How to secure tractor while operating PTO generator

   / How to secure tractor while operating PTO generator #41  
Oh please. "real work" does not mean leaving your tractor sitting in front of the barn running at PTO speed while you go to lunch or shopping. Let alone in front of your house. Fact is, they are not made to do that UNATTENDED and you know it. Yes, you can use them to run a variety of equipment while stationary off the PTO like augers, conveyors, pumps, and even PTO generators. But, they are, obviously, not made to sit there and do that with nobody around. That would be why they have those "wheels" and a "seat" for an operator to sit on. It's also the reason they are called "tractors" and not "stationaries". It is simply the wrong choice to do work like that in that situation. If you need something to run a pump or generator for hours on end with nobody around, you should consider a proper stationary power plant. Obviously, an emergency it could be used to run a pump or a PTO generator, but I wouldn't consider a power outage to be an emergency that warrants this, particularly when nobody will be home. If you need to leave, shut it down.

The mere fact that he has to ask the question says that it is a poor choice.

Why not?

Trust me it is done all the time. When we fill silo the blower tractor is at WOT for hours. Yes there is someone "around" but it isn't exactly attended. I worked for a pumping company for a while a few years ago and we would take a tractor out to mid line and let it run powering a pump for up to a day at a time.


The mere fact that he has to ask the question says that it is a poor choice.

This site would be pretty dull if you applied that reasoning to every question asked.
 
   / How to secure tractor while operating PTO generator #42  
This has been a most entertaining thread. Polecat, just exactly makes a stationary diesel engine "better" for running a generator than a tractor engine? Serious question. They're both engines with a power take off. I see absolutely no reason whatsoever to buy another engine when I already have a really, really good one. I don't want to pay for it and I don't want to maintain it, particularly to for the 4 or 5 days every 3 or 4 years that I "might" need it.

As for neighbor kids, I can't imagine anyone under the age of 14 walking up to a tractor running at PTO speed and crawling up in the operator station, and even at that age I bet most would be apprehensive. If the PTO shaft is unshielded, I would shield it. I didn't even know you could find an unshielded PTO shaft these days.

I do consider my isolation from neighbors to be a blessing. If I had neighbor kids that would come on to my property uninvited and mess with my stuff, my first stop would be the sheriff's office and my second would be a real estate agent to find a place a little further out of town.
 
   / How to secure tractor while operating PTO generator #43  
Only major difference I see between the 2 are engine protection systems like low oil shut down and such.

And a seat.
 
   / How to secure tractor while operating PTO generator #44  
Only major difference I see between the 2 are engine protection systems like low oil shut down and such.

And a seat.

And generally there is not an exposed shaft. Nor do they have wheels and a way to propel themselves.

The big risks I see would be the spinning PTO shaft, even with a shield. People are idiots, they would still find a way to get tangled in it. I see it as Darwin in action, lawyers see it as my fault.

Other big risk would be someone disengaging the parking brake or attempting to drive it. I would rate this as a bigger risk than entanglement. Not so much with pre-teens, but with teens and adults. Again, they should know better.

I know that tractors get used as stationary power sources all the time. To a degree, they are designed for this. But, I am going to go back to them being unattended. Using one to run an auger all day while you are around doing other things is not the same as unattended. You would likely see or hear it if something happened. Your presence would also deter others from monkeying with things.

If you need to have something run a pump all day out in a field, a tractor is probably not the best choice. If it is all you have, or the situation demands it, then you make do with what you have. But, there is also a significant difference between that and doing this next to your house.

Here is my take on the whole situation. If you have to consider what steps to take to prevent accidents so you can use your tractor as an unattended power source, you should consider using another power source. If there is an accident, the first thing that someone is going to ask is if you took reasonable and prudent steps to prevent the accident. Unless you plan on putting it inside a cage, the likely answer is going to be no. Putting a chain on the wheel or a club on the steering wheel does nothing to prevent someone from getting tangled in the PTO. Nor does it prevent the tractor from being knocked into gear and effectively becoming a runaway. Even if it does only go in circles because one wheel is chained.

Not saying I agree with this mentality at all. I think it is dead wrong. The first question should be "Why was whomever messing with it in the first place", but unfortunately, our legal system doesn't work like that anymore. You will be painted as the evil tractor owner who intentionally left it running to tempt small children into wanting to play on it so you could take pleasure in their injuries. If you put a security camera on it, you were planning on putting it on YouTube for your amusement. Nobody will care if that is the truth or not. Judges let attorneys manipulate juries this way and we all suffer because of it. Stupidity is rewarded and even if you do take reasonable steps, you will be at fault for not being able to think of every possible thing the idiot could do to get hurt. Also, remember "beyond a reasonable doubt" only applies to criminal cases. Civil requires "a preponderance of the evidence".

At the end of the day, is it really worth the risk to not have to maintain another engine?
 
   / How to secure tractor while operating PTO generator #45  
You will be painted as the evil tractor owner who intentionally left it running to tempt small children into wanting to play on it so you could take pleasure in their injuries.

So I shouldn't set out bear traps baited with Happy Meal toys?:laughing:

I agree with you 100%, to many people win huge sums of money for their stupidity.

I still think an exhaust fan with some ducting would allow the OP to lock it in the garage if he needed to leave. Even if some fumes accumulated, when I open my garage door and the man door, it vents pretty quickly.
 
   / How to secure tractor while operating PTO generator #46  
DO NOT let the tractor run inside the garage. Just let your homeowners insurance agent see that! Kiss insurance good bye!
 

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