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john in la

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What part of in La do you not understand
I have a stand alone 5500w generator (6000 surge) I got at home depot or similar place.
It broke and the repair guy said it would cost almost as much to repair as buying another so I am in the market for a new generator.

Since I was pushing the limit of the generator I would like to move up to 10,000 watts or even 15,000 if I can talk myself into it.

I only use the generator as a backup if the power goes off and then only if it is off for hrs on end (hurricane) so spending mega bucks on one is not cost efficient. And this is the real problem I have with spending $1000 or more on a generator. On the other hand when the power is off for 1 or 2 weeks a generator is sure nice thing to have.

1) I was looking at the 7200w generator head Harbor Freight has for $300 and trying to figure a way to run it. From the tractor crankshaft; and I even have a 22hp gas motor but it is a bottom shaft so I do not think that will work. If I could figure a way to run this item I would most likely buy it.
<a href="http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=45416">generator head</a>


2) So I started looking around for a PTO generator. I found several.
One 15kw at harbor freight for $1200 w/shipping but I may be able to get this one at the local store
<a href="http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=65309">15kw</a>
And another 13kw at Northern Tools for $1500 w/shipping.
<a href="http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_36914_36914">13kw</a>

Between the two I like the harbor freight item since it would be a easy hookup; especially if I can get it for $1100 at my local store.

3) Then I started reading about generators and I found that a 4 pole 1800 rpm unit with brushes would last a lot longer and MIGHT not be some china junk.
I found this 15kw unit for $900. Most likely cost me $1100 if you figure shipping. Comes with gear box and couplings to make your own PTO generator.
It seems like the best deal because it is as cheap as the harbor freight item but most likely a better generator.
<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ST-15KW-PTO-Gearbox-and-42x48MM-Coupler-Combo_W0QQitemZ150402968083QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_Generators?hash=item2304b72a13">15kw st</a>
They also have a 10kw for $775.

So now I am trying to decide between #1 and #3.
For how often I use it #1 sure sounds good if I can figure a cheap way to power it. If not I may go with #3.

Sorry I got so long winded...
Your ideas.
 
I don't know much about it all, I'm also looking like you...

Quick research on the ST generator says they are cheap China junk like all the others?

You don't get the pto shaft or the framework, so you need to spend a few 100 on that.

Couple years ago I would run into 15-25k good old USA pto sets at farm auctions for $500-900. Bullet proof. Now that I want one, don't see them any more. Sigh.

--->Paul
 
looks to be a tempting setup

I have seen those 1800 rpm units before, were chinese but looked to be solidly built and very simple, used with lister engines/steam powered

gearbox seems like a lot better way to go than multiple belt drive

NOTES: step-up gearbox mounting points not visible in ad photo

any variation in engine speed would be amplified 3x per gearbox but may not be a big deal if freq control not an issue

not sure how long that lovejoy coupling will last under heavy loads, no experience with them

others may have additional ideas
 
I have a neighbor that bought a new Generac home standby for $3,500 and that is with the transfer switch. 12,000 watt model.
 
ONE WORD ONAN. Go to enginads(DOT)com and do a bunch of reading on the ONAN Power sub-forum. Even a used ONAN in good shape and if well taken care of after you get it it will out live you.

Kent
 
I don't think there's anything on the market that surpasses the quality of a Detroit Diesel powered Delco gensets. I realize it's not what your're probably looking for though. They were used on rail-cars to power refrigerated box-cars. Run very slow at 1100 RPM and come in 13Kw, 17KW, 20K,30KW, 40KW, and larger. Small ones often sell for around $3000 -$4000 with 2-71s and refurbished, and much cheaper in running condtion with high hours.

