PTO Generator with B2650?

[VT_Kubota]

I am interested in purchasing a Winco W10 PTO-powered generator. I have a Kubota B2650 tractor. The PTO rating for my tractor is 19.5 HP. This is below the minimum Winco recommended rating of 20 PTO HP for the generator.

The generator is rated at 10,000 standby watts. My estimated maximum requirement is 5,000 - 6,000 watts so I would never be using the W10PTO at its full capacity. My previous gas-powered generator was 7,000 watts and it was more than adequate.

Has anyone here run a Winco W10 or similar generator with a B2650? What has your experience been with a PTO-powered generator?

 

[Hammarhead]

You will be fine using it.

 

[VT_Kubota]

You will be fine using it.

Thank you. I assumed that it would be adequate and I wanted to see if others had used a similar setup. I did email Winco but they were of no help whatsoever. Their response was to contact my local Winco dealer for that information.

 

[2650fan]

Often thought about a pto generator, but question always comes up do you want to tie your tractor up to run a generator?
Might want to be using it to do snow removal or clean up etc depending upon cause of power outage. Unless of course you have another tractor I ended up getting whole house generator, costs some $$ but now I barely know when power goes out

 

[VT_Kubota]

Often thought about a pto generator, but question always comes up do you want to tie your tractor up to run a generator?
Might want to be using it to do snow removal or clean up etc depending upon cause of power outage. Unless of course you have another tractor I ended up getting whole house generator, costs some $$ but now I barely know when power goes out

That is something important to consider. I also have wood heat, so if I needed to unhook the generator to plow snow for even a couple of hours, it wouldn't impact things too much. A whole house generator would be the ultimate solution, but unfortunately, that's not in the budget for me at this point.

 

[Flintknapper]

Given your load requirements......I can't see any issues with it.

Unless you have a lot of items that create excessive start up 'surge' (electric motors for instance) your tractor should handle it just fine.

Make sure you have a good 'heavy' cord and appropriate fixtures to feed/isolate the house/shop/other (transfer switch, etc).

 

[fried1765]

Thank you. I assumed that it would be adequate and I wanted to see if others had used a similar setup. I did email Winco but they were of no help whatsoever. Their response was to contact my local Winco dealer for that information.

Stupid response!
Manufacturer SHOULD know more about their equipment capabilities than any dealer.

 

[VT_Kubota]

Given your load requirements......I can't see any issues with it.

Unless you have a lot of items that create excessive start up 'surge' (electric motors for instance) your tractor should handle it just fine.

Tha

Given your load requirements......I can't see any issues with it.

Unless you have a lot of items that create excessive start up 'surge' (electric motors for instance) your tractor should handle it just fine.

Make sure you have a good 'heavy' cord and appropriate fixtures to feed/isolate the house/shop/other (transfer switch, etc).

Thank's a lot for the link to that video. It was a BIG help! I should have known that Neil would have the answer!

My biggest draw is the water pump in the well, so it looks like it will work with my B2650. I do have a cord from my old 7,000 watt generator to the house, so I would assume that would be heavy enough for the 10k Winco.

 

[VT_Kubota]

Stupid response!
Manufacturer SHOULD know more about their equipment capabilities than any dealer.

I wasn't happy, and that's exactly what I told them in my reply! They responded a second time with the following information: "Your tractor can run the 10PTO effectively you just won't get all 10kW out of it, you will get 9.75kW."

Much better. That's the response I expected from them in the first place!

 

[fried1765]

I wasn't happy, and that's exactly what I told them in my reply! They responded a second time with the following information: "Your tractor can run the 10PTO effectively you just won't get all 10kW out of it, you will get 9.75kW."

Much better. That's the response I expected in the first place!

That first response was likely what "Sally" read from her canned responses to customer inquiries book.

 

[Motion]

I prefer a properly sized stand along generator, as other have said the tractor may be needed for other tasks, to acheive 540 RPM's you'll be running your tractor between 2400/2800 RPM's, a good 4 pole generator runs at 1800 with the correct gonernor control, as opposed to adjusting your throttle and hope for no creep, all of your inductive loads can tolerate some variance, be reminded that a lot of residential A/C (newer have electronics), TV''s, stoves, microwaves, etc. can't (good luck with your insurance company with that). Whichever way you decide ensure that it's correctly wired and doesn't back feed into the grid and make provisions for fuel, I prefer diesel, with tractors and mowers running diesel, I always have fresh fuel. Check pricing and look at the spread, you can a pick a Kubota non enclosed, without a tank, 20 KW for about 16K, build a shed, hard wire and be done.

