PTO-Driven Generator

   / PTO-Driven Generator #1  

Cheyenne

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2004
Messages
32
Location
Cheyenne, WY
Tractor
JD 4520, eHydro, MFWD
Where can I find one with at least 25KW output?
 
   / PTO-Driven Generator #2  
Northern tools has a 27.5kw unit. I bought onw of their 12kw units and am happy with it.

I hear that JD makes pto generators as well, but can't verify that, as when we had hurricanes here in florida.. I asked both my local JD dealers about it, and both said that JD doesn't make/carry them.. yet I see JD pto gens on ebay.. etc.. so that means I have a couple lazy JD dealers...

Soundguy
 
   / PTO-Driven Generator #3  
Hey I have a question about your Northern Tool PTO Generator. I was looking at the 10KW version to run off of my 790. How do you know when you have a true 60 HZ? Does it come with a meter? I'm assuming you adjust that by your tractor RPMs? What all guages/meters are on that unit? Do you think it's durable?

Thanks.
 
   / PTO-Driven Generator #4  
It comes with a go/no go volt meter.. that is.. a gauge with a green zone and a red zone.. keep the needle in the green zone for rated voltage. That, by design is tied to the genny rpm, and thus frequency output.. therefore if you keep the needle in the green.. your voltage will be close and so will the frew.

I load tested mine using some inductive start power tools ( heavier loads than incandescent loads ).. and I used the frequency counter function on my multi-meter.

It was 60 hz going into the load and with the load. an abrupt shutdown of the lo0ad allowed the engine to rev up a bit nd i got 61hz for a moment on the meter. Votlage stayed 1-2 volts around 120.

Frequency will be a function of rpm on the head and the number of poles in the genny... the better your tractors governor ( how fast it responds, and how well it can handle loads) will be the main determining factor for freq stability.

Voltage stabilization is via capacitor on that model I believe. ( OK method.. not great... no bad either.. active regulation would be a bit better.. and more $$ )

Durable? I hope. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif.. I'll tell you in a few years.

Soundguy
 
   / PTO-Driven Generator #5  
re: "...Northern Tool...27.5 kW generator"

Note that requires 48 hp. Make sure you read the spec.'s closely and match the maximum kW's to your max. rated hp at pto rpm. Then, depending on how straight forward (should I say "honest") their spec.'s are, be a bit conservative and don't expect you can draw maximum wattage, especially with highly inductive loads.

Also Note that this thread has PTO generator advertising links now.

I'd be interested in any pro's and con's folks have experienced. I've been considering a backup generator and weighing PTO vs. stand-alone. Guess I should check for other threads. There must have been lots of discussions on this before.
 
   / PTO-Driven Generator #6  
Over in the attatchments sub there was a big discussion on this a few months ago as well.

Also.. note that it won't hurt anything to drive a 27kw/48hp genny with a 35hp tractor, as long as you only expect to get the wattage the 35hp tractor can produce.

Soundguy
 
   / PTO-Driven Generator #7  
Soundguy,

Thanks for the discussion directions.

As for less than "rated" hp... makes sense. I have no clue what the losses are. Assuming maybe 80% efficiency (for no better reason than a conservative guestimate) I should be able to generate a maximum of about 14.3kW with my 24 hp 4115 if I recall 1 hp = 746 W. That would be more than enough to keep the house running during the 'Noreasters and ice storms that frequent these Green Mountains. Probably too late to add a gererator to my Christmas list /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Tom
 
   / PTO-Driven Generator #8  
Also be sure to use the "PTO" horsepower rating of the tractor since this is what the MFG claims can actually come out of that shaft.

- Rick
 
   / PTO-Driven Generator #9  
There was some discussion about this in a thread here last year. What I recall was that several people thought that using these tractors to run a generator was not necessarily a good idea. The opinion was that the engines are not designed to sit and run for hours at a constant RPM and constant load. They are designed to work on jobs where the load is varying and therefore the governor is frequently changing throttle setting. I think it was something about hot spots developing in the engine? The suggestion was that it would be smarter to buy a motor-generator set.

It seems strange to me that these engines would not stand up under this kind of use but it scared me enough that I stopped looking at PTO generators. I still don't have a generator of any sort.
 
   / PTO-Driven Generator #10  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The opinion was that the engines are not designed to sit and run for hours at a constant RPM and constant load. )</font>

UH.. you mean like bushhogging for 6 hours? Or discing for 6 hours? Plowing maybee? Running a water pump? Running a feed mill via belt?

Besides.. based on the electrical demands of the power being used.. the load WILL change.. like when the water pump kicks on and off.. etc.

I think who-ever's opinion that was doesn't own a tractor.. but perhaps a skateboard or bicycle maybee. Tractors set around and do this sort of work. Lots of stationary devices are pto powered or belt driven. The very fact that a pto gen exists suggests it has usable application.

When I head out to mow my pasture.. I set the rpm, and start mowing.. and don't change it untill I'm idling back into the shed... That's a pretty constant load and rpm... I think we've all been here, and can say that that was what the machine was designed for...

Soundguy
 

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