Hey guys, I've been considering upgrading my current portable gas powered generator. What are your opinions on PTO powered generators? Anybody have one? Anyone running a Baumalight Generator?
Mike
Mike
Anybody using a Baumalight or other PTO powered Generator?
- Thread starter Rdrcr
- Start date
First post so bear with me....
I've been using an IMD LLC 10KW with AVR (automatic voltage regulation) mostly to help out some nearby friends when their power is out for longer than their small Honda will support. You MUST know what you're doing with both the generator operation and the hookups. I've run extension cords from it. Bundled extension cords too. Full 50A service to an circuit that is on a mains disconnect, so you can't energize without throwing the interlocked main/50A circuit. With that, I'm just using one 50A cable to run everything. Notes:
- Work out how you'll use the generator safely.
- A mount is essential to moving the generator down the street AND holding it in place.
- The tumbling bar really needs to be level, hence some cribbing with 2x or 4x wood will help under the mount. Saves wear and tear and has much less vibration all around.
- Consider paying the extra for AVR. I find no issues with electronics in the home or significant voltage drop when motors kick in.
- The factory 3-point mounts out there are typically NOT iMatch compatible. However, get creative (turn the top hook upside down and then attach) and you can grab most anything.
- Currently I have a JD 1025R which will run the generator at 7KW max. I'll be overkill shortly with everything getting swapped out for a Grand L5460. If I had that a couple of years ago, I'd consider a larger size, but you're getting into more tricky connection issues where you'll be underutilized with extension cords when you should just have a 100/200A transfer switch at the panel with 175A connector and cable.
- You just run up the RPMs until you hit the 60 cycle mark. Ignore what the tractor PTO RPM number is.
- I had no problem refueling the tractor on the fly. With 4-5KW loading average, I'd go through about 7 gallons of Ag diesel a day. Usually there is downtime here and there.
- Biggest downside: You can't use your tractor for anything else. However, going offline at the house which you plow or blow snow on the front is no issue with just hauling your generator around in a lifted position. A plastic trash bag bungie whipped to cover the unit is essential.
I bought my unit from Electric Generators Direct. Happy to address any other questions.
I've been using an IMD LLC 10KW with AVR (automatic voltage regulation) mostly to help out some nearby friends when their power is out for longer than their small Honda will support. You MUST know what you're doing with both the generator operation and the hookups. I've run extension cords from it. Bundled extension cords too. Full 50A service to an circuit that is on a mains disconnect, so you can't energize without throwing the interlocked main/50A circuit. With that, I'm just using one 50A cable to run everything. Notes:
- Work out how you'll use the generator safely.
- A mount is essential to moving the generator down the street AND holding it in place.
- The tumbling bar really needs to be level, hence some cribbing with 2x or 4x wood will help under the mount. Saves wear and tear and has much less vibration all around.
- Consider paying the extra for AVR. I find no issues with electronics in the home or significant voltage drop when motors kick in.
- The factory 3-point mounts out there are typically NOT iMatch compatible. However, get creative (turn the top hook upside down and then attach) and you can grab most anything.
- Currently I have a JD 1025R which will run the generator at 7KW max. I'll be overkill shortly with everything getting swapped out for a Grand L5460. If I had that a couple of years ago, I'd consider a larger size, but you're getting into more tricky connection issues where you'll be underutilized with extension cords when you should just have a 100/200A transfer switch at the panel with 175A connector and cable.
- You just run up the RPMs until you hit the 60 cycle mark. Ignore what the tractor PTO RPM number is.
- I had no problem refueling the tractor on the fly. With 4-5KW loading average, I'd go through about 7 gallons of Ag diesel a day. Usually there is downtime here and there.
- Biggest downside: You can't use your tractor for anything else. However, going offline at the house which you plow or blow snow on the front is no issue with just hauling your generator around in a lifted position. A plastic trash bag bungie whipped to cover the unit is essential.
I bought my unit from Electric Generators Direct. Happy to address any other questions.
NCL4701
Well-known member
Equipment
L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
Good advice from CAPT Seabee. Agree with everything he said and that was quite thorough.
I have a 16kW IMD with AVR. The AVR is particularly useful if you plan to power things like computers, TV’s, etc. Due to a wreck up the road that damaged a pole with transformer on it, it’s currently powering my house. Wife took a shower, cooked dinner, watching TV, washing and drying clothes… pretty much life as usual so long as we have fuel.
