hp needed for genny?

[Soundguy]

Yep.. most tractor hp is made at 'rated' rpm.. thus if you do have a 2-3 spd pto.. you could probably pull smaller loads ont he extended speeds fine.. but you won't be pulling full loads.. or probably even half loads.. etc... unless your tractor is significantly larger than your gen head, capability wise. IE.. 50-70-95 hp tractor... 12kw head.. etc..

soundguy

 

[atgreene]

Thanks for all the info guys. Just fired off an email to IMD for a hertz meter. My 15 kw pto unit is not running at the right hertz and hasn't been for some time. I can't seem to find the sweet spot to get everything to run properly.

I backfeed from the garage 200' away through a 100 amp sub panel. The main is always shut off first, as well as the submain feed to the garage. I then go fire up the generator then I go back to the main, confirm it is off and turn on the submain feed from/to the garage.

The generator is currently on a heavy 4 wheeled cart in the garage, soon to be remounted onto a 3pth lift with casters. That will allow me to roll it over into the back of the garage out of the way during use.

I will say, when it was not secured to the cart tightly, when the switch is thrown it will flip over. Done that once or twice.

As for run times, my 4150 Kubota runs the generator fairly easily powering our entire house. I have let it run for 18-20 hours before with no problems and it uses very little fuel. We loose power for more than 2 hours 6-8 times per year and at least 3-4 times per year for 16 hours or more.

When we loose power I tend to let it run overnight and allows everything to function as normal. The only issue I have is the boiler as it is 110v and upon start-up it will make the tractor stumble slightly. All the 220 stuff (18,000 btu a/c, water pump) is a breeze for it. I usually shut down the oil burner anyway during gen operations and run my wood boiler, so that is not a big issue.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[John_Mc]

I backfeed from the garage 200' away through a 100 amp sub panel. The main is always shut off first, as well as the submain feed to the garage. I then go fire up the generator then I go back to the main, confirm it is off and turn on the submain feed from/to the garage.

You power company is going to have a fit about that hook-up, if they find out about it. They want something that makes it physically impossible to connect the generator without first disconnecting the main -- typically a mechanically interlocked set of breakers or disconnects, or the electronic equivalent. This may be tougher to accomplish if you are using the existing subpanel feeding your garage, rather than a dedicated line to the generator

The statement "I always check/double-check" is not going to cut it with the power company. I do hope you are the only one using this, and that no one else would attempt it if you were not around. While you may be quite safe with the set-up, you can probably understand why a line worker would not be too nuts about this. They're trusting their life to the memory/reliability of every person who has such a set-up... and they have no idea who those people are, or where they are.

Having said the above, in an emergency, you do what you gotta do. I helped a neighbor with a newborn child during a winter power outage by arranging a similar set-up.

John Mc

 

[daTeacha]

Along those same lines, the only thing my generator wiring and the normal wiring have in common is the water pump. I simply ran a spartan set of extra circuits for use with the generator when I did some remodeling. The water pump is fed via a manual transfer switch from the main or the generator, but it is not possible to overlap. It's just a simple mechanical linkage between two breakers, mounted in it's own side panel.

 

[atgreene]

I need to order one of those interlocks. I had an electrician who was going to wire in an auto swap panel to for the generator, but he never came through. I am the only one using it and have friends who work in the area as linemen, so it's always in my mind.

With the FD we have seen some backfeed situations, but when we have the gen was always stumbling and dying to the point that you could tell it was doing something wrong. Not that a brief mistake like that wouldn't kill someone, but it isn't something most genertors can sustain for more than a few seconds.

For $179(?), that rig looks like a good insurance policy.

 

[daTeacha]

The mechanical one is just a simple piece or two of steel linking the toggle of the breakers together. My box and breakers far exceeded the cost of transfer switch -- it was on the small side of $10.

 

[dangerdoc]

That's a funny one!

A tractor is designed to operate for extended periods at PTO speeds at rated HP. Kinda like saying you bought a pair of walking shoes because you don't want to wear out your car going to work, and the grocery store,. and.. and... etc..

Why own a tractor if you are afraid to use it?

soundguy

How about this, I don't want to try sleeping with the tractor running at PTO speed next to my bedroom window.

Also, I would prefer to burn less fuel and spend less on maintanence.

I'm not afraid of using a tractor, I've worn out two doing tractor work, I'd prefer not to wear out the third using it as a generator if I can help it.

I'm assuming that since you decided to make fun of the question rather than answer it, you don't actually have an answer.

 

[Builder]

I'm sure someone else has already responded but NEVER hardware a generator to your breaker panel.

1. You will kill some lineman out trying to repair the lines.
2. You will ruin your generator when the power comes back on.

You need a transfer switch that will guarantee that the line and generator will never connect. Do not DIY, the liability is too high both financially and the risk that you will go to jail for manslaughter. You can find manual transfer switches for about $300.

Yes, I'm fully aware of that. Thanks. I was just trying to save typing out the entire wiring procedure for a b/u generator to ask a simple quaestion about hving the tractor PTO driveshaft run through the garage wall.

 

[dangerdoc]

Yes, I'm fully aware of that. Thanks. I was just trying to save typing out the entire wiring procedure for a b/u generator to ask a simple quaestion about hving the tractor PTO driveshaft run through the garage wall.

Sorry, I didn't intend to step on anybody's toes in particular. Just scares me a little, my father was a lineman.

 

[Builder]

Sorry, I didn't intend to step on anybody's toes in particular. Just scares me a little, my father was a lineman.

No problem. I had a real "genius" for a friend that wires a portable gen right into a 220 dryer outlet on his panel when he has a power failure.

I don't talk to him anymore. Talk about irresponsible.