 

[VT_Kubota]

I prefer a properly sized stand along generator, as other have said the tractor may be needed for other tasks, to acheive 540 RPM's you'll be running your tractor between 2400/2800 RPM's, a good 4 pole generator runs at 1800 with the correct gonernor control, as opposed to adjusting your throttle and hope for no creep, all of your inductive loads can tolerate some variance, be reminded that a lot of residential A/C (newer have electronics), TV''s, stoves, microwaves, etc. can't (good luck with your insurance company with that). Whichever way you decide ensure that it's correctly wired and doesn't back feed into the grid and make provisions for fuel, I prefer diesel, with tractors and mowers running diesel, I always have fresh fuel. Check pricing and look at the spread, you can a pick a Kubota non enclosed, without a tank, 20 KW for about 16K, build a shed, hard wire and be done.

Thanks for that info. I'm still trying to weigh my options, so it's nice to have that input. So many choices!

 

[Motion]

I not endorsing anybody or anything but just to give you something to think about, what's out there. Again remember no mater what you get you still have to put it some where, and if you're like me the PTO generator will become buried until needed LOL.

M & L Engines|ML14IERD (mlengine.com)

 

[VT_Kubota]

I not endorsing anybody or anything but just to give you something to think about, what's out there. Again remember no mater what you get you still have to put it some where, and if you're like me the PTO generator will become buried until needed LOL.

M & L Engines|ML14IERD (mlengine.com)

I will have to rearrange things to make room for a PTO generator, and that won't be easy. Having enough space is always a problem. Years ago an old farmer told me, "I don't care if you build a storage building 100' long, you're going to fill it up". I think he was right about that!

 

[BAP]

I have a 12kw Baumalight that I run with my B2920 tractor. Runs it fine and does all our household needs. My father ran an old Winpower 12kw with his B7500. The tractor didn’t have enough power to get full output, but it worked fine for them. Their power goes out all the time and sometimes for a long time. Ours only goes out rarely. You should be fine running a 10kw with your tractor.
Things to consider before buying a PTO generator versus whole house is how much do you loose power? Do you already have a propane source or natural gas? Setting up whole house can get really expensive fast versus just a generator breaker in the breaker panel and an outlet on the side of the house if you rarely loose power. If you keep your eye out, you can find a used PTO generator for sale on Craigslist or the Facebook marketplace.

 

[VT_Kubota]

I have a 12kw Baumalight that I run with my B2920 tractor. Runs it fine and does all our household needs. My father ran an old Winpower 12kw with his B7500. The tractor didn’t have enough power to get full output, but it worked fine for them. Their power goes out all the time and sometimes for a long time. Ours only goes out rarely. You should be fine running a 10kw with your tractor.
Things to consider before buying a PTO generator versus whole house is how much do you loose power? Do you already have a propane source or natural gas? Setting up whole house can get really expensive fast versus just a generator breaker in the breaker panel and an outlet on the side of the house if you rarely loose power. If you keep your eye out, you can find a used PTO generator for sale on Craigslist or the Facebook marketplace.

I should be fine then because I don't need the full 10kw output to run my house. I did have a 7kw gas generator so I'm already set up to use a generator. That gas-powered generator ran everything I have just fine. Unfortunately, it only lasted a couple of years, despite being used just a handful of times. Hopefully, something like the Winco will be more durable.

 

[RBsingl]

Convenience became the decision point for me. I bought a gas portable large enough to start/run the deep well pump after an ice storm and power failure when my daughter was a few months old. I kept it well maintained and it served well over the years BUT getting up in the middle of a winter night to go out to the barn, start the generator, wheel it through the snow to the house, dump most of the load via shutting off breakers, and switching over to gen power was not my idea of fun. Coupled with that was the issue of a power failure during the winter when I was traveling was always a consideration.

So three years ago I installed a diesel powered standby generator system connected via an automatic transfer switch. Now if the power fails for more than 3 seconds, the generator starts and goes into a 4 minute warmup cycle before transferring the load to the generator. I can stay in the nice warm house and see the status lights on the transfer switch from my bedroom window and in a few minutes full power is restored for as long as needed. The generator is located in one side of the lower level of the barn which is built into the side of a hill keeping the generator and its fuel supply warmer in the winter and with the windows closed, unlike the gas generator, you can't hear it running. I use the 60 gallon generator tank as fuel storage for my tractor so that the fuel gets rotated; once a month the generator goes through a 30 minute exercise cycle under load.

I ended up installing a 40KW unit, 30KW would have sufficed but the 40KW unit was only slightly more and it came with a more efficient 3.3L Mitsubishi direct injection turbo-diesel with electronic fine control over its mechanical injection pump providing stable 60 hz output. Unlike the gas portable it replaced, the sine wave output of the generator is very clean.

