3-Point Hitch Fuel Consumption with PTO Generator on Mahindra 2538

[tracydj]

I was wondering if anyone in the group had any experience with fuel consumption in tractors. I am thinking about purchasing a Winco 15kW TPO generator. Base on the 2538 TPO output I would have to run the engine near full throttle to get the maximum generator output. I was hoping to crunch the numbers on running hours at full throttle on the tractor vs the published running hours on the portable non TPO generator with a similar output but only a 20.8 hp motor. I would assume that running the tractor at full throttle without a load on the TPO, over a period of time, would not give me accurate numbers. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[RNeumann]

Is this for a stand-by type setup or do you need power at a specific spot that isn't near the structure?

 

[tracydj]

This will be mainly for a stand by set up for our home during outages along with some use on our property.

 

[nybirdman]

My 31 HP burned 1gal/hr and my 44HP was at 1.25 gal/hr at PTO speeds.Yours should be about the same or a little less than 1gal/hr.A little depends on load but you will be running 540 PTO speed anyway.
It a lot better than not having power.Mine is a 10K PTO unit.

 

[RNeumann]

I looked into that type of setup. I'm not a farmer nor do I store a large quantity of diesel. With that in mind propane or natural gas was the way to go for me. You can have a massive to unlimited supply that doesn't go bad or gel etc. It will transfer without hooking up anything and can be done by the wife if I'm not home.

My crude math based on experience with previous little machines has it at about 2 gal an hour at the RPMs needed. So even at 5 hrs a day you are at 10 gal a day or 70 gal a week.

If you go stand-by style Winco is definitely the way to go. Also read up on the Honda inverter style- those don't need a set RPM to achieve the desired volts. They also can auto shunt to all an AC etc to start. The size you are looking at is huge for a house- you won't miss anything when that's on!

I could go on for hours on this subject.....fun stuff!

Edit: my math was based on the PTO being under load. If you don't have a specific load and are just doing normal household without electric heat I could see the 1-1.25 gal/hr being accurate.

 

[SC2555HST]

I thought I read somewhere in owners manual to not leave tractor idling for long periods of time. Reading this post, wouldn't the tractor just be sitting and idling with he PTO running a generator? I'm still a newbie, please bare with me. ;-)

 

[camshawn]

The engine should be running at about 1800?? rpm at pto speed ( trying to picture the numbers without success). The governor will open or close the fuel rack depending on load. Therefore the fuel consumption is relative to the load. The engine is not idling.
Cam

 

[RNeumann]

The engine should be running at about 1800?? rpm at pto speed ( trying to picture the numbers without success). The governor will open or close the fuel rack depending on load. Therefore the fuel consumption is relative to the load. The engine is not idling.
Cam

That is correct regarding fuel consumption. That is why you see 1-2gal/hr

A problem would occur if the load had huge swings- like an electric heater, water heater, dryer or AC. The throttle holds a set throttle position- not a set RPM (in other words I don't think this machine is truly governed) It would be the same if you were brush hogging and ran through some thick nasty stuff or ran the loader into a pile of dirt- the RPM would change. The generator's voltage would also change and could result in big problems in the house.

Winco requires 2 HP per 1000 watts. You may be able to hone the fuel consumption in a bit if you have the load figured out.

 

[zzvyb6]

I have a WinPower 50kW pto alternator that I use for occasional standby power and way off distance electrical needs (like for an electric power washer to spray trees with or running my welder remotely). Believe me, you will probably NEVER come close to needing 15kW of juice. I usually run mine from a 35 hp JD 1070 and also from my tired 20 hp JD F-935 diesel lawnmower via the mower PTO and a 3:1 reduction gearbox. Neither machine even grunts when it gets to feel a starting load from the A/C compressor.

Fuel consumption is lower than 1 gal/hr because: 1) you probably will never be at engine full power output even though you will be at 540 pto rpm which is required to give you 60 Hz voltage. 2) You probably won't need to be running all the time anyways. Get water pressure, get heat or A/C, charge batteries, check the internet to get power restoration estimate, heat some food, save the strip steaks in the freezer. Then you shut down and wait a while. Buy some candles or oil lamps if the zombie apocalypse is forming. 3) may not be a good idea to run a lot of lights at night to remind the powerless that you have power. Strange things can happen if you advertise.

Best accessory is a Kill-A-Watt (costco or ebay) to measure volts and frequency instead of depending on an engine tachometer pointer. It just plugs into one of the AC outlets on the back of the alternator.

Just because the alternator is rated at 15kW, you don't need 30 hp to run it. Only if you need to draw 15 kW full time (like powering the entire ceiling light display at a Lowes or Home Depot or Menards). Check your electric bill to calculate how much juice you are actually making use of. Heck, you might need a bigger tractor !. Now watch how many replies will tell me I need a JD 4020 at 110 hp to keep my cell phone charged by means of my 50 kW Winpower. Right...

 

[tracydj]

I looked into that type of setup. I'm not a farmer nor do I store a large quantity of diesel. With that in mind propane or natural gas was the way to go for me. You can have a massive to unlimited supply that doesn't go bad or gel etc. It will transfer without hooking up anything and can be done by the wife if I'm not home.

My crude math based on experience with previous little machines has it at about 2 gal an hour at the RPMs needed. So even at 5 hrs a day you are at 10 gal a day or 70 gal a week.

If you go stand-by style Winco is definitely the way to go. Also read up on the Honda inverter style- those don't need a set RPM to achieve the desired volts. They also can auto shunt to all an AC etc to start. The size you are looking at is huge for a house- you won't miss anything when that's on!

I could go on for hours on this subject.....fun stuff!

Edit: my math was based on the PTO being under load. If you don't have a specific load and are just doing normal household without electric heat I could see the 1-1.25 gal/hr being accurate.

My home is all electric and we live in the country so natural gas is out. I could potentially put a LP tank in but I plan on installing solar panels in the near future and want to try to stay away from non renewable gas if possible. I have a heat pump which pulls a huge amount of watts to start which is why I wanted to step up for the 10,000 watt unit.