The downside to any engine-generator set is . . . if it's big, it's going to be a fuel hog when used at a low load. Not always the same problem with a PTO generator. That because fuel consumption depends only on the size tractor you stick it on, along with load-demand. You can take a 30K PTO generator and stick it on a 28 horse tractor and make up to 15KW just fine, or put it on a 15 horse tractor and make 7-8 KW - and get good fuel economy. Much depends on what you can get buy with. I've run my entire household on a 15 KW PTO generator hooked to a 30 horse tractor, and never heard it work hard.
As to price and quality? Seems there are usually plenty of older and very rugged PTO generator for sale for under $1000. Sometimes well under. I'd take an older unit anytime over some of the new stuff I've seen.
Also, when it comes to gensets with engines. I see many come up for sale cheap that are old, yet most have never been used - and cheap. I bought a 19KW Fairbanks Morse genset for $100 from the local school. Powered by a water-cooled 140 c.i. Continental engine. NEVER ever been used since new. Just cycled twice a year to make sure it ran. That is not unsual. Many stand-by generators spend their lives never being used at all. In fact, my local school - that sold me the Fairbanks Morse had replaced it with a 30KW diesel. Now, that is coming up for bid and it too , was never used - not even once. Our tax dollars hard at work! They've got a 20 million dollar "improvement" going on and decided they ought to have a new diesel three-phase genset that also, will never get used.
 
How are you connecting the generator to the electrical loads?

http://www.reliancecontrols.com/ProductDetail.aspx?TWB2012DR
 
If you want to by one only once, I"d say you"re shopping at the wrong stores. I can"t imagine either one would stand up for continuous use like Onan, Winpower, Katolite, other USA made. I would not buy Pincor. Small ones (15kw) are available on farm sales, even under $500. Can"t remember seeing one over a grand. I paid about $2200 for my new Winpower 25/45 kw in 1977- hasn"t had one penny of repair in that time.
 
Interesting you say that I"ve been looking into the same thing because I have a total electric home in the country which includes pumping water. The ATS or Automatic Switching system is the big number as far as cost is concerned the ATS is required by all power companies to prevent injury to linemen or even death and also prevents big time fire and explosion problems when the power comes on due to phasing problems. I suggest that you get a licsened electrician to install a rated ATS for your home then go from there. We have a Generac ATS which is the worlds fastest switch at 7 seconds at work because of our process needs, hospitals only require 10 seconds there is a 20 minute run time to allow for intermitten power fluctuations.
 
(quoted from post at 17:36:55 02/01/10) How are you connecting the generator to the electrical loads?

http://www.reliancecontrols.com/ProductDetail.aspx?TWB2012DR
Click to expand...

Read the description and still not sure what it is. Is it a simplified manual transfer switch that sits between the grid and your panel?

I really never understood some of these people and the thousands they spend on automatic, led, computer controlled, transfer switches.

Saw one of those home improvement shows a while back. Lady in the city complained that she lost the food in her refrigerator twice over the past two years due to power outages. Solution? A permanently installed 18KW NG unit for her 2 bedroom postage stamp house in the city. After the permits, gas fitter, electrician, landscaper (cement pad, and fence), and GC she got a bill for $27k. More surprisingly is that only "critical circuits" are wired into the transfer switch?

For $27K I would throw all the food out and stay at a hotel and still be ahead.

For me, throw the main breaker, backfeed the welder plug and push start on the 10kw generator, that I can take with me to a number of places. I also got for free an older 5kw 100% American made generator that I use as well as it sips the gas. Even the 5kw is plenty for simple household use.

Only problem I have is knowing when the power is back on. Neighbors to dang far to see their lights.

PS Spare me any BS about backfeeding not being up to code. During outages here our local power company advertises to please turn off the main breaker if you are backfeeding.
 
I used a Onan 5k 1800 rpm generator to run my house for 8 days.we loaded it in my pickup and powered our Post office mornings so they could get the mail out.Afternoons I ran my freezer and refridgerator and water pump, not all at the same time.They are called emergency generators because a small one can keep your pump ,furnace running. .I kept the house warm with wood heat. I took the generator to several other houses to run furnaces and water pumps and freezers running.A friend ran his 10 kw generator for 24 hours steady and complained about the gas it used.He has a wood stove now.The generator I have was in a big RV.It puts out 120v so is limited in what it can run.A dairy farm would need a big PTO generator.Some people were with out power for over 30 days.A small generator doesnt cost a lot and running it once a month will keep it in good shape.
 
Turning off the main breakers is all thats needed.The power line load would stall your little generator any way.Linemen have to treat all lines as hot.Ive often wondered how the power co can even start a heavy loaded line after it is repaired.
 
Either #1 You have no idea just how wrong and why flipping the breaker and back feeding a welder receptacle is.
#2 You don't care about anybody or anything
#3 You are penny wise and pound foolish(cheap to the point of stupid)
#4 You are just plain and simple a bad person.
 
