</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Their website indicates that 20 hp is needed to run the 10 KW..... nice! My 23 hp is ready for this.)</font>
Remember that they are looking for 20 PTO hp, not 20 gross engine hp. If you don't have 20 at the PTO, you can still run it, you just won't get full output. A rough rule of thumb is 2 hp per 1 KW of output, so if you have 18 PTO hp, for example, you should be able to get up to 9 KW output before starting to bog down.
Having said all that, I run a 4 KW gas generator for our house (it does have an unusually high 6 KW surge capacity). It's a bit small, but I can keep my fridge and freezer going, and run the well pump and a few lights. I run into trouble if all of these try to start up at once, so I usually rotate the fridge and freezer circuits. I also have enough to run the small pumps for my radiant floor heat (propane fired boiler), but I try to run the wood stove, especially if the power is out.
My point is that you can "get by" with a lot less than most people think... especially if you have energy-star appliances and use energy efficient lighting.
John Mc