I thought about the PTO generator route which would have been one less engine to maintain but I decided convenience was worth the cost and I am very happy I went that direction.

Rodger

 

[VT_Kubota]

Convenience became the decision point for me. I bought a gas portable large enough to start/run the deep well pump after an ice storm and power failure when my daughter was a few months old. I kept it well maintained and it served well over the years BUT getting up in the middle of a winter night to go out to the barn, start the generator, wheel it through the snow to the house, dump most of the load via shutting off breakers, and switching over to gen power was not my idea of fun. Coupled with that was the issue of a power failure during the winter when I was traveling was always a consideration.

So three years ago I installed a diesel powered standby generator system connected via an automatic transfer switch. Now if the power fails for more than 3 seconds, the generator starts and goes into a 4 minute warmup cycle before transferring the load to the generator. I can stay in the nice warm house and see the status lights on the transfer switch from my bedroom window and in a few minutes full power is restored for as long as needed. The generator is located in one side of the lower level of the barn which is built into the side of a hill keeping the generator and its fuel supply warmer in the winter and with the windows closed, unlike the gas generator, you can't hear it running. I use the 60 gallon generator tank as fuel storage for my tractor so that the fuel gets rotated; once a month the generator goes through a 30 minute exercise cycle under load.

I ended up installing a 40KW unit, 30KW would have sufficed but the 40KW unit was only slightly more and it came with a more efficient 3.3L Mitsubishi direct injection turbo-diesel with electronic fine control over its mechanical injection pump providing stable 60 hz output. Unlike the gas portable it replaced, the sine wave output of the generator is very clean.

I thought about the PTO generator route which would have been one less engine to maintain but I decided convenience was worth the cost and I am very happy I went that direction.

Rodger View attachment 87762

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That's an awesome setup! I'm sure you really appreciate the convenience of having it take care of everything without you going out in the cold and snow. Ideally, I would like something like that too. Unfortunately, I have limited room so I would need to also build a place to install it, and that's not really feasible for me right now. Thanks for sharing the photos. I like it a lot!

 

[RBsingl]

That's an awesome setup! I'm sure you really appreciate the convenience of having it take care of everything without you going out in the cold and snow. Ideally, I would like something like that too. Unfortunately, I have limited room so I would need to also build a place to install it, and that's not really feasible for me right now. Thanks for sharing the photos. I like it a lot!

Thanks! The only annoying part of the install was digging the trench across a well packed gravel drive to run the feed/control cables from the barn mounted generator to the transfer switch/main power distribution point on the other side of the driveway. The total run underground was about 50 feet so it didn't seem worth renting a trencher given the hassle of driving 30 miles each way to rent/return it but I started to question the wisdom of that about halfway across the driveway. I used the loader to scrape through the top layer of gravel but it was still a bit of tough digging to bury the PVC conduit for the 4/0 triplex.

Something to consider is an enclosed portable diesel generator. When I was shopping for a generator, I considered those including some pretty low hour Isuzu powered units in the 30KW range. Since I had the perfect barn space available, using it made more sense for me but one of the enclosed units (either new or used mobile mount) might be a good fit for you. One of the reasons I bought when I did was at that time standby generators without DPF/DEF still met Tier IV but I think it is now required for them which is another reason to consider used. My 2018 GMC 2500HD pickup is DPF/DEF equipped and so far it has been fine but largely because it sees mostly long trip highway use where the DPF quickly gets to and stays at proper operating temperature and when it starts a regen it can complete it in one cycle. DPF operation with equipment can create a lot of issues depending upon operating conditions/cycle and I prefer to avoid it when possible, one reason the Kubota front mower that has been on order since June is the F2690 model which comes in just below the HP cutoff requiring a DPF.

Rodger

 

[Hammarhead]

The PTO units are nice and work well for many applications, but for residential back up power I much prefer a stand-alone unit. The stand alone is less hassle to connect and use in bad weather (which is generally when I have a power outage), quieter to run than the tractor at PTO speed and safer to leave running unattended while you are in the house (No PTO concerns).

I own a 20 kW PTO unit that I purchased from a retiring dairy farmer 25 years ago which I used as my backup power source for requirements similar to yours (Well pump, wood heat, electric stove, electric dryer and hot water tank). It has worked well and had no issue powering my house. The big drawback for us was the setup which my wife refused to do if I wasn't around. A couple years ago I picked up a portable 9-kW unit on sale. The 9-kW unit is pretty much all I use anymore as it far more convenient for me to setup and run and I am able to talk my wife through setup if I'm not at home. I just need to regulate high current item use when using it, so we are not taking a shower, baking a cake and drying clothes all at the same time.