Yes you can run your whole house with a pto generator on that tractor. I run a 50kw capacity WinPower off of a 22 hp F935 3 cylinder diesel lawnmower with mine. Furnace, well, stove, microwave, TV, lights, garage doors and the UVerse router and computers. Sure, the mower is a lot less than the 100hp THEORETICALLY required, but necessity is the Mother ....
New to me YM226 Purchased today $2400 ?
- Thread starter Torx
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That is interesting. Is that a gearbox mounted on the mower? Did you just take the driveshaft off the mower to hook up the generator?
Yes, as Winston1 remarks, that IS interesting. I like the throughput on your mower. I have a King*Cutter mower with its gearbox mounted in the same position. You must have crafted a nice way to get dual use out of your mower. Maybe you could mow when not using your generator?
May I ask how much the WinPower costs and also if you are connecting at your breaker box or at the power companies shut off switches, or elsewhere? I'm amazed with your setup. Do you have any pics of the wiring disconnects for the other end?
thank You ,
Torx
Roonabeck
Silver Member
For a generator hookup installation, assuming you have a main breaker panel, it's hard to beat getting an interlock kit made for your main panel (some overpriced ones are at Generator InterLock Kit) and installing a new breaker at the top of your panel to backfeed power from the PTO generator when you need it. The interlock kit is designed for a specific panel (so do some internet searching) and mechanically prevents you from accidentally backfeeding the street (dangerous!) with your generator.
When running your whole house with a PTO generator, you do have to remember simple things like not running large electric appliances that require their own circuit (dryer, stove, water heater, etc.) and depending on the horsepower of your tractor and the rated kW of your generator you may need to avoid running other high-power items at the same time as well. My YM1510 and a NorthStar 7.2kW PTO generator work fine for my house & garage, including the 240V well pump. I just keep the electric range and dryer off and turn off whatever I'm not actively using.
Keep in mind that a tractor running the PTO at 540RPM makes a lot of racket, and you'd also be surprised at the amount of racket a generator head makes if you've never heard one, too.
When running your whole house with a PTO generator, you do have to remember simple things like not running large electric appliances that require their own circuit (dryer, stove, water heater, etc.) and depending on the horsepower of your tractor and the rated kW of your generator you may need to avoid running other high-power items at the same time as well. My YM1510 and a NorthStar 7.2kW PTO generator work fine for my house & garage, including the 240V well pump. I just keep the electric range and dryer off and turn off whatever I'm not actively using.
Keep in mind that a tractor running the PTO at 540RPM makes a lot of racket, and you'd also be surprised at the amount of racket a generator head makes if you've never heard one, too.
California
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Roonabeck (or anybody) - did you ever try setting up for minimal loads such as evening lighting, by shifting the PTO to a higher gear then running the tractor at lower rpm? Was it quieter? Also, the Nebraska charts show optimum fuel economy for these around 1800 rpm as I recall.
YM1510 has additional pto speeds something like 800 and 1200 rpm, no?
YM1510 has additional pto speeds something like 800 and 1200 rpm, no?
Roonabeck
Silver Member
Yeah, I do that primarily when I'm using it as a remote power source away from buildings. Note that the 1510 is a 3-cyllinder, so it doesn't have the torque or power at the lower RPMs. In PTO 2nd gear, I run the engine at just over 1500 RPM and that keeps the needle in the right spot on the generator (versus 2400 engine RPMs in PTO 1st gear). I can run a single large power tool in that setup -- my largest is a big 9" angle grinder (rated 15 amp) which causes a noticeable engine speed drop on startup. I've never actually tried PTO 3rd.
The engine is quieter in that configuration, but the generator is running at the same speed so it still makes the same amount of racket, which pretty much requires earplugs if you're working near it. It would presumably be easier on the fuel consumption, but I've never used it long enough that way to make any measurement.
I found the gearbox for sale on eBay. Its a standard production unit made for increasing or decreasing standard pto rpm. I'm using it to reduce my 2100 rpm-mower pto input rpm to an appropriate level for the WinPower's 540 rpm needs. I mounted the gearbox on the mower deck's gearbox bracket. To change over to the 540 output, all I have to do is pull off the driveshaft from the mower deck and push it onto the reducer box's input shaft and drop in the retainer bolt. To get the right voltage and frequency, I use a Kill-A-Watt meter (19.99 at Costco) which can measure both. It's quiet, competent and simple. It uses less fuel than my other larger farm tractor and lets me use that for other needs if necessary. This setup works any of my 540 type 6 spline devices (water and hydraulic pumps, an air compressor and a hay elevator) if necessary.
