Buying Advice PTO Driven Generator

[keyman1808]

The very first post has a good link and a price with it.

 

[hanson1999]

why do people worry about hours on a tractor? isn't that what you bought it for? If you have a 5 year old tractor, and it has 600 hrs on it, and i have the same one with 800 on it ( just throwing out 200 hrs in 5 yrs on a generator)....what is the difference in trade in value on the tractor....i bet it ain't nothin....


I say go pto and never look back....you know the tractor is gonna start, and if you need the tractor for a little while doing something else i think we can all live without power for an hour or two...

 

[John47]

I saw the HF unit but I dont think my BX24 will power it. Anyone try it yet.

It would run it, but you'd have to watch the load you put on the generator, keep load down and it will run perfect.
There are some lower wattage PTO generators, as low as 6KW. But 15KW really needs a 30HP tractor for full load, around 25HP at the pto.
I found the 6KW gas driven gennies really "gasp" when a well pump of 1.5 HP starts under load! Not good for the pump at all, that's why I went with a 15KW PTO genny.
The biggest outage we have had was the icestorms of January 2009. We were without mains power for nearly a week, and the 6KW was a pain in the butt. I don't know how they rate Briggs and Scrap iron engines HP ratings, but they don't compare to diesels of the same ratings.

 

[Soundguy]

I sure wish I could find a 6k unit for 400$ and a 13hp engine around here. can't even touch the off brand chinese ones for that.

besides.. why buy a throw away. your tractor engine is high quality and made to run at load for extended time.. and not be thrown away..

i'd hate to be in an outage when the timer went out on the throw away unit..

soundguy

As stated in similar threads, I just can't see running my tractor for days on end to run a generator. I purchased a 6K unit, with 13 HP gas motor for under $400 new. I run it regularly to keep the gas fresh and I run stabil. I've run the machine for 5 days straight (only stopping for oil changes) without a hickup. That would be 120 hours just for the one power outage.

If the machine blows up, I throw away and purchase another.

My neighbor ran the machine for 8 days straight, again without a hickup. Thats almost 200 hours. Again, that is a $400 machine.

I just couldn't see putting the hours on my tractor when these generators are so inexpensive today.

I roll it out of my garage, plug in and cover with a 4x4 piece of plywood. It just does not get much easier other than auto start.

Joel

 

[Soundguy]

I found the 6KW gas driven gennies really "gasp" when a well pump of 1.5 HP starts under load! Not good for the pump at all, that's why I went with a 15KW PTO genny.
.

ditto that 100% we had some test wells we had to pump off on a jobsite.. the 5.5k-r/6.5k-p gassers wouldn't do it. had to use my pto genny til the company I work for ran and got a 8.5kw gasser...

soundguy

 

[JoelD]

why do people worry about hours on a tractor? isn't that what you bought it for? If you have a 5 year old tractor, and it has 600 hrs on it, and i have the same one with 800 on it ( just throwing out 200 hrs in 5 yrs on a generator)....what is the difference in trade in value on the tractor....i bet it ain't nothin....


I say go pto and never look back....you know the tractor is gonna start, and if you need the tractor for a little while doing something else i think we can all live without power for an hour or two...

I worry about hours because rebuilding a diesel tractor motor is a bunch more money than replacing a 13hp honda clone motor. I did buy my tractor to use, I use for digging, plowing, tilling, ripping, just about anything else to hard or heavy to do by hand.

I just can't rationalize it sitting for hours to power my house when I can do the same for short money with a purpose built generator.

Not to mention, my generator is in the garage and warm, the tractor is out in the yard and cold and always has the backhoe on it.

I can get gas a lot easier than diesel, particularly when the power goes out. Our local station on generator has gas and not diesel.

If winter, I'd have to first get to my tractor, then get the hoe off, and then get to the generator and hook up. Much easier to roll my generator out of my garage.

