Generator PTO generator feedback

[brin]

Go ahead and buy your generators...does not matter what kind and you will be guaranteed that you will never have a power outage again.. I bought a 20KW PTO generator last spring since we usually get Ice Storms and power outages that can last for 4 or 5 days..when I bought the generator I tried it out and it runs the whole house so I am all set ..plenty of diesel for the tractor..ready to go and the worse winter we have ever had and no Ice Storm..no power outage..Isn't that the way it works ? Before I got the generator the power was out every year..and so it goes...

 

[jeffinsgf]

Go ahead and buy your generators...does not matter what kind and you will be guaranteed that you will never have a power outage again.. I bought a 20KW PTO generator last spring since we usually get Ice Storms and power outages that can last for 4 or 5 days..when I bought the generator I tried it out and it runs the whole house so I am all set ..plenty of diesel for the tractor..ready to go and the worse winter we have ever had and no Ice Storm..no power outage..Isn't that the way it works ? Before I got the generator the power was out every year..and so it goes...

Big ice storm in 2007 here, I drove 8 hours round trip to buy a PTO generator. Got home around midnight. Told the wife I'd rig it all up first thing in the morning. Power came back on about 10 minutes after we got in bed. About 2 weeks later the power went out again, for a couple days. Worked like a champ. Hasn't been hooked up since.

You gotta have the right attitude, Brin....our generators work better than everyone else's!!

 

[JB4310]

Of the Lincoln, Miller, And Hobart welders, They all put or 220 V in generator mode, I would be shocked to find any setup for only 110... yes they are a little more $$ to start with then generator only units you would find at Home Depot but they would be multi use at a home, farm, or even small ranch, and not just collect dust in the garage. Again not saying its perfect, but for anyone that wants under 20KW and would rather not use a PTO here is an option especially if you need, want or enjoy welding. They even have some 3 phase options which I have heard some farmers use on water pumps ETC..

mylincolnelectric.com

Hobart Welders - Products - Generator/Welder


I dont' sell anything, not affiliated with anyone just passing on a idea

Yup, those are the brands I call pro quality, $4,000. for the smallest hobart portable DC welder/ with 220 volt gen output.

My 170 amp Honda DC portable only puts out 110 volts.

JB

 

[dcyrilc]

Some operational feedback here on the Honda 3000si generators. We bought 10 of them a while back at work for power outages. Thursday night we had a planned power company outage to repair some lines. We ran a full 8 phase traffic signal from 7:30pm until 7:00am the next morning on 1/2 a tank. Not too bad for a 3K watt portable!

 

[whistlepig]

I have a Honda 6500 watt with Auto Throttle. Runs all night at idle until it senses a load. Then it ramps up to the load speed. The load speed is variable. It doesn't go wide open unless the load demands. When I fill it up and go to bed I don't have to get up in the middle of the night to refill it.

 

[Dead Horse]

I have a Honda 6500 watt with Auto Throttle. Runs all night at idle until it senses a load. Then it ramps up to the load speed. The load speed is variable. It doesn't go wide open unless the load demands. When I fill it up and go to bed I don't have to get up in the middle of the night to refill it.

I also have a Honda 6500, electric start, auto throttle. Power went out Friday night, back on Sunday night. I went through about 12 gallons of fuel. The only thing that has the genny throwing her shoulder into it, is when the well pump kicks on. Initial load bounces the gen tran meters, otherwise she just hums along at a relatively quiet drone.

I don't run it over night, this time of year. No point in it. there is really nothing that needs power this time of year. Get the house nice and warm before bedtime, Up at 5:30 AM, fire up the genny, fill the wood stove and let the circulator pumps go back to work.

If it was January, I would run the genny all night. -20 F is too much differential to trust the plumbing to.