It’s not as convenient as a dedicated standby but it’s also a lot of kW/$ if it fits your needs. Generally you’ll need about 2hp/kW and of course that’s actual PTO HP.
One downside for us is I pretty much have to set it up, particularly if it isn’t already on the tractor.
I have a 16kW IMD with AVR. The AVR is particularly useful if you plan to power things like computers, TV’s, etc. Due to a wreck up the road that damaged a pole with transformer on it, it’s currently powering my house. Wife took a shower, cooked dinner, watching TV, washing and drying clothes… pretty much life as usual so long as we have fuel.
It’s not as convenient as a dedicated standby but it’s also a lot of kW/$ if it fits your needs. Generally you’ll need about 2hp/kW and of course that’s actual PTO HP.
One downside for us is I pretty much have to set it up, particularly if it isn’t already on the tractor.
Last edited:
NCL4701
Well-known member
Equipment
L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
I’m not an expert on generators or much of anything else, nor do I play one on Internet forums. What I do know about the specific PTO generator I have, some of which may be applicable in general:
- The actual generator part of the unit consists of an alternator, automatic voltage regulator, and various associated wiring all of which comes under the purview of the Owner Manual which should be attached. I haven’t seen any maintenance schedule in it other than check the brushes every 250 hours, expect to change brushes at 1000 hours, and generally keep it clean enough to be able to cool properly. Of course water/moisture should be considered when determining where to store it, same as any other electrical device, and I have heard, but can’t say authoritatively, that if there is a possibility of internal condensation it’s a good idea to run it once in a while to warm it up and get that out.
- The generator is hooked to a gearbox that steps up the 540 PTO RPM to the 3600 RPM required for 60 Hz. It’s a box of gears. I don’t recall any specific instructions there beyond put gear oil in it. It is my assumption it should be treated as any other gearbox: check it annually or at the 250 hour brush check to make sure there’s oil in it and it’s in good condition; add/change as needed.
- PTO shaft. Grease same as you do any other PTO shaft.
Unlike gas/diesel/etc. generators, not much other than cover and put it in a garage with the rest of your tools. Everything stores better in climate controlled spaces, but most don't have them. Check the gearbox oil level every time you take it out to use. BTW, the IMDs are made in Italy and finished up in North Carolina. They are brushless. Advise using a makeshift cover when operating in the rain. I also drove a ground rod near my 50A feed point and have a clamp on strap.
BAP
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
2012 Kubota 2920, 60MMM, FEL, BH65 48" Bush Hog, 60"Backblade, B2782B Snowblower
I have a 12kw Baumalight that I run with my B2920. Works good and runs everything we need in the house. I have an outside plug box on the side of the house that I plug the cord into. In the basement in my breaker panel I have a Generator Interlock switch.
I'm pleased to hear that maintenance is easy but, I'm concerned about storage in my climate. I'm thinking the generator would very likely be outside and we get tons of rain. Do you think that'll be an issue long-term?
Mike
No but keep it well covered. If you make a small crib out of a pallet, You can put it at perfect grab height while keeping water and mud from migrating in due to wind.
BAP
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
2012 Kubota 2920, 60MMM, FEL, BH65 48" Bush Hog, 60"Backblade, B2782B Snowblower
Yes it is the Baumalight 12kw. Bought it 10 years ago when we moved here because at our last house, we lost power a lot. There we had wood heat and a generator for our water supply because it also fed the cows. Here we don’t have either of those so I wanted to have our own generator. Turns out, power rarely goes out but when it does, it is nice to have it particularly when it is quite cold outside.
I have a 16kW IMD AVR that I hook up to my 60 year old Massey 135 diesel. I only put a load of about 20 amps on it and the tractor and gen handled it fine.
I have a 4#4 cord with 60 amp plugs on both ends. I took a 50 amp RV plug and replaced it with a 60 amp plugs and screwed it to the side of my Kohler transfer switch. I also have a manual transfer switch to wire it in directly.
They import the generator head from Italy, they showed me the tracking of the ship. They assemble, test, and add the outlets.
I bought the 3 point carrier and pto shaft from IMD but you could make your own if you have a permanent location.