Joel

 

[Soundguy]

The average tractor diesel should run for thousands of hours before needing rebuilt if you keep up with maintenance. while you might need a clutch a 4000 hrs.. but the diesel engine should be good. not uncommon to see larger units eclips 10k hrs without rebuild. go thru 4 or 5 throw away gennies and you have a diesel rebuild... just a different way of looking at it I guess. I know my tractor will start. I don't know if my weedeater or lawnmower will.. and they always decide to have problems when you need them. look at ethanol and fuel lines right now. i have resorted to keeping rolls of fuel line at home just to keep the small engine stuff running. thank goodnedd my old gas tractors have metal fuel lines...

Since I have a diesel tank at my farm.. diesel is by far easier to get during imclement weather. and not that gas is cr@ppy.. who wants to buy it in bulk and let it set around and go stale and drink water like a fish.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

If winter, I'd have to first get to my tractor, then get the hoe off, and then
Joel

now that makes a difference. if you have a TLB or just a TB.. then you are not really setup for pto powered implements anyway.. at least not quickly.

soudnguy

 

[alco141]

i had a pto generator, 25 kw ran it with my nh 1520, it will put out about 9 kw with this motor, is very stable, the only problem is my wife could not attach it to the tractor, i loved the rig but i had to have something the wife and daughters could handle, so got a 10kw gas unit, they roll it 10 feet out the garage plug in the cable, start the generator, flip the transfer switch and they have power. i keep 5 gal can next to the generator with gas rotated out every 4 months. this will run the generatopr untl i get home to handle the refueling.

alex

 

[Chuckatuck]

Another often mentioned "con" is that your tractor is tied up running the PTO. Following a storm or hurricane you may want to have your tractor available to work. I know we were glad to have it to move trees after Isabel came through.

 

[Soundguy]

already been covered many times over.

rarely do you need 24/7 power.. thus driving your tractor away for a few hours to rake up debri should be no big deal. if you are in an outtage and parcticing good emergency procedure anyway, then you know hot to open the reefers too much.. etc. running the electric for an hour every 4 hours should be enough to keep the average freezer froze.

soundguy

 

[RPW]

Definitely been covered many times...and.... here's my take. Each pesonal situation will necessitate there own reasoning for which method to use and there isn't a right way or wrong way. I've got three generators. One in the garage that at some point wil be used for occasional use of tools away from the mains (3kw), one for the horse trailer/camping (4kw) and the last is my bobcat 225 welder/generator (8.5kw) that obviously is used regularly for welding and if necassary to run the house. This leaves my tractor free for other things, don't have to worry about having the wife hook up a PTO genny (even if she new how) and like others have said it's just easier to plug the house into the bobcat. But like I said in the beginning each situation is different.

 

[Charlesaf3]

I think soundguy has summed it up perfectly. But to do the math. Say you have a 10 day outage, and run your tractor 24/7. That's 240 hours. I put 700 hours on my big tractor last year, and I'm guessing for most on this site that's a lot. If you are only running your tractor a 100 hours a year, that extra time might actually be good for it... by all accounts diesels like to run.

More of a concern is the pto generators no liking to be out in the weather. Umm... given that the tractor isn't coming indoors, and would be parked next to the houst to be of use, one kind of needs a weatherproof solution (leaving aside that bad weather is probably when you need it.

Whats the solution? A tarp? Seems kind of mickey mouse for an obvious problem...

 

[tsteahr]

I think soundguy has summed it up perfectly. But to do the math. Say you have a 10 day outage, and run your tractor 24/7. That's 240 hours. I put 700 hours on my big tractor last year, and I'm guessing for most on this site that's a lot. If you are only running your tractor a 100 hours a year, that extra time might actually be good for it... by all accounts diesels like to run.

More of a concern is the pto generators no liking to be out in the weather. Umm... given that the tractor isn't coming indoors, and would be parked next to the houst to be of use, one kind of needs a weatherproof solution (leaving aside that bad weather is probably when you need it.

Whats the solution? A tarp? Seems kind of mickey mouse for an obvious problem...

I don't understand why keeping a PTO generator out of the weather is any different then keeping a portable generator put of the weather. I would not want to have a gas powered portable out in the pouring rain either.

