PTO Generator inadequate for larger HP motors?

[workinonit]

I've been all through my 25 kW Winco and never seen a diode. Mine is about 30 years old I would say. If you are spinning it and it's not producing voltage there maybe a bad connection, the gen may be bad or it may just need to be excited with a 6 or 12 volt battery at startup.

 

[newbury]

It may need to be "flashed"
https://www.wincogen.com/wp-content/uploads/PD/Parts_Lists/PTO/winpower_flashing_the_field.pdf

 

[LouNY]

Seeing smoke is not a good sight. Get a manual for it and open the cover and start ohming it out. You either lost the Voltage regulator or a winding. Or You could get lucky and just have a bad brush.

Added;
Support for Winpower Model: 25/15PTCD | WINCO
not your model but some good generic help

 

[DarkBlack]

I've been all through my 25 kW Winco and never seen a diode.

If you don’t have individual diodes, then you likely have a full wave bridge rectifier IC in there which is 4 diodes in a single package

 

[sailonner]

If you posted the KW rating on the PTO generator we probably could help. That said, a 3hp single phase well pump @230VAC should start up with a 10KW generator. Open the water pressure in the plumbing system to reduce the starting load. As to no gen output and no trip on the breaker, flip the breaker on and off once or twice to see if its engaging. Some breakers will look fine but need to be switched off to reset. Do this with no load.

 

[Willie B]

There is a lot can go wrong. A hint might be in the way it has been stored. Weather is a problem for these & even shed storage where some blowing rain & snow can blow on it is bad. Mice, insects, & even temperature changes are a concern.
If Yours is of the variety I think it is the internals are pretty simple. The stationary fields are where the power comes from. Brushes supply the rotating field with a varying current to control voltage. The complex parts are limited to a diode pack of four diodes, SOMETIMES, this will be a small black plastic square item with four terminals. Depending on age & design, you have some sort of voltage regulator controlling the magnetic strength in the rotating field.
My area had a huge storm in 1979, knocked out power about a week. This was a big dairy farm community then.
After that storm thousands of people bought PTO generators. As they aged, these machines failed one by one. Some lost voltage regulator, others lost diode. Most common fail was bad connection somewhere in the wiring.

Best to find an authorized service provider.
Next best is an authorized service provider for another brand, equipped with a manual.
Failing that, a good mechanic with a service manual.

 

[Willie B]

A generator in good condition is about two components when it comes to starting motors.
The generator component will have limited output capacity. Most will tolerate surge load very briefly. The concern is overheating a component.
Engine & drivetrain os the other. Motor loads spike the current draw. At the instant of start up, there is no magnetic field in a motor. Magnetic field creates impedance, or magnetic choke. It restricts current in a winding. At the instant of start up current can be as much as 10 times full load. A 9 amp water pump will draw 90 amps starting. This slams the engine hard, might slow it. It causes a voltage sag in generator output, it might not overcome.

There are soft start kits available, or hard start capacitors can be added.

 

[90cummins]

Speaking of soft starts!!!!

Years ago when I was getting all my backup systems in order & synchronized one of my obstacles was finding a soft start device for my wood furnace 1/4hp squirrel cage fan motor.

I have a few generators of various sizes but for a prolonged outage I wanted to use the Honda EU 2000i for long term essential loads which included the wood furnace.

The Honda EU 2000i would go berserk when the fan motor started.

My solution was a soft start module by Schneider electric.

This device allowed the Honda to easily manage the motor.

90cummins

Having a hard time to properly insert this photo.
Hope it posts

 

[sandman2234]

90Cummins, the picture posted!
David from jax

 

[HAR]

Getting back down to earth, can any of you electrical wizards tell me how to find a guy that can diagnose and maybe fix my 14kw Winpower (predecessor to Winco) pto generator ? Unit is probably 10 or more years old, 2 pole, less than 200 hours total operating time because only used for outages. I recently tried to test maximum demand (house and barn). A little blue smoke appeared near the 3-pt hitch and I shut things down. Now I get nothing at all at 540 rpm pto speed, 2200 engine rpm, 28 hp tractor pto power. Generator was made in France, don't know about gen gearbox. Everything (u-joints etc) runs smoothly, no visual evidence of overheating, gearbox oil good. Circuit breaker (60 amp) not tripped. Electrical load included some resistance heating, 240 well pump, fridge, lighting -- usual household stuff. Replacement Winco gen about $3k which is a lot more than replacing an internal diode.
Might be something as simple as that, but who can tell me?

Catchthedig: Try this link to locate service: Dealer and Service Locator | WINCO
I had to load link twice, but after adding my zip and expanding radius to over 100 miles, I got lots of possible dealers/service options.