bigdeano
Platinum Member
How much power does it take to excite that generator? If it's a lot, that's where the inefficiency will be. Sorry if it's already been mentioned.
Picked up half a megawatt worth of Caterpillar power, think I'll make a PTO generator
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/ Picked up half a megawatt worth of Caterpillar power, think I'll make a PTO generator
#72
I don't think I fully explained why I passed on the PTO clutch suggestion. The generator head has an SAE1 layout which is a perfect circle with 12 bolt holes on a 20.875" symmetrical circle. I could get an SAE1 PTO bellhousing and it would have the same dimensions; they could be bolted together, no problem. But there is also a flange to consider. An SAE1 engine has a circular 20.125" recess, and both the generator head and the PTO bellhousing have a 20.125" protrusion. The engine can be considered a "female" flange and the PTO and the generator can be considered "male" flanges. So while I could still bolt the PTO housing to the generator because the holes line up, I would be bolting two male flanges together and the centering feature of the recess would be lost. What I really need is an SAE1 engine bellhousing. I've found a local guy selling a couple of engine/flywheel bellhousings off of Detroit Diesel 60 series 12.7L engines which are also SAE1 (female) and should fit the bill as long as they stick out far enough for a stub shaft and bearing to be mounted. He's asking $200/ea and the cheapest twindisc-style clutch bellhousing I can find is like $500 just for the housing, no internals.
/ Picked up half a megawatt worth of Caterpillar power, think I'll make a PTO generator
#73
SimS
Gold Member
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I just finished reading this whole thread. My first question is: How are going to get those things off the trailer?!?
SimS
SimS
KWentling
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I spent 20+ years as a machinist in an electric motor repair shop. We made housings and mandrels to balance and test run alternators and generators so what you are trying to do is certainly doable.
To adapt the pto clutch you could machine a "spacer" to sandwich between the stator housing and the clutch housing, with a 20.128 bore and the appropriate bolt pattern.
Generators and alternators always have one insulated bearing to break the "circuit" through the rotor to prevent arcing through the bearing. Your's likely already has one. The end you build may need to be a "captured" bearing set up to control the location of the rotor. You'll need to see how the existing bearing is set up. One end needs to float.
A timing belt is another option for speed increasing, but they are expensive. I do think you need some kind of clutch set up to give it a soft start and stop feature.
It sounds like you have the voltage/ windings conversion under control. We did that conversion to a 480v 3-phase 40KVA for a home back up system. Had a 4BT Cummins.
It will be interesting to see how this works out.
/ Picked up half a megawatt worth of Caterpillar power, think I'll make a PTO generator
#76
You were absolutely justified in your concerns. I was concerned about it as well; that's probably part of the reason why I procrastinated in unloading the trailer. The generator heads sat there on the trailer until today, when I finally had to unload them, because I had to take the tractor to the dealership for some PTO noises that it was making.
The 2700 pound lifting capacity of the FEL doesn't mean much once you put pallet Forks on it and start lifting things far out forward of the Pivot Point. These 1800 lb generator heads proved to be exactly the real world maximum weight that this tractor can lift on a pallet. It would only lift the pallets with the generator head all the way up against the headache rack touching. Just two inches more forward on the forks, and it would not lift the pallet. Once the pallet was lifted, I was not able to curl back any. I was not able to set them down level. It was not a comforting experience. Without the 1500 lb counterweight on the 3 point, I don't think it would have been possible at all, as the tractor would have probably flipped over forward.
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radios1
Elite Member
in the first 2 pictures, I'm surprised the load stayed on!.. depending on the capacity of that blue forklift on the right, (some can carry over 100,000 lbs.) that would be the thing to use for lifting a pallet..
/ Picked up half a megawatt worth of Caterpillar power, think I'll make a PTO generator
#78
The forklift in the background is broken. That forklift has been mentioned a couple times in this thread. I gave $500 for the forklift. It was flooded in Harvey and the transmission is full of water. The engine seems okay, and if I can get it to run, that is the long-term plan for the power plant behind this generator. I originally bought the forklift just for the 3-stage Mast that's on it. I'm planning to make a forklift attachment for the back of my tractor, but that's the subject of a whole nother thread.
/ Picked up half a megawatt worth of Caterpillar power, think I'll make a PTO generator
#80
Worst case scenario, those generator make for a really good 3 pt counterweight
Jokes aside, can't wait to see some tests of those things running. Please keep us posted of the progress.
Will do. There's probably going to be a lull in progress starting now and lasting a least a month. I have a paid project that just got a boost in urgency so I have to get that wrapped up and commissioned before i have much time to play.
