Your last generator Maintenance Run

[Sawyer Rob]

I still think the big issue with a pto set is that the tractor isn't protected against a failure that could ruin it. I know SR doesn't agree with me on that one.

Also, the bigger the tractor and set, the less sense it may make. Seems kind of wrong to run a fridge, freezer and some light bulbs, a water pump now and then, with a 150hp tractor. lol

I especially don't like the tractors running at such high rpm to meet 540 spec/freq. Maybe no reason, I just don't like it.

Why would I need a 150hp tractor to run my house? I can run mine of a fraction of that!

The reason I don't have a problem leaving my tractor run a gen set is because in all the years I've left my tractors running, I've never had even one problem, walking away from them while they are running.

I know "common sense" is in short supply these days, but that's all that's needed!

Lastly, if I remember right, you chose the wrong tractor in the first place, as you said it had to run very fast to get pto speed. Mine doesn't, unless you consider 1950 rpm too fast?

I look at things like that BEFORE I sign on the dotted line!

SR

 

[Industrial Toys]

I'm just suggesting that some people have no conception of loads. And may think BIGGER is better as far as a generator, maybe like HP in a pickup. No big news, but the smaller generator I can use in an outage, the happier I am. BUT, I do have several, depending on what I want to do. If I could train a mouse to run in a wheel to provide genertion for my fridge and freezer overnight, that would suit me fine.

It's a head thing, but if I could leave a tractor running at half throttle that wouldn't bother me near as much as running full tilt to make 540.

 

[LouNY]

Depending on the tractor that I put on my generator the rpm's required for 540 are quite different,
my Oliver 1550 was around 2100, my IH 574 is 2200, my Branson 8050 is 2250 or 1750 rpm in economy mode,
When I borrowed a Farmall 400 it's around 1600 rpm, the IH 7120 was only turning about 1150 rpm on the 1000 rpm output to provide 540 pto rpm.
All of those have run all day or night a few of them for upwards to 15 days at a time over the years.
The Oliver I even went to the trouble of marking the dipstick with a running oil level during a prolonged outage, check the oil,
fill the diesel tank out of a barrel in the pickup. That was for a 12 day outage from an ice storm.
My tractors can run at pto speed for days if need be, the farm tractors do many days.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I loved my JD 770 and it's still around, sold to a neighbor. It ran my ONAN 15 KW high Speed Alternator perfectly and I tried killing it one day with an electrically heated house. I couldn't. But you pulled back that throttle to MAX, and that was the spot for 540!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

There's a company here in the US that specializes in putting generators in/under between the frame rails of pu's and big trucks. They are powered through the pto port of the trucks tranny or transfer case with pto drive shaft and sized to what you want, or the size engine you have under the hood to power it.

It's my understanding they do a LOT of conversions and from what I saw, they are very professional installs.

SR

 

[daugen]

in large diesels used in boating the issue was always "wet stacking". Not enough load on engine being run just over idle, not enough heat generated in engine
to burn off condensation, so apparently oil got diluted and that's never good. In order to get full torque (vs full hp) my understanding is most diesels had to be run at 300-500 rpm above idle, such that you had full power to your hydraulics. I know my Massey 4707 needed a minimum of 1300 rpm to make decent power, and if I was doing loader work, I'd bump that up to a minimum of 1500 rpm. That was a 2100 rpm max engine, what I call the "old school" full power setting. Bottom line to me is check your temp gauge, is the engine getting hot enough?

Seems that an economy pto would be the perfect thing for running a generator. Otherwise likely burning a lot of fuel that isn't required to make the hp the gen needs.
I also think tractor diesels are built to take this, only concern would be emissions controls, regen activity on modern machinery.

when you think of the challenges many of us have simply starting smaller standby gens, particularly those that have sat too long or in cold weather,
the reliability of a tractor starting is very attractive. Efficiency isn't always the most important factor, I'd put reliability in an outage first. Particularly if you have a farm diesel tank with good reserves.

 

[3930dave]

Situational Awareness.

Know the Explicit Limits of the equipment you use.

Maintain the Equipment.

.... Just like Eat Properly/Get Enough Sleep/Get Enough Exercise........ easy to say, but can be challenging to execute consistently......

A big part of why I tossed down post # 1 here, a few years back......

Rgds, D.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

There's a company here in the US that specializes in putting generators in/under between the frame rails of pu's and big trucks. They are powered through the pto port of the trucks tranny or transfer case with pto drive shaft and sized to what you want, or the size engine you have under the hood to power it.

It's my understanding they do a LOT of conversions and from what I saw, they are very professional installs.

SR

PTO generators have been used on fire trucks, boom trucks and refrigeration applications almost forever.

Onan has always had a line of PTO generators designed for this but for the past dozen years with the rush to overly complicate everything the push has been to hydraulic generators. Why have a strictly mechanical solution when you can have controls, lights and digital readouts.

The downside to either solution these days is anti idle laws in lost areas for commercial vehicles - and private vehicles around here you can get a ticket if you leave your car running in a lineup or parking lot though I’ve never heard of anyone that has been ticketed.

 

[Industrial Toys]

A friend puts a lot of commercial gennies, including hydraulic ones in fire trucks underneith vehicles. Nice spot to have them destroyed by road spray and salt. Happens ALL THE TIME!

 

[3930dave]

Onan has always had a line of PTO generators designed for this but for the past dozen years with the rush to overly complicate everything the push has been to hydraulic generators. Why have a strictly mechanical solution when you can have controls, lights and digital readouts.

I know a few younger gearheads that would get it, but I suspect that most of the generation that never knew the world pre-internet would gravitate to screen based equipment.

Olde purely mechanical systems may be regarded as out of date, quaint at best, but if it's all you have, I don't think anybody will mind a properly running Lister keeping the lights on.....

Rgds, D