Yet another generator quandary

[dieselsmoke1]

Oops just realized I put this in the wrong forum.

Sorry about that.

 

[Soundguy]

Is the shaft drive for the genny head built for a side load.. IE.. a blet load.. or is it made to be coupled to a gearbox. if not meant for a side load.. the bearings will fail.

to get around that you coupld make your belt drive from the engine to a shaft supported by 2 pillow bearing blocks, then have that shft drive the head with no sid eload.

all depends on the head..

soundguy

I'll begin by explaining I've long been wanting a better yard mowing solution, something 4WD. Most of my yard is fairly steep. My 48" Craftsman has done the job for 8 years and probably could for several more, just have to be aware of where you are and where you're going. The little sealed hydro unit will be the first casualty I expect. Mowing it with my 2810HST isn't a good solution either as it requires great finesse and dry conditions to avoid tearing up the grass.

Back to the generator question. Been pondering getting a backup for some time. I've no objection to a PTO unit as far as the tractor itself is concerned, however seems a stand alone may be more convenient since I do not have a power source (spare tractor) to dedicate to it for extended periods, at least not now.

Was seriously pondering which way to go, PTO or small diesel, either way in the $1300 catagory when I came upon this hairbrain idea.

If I get a little 'Bota or some such for mowing, I find myself with a perfectly good Kohler Command Pro twin cylinder 25. Vertical shaft, cast iron sleeves, easy starting, strong running, 400 hrs, has never asked for anything but maintenance.

Harbor Freight has a belt drive 10,000/7200 watt belt driven generator head for $300. It would be relatively easy to fab up a frame mounting the engine and genny side by side with an idler pulley for tensioning. The engine has a fuel pump so the tank can be simple like a 3 gallon boat tank or something similar mounted low. I think the engine tachs at around 3700 so pullys would be one to one. The 25 should have plenty on power to spin the genny.

A thousand bucks would make a nice dent in a decent used BX. Is there anything obvious I'm missing in this fantasy?

 

[bw_wis]

I love the idea. Could work great.

My concern is quality of the power output and how is it regulated. Dirty power can harm electronics and motors.

Hope it works out. Post pics if/when its done.

 

[Gary Fowler]

It sounds great in theory, let us know how it works in real life.

 

[dieselsmoke1]

They list it as a belt drive unit so it should be designed for the side load.

It would not be too difficult to change the shaft orientation with a gearbox and mount the unit horizontal as intended, but if I start throwing money it kind of defeats the purpose.

Plenty of applications use a twisted belt drive design but I have no idea if this much power / short length could be made to work.

 

[radioman]

It could work. a pto gen is same as drive around genny with BX. perhaps you could rig something universal ? have the HF gen run off the mower pully of craftsman, but have a pto coupling ready to slide on the HF gen to connect to BX. If you run out of gas or craftsman won't start, the BX is ready to go.

I find that everytime my power goes out, I never needed to use my BX at the exact same time as my standalone unit and I suspect it the case with most people. It just those who complain the most about no power and want to get out of the house not needing the power to clean up the mess outside from the storm.

 

[dieselsmoke1]

LOL I expect you're about right.

 

[ModMech]

These generator head type units generally have good power charectoristics(sp?). They are WIDELY used for shore power applications in boats and 18-wheelers as hang-on models with a small 2-3 cylinder diesel. Many less expensive portable units use them as well. I wouldn't think twice about the quality of the power or using one as a remote power source.

There is another advantage I just thought of, if you mount it TO the old tractor, you have a completely portable power source for a small welder, drill, saw or even well pump!

 

[Pops15]

Check with the manufacturer to see if it can be mounted vertically. Make a sliding bracket similar to how a front mount snowblower mounts and hang the generator off the front. Use a lever and rod to engage/disengage the belt by sliding the bracket forward or back (just like a snowblower).

 

[dieselsmoke1]

Check with the manufacturer to see if it can be mounted vertically. Make a sliding bracket similar to how a front mount snowblower mounts and hang the generator off the front. Use a lever and rod to engage/disengage the belt by sliding the bracket forward or back (just like a snowblower).

That's an interesting concept. The mower drive pulley has an electric clutch. The mower drive belt is tensioned by a lever and spring assembly, removing the mower drive belt from the engine pulley is easy.

The hydro drive pulley is above the mower pulley so no issue there. Muffler is in the way but it's burned out and needs replacing. Hmm never had a lawn mower with a set of duals.

A little engineering on a quick mount with tensioner and this old girl might switch from grass to volts in under five minutes!