As far as knowing when the power is on (neighbors too far away to see lights)
My digital meter goes dead when the power is off. (Internal battery remembers usage, but doesn't illuminate numbers) Numbers re-appear when power returns.
 
$27,000... that is a major scam for an installed 18Kw genset. I need to get into this business if people are that Dumb.


1/2 that much money will buy a 3 phase large unit to run a machine shop or other industrial unit.
 
Aside from you're total disregard for human life all linemen since the early 70s have been trained to check the load side before touching all lines even in the blowing snow or driving rain, wind and yes lightning of which they are required to be in while you're sleeping. Ok with that said you and I could probably handle the less than over taxing mechanical issue of just flipping a switch and going back to bed like my oldest son who has done what was mentioned against an ATS trying to be cheap and I offered to financially help him and he refused so took the cheap route and woke up at 3am with the house at 50 degrees and found out later the power came on right after he went to bed at 9:30pm grandson got pneumonia was in the hospital for a week of course he and DIL missed some work and gramps was worried all the time.
 
JohninLa,
I've had a fair amount of experience with marine generators. With any type of generator, you get what you pay for. If you have a good tractor, a PTO generator is the way to go. Get a good American PTO generator. There was a thread a few days ago on this forum, I believe, about PTO driven generators. As for stand-along gasoline gensets, I once had a Honda 4500 watt unit, which did outstanding duty. If you want more kw's, Generac makes sense. If you are on natural gas, that's another way to go in a stand alone wired in genset. Onan is a very reliable set, but all gasoline gensets are fuel hogs, and gasoline is not readily availabe in power outages. In a hurricane outage, you need a/c. and possibly a water well, as well as refrigerator, deep freeze , light, etc. Unless you plan to run extension cords (not practical with a/c, water well), you need to have everything ready to tie into your home system, totally isolated from the grid, as Buickanddeere mentioned previously. Don't wait until the power is out, then decide how to hook it up; that's like closing the barn door after ..... Unless you are an electrician, have a professional do the job. If you have the tractor, the PTO route is probably the best way to go. And remember to locate the power unit, regardless of type, away form the house, because of the CO2 danger. Several people died in Ike because of carbon monoxide poisoning. Just my two cents worth.
 
You are forgetting about the three prong welder plug used by a ding dong.
Who have no idea what problems arise from attempting to carry neutral current on the ground system.
Read on the next page " I need an electrician" and his water trough shocking livestock.
Are people people so cheap, so broke or so unaware, so uncaring of why a proper transfer switch is so important?
 
I don't know about the $27K for an ATS sounds extremely high I know our 480V 3phase 600A Generac ATS was well above that but it is connecting an SD350KW Generac powered by a 450hp twin turboed Mitsubishi V8 diesel. I was told a third of the cost is liability issues.
 
What ever you do. Stay away from Generac. Cheap to buy but you will pay for it in the price of parts. Plus good luck finding anyone that will work on it. I have forty years working on gensets.
 
I used my Onan from Motorhome to build a house in the mountains. You can rewire it to run 220 real simple. 6.5 k it ran everything but my big 12 in. saw that thing draws a h"ll of a lot to start up.

It used 5 gallons of gas to run 9 hours every day.
My 6.5 9 surge that have hear on the farm will run all day on about 2 to 3 gallons. It will run the whole house with no trouble even my big saw.

Walt
 
(quoted from post at 20:11:06 02/01/10) Either #1 You have no idea just how wrong and why flipping the breaker and back feeding a welder receptacle is.
#2 You don't care about anybody or anything
#3 You are penny wise and pound foolish(cheap to the point of stupid)
#4 You are just plain and simple a bad person.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply that really did not contribute anything to the conversation, other then inflating your ego albeit by insulting other. Seems to be the norm for you.

Even though I put a "PS" asked for no BS you just could not resist with the childish name calling. ........ Google "Anti-Backfeed Circuit Breaker" and think "Maybe just maybe Chris has one of these installed as a main breaker". JHU has it's benefits.

Sucks to assume does it not?
 
I have 2 questions out of this.

