days and ran the generator 6 hrs per day I'd put 42hrs on the tractor. With good maintenance tractors will run for thousands of hours, mine was built in 1997 and currently has about 950hrs on it. I have zero worries about wearing it out while generating power.

On tying up the tractor while generating power: I can plow my 1/8 of a mile drive and circle in a couple of hours or use it to move downed trees or other debris, and generate power when I'm done. I have these on my lift arms and can unhook from the generator and hook up to the blade in a few minutes each. Not an issue for me, but your needs may be different.

If you want something your wife can run by pushing a button get a whole house standby generator. For me however, I wouldn't even think about generating power until its been out for hours, appears like its not coming back for hours longer and we actually need to do something that requires it.

Hope this helps and good luck

 

[Olympus]

Thanks stony. That is what I have been thinking about lately. That's a good point about the hours. I guess it's really not that many hours.

 

[daybreak1998]

Howdy,
PTO generators will be able to give you the most bang for the buck. You have invested in a diesel tractor. You can baby it by using it. Diesel engines are made for long regular rpm's. Tractor engines will run more hours than you will use it. My oldest tractor is a 93 Deere with 6358 hours in it. I know the battery is good, oil is changed, and the connection is easy enough.

Whichever way you go, I hope you make the connection safely.
generator-transfer-switch-connection-choices

 

[Soundguy]

On wearing your tractor out: If I lost power for 7 days and ran the generator 6 hrs per day I'd put 42hrs on the tractor. With good maintenance tractors will run for thousands of hours, mine was built in 1997 and currently has about 950hrs on it. I have zero worries about wearing it out while generating power.

I hope my 1950's era tractors don't suddenly wear out any more than they already are..

I'm counting on my 55 950 to do some mowing tomorrow morning.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

My first reaction is, if you have only lost power for a few hours over 2 years.... get some candles, a battery powered radio, 5 gallon pail for water if you are on a well and call it done. If you have medical needs to have power, then get the portable unit. I spent a lot of time debating the same thing, I decided to get a portable unit. If we are out of power long enough to bother to hook up the generator, there is a good chance I will need the tractor. I am away for 2 weeks a month and my wife can't hook up a pto generator to the tractor but she can start a portable unit. You need to sort out the wattage of your home, then decide what must you be able to run, then what would you like to run.. then that will tell you what size generator you will need.

This was the most sensible post in the whole thread. People got by just fine before electricity. You can be comfortable with 19th century technology. I have a generator, but don't even bother to get it out of the barn until the second day of a power outage. For short term outages, wall hung oil lamps and candles, battery radios, a couple of Aladdin lamps, wood heat and low head gravity flow water are all we need. The comfort level of the house doesn't appreciably change when the power goes out.

I bought a 4400/5000 watt generator in 1997 for $279, before the y2k price boost. It has been used for one 5 day power outage about 15 years ago. It will run the well pump or the water heater, but not both at once, so I heat a tank of water, then switch to the pump to take a shower. My wife had the flu, and a hot shower really lifted her spirits. The generator has also been used to put an addition on the barn, which has no power. Other than that it's mothballed with the cylinder fogged and intake/exhaust bagged. It's so loud it will give you a headache if you stand next to it.

I also have a little 1000w ($149) camp generator that will run the refrigerator and freezer at the same time, a couple of light bulbs, a computer or the entertainment center. It will run for 4.5 hours on a gallon of mixed gas, and is whisper quiet. Guess which one gets used more?

In addition to the FSC travel trailer, I have a portable propane grill and propane camp stove. Put a cast iron griddle on the propane grill and you can pump out a lot of flapjacks. Mostly we just cook on the wood stove, which has a decent cook surface. A hand coffee grinder is essential, and I still have a couple old style drip coffee makers.

I have neighbors that are still 100% electric. If the power goes out, they are going to suffer. I might loan them a catalytic heater and a bucket of water. They can keep the water, but I will want the bucket back.

Over the years I have considered a PTO generator - not worth the money, or a larger genset - also not worth the money. A good portable welder would be worth the money, but makes a mediocre genset. I have a small inverter for the travel trailer, which is great when I am off grid and want it quiet.

 

[KubotainNH]

Good points. My house is mostly gas. The only appliances that electric are two reefers, dishwasher, and washer/dryer. We have gas heat and also a wood stove. We are on a well, but it's not a private well. It's communal. No sewer pump, we have septic system. Square footage is about 2000ish. I can easily isolate large circuits. And I can easily install a transfer switch.

This reads like a small unit would be plenty unless you have the need to run a 220v a/c unit. Clothes and dishes can either wait or be washed by hand. It sounds like you want a PTO generator so figure out the size and make it so. The tractor wear is a non issue, I'd be thinking more on the convenience and ease of hooking up. We lose electricity mostly in winter and seeing I work off hours I want my family to be able to stay warm without me running home so it needs to be easy to get going. My setup is: roll the gen out, connect the 20 foot cord to the house/gen, turn the key then flick the transfer switch buttons.