Generator 15KW PTO Generator Harbor Freight

[dex3361]

During the big ice storm in 2009 I had to wake every four hours to make sure ours did not run out of gas. After a while I did not need the alarm.

Do you have a name I could good for a version like you have?

That gets really old fast and that is what appealed to me about 12 hour run time between fill ups. I bought an Aurora Diesel 6.5KW

 

[RadarTech]

Is it manual?

200 amp will work for any load not over 200 amps is my take. I saw one at HF last week but it was like $400 I think.

It is an automatic..
I paid like $750 for it..
and it is wired in nice and neat..

I found a website a few min ago...
Briggs & Stratton 20 kw Generator, Model 40305, 40304, 18 kw, Briggs Stratton Generators, Generator
this is the 20KW I want..
and it looks like the 15KW will use my switch...
BUT the 20 KW surges up to 28 KW....
That is enough to run the ENTIRE house without any worry....
with the air handler having (2) 60 amp breakers ( one is a heat strip and one for the fan)... I think the 15 KW might have a problem.. I really don't think it uses 120 amps but have never measured it..
J

 

[dex3361]

Nice looking unit if I had the gas I would have went with something like this.

 

[Soundguy]

uh.... fuel usage on a modern diesel, is in most cases, related to load. if your electrical load is 5kw, and you have a 5kw gasser, and a 15kw on a diesel tractor. given same run times.. I'd vote on the tractor to run the load, even with gas a lil cheaper than diesel. sure a lil extra parasitic load on the diesel from rotational mass.. but that factors back in in your favor during load starts and peak draw.. not to mention I'd rather run a head at 33% rating, vs 100%

soundguy

If I may interject this here,

Unless you need to run a dairy barn or some similar emergency use, I would recomend figuring out how to get by with a smaller generator for power outages. Instead of 15kw think 3 to 5kw, a small Honda 3kw genset can provide a few lights, refrigerator and furnace blower while using very little fuel. Fuel may be hard to obtain so you would wan't to stretch it.

Running a tractor at pto speed will in most cases use a lot of fuel in a days time. Much more economical to use a fixed in place gasoline or nat/lp genset.

 

[jenkinsph]

uh.... fuel usage on a modern diesel, is in most cases, related to load. if your electrical load is 5kw, and you have a 5kw gasser, and a 15kw on a diesel tractor. given same run times.. I'd vote on the tractor to run the load, even with gas a lil cheaper than diesel. sure a lil extra parasitic load on the diesel from rotational mass.. but that factors back in in your favor during load starts and peak draw.. not to mention I'd rather run a head at 33% rating, vs 100%

soundguy

Diesel would be better I agree.
I have an Onan Commercial Mobile Quiet Diesel genset 5500w 240v that I also can use. But I mentioned generators that most people buy in the $900 to $2000 dollar range. These small Honda gas units will idle and burn about .1 gals/hr. So if the furnace is cycling on and off at night you can save alot of fuel. The Onan CMQD gensets have similar fuel consumption at idle where a 6000w or 8000w uses .11 gals/hr. I would rather run a head at 85% load that is what is recomended by Onan.

Another issue is tractor hours, I would rather put 100 hrs on a genset than 100hrs on my tractor to accomplish the same thing.

I will say that someone living in Florida such as yourself may need a larger unit to run an AC to be able to get some sleep in the summer months.

 

[Soundguy]

I'd expect my tractor to be more reliable than a small generator.. and as far as hours? it's made to have hours on it. tractors have fun being used.. not parked..

soundguy

 

[rambler]

I was eyeing those HF pto generators as well.

In my case, I have 8 different tractors - some gasoline, some diesel - to pick from out here on the farm, even in MN winter winter at least 3 of them should be in some shape to run. I've got several 100 gallons of fuel around in the tanks.

I'd much more trust & use a tractor to fire up & run for me in the dead of winter when me & the cattle could disappear without power. Those little 10 hp gas engines tend to sit in a corner unused, & don't start when the chips are down & you need the power. Period.

The tractor pto type would seem much more dependable in my situation.

My problem is, I wonder if that HF model provides clean enough power to run things? These days even a wood furnace, refrigerator, deep freeze, have computer chips controling things, and I'd hate to get something too cheap & blow all the chips up. Just don't know if I can count on it.

I'd actually go for one of the little Honda models, except for running the 240 deep well. To get a Honda big enough, I'd have to visit the poor house....

REA power here has been very dependable the last 2 decades, don't know that we've been out more than 2 hours at a time in that long, but - catches up with a person someday.

--->Paul

 

[Soundguy]

In my case, I have 8 different tractors - some gasoline, some diesel - to pick from out here on the farm, even in MN winter winter at least 3 of them should be in some shape to run. I've got several 100 gallons of fuel around in the tanks.

dang.. you sound as bad as me... buncha gassers and diesels tucked here and there.

I'd much more trust & use a tractor to fire up & run for me in the dead of winter when me & the cattle could disappear without power. Those little 10 hp gas engines tend to sit in a corner unused, & don't start when the chips are down & you need the power. Period.

yep.. what ya want to trust when you *HAVE* to have power.. a 1 gallon jug sized aluminum whizzbang engine worth about 300bucks whose little brother mows lawns?.. or a multi-thousand dollar tractor engine?

The tractor pto type would seem much more dependable in my situation.

amen

My problem is, I wonder if that HF model provides clean enough power to run things? These days even a wood furnace, refrigerator, deep freeze, have computer chips controling things, and I'd hate to get something too cheap & blow all the chips up. Just don't know if I can count on it.

--->Paul

probably 'cleaner' power than an inverter. remember.. basic electrical generation is just a bunch of wire and magnets.. that's how the utilities make it. you are just doing it on a smaller scale.

I have a graphing o-scope industrial grade VOM,, the freq, voltage tolerance and wave form comming off my northstart pto generator ( mad in china ) looks BETTER that what comes out of my wall outlet from progress energy florida!!!!!

an inverter or inverter based genny will be putting out stepped sine/pseudo sinusidal or even square waves... ..

soundugy

 

[SPYDERLK]

Ya know the thing that I have never understood..
Is why do they make these 15KW generators for 3PH and not have one that has an output for all 100 AMPs on a single connector...

J

There arent 100A available -- only 62.5 ... [I=W/E]. Im not sure why 50A breakers. You should be able to get all power from the 240V 4 prong. Im thinking they are derating and only let you to pull 12kW + some surge from it unless you use the peripheral breakers. That would make it quite hard to apply 15kW loads in a continuous fashion.
larry

 

[jenkinsph]

I'd expect my tractor to be more reliable than a small generator.. and as far as hours? it's made to have hours on it. tractors have fun being used.. not parked..

soundguy

Maybe, maybe not:laughing: All four of my gensets start dependably, but then so do the tractors.

Hours on a generator such as my Onan diesel with a Kubota engine would still be cheaper than running one of the newer tractors. Running all night I would prefer a quiet genset. IIRC the Onan 5500 is about 66db and the Honda 3000 is 58db, tractors won't be anywhere close to that.

Combine the lower unit costs, lower fuel consumption and lower noise levels the gensets win. Another downside is the guy's with one tractor that needs to disconnect from the genset and deal with snow in the winter. Not all members have multiple tractors and gensets as you and I have.