p.t.o. generator

[Lawman]

I live in a very rural area and often lose power to my home. I'd like to purchase a p.t.o. generator that I could power with my 72 pto horsepower tractor. I'm not sure how to get the power from the generator to my breaker box so I'll get an electrician to put a switch of some type that I can hook to at the breaker box. I have no experience with generators so I'm looking for suggestions of what brand and what model to buy. Assuming I buy the largest generator that a 70 pto tractor can easily power I'd like to know if I could power the following.. 1 refrigerator, 1 chest freezer, 1 electric hot water heater, 1 small window room 110 volt air conditioner, house lights, t.v. and of course my computer? Actually I could turn off the hot water heater when I needed to power the air conditioner..

[David]

Skip the tractor idea and just get the Honda EM5000isAB:

 

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/ModelDetail.asp?ModelName=em5000isAB

 

Quieter, more fuel efficient, independent of the tractor, easier to move, etc.

[smiller]

I wouldn't be surprised if by the time you bought all the PTO hardware plus a generator head that you wouldn't be near the same dollars (or more) as just purchasing a standalone generator. Not sure about that though, maybe there might be some money to be saved. The water heater is going to be the toughie, those can draw a lot of current. Without the water heater an 8-10kw generator should be more than enough, but with... bigger. The only way to know for sure is to add up the wattage of all the devices (should be marked on them somewhere) and add about 25%.

 

How long are your power outages? Measured in hours per year or days? That will also have a lot to do with what kind of unit you choose.

[Lawman]

How long are your power outages? Measured in hours per year or days? That will also have a lot to do with what kind of unit you choose.

 

I would use it on average of once or twice a year for anywhere from 1 day to 1 week or longer in the event of a hurricane or large wind event...

 

The drawback to a stand alone unit is the upkeep and maintenance of another engine..I like the idea of only a generator that will not require maintenance between uses..

[smiller]

A small generator doesn't require a heckuva lot of maintenance so not really much effort there.

 

But if you want to use the tractor 72hp would be more than enough, probably need about 20hp for a 10kw generator head. Personally I would consider a standalone generator first but you know your situation better than me and if you want to use the PTO it should work, just may not be the least expensive or easiest (or quietest) option.

[Trajan]

Lawman,

 

Lash-ups like the one you describe don't work efficiently. They can work, but not as well as a specifically designed generator. That being said, I have seen some home-made generator sets that worked well enough to get the job done. But you are in east Texas, not Afghanistan.

 

Things to consider -

 

1. Fuel - Diesel (you may need a permit to build adequate storage), gasoline (I hope not), propane, natural gas (both of these are plug and play). Hospitals use NG to fuel their generators because it is clean and always there.

 

2. Reliable supply of fuel. Diesel is messy, gasoline is volatile. Both have a limited shelf life. The gas company can drive up to you house with a propane tank and get you set up in a few hours.

 

3. Your budget for installation and operating (the biggest consideration for most of us). Gensets have become less expensive over the years. Are grants available?

 

4. Hardwire into the house. If you are already "off-grid" this may be less of a problem. A number of electricity workers have been killed by "dead" lines that were being back-fed by improperly connected generators.

 

Check out Honda (www.hondapowerequipment.com) and Onan generator systems. Both companies have systems that will fit your needs. Honda has a reputation for reliable operation. Onan has been in business for a long time and has a lot of expertise. A tractor is liable to be noisy and smelly and the load will do bad things to the motor. Also, think about peak load versus operating load. If your generator runs at 80-90% all the time,it won't last long. At 40-50%, it will last for years. Compare the lifespan of a NASCAR motor to the one in your car.

 

Besides, you may be out hauling debris when someone at home needs electricity.

 

Are there alternative sources, wind, solar, perhaps a stream you can use to spin a wheel? You won't need a if some beavers build a dam you. : grin :

 

Please talk to an electrician who specializes in this type of installation and the power company. Ask about an automatic switch versus a manual switch for the generator power. Do you want to wait a few minutes for the power to come back or do you have sensitive equipment or life-support issues that require immediate power? Do you have UPS (Un-interrupted Power Supply) for your computer, not to keep them running, but to protect them from power surges.

 

My plan (budget driven) is for a permanently mounted 8-10 Kw Honda generator fed by natural gas. If I can't get NG to the house, the damage is bad enough to require evacuation and has probably been destroyed.

 

Sincerely,

 

Trajan

[Lawman]

I'm thinkin something like this

 

http://www.steadypower.com/catalog/winco_25PTOC-3.php

 

on a trailer that is pulled by the tractor..My tractor is a diesel Kubota that is well maintained and fuel is not a problem..My biggest concern is to get a quality generator, sufficient capacity, and a properly installed connection to my breaker box that will be safe..I currently have a 5000 watt Honda self contained unit but it is not sufficient capacity to do what I need to do.. Never heard of this brand.. It seems like a very good price which makes me suspicious..