The whole experience this weekend had me rethink the PTO vs stand alone. I have two tractors, so committing one to that duty is not the issue. The honda is a 2 cylinder machine that is pretty miserly with fuel. My smallest tractor is a 4 cylinder diesel (Kubota 3710). The genny has auto throttle, the tractor, does not. On the whole scheme of things, I would rather be running the stand alone genny unit.

It takes less than 5 minutes to have it up and running, and my bride can do it. A pto unit would require going to the barn to get tractor, rigging the genny, moving the unit to the gentran outlet and then the 5 minute set up.

Plus it involves running my tractor at sufficient rpm's to deal with the peak load cycles. I come to the conclusion that having the RIGHT tool for the job is almost always better than over kill. A PTO genny is over kill for me, and now I am certain of it.

 

[Soundguy]

I've got a hobart at work.. gasser.. ac/dc welder, and 10kw genny.. good unit.. paid 2500$ or so it seems?

soundguy

I have an interesting Twist to add to this discussion that I'm surprised isn't listed or mentioned in the first 16 pages...

How about an engine driven Welder ??
Miller - Engine-Driven Welders, MIG/TIG/Stick Welding Equipment


When the wife said WE need a generator.. I said I want a welder.. and it was a match made in heaven. I understand most farms have a need for a welder and backup generation For me it's a great compromise between a standalone generator and a PTO generator.. it never just sits until needed like a generator and it doesn't tie up a tractor when needed. You can get them in Gas or Diesel and for me was a good option.
They even make 1 with a 3 phase...

 

[rbargeron]

When mattman started this thread I wanted to post about my Winco 15/25k pto unit - but I had never run more than a couple brief tests to see if it worked! Well now I can report it runs the whole place - 4 furnaces, water pump, 2 water heaters, 4 refrigerators, multiple tv's, computers, lighting etc. etc. and my L345 Kubota was steady as a rock - burned about 1/2 gal per hour. Before this I used a 9hp Honda/Northstar that worked ok but I had to switch off half the loads to keep it from laying down. The Winco is an older brush type (hence the 15/25kw) in pristine condition found on Craiglslist for $550 including pto shaft and wheeled cart. Good purchase.

The tractor was fine running unattended - although we did make a rod to hold the throttle lever steady. The generator is very stable when loads stop and start - everything ran fine. Power was out 2 days, no issues.

 

[JB4310]

I also have a Honda 6500, electric start, auto throttle. Power went out Friday night, back on Sunday night. I went through about 12 gallons of fuel. The only thing that has the genny throwing her shoulder into it, is when the well pump kicks on. Initial load bounces the gen tran meters, otherwise she just hums along at a relatively quiet drone.

I don't run it over night, this time of year. No point in it. there is really nothing that needs power this time of year. Get the house nice and warm before bedtime, Up at 5:30 AM, fire up the genny, fill the wood stove and let the circulator pumps go back to work.

If it was January, I would run the genny all night. -20 F is too much differential to trust the plumbing to.

The whole experience this weekend had me rethink the PTO vs stand alone. I have two tractors, so committing one to that duty is not the issue. The honda is a 2 cylinder machine that is pretty miserly with fuel. My smallest tractor is a 4 cylinder diesel (Kubota 3710). The genny has auto throttle, the tractor, does not. On the whole scheme of things, I would rather be running the stand alone genny unit.

It takes less than 5 minutes to have it up and running, and my bride can do it. A pto unit would require going to the barn to get tractor, rigging the genny, moving the unit to the gentran outlet and then the 5 minute set up.

Plus it involves running my tractor at sufficient rpm's to deal with the peak load cycles. I come to the conclusion that having the RIGHT tool for the job is almost always better than over kill. A PTO genny is over kill for me, and now I am certain of it.

