AC power from BX

Anonymous Poster · Apr 30, 2002

Do not put the extra electrical load demand on a bx unit, too small. Simple ohms law will tell you amps if you know watts & volts. For a few extra bucks (over the price of an inverter) you can buy small generator that will give you the 15 amp output you need for most 110 volt tools. The gen will fit nicely in the FEL!

fractal · May 2, 2002

You can buy an inverter LOTS of places. Northern tool comes to mind as one. I tested my leaf blower the other day and it wanted 7 amps of 120v. Using it as a "guage" you probably want a 1000 watt inverter if you want to run common garden electric tools. One of those are gonna run you a couple hundred bucks.

A couple of things to worry about. You will need a fuse between the battery and the inverter. You will need a switch between the battery and the inverter or they will drain the battery (they do draw current even when you don't have anything plugged into it). The inverter will draw more than 10x as many amps from the battery as they give to the appliance (simple application of ohm's law..). So, the 7 amp leaf blower will suck 70 amps out of the battery, which may be a bit much for the small tractor batteries. This will also pose a serious challange to your battery charging circuit on a small tractor.

Finally, remember, be safe. 12 volts won't kill you but 120 will. A tractor mounted inverter normally would not be grounded. A tractor mounted inverter can be a safety hazard in the rain.

I was going to put an inverter in my truck since it is usually near where I am working to collect the trimmings but after thinking about it, I just toss the coleman generator in the truck when I need to run electric tools away from the house.

wdn · May 7, 2002

This is good advice. For around 500 bucks you can buy a very nice 1000 watt Robin Subaru or Yamaha or Mitsubishi generator that will power more than the BX could/should handle. These are all small and easily carried in 1 hand.

Anonymous Poster · May 9, 2002

Again folks watts / volts = amps, ie! a 1500 w converter will get you less than 12 amps @ 120 volts which would be peek power. Nothern will sell you this inverter for around the $200 range. It will not run a dirill motor under load. A 3000 watt hen will run $400 and it will run any power tool you want to run. Do not put the load on your small tractor generator via an invertor.

Hoosier_Daddy · May 10, 2002

Buy a generator...... Look in the classifieds.... watch garage sales..... watch auctions..... Place an add in the paper. After the Y2K scare everyone has them for sale. And the thing about a generator, most owners have only started them once or twice since they have owned them.

Gee, I wonder how many folks put oil in their newly purchsed generators?

Buy one, put wheels under them and pull them around like a wagon or make a 3 point mount... Find one with an Onan engine, real quiet units as generators go.... TOM

Charlie_Iliff · May 10, 2002

A lot of cordless equipment runs great on 12 volts. A 9.6 volt drill, for instance, can be converted to a good tractor implement when the battery goes bad and you solder in a couple of wires to run to your 12V source (battery or cigarette plug, etc). It's a lot cheaper than an inverter, and a lot more likely to give you the power you need.

mbsil · May 10, 2002

There are 3 major types of inverters - sine wave (or "true" sine wave), modified sine wave (actually a modified square wave), and square wave.

Sine Wave
A sine wave is what you get from your local utility company and (usually) from a generator. This is because it is generated by rotating AC machinery and sine waves are a natural product of rotating AC machinery. The major advantage of a sine wave inverter is that all of the equipment which is sold on the market is designed for a sine wave. This guarantees that the equipment will work to its full specifications.
Some appliances, such as motors and microwave ovens will only produce full output with sine wave power.
A few appliances, such as bread makers, light dimmers, and some battery chargers require a sine wave to work at all.
Sine wave inverters are always more expensive - from 2 to 3 times as much.

Modified Sine Wave (quasi-sine)
A modified sine wave inverter actually has a waveform more like a square wave, but with an extra step. A modified sine wave inverter will work fine with most equipment, although the efficiency or power will be reduced with some. Motors, such as refrigerator motor, pumps, fans etc will use more power from the inverter due to lower efficiency. Most motors will use about 20% more power.
Some fluorescent lights will not operate quite as bright, and some may buzz or make annoying humming noises.
Appliances with electronic timers and/or digital clocks will often not operate correctly. Many appliances get their timing from the line power. Because the modified sine wave is noisier and rougher than a pure sine wave, clocks and timers may run faster or not work at all.
Items such as bread makers and light dimmers may not work at all - in many cases appliances that use electronic temperature controls will not control.

Square Wave
Very few but the very cheapest inverters any more are square wave. A square wave inverter will run simple things like tools with universal motors with no problem - but not much else.

Taken from : http://www.windsun.com/Inverters/Inverter_selection.htm

wdn · May 10, 2002

Here is a chart of how many watts common applicances and tools draw from a generator.

wdn · May 10, 2002

O where o where is that chart. Find it here.

http://www.generatorsearch.com/faq.htm

wdn · Jul 29, 2002

Just a follow up.

I bought a 400 watt Husky brand inverter from Home Depot for $39. It plugs into a cigarette lighter or direct to the battery with battery clips. I got it to use in my car when I go on vacation.

They also sell a 750 watt model for $79 that just has the battery clamps.

Does that seem like something that will work for the BX2200? Does it have the current to drive 62 amps at 12V? That seems like too much. How about 35 Amps the 400 watt model.

I would just use it for a Black & Decker hedge trimmer so I don't have to drag extension cords all over the yard, in fact the cords won't even reach that far.