I have a 4#4 cord with 60 amp plugs on both ends. I took a 50 amp RV plug and replaced it with a 60 amp plugs and screwed it to the side of my Kohler transfer switch. I also have a manual transfer switch to wire it in directly.
They import the generator head from Italy, they showed me the tracking of the ship. They assemble, test, and add the outlets.
I bought the 3 point carrier and pto shaft from IMD but you could make your own if you have a permanent location.
I had a 135 for a few years, it was a great tractor. A big step up from a N series ford.
I need to get rid of it, it just sits since it doesn't have a loader. But I can't do it.
I run a 15kw pto generator (Winco) matched to 32hp at the pto. With some very basic power management it runs my entire house. With two zone HVAC I can only operate one zone at a time if A/C is involved. It's mounted on a trailer and easily stores in a shed. I personally would not store it outside, even covered.
As far as maintenance, there's not a lot involved... Check gear case oil, replace every x hours (WinCo doesn't spec a replacement interval, but I'll likely change it at 100h or so if I ever get there), grease pto shaft. Occasional use (twice per year?) is recommended, but if there's no outage I don't do that. Any generator sitting unused can lose its residual magnetism, requiring flashing. I've never had to flash a generator, but it doesn't seem overly difficult,
The only time I don't like dedicating my tractor to a power outage is when the outage coincides with snow. I plow commercially (small scale) and need the tractor a minimum of 4 hours per plow run after a snow. I have a small inverter generator that I can run extension cords to power a few things for the bosses comfort if I need to do a plow run. Once the pto generator is connected and in place taking the tractor on and off is a quick job.
Overall, I like the pto option. It's quieter than my previous 7kw open frame Generac, and storing diesel is MUCH easier than storing gasoline. My diesel storage in the winter is 100 gallons, and varies in the summer between 55-100 gallons.
As far as maintenance, there's not a lot involved... Check gear case oil, replace every x hours (WinCo doesn't spec a replacement interval, but I'll likely change it at 100h or so if I ever get there), grease pto shaft. Occasional use (twice per year?) is recommended, but if there's no outage I don't do that. Any generator sitting unused can lose its residual magnetism, requiring flashing. I've never had to flash a generator, but it doesn't seem overly difficult,
The only time I don't like dedicating my tractor to a power outage is when the outage coincides with snow. I plow commercially (small scale) and need the tractor a minimum of 4 hours per plow run after a snow. I have a small inverter generator that I can run extension cords to power a few things for the bosses comfort if I need to do a plow run. Once the pto generator is connected and in place taking the tractor on and off is a quick job.
Overall, I like the pto option. It's quieter than my previous 7kw open frame Generac, and storing diesel is MUCH easier than storing gasoline. My diesel storage in the winter is 100 gallons, and varies in the summer between 55-100 gallons.
^^^^
Im also considering the Winco15K PTO generator. They claim you can store it by standing on end. That may very well resolve my storage issue and allow my to store the generator in a cool dry environment.
Prices appear to be competitive with other comparable options.
Mike
Im also considering the Winco15K PTO generator. They claim you can store it by standing on end. That may very well resolve my storage issue and allow my to store the generator in a cool dry environment.
Prices appear to be competitive with other comparable options.
Mike
Typically generators that produce more than 6% THD (total harmonic distortion) are "dirty". The inverters made by Winco, IMD, and others are brushless and produce <5% THD. Also, some like my IMD, have "Automatic Voltage Regulation" (AVR) do more to keep voltage stability, which lends itself to more sensitive electronics. This is beyond what a capacitance regulation scheme does. The inverters are much more closer to pure sine wave as well. Cheap generators produce a modified sine wave which can play havoc on electronics. Make sure you size correctly as motor starting loads draw more amps and can result in voltage drops. It's the main reason refrigerator motors are burned up with undersized products. As the voltage drops, current spikes and will burn through the windings. One nice feature of the AVR units is considerably more surge (motor starting) watts. My 10KW is rated at 20KW surge. That's much more than a standard capacitance regulation. It's every bit as clean as my big Kohler automatic 14KW whole house unit. Never a hint of an issue. When sizing for a home, ASSUME that every refrigerator, freezer, furnace, water pump, or whatever will at some interval all decide to start at the same time. There are good online calculators out there which can help. AVR gives you more latitude. Since you have a 3 point hitch, no need to go for less weight on the inverter armature. Heavier ones have more momentum and can also help deal with starting loads.