I have a garage, so I just back the generator into the garage and lower the garage door so it is just above the 3ph top link. Keeps the generator inside out of the weather and the diesel exhaust outside. When it is time to refill the fuel tank I just raise the garage door and back into the garage. No I refill the tractor in the dry.

Seems like it would be more effort to come up with a enclosure for a portable that is ventilated, keeps the weather off and allows access for elctrical connections/monitoring and refueling.

 

[Soundguy]

24/7

why?

If I was in a critical situation and needed full 24/7/365 power.. I'd get a standby genny.

the average homeowner don't need 24/7 power.

soundguy

I think soundguy has summed it up perfectly. But to do the math. Say you have a 10 day outage, and run your tractor 24/7. That's 240 hours. I put 700 hours on my big tractor last year, and I'm guessing for most on this site that's a lot. If you are only running your tractor a 100 hours a year, that extra time might actually be good for it... by all accounts diesels like to run.

More of a concern is the pto generators no liking to be out in the weather. Umm... given that the tractor isn't coming indoors, and would be parked next to the houst to be of use, one kind of needs a weatherproof solution (leaving aside that bad weather is probably when you need it.

Whats the solution? A tarp? Seems kind of mickey mouse for an obvious problem...

 

[brin]

24/7

why?

If I was in a critical situation and needed full 24/7/365 power.. I'd get a standby genny.

the average homeowner don't need 24/7 power.

soundguy

Soundguy, of course you are right...Everyone should think about it ....even when you have power you are not using it all the time..you might have a light or two on or a tv or two and your frig and freezer & maybe some heat or air..but as Soundguy suggests you don't need the power to run continuously to keep food cool or frozen or keep the heat or cool in your house. Just run the genny as you need it...you have to ration power in an emergency just like you would food or water..no matter what fuel you use for a genny...diesel from your tractor, gas or propane...you have no way of knowing in a true emergency how long the outage will last or if you will be able to get more fuel....really give this some thought.

 

[slaveToHorses]

already been covered many times over.
rarely do you need 24/7 power.. thus driving your tractor away for a few hours to rake up debri should be no big deal.
soundguy

Agreed. But you guys are totally missing the boat (tractor?).
Yesiree, boy howdy.

The correct answer is to use this as an opportunity to own another tractor!
Now I know soundguy is all over this one

My JD 2355 is basically used as a portable engine (60hp). I mainly use it to run a big-*** chipper. Sometimes it does duty running water pumps or generators.
My neighbor mainly uses his 2755 for field work, until late summer, when it sits and runs an irrigation pump for weeks at a time.

My 3720 could run the same equipment, but too often has the backhoe on, so the answer was clear; I needed another tractor!

Plus, like soundguy, I have a diesel station on property so that favors it as a fuel source.

I still do have a portable gas generator as well. But I don't have much gas around the farm anymore. My car and truck are both diesel. I only use gas for the mower and a dozen or so small gas engines. Those small gas engines are a real pain. I always have to keep them drained and run them dry or I end up with carb problems and they don't want to start. I don't store the gas too long and use stabilizers. Helps a little but not much. Especially with that ethanol crap in the gas during the winter.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. the number of engines requiring gas around my place is dropping like flies. pretty much the wifes truck.. my old farm truck, and some lawn equipment... if I ever find a cheap scut diesel tractor with a belly mower.. the old murray rider mower better start worrying

soundguy

 

[montelatici]

I don't understand why keeping a PTO generator out of the weather is any different then keeping a portable generator put of the weather. I would not want to have a gas powered portable out in the pouring rain either.

Some people have covered porches that you can't drive a tractor into. I keep my Generac 7.5 KVA generator in the porch.

 

[bdw593]

Not sure if you have a Rural King store in your area but mine has that same generator for $999.99.

Chris

I checked on the 25kw from rural king but what worries me is there is only a 90 day warranty

Some of the other ones ive seen have 24-36mo warrantys and made in the usa:thumbsup: though they cost more mayb worth it?.

hard to drop a g on a chinese job with no warranty.