When mattman started this thread I wanted to post about my Winco 15/25k pto unit - but I had never run more than a couple brief tests to see if it worked! Well now I can report it runs the whole place - 4 furnaces, water pump, 2 water heaters, 4 refrigerators, multiple tv's, computers, lighting etc. etc. and my L345 Kubota was steady as a rock - burned about 1/2 gal per hour. Before this I used a 9hp Honda/Northstar that worked ok but I had to switch off half the loads to keep it from laying down. The Winco is an older brush type (hence the 15/25kw) in pristine condition found on Craiglslist for $550 including pto shaft and wheeled cart. Good purchase.

The tractor was fine running unattended - although we did make a rod to hold the throttle lever steady. The generator is very stable when loads stop and start - everything ran fine. Power was out 2 days, no issues.

Well I guess these 2 posts sum it up, there is no one right answer for everyone.
IMO, if you need 15+ KW get a PTO. If you only need 5-6KW, could get by with a small stand alone. These new smart units that regulate rpm to meet load make the whiz bangs more efficient and a better choice.

JB.

 

[mattman]

I sure would like to find me a $550 pto generator in that kind of shape. Some people have the luck and then there is folks like me. I always seem to some out with the short end of the stick.

 

[rbargeron]

I sure would like to find me a $550 pto generator in that kind of shape.....

I looked at a lot of junk before I found it. Hang in there - you'll find one. Bookmark this and check it now and then That's how I found mine.

 

[Soundguy]

kinda the same with old tractors.. lotsa junk.. some gems.

soundguy

 

[NH-Rob]

4 furnaces, water pump, 2 water heaters, 4 refrigerators, multiple tv's, computers, lighting etc. etc. .

Is this your house or do you run some sort of motel?
Rob

 

[rbargeron]

I wonder that sometimes myself. We're all pretty hooked on our electricity.

 

[Fi-Q]

I want it all !!! So far, the only genny I have is a 2500 watt Coleman SCREAMER that drinks gas like my uncle use to drink gin!! (Wich is a lot)... I am slowly building my house.... eventually I want the whole set-up with solar / wind / battery bank, Gassifier wood boiler and with this I would like to find the time to build myself a lister with PMG head to re-fill the battery bank... But I am not there yet... I wouldnm'T mind a PTO genny but I don'T have a real tractor yet...... so because I want a genny for BU.... I think that soon I will get a diesel chinesse knock-off (Maybe a Aurora)....

And maybe eventually I will have it all (it is somewhere on my list anyway)... the barn, the tractor, the gens (the chineese knock off 6.5kw..... the pto 20 kw... the lister 3.5kw running on WVO.... and maybe a sort of cogen power plant with wood gas engine couple on a boiler.... maybe we'll get there within the next 30 year.... a wood burning units cogen that provide you with all your heating need & power need... and why not couple too it a steam activate heat pump to cool the house.... that would be AWESOME).....

By the way... I love this forums....

 

[dcyrilc]

I want it all !!! .....

By the way... I love this forums....

All it takes is time & money!:thumbsup::laughing:

 

[brin]

I sure would like to find me a $550 pto generator in that kind of shape. Some people have the luck and then there is folks like me. I always seem to some out with the short end of the stick.

Keep looking....the deals are out there I bought a Generack 20KW /40KW surge PTO Generator from an ad I put in our farmers bulletin...under equipment wanted..I bought it from an elderly lady who lived on a chicken farm and her husband had died and they only used it 3 times to power the chicken houses during power outages..I paid her $250.00 for it and it included the PTO shaft and stand...it works great and powers our whole house..The deals are out there and don't go by looks...see it work and then you can take care of the cosmetics ..

 

[Kaliburz]

Well, I am new to this thread...... And I didn't read all 17 or so pages, just the first 9 or so. So forgive me if it's been mentioned.

Here on the farm, tractors have been used to run PTO powered irrigation pumps for a long time. I personally have not used one, but I know of a few that have. One tractor I saw had a Murphy Safety switch system put on it. It basically is a unit that monitors the engine oil pressure and temperature. If the unit senses a low oil/high water temp it cuts the fuel. The tractor I saw had an electric valve put in the fuel line before the low pressure pump. A system like that would save the tractor. High temp, low oil, system cuts the fuel....shutting down the tractor. Yes, the key is on, and your battery maybe drained, but at least you won't have a burned/seized engine.