1. BuickandDeere, what is the nuetral/ ground issue you are talking about when "backfeeding" a welder outlet?

2. ATS switches are not manditory here, are they anywhere?? All the new main disconnects here in the country should be a double throw switch, so can't possibly backfeed down the road

We had a lot of power out here last few weeks. Noticed the linemen used a jumper wire on the line poles between the nuetral and hot leg. I supposed for safety, lots of trucks and out of state guys here. I liked to see the jumper, good idea
 
Come'on Chris, it's February, we don't need to go down this path. Prime Cabin Fever time. You set it all up you intentionally rigged it so you aren't using a safety switch.

Why create a problem & then complain about the problem you created?

A lot of people don't care about others and just do what they want, to heck with anyone else. ?Just like you describe yourself.

Own up to it at least.

--->Paul
 
(reply topost at 23:00:21 02/01/10)
Click to expand...

What path ? Throwing out random childish name calling? Now with you insinuating dishonesty on my part? Thread would of been more productive without either your's or Buick's contributions; which is the only negative path this thread has taken.

Alas, if you and Buick feel better insulating someone that they have no clue about, so be it.

Pitty, as the discussion could of been (as Kevin questioned above) why so many have two pole disconnects.
 
You can't make ice cream out of horsesh*t. Don't waste your money on Harbor Freight garbage. A 15,000 watt alternator for 1200 bucks? You already found out what happens when you try to get one of these no-name generators serviced.

What is it you're running that requires so much power? I have no problem running everything in my house except the electric ovens with 6500 watts. That includes the well, three refrigerators and a freezer, but we don't have air conditioning or electric heat.

Something to consider is if your wife can safely set up and operate the generator. We recently purchased an electric start Honda. Per B&D's recommendation, I went with the Reliance transfer switch; my wife can get the generator going on her own but she would never be able to set up a PTO generator.
 
Kevin, for starters, when you backfeed through a welder plug, you're assuming that the ground lead is up to the task of handling the full generator current. But you really have no way of knowing if it's up to the task because the ground has probably never carried ANY current before. If that ground can't handle 30 amps, it's likely to blow, leaving you with a hot ground.

I know that I can hook up a generator to backfeed more-or-less safely, but I'm sure my wife can't. And I don't really trust myself to remember to open the main. That's why I put in a transfer switch. Totally foolproof.
 
Ground is not broken by a tranfer switch.Shocks on water systems are common with the use of plastic pipe.Water heaters with bad elements can energize water.Ive seen this in chicken house water pan heaters, in dairy barns and homes.The element still heats but has a hole in the grounded sheath.Did appliance service for 45 years.A do it yerselfer got electrocuted fixing his water heater here.Saved a 6 buck service call.Sears gets 110 bucks for a service call here.
 
Of course the ground isn't broken or switched by a transfer switch. Who would get a idea like that?
I'm talking about people who wire neutral current into the ground system as being either completely out of touch with reality or worse.
An energized current carrying ground has the ability to put 120V on every item that is supposed to be grounded.
If you don't believe me, ask any electrical inspector.
 
You are insulted because you have no idea what you are going wrong and the hazards.
Do you not understand the a welder plug has two live lines and a ground, not a neutral? Do you not understand what can go wrong with neutral current on the ground system?
As for names? Yes getting called a ding dong is pretty mild for what you are doing. Rhymes with "prong" if you had not noticed.
Drop into the local electrical utility and proudly tell them you are back feeding 120/240 through a welding plug. You will be lucky to get out of there uninjured.
 
#1 Do you think the ground and neutral are identical and the same? If so why the lines and neutral insulated,the ground even run and the ground being a bare wire?

#2 The link to the switch is not an automatic transfer switch. It's the cheapest manual transfer switch that is sturdy and outdoor rated.

#3 shorting the primary lines is always a good idea. Never know what faults there is on the primary side. Or what some hack has cobbled together on the secondary side.
 
Amen Mark. Could not have said it better myself.
Maybe if some of these guys here won't believe me they will believe you.

I wonder how some self taught jack leg electricians with a generator and a welder plug. How they can possibly think they know something that trained electricians, electrical inspectors and engineers don't.
 
I wonder how some self taught jack leg electrician with a generator and a welder plug. How they can possibly think they know something that trained electricians, electrical inspectors and engineers don't.

Think about the neutral current on the ground system.Do you know what that means?
 
Don't assume I am not a trained electrician, worked as one for a few years.

In your part of the country, are you made to have a 4 wire system? That would be HOT-HOT-NUETRAL-GROUND Where the nuetral and ground are completely isolated from each other, except for the earth

Here we have a 3 wire system HOT-HOT-NUETRAL/GROUND

After thinking about your issue with backfeeding, is it because some people wouldn't have a full size wire on there ground?

I have the same size conductor on my ground leg as I do my hot legs. It is acceptable practice here to have the ground wire one size lighter than the hots.

I am interested in why backfeeding is such a NO-NO, IF YOU ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!

I backfeed here a week ago for 4 days straight, but I have 6ga wires on all 3 legs of my welder outlet that is 12 inches from my fuse panel in my shop, protected with a 50 amp breaker.

REC truck stoped in to tell me power was back on. I talked to them about not haveing a double throw switch. They looked at how I hooked up and said it was fine.

What don't I and 2 REC lineman don't know??
 
We have a 3 wire system here.You can trace the center tap all the way to the main service where its connected to the box body,The box is then grounded to a rod in the cellar floor.The old range plugs were much better than the scrawney new ones in use now.Just checked my oil tank and note that my main box has 2 ground wire to the rod.Neutral and ground wires are connected to the box bus bar, so how can you call it a 4 wire system.
 
I had a trained electrician tell me that a copper clad ground rod has a copper jacket with a lead core. BS but I didnt laugh because he had to sign off so I could get my electric connected.I have an old church next to me.The pastors husband came to see me on a sunday morning.He said when he turned on the lights on one side of the church the lites on the other side dimmed.My first thought was a lost ground.I put my meter between the box and ground and read 122 volts. an electrician had just done some work on the main box.I told him to get that electrician out here right now. Tell him the box is 122 volts above ground.They postpone services until the problem was fixed.My son in law is an electrician.I asked him about it, he said lost ground.I am a jack leg unlicensed electrician too.If I was younger would work with him and get my license.The Edison system does some strange things when the ground is lost.6 munths ago I culdnt even spell Elecktwisin but now I are wun.
 
The ground lead has to handle ALL current in a Edison system.The 240 feed line to my barn has 3 # 8 wires in it.A new range cord I have says 2#6 and One #8. 50 amps both legs or 40 amps if one side is used.Thats 4880 watts on one leg at 122 volts or 12100 watts at 240 volts.
 
MarkB_MI
I have a A/C window unit I use when the power is out. 18000 btu of cooling and 12000 btu of heating.
I bought it when my central unit went out and I waited on the replacment. I keep it around now for power outages.
It draws a lot of power and the best thing is I can run it without tapping the generator into the electric grid or house wiring.
 
36 coupe
Thank you. I can agree with that. I got a little long winded and most likely caused that problem.

I am looking for a generator in the 10000w range.
Problem is I am tossing around ideas on how to keep the cost down because it is only used in emergencies. Spending $2500 to use once every 2 or 3 years is not coast effetive.
I figure if I can buy just the head and run it off my tractor I could save engine cost.
 
CLTX Not picking on you. You have some good advice. I have had to many bad dealings with Generac. In my field of work. We called them genajunk for a reason. Cheap to buy,no support from the factory,warranty maybe. Price of parts are through the roof. Worked on one that needed a starter 2600.00 from generac,699.00 from Hino the engine builder. But I had it rebuilt for 200.00 dollars. I could tell you horror stories you would not believe.
 
John I really don't feel to good about either one. But I would go with #3 if I had to choose. What you need to do. Is decide what you need to have during a power failure. Get the total amp draw starting and running. Then you will have an idea what KW you need. It is better to have to much power than not enough. The number three unit looks like a Winco Generator. They do make a good unit. To hook it up to the house. I would have a switch at the pole or at the house. I call them Knife switches. You have your normal load on one side. Then on the gen side you would have a quick disconnect plug. Then when you needed it,you would only have to plug in the genset.Then move the handle to generator side. The switch would be closed at all times and your wife would be safe if she had to use it.
 
Exactly. It's people that don't know what they are doing that get the linemen in trouble. I tell people in an outage if they don't know what they are doing, Pull the meter. Oh course if they don't know what they are doing they probably don't know how to pull a meter either. Industry and Legislators keep trying to make everything fool proof but they still have not figured out how to get rid of the fool.
 
