Generator PTO Generator

khamill2000 · Nov 8, 2008

will a 16/15k pto generator be enough to power my house. Average size ranch house, propane furnace and water heater, electric stove and oven. would I be able to run multiple items. almost all of the lights are compact flourescent. This is what I am looking at

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

jake98 · Nov 8, 2008

That looks like a good unit for the $. But every time the power goes out for 90 minutes do you want to spend 45 swapping equip.?
Jake

vsteel · Nov 8, 2008

Hit google and do a search for household power requirements or something like that and you will run across a ton of charts that list the power for things like water heaters furnaces and all kinds of things which you can then add up and show you what size of generator you need or how many items and which ones you can run at one time.

JB4310 · Nov 8, 2008

I would say you could run the whole house at once, maybe not every burner and oven on at the same time as the H/W heater, but that's not usually done, except for thanksgiving diner. I would keep the hw heater off when cooking, all the lights in the house are not going to add up to much with the cf's, those heating appliances are big drawers but they do not require extra start up current like large motors do.
If your serious about getting a generator then you have to sit down and calculate the sum of all the demand you expect to draw.

Looks like a nice complete package with the carrier and shaft, I didn't even know HF sold gennys, might be a little leery of the quality. what will you be spinning it with? I bought a 10 kw Imd, now I wish I got the 15 kw, for the few extra bucks you get 50% more gen.
Here are some more name brands for sale.

PTO Generators

zzvyb6 · Nov 8, 2008

If it takes you 45 minutes to hook up a pto generator, maybe you should buy some Red Bull or Monster. Good grief, Charley Brown, how long does it take you to put your shoes and underwear on ?????

Park the dang thing in a dog house behind the meter, back the tractor up, hitch the shaft, run the cable, throw the mains, and turn on the TV.

If getting the old Lady's help or permission to do the work is holding you back, move out...

Mickey_Fx · Nov 8, 2008

A question I'd be asking myself is, how often do you have the need for a genny and what is the avg amount of time it would be in use. Once you have those answers you can decide if you actually have the need to be running all your high power stuff at the same time or if running some items can be scheduled to reduce the peak demand.

Knowing the answer for freq and duration will give you some idea of the qlty of the genset. Some genset are intended to operate intermittently and their rated life could be in a few thousand hrs. Other genset are intended to operate 24/7 and can do so for extended periods of time.

Most all low end genset run at 3600 rpm (60hz) and as qlty and size increase you start finding genset operating at 1800 rpm. This is a noise and longevity concern in my book.

IMO lots more to think about than just power output.

YMMV

jake98 · Nov 8, 2008

zzvyb6 said:
If it takes you 45 minutes to hook up a pto generator, maybe you should buy some Red Bull or Monster. Good grief, Charley Brown, how long does it take you to put your shoes and underwear on ?????

Park the dang thing in a dog house behind the meter, back the tractor up, hitch the shaft, run the cable, throw the mains, and turn on the TV.

I don't have to put shoes or underware on to get my generator running. That was the intended point of my post. Plus, if i was out moving snow when the power went out, I wouldnt have to run all of those extention cords and get them tangled in my tires.

I like a red bull during a long night of bellying up...

Jake

RickB · Nov 8, 2008

Everyone needs to remember its dollars vs. time and convenience. I have a PTO alternator that runs the whole house easily via a properly installed transfer switch, and for no more than I need it, I would not have anything else. I don't need the lights on in the house to plow the driveway. No need to get uppity about someone else's frugality or desire to have the most convenient installation.

Travelover · Nov 8, 2008

We've had a lot of good discussions about Harbor Freight and Chinese stuff in general so I won't rehash it, except to say that I'd be reluctant to buy anything Chinese that is categorized as emergency equipment. To me, a generator can be a lifesaver.

WilliamBos · Nov 8, 2008

Travelover said:
We've had a lot of good discussions about Harbor Freight and Chinese stuff in general so I won't rehash it, except to say that I'd be reluctant to buy anything Chinese that is categorized as emergency equipment. To me, a generator can be a lifesaver.