PTO speed- as I run JD tractors (older units), I have an issue w/ the manufacture's rated PTO speed and what the engine runs at. My JD's for a 540 PTO have to run at over 2000 RPM! That's way to high in my opinion. Most of the PTO PTO gen sets I see have a gear box on them and the other gen heads say belt driven. Most of the belt driven gen heads I have seen say they run at about 3200 RPM (same as a small gas engine). Well, in order to get it that fast, you would actually need an over-drive type belt set up. If I were to set up a PTO using a belt driven, I would set it up so my engine speed would be 1300-1600RPM and the generator would turn close to max speed it's rated. If ya think a V belt would slip, then one could always get a toothed belt like a timing belt. But that is me. Your tractor's 540RPM and engine speed maybe much different (or lower).

 

[Soundguy]

here's the deal.... you ytractors pto hp and pto rpm to engine rpm ratio are where they are at for a reason. IE.. at pto/engine rpm.. you are in a good power band for your engine.

if you make it so you are achieving pto rpm at a much lower engine speed.. you will be making much less pto. and in many cases, it's not linear.. IE.. half rpm is not half hp.

do you get queasy running your tractor at pto rpm for your mower? you shouldn't. all them high paid green engineers designed that machine to run and work at pto rpm... a loaded genny and a mower don't look much different to that tractor... and in the end.. mostly, load will determine fuel usage.

soundguy

Well, I am new to this thread...... And I didn't read all 17 or so pages, just the first 9 or so. So forgive me if it's been mentioned.

Here on the farm, tractors have been used to run PTO powered irrigation pumps for a long time. I personally have not used one, but I know of a few that have. One tractor I saw had a Murphy Safety switch system put on it. It basically is a unit that monitors the engine oil pressure and temperature. If the unit senses a low oil/high water temp it cuts the fuel. The tractor I saw had an electric valve put in the fuel line before the low pressure pump. A system like that would save the tractor. High temp, low oil, system cuts the fuel....shutting down the tractor. Yes, the key is on, and your battery maybe drained, but at least you won't have a burned/seized engine.

PTO speed- as I run JD tractors (older units), I have an issue w/ the manufacture's rated PTO speed and what the engine runs at. My JD's for a 540 PTO have to run at over 2000 RPM! That's way to high in my opinion. Most of the PTO PTO gen sets I see have a gear box on them and the other gen heads say belt driven. Most of the belt driven gen heads I have seen say they run at about 3200 RPM (same as a small gas engine). Well, in order to get it that fast, you would actually need an over-drive type belt set up. If I were to set up a PTO using a belt driven, I would set it up so my engine speed would be 1300-1600RPM and the generator would turn close to max speed it's rated. If ya think a V belt would slip, then one could always get a toothed belt like a timing belt. But that is me. Your tractor's 540RPM and engine speed maybe much different (or lower).

 

[2fast2]

Soundguy, that is a good post!
I just had a similar conversation with my brother who bushhogs his fields with his JD5300 at around 1700 rpm instead of 2400 which is what the engineers designed it to run at for maximum power. Much less strain on a machine when it is running as intended.
Somehow we tend to think that nearly "maximum" rpm must be harmful. You would never sit in your car with your engine running at nearly maximum rpm. But tractors are designed to work, and I believe there is less harm running them at 2400 than lugging them at too low an engine speed. I run my JD5210 at 2300 ish while using my Wallenstein BX62, and most of the time it is actually not doing much work. Doesn't hurt a thing, doesn't burn oil, doesn't use much fuel (Like you said, fuel use is based on load more than just rpm.)
Don't baby your equipment. Use it, don't abuse it.
IMO haha