B26TLB PTO Generator

[70runner]

Here in the People's Republic of California, rolling blackouts have become more frequent. Seemed like a good time to invest in a backup generator. Not many choices for compact tractors in the 20hp pto range, though it is possible to use a larger kw (hp) unit at less capacity. Purchased the Northern Tools 7.2KW PTO generator. It comes mounted on a frame, so whats left is to fab something to mount the unit to a 3pt.

Had some spare 1.5 x 1.5 steel tube laying about, picked up an A frame from Tractor supply, and sized the casters to level the driveshaft during operation. Ran a no load, then ~20 amp load test. Generator did well both tests, holding about 60.5Hz throughout. Have used it to do some field welding. Pretty happy so far.

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[Sammy3700]

They are great. my neighbor and I have the 12 kw ones. We have used them through several hurricanes and ice storms. One tractor is a B3200 and other L3800.

 

[70runner]

Good to hear. The online reviews are pretty positive but never know if Northern filters those...

 

[bird dogger]

That looks like a nice working set up! Nice job altogether!! Will your tractor sit outside running during the outages? I've thought about doing the same thing but our usual storm outages are during blizzards up here. I'd hate to have the tractor and generator sitting outside for hours and hours in that weather. Maybe a small powered exhaust fan coupled to the tractor and run outside a port in the wall might be the ticket for my application.

 

[NCL4701]

That looks like a nice working set up! Nice job altogether!! Will your tractor sit outside running during the outages? I've thought about doing the same thing but our usual storm outages are during blizzards up here. I'd hate to have the tractor and generator sitting outside for hours and hours in that weather. Maybe a small powered exhaust fan coupled to the tractor and run outside a port in the wall might be the ticket for my application.

If you want to leave the tractor inside an enclosed building you might want to look into an exhaust hose setup and wall/door port like mechanic shops use. Something like this stuff.

Exhaust Hose

When working on any sort of vehicle, eventually you come to the point where you will need to start the vehicle in doors. If it is because it is freezing out and you want the doors closed and the heat in, or just because it is late and you don't want to wa

www.carguygarage.com

 

[BigG]

I would urge you to not use an exhaust fan on an enclosed area to remove the engine exhaust. It will not keep the area safe. I would encourage you to build an open sided cover for your tractor-generator away from the house instead.

It seams like every disaster there are reports of people dying from generators running in enclosed places. I have witnessed people running generators in an attached garage with the door pulled down. When I asked them to move the generators outside I was told to pound sand. "If I put it outside someone will steal it". They never heard of carbon monoxide, I guess.

 

[bird dogger]

When I mentioned a "powered exhaust fan coupled to the tractor" I meant just that....a powered exhaust coupled directly to the tractor's exhaust pipe and through exhaust hose out an appropriate exhaust port through a wall/door, etc. With a completely sealed powered exhaust coupled to the tractor that would also mean one would need a substantial fresh air supply into the enclosed area. All things considered it probably would be both easier, cheaper, and safer to just use a cheap hoop enclosure/vinyl car port for an outside housing in that application. You may have to venture out in the elements to rid the roof of snow to avoid collapse every once in a while.

 

[torch]

Aside from exhaust fumes, considerable ventilation could also be required to remove excess heat from an enclosed space. My original generator shed design included what I thought were generous screened openings for natural ventilation, low on one side, high on the other. The exhaust was piped outside. Worked ok in the dead of winter, but caused overheating in milder weather. I had to duct a cold air intake to the generator's fan to ensure adequate air flow.

 

[70runner]

That looks like a nice working set up! Nice job altogether!! Will your tractor sit outside running during the outages? I've thought about doing the same thing but our usual storm outages are during blizzards up here. I'd hate to have the tractor and generator sitting outside for hours and hours in that weather. Maybe a small powered exhaust fan coupled to the tractor and run outside a port in the wall might be the ticket for my application.

Thx. Yes, the tractor will sit outside as we don't have the weather extremes here in SOCAL. Worst case for us is occasional hail. Outages typically occur as the power companies can't keep up with demand during heat waves or intentionally shut down during fires. As to running the tractor inside an enclosure, can't add much to what's been said other than I would avoid running any combustion engine for extended periods in enclosed areas without careful airflow arrangements, both supply and exhaust.