PTO Generator

dhermesc · Nov 14, 2017

I'm looking at an old Winco PTO generator - 18KW. Being sold on consignment but I talked to the former owner and they claimed it worked good the last time they used it - about 4 years ago. What goes bad with these and how can you test them to ensure they work (some where near their capacity before the lights go out?

hydro70guy · Nov 14, 2017

We had had one since i was a kid, dad bought it over 40 years ago. Only once needed fuses replaced and extra set was in fuse box its a pto type that gets used maybe once every other year but always does the job. You could fire it up if allowed and put a load on it. If not I would not be afraid of one anyway.

Joe

coshoo · Nov 14, 2017

You'll need to get a crossover switch set up on your service panel, and once that is done, you can act like the power is out by switching to the Winco, and test it out.

Mike M · Nov 14, 2017

I'd at least see if you can turn it on and plug in an electric heater and a light see to if it works at all.

kcm.MN · Nov 14, 2017

If you know the make and model of the generator, look up what it would cost to buy the same or similar generator new with warranty. I ran across one at an auction not long ago that was most certainly going to be mine! But then I looked it up online and found that they were selling for less than what I expected the used one to sell for. Both were Winco units. The one at auction looked like it hadn't been taken very good care of. So whether it worked or not became irrelevant to me when I found out how inexpensive a brand new PTO generator was. IIRC, they were 15Kw units.

jeffcat · Nov 14, 2017

As another said. Bring some power tools and heater and a good meter with the frequency readout. If the unit will not charge just plug in a good old fasion power drill with brushes in it. Pull the trigger and turn the chuck by hand. It will repolarize the generator and away she should go. The Hz meter reading will tell you where your throttle will need to be to get " line voltage". The frequency is the most important thing. The voltage can be plus or minus up and down but you must have 60hz. There is nothing as good as knowing you have your own power plant parked in the shed!!!!

JMS/.MN · Nov 14, 2017

Winco has one of the best reputations regarding pto generators. I bought a new 25/45 kw in 1975...never had a repair on it. Hasn"t been run in years, but I"m sure it would juice up right now. I had the transfer switch installed on the main power pole, but also used it as a portable around the yard, to run hand tools.

JDEM · Nov 14, 2017

I have seen a few that had the windings blow apart from running too fast (excess centrifugal force). