3-Pt. Mounted Stand-By Generator

2006 - Volume #30, Issue #2, Page #25

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Harold Madison of Smiths Grove, Ky., lives in an area where it's not unusual to have ice storms and power outages.
  It's times like those when his generator is worth its weight in gold and he particularly likes having a pto-driven, 3-pt. hitch-mounted unit.
  "You don't have to worry about your fuel deteriorating or the carburetor drying out if you haven't used it for two years," he explains. "By relying on the tractor, you know it's going to start and run when you go to use it."
  Madison found his 10 kW AC generator on eBay.   "It just needs to be one that can be turned at 1,800 rpm rather 3,600, in order to run off a tractor pto," he says. "I fabricated the rest of the system mostly from salvage material I already had."
  He used a salvaged 18-in. pulley from a Deere finishing mower for the drive pulley, and bought a 5-in. generator pulley. That ratio allowed the tractor pto to run at 500 rpm instead of the usual 540.
  The drive pulley bearing assembly is a salvaged rear hub from a front-wheel-drive Pontiac Firebird, driven by a 5/8-in. V-belt.
  "I suspect the 5/8-in. belt is marginal on a 10 kW unit, but so far it seems to work okay. Depending on the size of pulleys you can find, the output of the generator, and the horsepower of your tractor, you may be able to slow the power unit down even more," he suggests "You will need about 2-horsepower per kilowatt. I didn't need the full 40 rated hp of my tractor. Reducing the speed will save fuel."
  Madison painted his unit and has started to draw up plans for it, which he will make available to interested parties at a nominal cost.
  "I've probably got less than $450 in this system. The new generator was $380 (including $80 for shipping), the pulley was $16, and then there were some welding rods," he says. "If you were to buy a comparable commercial model, I think you'd be looking at spending between $1,700 and $2,000."
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harold Madison, 1276 Apple Grove Rd., Smiths Grove, Ky. 42171 (email: hmadison @scrtc.com).

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3-Pt. Mounted Stand-By Generator ENERGY Miscellaneous 30-2-25 Harold Madison of Smiths Grove, Ky., lives in an area where it's not unusual to have ice storms and power outages. It's times like those when his generator is worth its weight in gold and he particularly likes having a pto-driven, 3-pt. hitch-mounted unit. "You don't have to worry about your fuel deteriorating or the carburetor drying out if you haven't used it for two years," he explains. "By relying on the tractor, you know it's going to start and run when you go to use it." Madison found his 10 kW AC generator on eBay. "It just needs to be one that can be turned at 1,800 rpm rather 3,600, in order to run off a tractor pto," he says. "I fabricated the rest of the system mostly from salvage material I already had." He used a salvaged 18-in. pulley from a Deere finishing mower for the drive pulley, and bought a 5-in. generator pulley. That ratio allowed the tractor pto to run at 500 rpm instead of the usual 540. The drive pulley bearing assembly is a salvaged rear hub from a front-wheel-drive Pontiac Firebird, driven by a 5/8-in. V-belt. "I suspect the 5/8-in. belt is marginal on a 10 kW unit, but so far it seems to work okay. Depending on the size of pulleys you can find, the output of the generator, and the horsepower of your tractor, you may be able to slow the power unit down even more," he suggests "You will need about 2-horsepower per kilowatt. I didn't need the full 40 rated hp of my tractor. Reducing the speed will save fuel." Madison painted his unit and has started to draw up plans for it, which he will make available to interested parties at a nominal cost. "I've probably got less than $450 in this system. The new generator was $380 (including $80 for shipping), the pulley was $16, and then there were some welding rods," he says. "If you were to buy a comparable commercial model, I think you'd be looking at spending between $1,700 and $2,000." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harold Madison, 1276 Apple Grove Rd., Smiths Grove, Ky. 42171 (email: hmadison @scrtc.com).

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