3-Point Hitch John Deere 3-point hitch 10 KW PTO Generator

[Mechanos]

I paid $2300 for the Generator, Shaft and of course taxes..

I just have to wonder, how am I supposed to keep my wife outside in a hurricane on the seat of the tractor to keep my beer cold??

Is there an authorized and safe way to bypass the seat switch?

What tractor Bob? They are all different. My 4110 you just pull UP the seat switch, but the newer machines are different. The owners manual also tells you how...

Like Kenny said... some have the pull up seat switch. My 955 is this way as well. Or you could just plop a sandbag in the seat.

I considered a PTO generator.... for about a minute. Just didn't want the tractor tied up to keep power going. For backup/standby power, I personally would not have a PTO generator, I'd get a stand alone unit.

 

[bud4410]

hi guys, on my 3520 with a 15kw tiger pto generator you have to select rear pto only, put it in neutral, apply emergency brake and switch on pto while not on the seat. it runs my whole place, house, ac, well pump, furnace, fridg, freezer, etc. i run the tractor at 2200+-rpms and it burns about 1/2 gph. i'm real happy with the setup.............bud

 

[Mechanos]

hi guys, on my 3520 with a 15kw tiger pto generator you have to select rear pto only, put it in neutral, apply emergency brake and switch on pto while not on the seat. it runs my whole place, house, ac, well pump, furnace, fridg, freezer, etc. i run the tractor at 2200+-rpms and it burns about 1/2 gph. i'm real happy with the setup.............bud

Just curious... how often do you need the generator to run your entire house (power outage, I'm assuming)? During those times have you ever run into the occassion when you needed to power down the house in order to use the tractor for another task?

 

[bud4410]

hi mechanos, usually i only need it 2-3 times a year. snowstorms like last winter take down limbs into overhead wires. bad wind storms like irene do the same only worse. this time i was out for 3 days. i'll usually run it for 1-2 hours and turn it off for 3-4 during the day for the frig. and well pump and leave it on in the evening till we go to bed for the lights. most of the time we are only out for 5 or 6 hours. if its real cold out or real hot i will run it longer for the ac or furnace. if i do need the tractor its just a matter of unhooking the pto shaft and pulling the pin on the draw bar to disconnect it, the generator is on a little trailer. i leave the gen set right where it is time its time to hook it back up. so far its been real handy when i've needed it. when not using it i stand it up against the wall in the garage and forget about it. best part not another engine to try to start after sitting idol for a long period of time. hope this helps............................bud

 

[Rob-D]

hi mechanos, usually i only need it 2-3 times a year. snowstorms like last winter take down limbs into overhead wires. bad wind storms like irene do the same only worse. this time i was out for 3 days. i'll usually run it for 1-2 hours and turn it off for 3-4 during the day for the frig. and well pump and leave it on in the evening till we go to bed for the lights. most of the time we are only out for 5 or 6 hours. if its real cold out or real hot i will run it longer for the ac or furnace. if i do need the tractor its just a matter of unhooking the pto shaft and pulling the pin on the draw bar to disconnect it, the generator is on a little trailer. i leave the gen set right where it is time its time to hook it back up. so far its been real handy when i've needed it. when not using it i stand it up against the wall in the garage and forget about it. best part not another engine to try to start after sitting idol for a long period of time. hope this helps............................bud

Bud,
I have two gen sets. One is a small Honda EU 2000 which is great. During Irene my friend and neighbor took it to pump out her basement then it went to the author down the road who had a deadline. Small gens are good when you have to work with power tools away from the grid although the new cordless stuff is really coming to its own.
If all I had was a PTO that would have tied up one tractor but I don't disagree with PTO gens. All the farmers around here have them to keep the milking machines running and they are a great for that. I think it comes down to what you need it for.
If you can afford it get a small Honda (about 900 bucks) and a PTO gen. This way you're bullet proof.
As for the seat, a 5 gallon bucket of rocks or a couple of front weights should solve the problem.
Rob

 

[atschirner]

From 30 years of experience with emergency generators I can add a few design considerations.

If you are planning to power your gen set with vapor withdrawl propane you need to match the fuel delivery rate to the output rating of the gen set.

As the temprature drops so does the rate at which propane boils in the tank. This issue is accelerated by the pressure in the tank decreasing as you draw vapor causing the internal temp to drop. See where I'm going with this? In other words, a 15Kw connected to a half full 500 gallon propane tank runs fine in the summer but during a sub-zero ice storm your tank can't provide enough vapor to keep the generator running. Half full propane tanks provide the most surface area and the greatest volume of vapor.

One solution to this whole issue is the draw liquid propane from the tank and then convert it to vapor. There are zoning and NFPA code issues attached to liquid withdrawl but it less temprature dependant.

One last point; if you choose to power your generator with natural gas you need to de-rate your output by 10% to account for the fewer BTU per unit than propane.

Would anyone like to discuss hydrogen fuel cells now?

 

[PCABE5]

What is the correct rationale, larger or sized for the tractor? Rob and Jim had posted two different trains of thought and not sure which is preferred.

 

[charleyfarmall]

I have a Northern Tool 13Kw generator I mounted on a 3pt carry all frame from Tractor supply. I have used it on a Kioti CK27HST, and can now on my 2720 and 3320. I don't have to bypass the seat switch on either Deere. You can run the PTO and not be in the seat. The tractor just has to be in neutral (parking brake helps....). FWIW the parking brake on the 2720 sucks.

 

[atschirner]

More alternator than engine is common in commercial standby sets. Some manufactures call it an extended stack. The theory is that the engine will stall before the winding become overheated and there is no long term damage to the system.

 

[PCABE5]

More alternator than engine is common in commercial standby sets. Some manufactures call it an extended stack. The theory is that the engine will stall before the winding become overheated and there is no long term damage to the system.

Thank you.