[smiller]

Well, uh, that will sure handle your water heater...

[Quinn]

I can tell you about my experience being without power for 11 days one Winter following an ice storm. We survived quite nicely with a small generator and two woodstoves. The secret was to not run everything at once. The freezer only needs about an hour a day if you're not getting into it. The fridge, a few more hours. We also didn't try for the hot water heater as we had access to showers at work or the gym. I'd come home from work and restoke the stoves, crank up the generator, and start flipping circuit breakers off or on. I generally ran the fan on the heat pump and the blowers on the insert stove. I let everyone have one light. Then I alternated the freezer breaker, the refidgerator breaker, and "evening activity" (tv, electric blankets, computers,etc.). Cooking was on one of several camp stoves. In the morning, I'd get up early, stoke up the freestanding stove in the basement, and crank up the generator for morning light and power. Because of the noise, I had a 9 PM cutoff rule, until my neighbor got his and started an 11 PM cutoff. The main thing was I tried not to overload the generator so it could hum along for hours at a time.

[T__]

I live in a very rural area and often lose power to my home. I'd like to purchase a p.t.o. generator that I could power with my 72 pto horsepower tractor. I'm not sure how to get the power from the generator to my breaker box so I'll get an electrician to put a switch of some type that I can hook to at the breaker box. I have no experience with generators so I'm looking for suggestions of what brand and what model to buy. Assuming I buy the largest generator that a 70 pto tractor can easily power I'd like to know if I could power the following.. 1 refrigerator, 1 chest freezer, 1 electric hot water heater, 1 small window room 110 volt air conditioner, house lights, t.v. and of course my computer? Actually I could turn off the hot water heater when I needed to power the air conditioner..

Billy, a few things to consider before committing to a PTO type generator..

 

First off you can’t go by tractor horsepower but must use PTO output power (can be the same but might not be).. You also don’t want to operate your tractor at full power output for hours on end..

 

Next is the total KV requirement you need.. No sense in running a 20KV generator when your total needs including starting of your electrical equipment is only 10KV.. Size the generator to needs plus total surge requirement..

 

Next is the PTO output speed of your tractor.. I presume at 70 hp your tractor has at least a 1000 RPM PTO? You must get the PTO generator to match your tractor’s PTO speed..

 

In years past I ran a PTO generator for emergency use (already had it) but found it to be way overkill for household use.. Problem with a PTO type generator is the constant speed generator required.. Household power usage varies so much that you could end up letting that tractor hammer away at ¾ throttle while your home usage is only a TV set & few light bulbs.. Your water heater,, well, heating system,, etc are only on for short periods & not all the time..

 

A PTO tractor generator is great for constant high power output to operate a farm or shop but not well suited to household requirements..

 

As mentioned, a natural gas (if you have that) or Propane type IDLE DOWN on demand type generator is much more useful for household use.. When household power demand is low the system will idle down & save both fuel & reduce noise.. You can use a gasoline or diesel generator but those require more maintenance.. You also have to haul in fuel for the gasoline & diesel units.. Natural gas or propane type units don’t gum up the carburetors or fuel injection from sitting like liquid fuels do..

 

You can even get by with a lower KV generator than all your equipment added together if you are willing to manage power usage.. Like shutting your water heater breaker off when operating another high current appliance (that water will stay hot & useful for a long time)..

 

My household can require almost 12KV if I operate everything at once but by using power management I can operate for many days on an 8KV (10 surge) if I manage what can operate at any one time..

 

In my estimation a PTO tractor generators is great for farm usage as it can be moved to any area on the farm for power usage in that location & can make lots of power from an already existing power unit.. Probably not the most desirable for home usage though..

 

Twisty

[azkaisr]

We need to include this in our Manifesto.

 

Good thinking as usual Billy!

[Lawman]

Tom,

It's mostly for the women and children

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

http://cgi.govliquidation.com/auction/view?auctionId=1650341

[StuGotz]

What Twisty said +:

 

You may want to consider a generator which cycles on and off for maintenance purposes. If you are in remote area, propane may be the way to go.

 

Some packaged units have all you need. Transfer switches and start up kits. Size according to your load needs. Anything more is just a waste.

 

Have you considered a Photovoltaic system with battery backup? You could get off the grid entirely, or stay grid connected and spin your meter backwards.

 

MB>

[tobyzusa]

If you want, you can just run an extension cord from my house.

[Lawman]

I was just about to decide on a 15kw propane home unit until I got your offer..What size wire would I need?

[tobyzusa]

Use one of those "cordless" extension cords that someone posted about recently. That should do the trick.