Back to my story. Do not try the turn off the main breaker Idea. I have seen to many gensets destroyed by people for getting to unplug the genset. Turn the breaker on and backfeed the genset and you then have a smoking pile of copper. The switch I posted about would give you a complete and safe system. Let me know if I can help in any way.
 
Do you have a local generator rental place? They usually have sales at least once a year. The really big one down here always has several for sale. (he has the everything is for sale mindset). They were quoting me under 10k for about a 12k diesel generator with a 300 gal fuel tank new. They had some nice deals on some used.
 
I bought the Harbor Freight gen head for 300.

I had a Murray lawn tractor with a 16 horse Briggs, everything on the mower was worn out except the engine.

Stripped it down, re-worked the controls, bought a pulley from McMaster Carr and bolted the generator on the frame.

Works like a champ. Power here hasn't gone out since.
 
John, Don't mean to offend here but I think there was alot of advice on the technical aspects. Not sure I have anything to add but my own two cents worth and you know what that is worth.

However your main question was a two part question: an economic one as it relates to your finances and needs and wants. With no information such as an income statement, balance sheet, and budget, (and none of us want you to provide it), none of us can tell you what the best financial fit is for you. The other part is what kind of comfort level you want to maintain in an emergency and can you go without a/c for a week or more.

You probably already know the answer depending upon if you are rich, are poor, or have children who could use a few extra bucks thrown their way.

The technical aspects are all a quality crap shoot anyway and a coin toss. You have to consider the costs of running them. During our last week long power outage, the farmers with ptos didn't want to spend the gas their tractors take to run 24/7. Those of us with portables didn't run them 24/7 either as you are looking at hauling 35-40 bucks worth of gas everyday (in a bunch of cans) and pouring gas into a little tank all the time. About $300 a week for gasoline assuming anyone can drive in a blizzard or hurricane and find a station open with gas available with the refineries shut down. I wish they had a propane powered generator for a good price that could hook up to the main tank. If you have natural gas, that may work unless the gas plants get knocked off line. Since you may not get hit with a hurricane for another 10 years, you may have another engine to take care of that may not work when you need it most. You can't run these in the house and basement and the big ones can't be moved around so you may be stuck with storing it outside in the elements and mice and other stuff that gets into engines and gums up the works. If you always have a running tractor for other things, a pto generator fits the bill. If I had my druthers, I'd like to find one I could easy on and easy off mount with a belt off my pickup.

I got by with a 2200 watter. Powered a few lights, 42" lcd tv, and the furnace fan/blower (furnace runs on propane) and it still ran the reefer and box freezer in the basement although we unplugged them and only ran one at a time till it quit and it ran the microwave too. Run the heater in the morning till it maxed out at 90 degrees. Ran it in the evening to warm it back up and watch the tv. Then ran it again up to 90 at bedtime. My 90 year old mother in law wouldn't leave the house. Unplugged the barn and chopped ice for a while.

In an emergency situation, we don't expect to live like kings. Any available emergency generators first usually went to those with health problems and you haven't mentioned that need. In the towns without power for a week, those with generators were moving theirs up and down the street everyday so the neighbors could run their heaters and reefers long enough to survive and not let their meat spoil. Same for the farmers with pto generators were running all over to run wells and such to pump water for snow bound cattle. In a major emergency like with a hurricane or tornado, you may want to think about the humanitarian aspects of what you could do with a generator to help the dirt poor who don't have one. My conscience wouldn't allow me to live like a king while a neighbor was freezing and losing his food. I saw one guy with a generator in his driveway with extension cords running to three houses.

The bulk of your budget should go the the electical switch so you are at least up to code and avoid a fire hazard.

Sorry, I just recalculated and my advice here isn't even worth 2 cents. Zippo in fact.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do. You did help the rest of us by providing us with a number of different options with price research and I thank you for that.
 
Phil, good idea. Can you still drive it by mounting the gen onto the mower belt drive? Maybe I can weld a bracket onto the side of a mower for a gen set and get a belt that would fit. Do a little farmroengineering here.
 
The law,electrical theory and how a ground system carrying current in some circumstances will energize "grounded" items. From 1 to 120Volts.
 
