newbury
Super Star Member
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- From Vt, in Va, retiring to MS
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- Kubota's - B7610, M4700
Generator Pto backup generator - are they practical
- Thread starter Newbie7100HST
- Start date
- Views: 17434
brasco426
Gold Member
Wow, a 75 watt generator!
I know right, thing punches above its weight lol.
4570Man
Super Star Member
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- Apr 7, 2015
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- Crossville, TN
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- Kubota M59, Kubota L3800, Grasshopper 428D, Topkick dump truck, 3500 dump truck, 10 ton trailer, more lighter trailers.
After I changed to LED I could nearly light my kitchen on a 75 watt generator.
Your case where you want power 24x7 and I am guessing using about 1K-2K watts isn't a great use case for a PTO generator. (I am guessing your generator size based on your fuel consumption rate)
One thing to keep in mind is to check the flow and pressure of your natural gas. Generators can be thirsty and not all houses have the required pressure and volume to feed a generator. Your gas company will be able to tell you what you need to know.
OregonCraig
Bronze Member
Andy...what brand/model PTO generator is that? And how do you know that you have the correct RPM to output 60Hz? I assume the genset has a gauge of some sort, but would like to hear a little more about the process of hooking up the genset.
I have essentially the same garden tractor and might be interested in copying your set up one day. Thanks.
Fallon
Super Member
http://shop.p3international.com/p/kill-a-watt is a nice easy way to measure frequency & other things. My 20+ year old WinCo PTO generator has a gauge on the front with a green zone that you try to adjust your throttle into. Pretty sure it's a voltage meter, not a frequency meter though. Frequency is 100% determined by the RPM (although there is usually a gearbox to go from 540 rpm to the 1,800 or 3600 RPM required for a 2 or 4 pole generator). So in thoery you could just use the tachometer & math or a cheap RPM sensor. Using a Kill-A-Watt or similar frequency meter is going to be easier & cheaper though. Voltage is usually controled by a voltage regulator internal to the generator & often not adjustable. Voltage should be fine as long as you get the frequency/RPMs right.
You can find dedicated frequency meters on E-bay for under $30, but they aren't weatherproof.
The standard process is:
Cut off line power to the house (disconect from grid)
Hook up wires from generator to house outlet
Fire up tractor/generator
Fiddle with the throttle until your meter reads 60hz (make sure voltage is close as well)
Throw disconnect on the house from off to generator (or flip breakers on the generator) to connect the generator to the house
Fiddle with throttle if needed
Turn on heavier loads in the house & keep an eye on frequency meter while doing so (fiddle with throttle if need be)
You can find dedicated frequency meters on E-bay for under $30, but they aren't weatherproof.
The standard process is:
Cut off line power to the house (disconect from grid)
Hook up wires from generator to house outlet
Fire up tractor/generator
Fiddle with the throttle until your meter reads 60hz (make sure voltage is close as well)
Throw disconnect on the house from off to generator (or flip breakers on the generator) to connect the generator to the house
Fiddle with throttle if needed
Turn on heavier loads in the house & keep an eye on frequency meter while doing so (fiddle with throttle if need be)
OregonCraig
Bronze Member
Fallon...thanks for that explanation. Doesn't seem like much more trouble than a stand alone generator hookup. Main difference being the throttle adjustment, but plugging the Kill-A-Watt meter into the generator provides a way to dial in the correct frequency.
oosik
Epic Contributor
Been here 34 years and I have a stand alone 3KW generator. We have an average of two outages per year. The longest in my years here was 26 hours. Not even long enough to go out and start the little generator. Just don't open the freezer every five minutes and all will remain frozen for at least 48 hours.
I have to admit - our electric utility does EXCELLENT service during any outage.
I have to admit - our electric utility does EXCELLENT service during any outage.
daybreak1998
Silver Member
Howdy,
It works for some, and others do not understand about using a pto generator.
I might be different. I have multiple tractors. I do not care about hours on the meter. I do not power right away. If the power goes out, and its like 1 hour later, and I still have no power. I will simply hook up the pto generator and run anything I need.
PTO generators = not all are created the same. A more expensive option is a 4 pole head. That means the whole assembly spins at a nice 1800rpm to make that 60Hz. A unit with 2 poles needs to spin at 3600rpm. The whole assembly makes more noise spinning at 3600rpm.
Below is my Tiger Power PTO generator pulling approx. 19kw
It has a digital gauge showing the volts, and the lit dots showing the Hz, and a ammeter showing the power being drawn.
Tiger Power PTO 30KW working 19kw
It works for some, and others do not understand about using a pto generator.
I might be different. I have multiple tractors. I do not care about hours on the meter. I do not power right away. If the power goes out, and its like 1 hour later, and I still have no power. I will simply hook up the pto generator and run anything I need.
PTO generators = not all are created the same. A more expensive option is a 4 pole head. That means the whole assembly spins at a nice 1800rpm to make that 60Hz. A unit with 2 poles needs to spin at 3600rpm. The whole assembly makes more noise spinning at 3600rpm.
Below is my Tiger Power PTO generator pulling approx. 19kw
It has a digital gauge showing the volts, and the lit dots showing the Hz, and a ammeter showing the power being drawn.
Tiger Power PTO 30KW working 19kw
TomSeller
Super Member
And healthiest. No inbreeding.