That is exactly why back feeding the ground is such a problem. As are missing,broken ground wires and ground rods.
Seems the doubters here have no idea what "tingle voltage" is or it's sources.
 
Insulated neutral carries the unbalanced current between L1 and L2. Bare ground wire keeps chassis and pipe work at earth potential.
The ground bond to neutral at the service is to prevent the neutral from floating for example. The neutral could reach 4160V above earth and the lines 4280V above earth. On a 4160V primary service.
 
They lost the neutral and the ground system was so poor it allowed the metal chassis to float to 120V.
This is exactly the point I'm trying to make about the dangers of open neutrals, open grounds, high resistance grounds and neutral current on grounds.
Why pray tell does the stove have two insulated lines, an insulated neutral and a bare ground?
Why is there a neutral bond to ground at the electrical service transformer or at the 1st distribution panel? Then every distribution panel down stream is not to have a bond between the ground and neutral?
The guy on the previous page that needed an electrician likely had a bond between the neutral and ground at the remote panel at the barn.
 
At first I thought about trying something like that to keep it a functional driving tractor, but it didn't seem practical.

That gen head is a heavy sob.
 
Up here in Michigan, air conditioning is optional. I forgot that down in LA, air conditioning is basically a life support system.
 
Sorry John for everyone going Schizo here. I think it was totally a communications error. For one you didn't mention that you were only powering a window A/C unit which I know is essential in your part of the country and that type of connection is seperate from the grid. Mentioning that little item would have eleminated about half of the comments on here and given the fact that we have some of the worlds best athletes on here jumping to conclusions and I'm faced with it everyday at work six days a week and even I get caught up in it. I have to remind myself everday it's like being a cop I have to gather all the facts before issuing a ticket or write up. So John I'm ruling it's you're fault and you will have to treat us to a good old fashioned Cajun hoedown next time we're down your way.:-> CT
 
My 5000 watt generator cost 400 bucks used.It did the job when needed.Its quiet, easy on fuel.Electric start, electric fuel pump;Uses an out board fuel tank or just up a long hose in a pickup or car gas tank.A tractor will use more fuel and the tractor will be tied up running the generator.The last time I used my generator hard was 1998.It saved a lot of losses in food and frozen pipes and kept me from hauling water for a dozen cattle.Is basicly insurance like my S&w revolver I keep handy.
 
John one last thought. What is wrong with your present generator? Engine or gen head? You can still use your 22 hp motor with vertical shaft on the present or new gen head. The gen head don't care whether it is pointed sideways or down. Build a tall enough stand to set your engine on. Or use the old gen stand if that engine is bad, tip the stand up on end and weld a bracket for the engine assuming the shafts and couplings are the same.

Was #3 option up there a direct coupling for the pto or did it have a gear box? Not sure how you would get 1800 rpm out of a pto.
 
I did the same thing with my 5000 watt generator.It ran our post office for 7 days mornings. it kept water from freezing up in the heating system.Friend brought his coffee pot afternoons to make coffee he had a wood stove and got water at my place.I couldnt run his pump as it was wired for 240 volts.
 
did fire fighting for 35 years and pulled meters to keep fire men from getting shocked.It always took power co too long to disconnect.
 
I miss being on the Emergency Response Team. Probably the 2nd most important and worthwhile service I've done to serve society.
Good thing you pulled the meters. I've seen too many, young guys in particular.They get tunnel vision and run straight in danger.
 
bc
Thanks
The gen head is bad on my present unit. Motor runs fine. The guy told me to fix the gen head would cost almost as much as the whole unit did new.
The 22 hp motor is off a riding mower. I was afraid as buickanddeere said loading the bearings by standing a gen head on end would ware them out.

#3 comes with a 3.33 to 1 gear box so 540 pto speed would ture the gen head 1800 rpm.
 
cadet trooper
Yes I agree it was my fault.

I run just the essentials to get threw. A window A/C and my fridge. Both can be pluged direct into the generator.
I really do not want a generator that would hook into my house wiring. Remember I want to keep the cost down.
The only reason I was looking to upsize a little is the A/C pulls about all the old generator would put out when the compressor kicked on. (Start up amp draw)
 
Aircraft generators have no front bearings so a jack shaft takes the side thrust when they are used as welders.
 
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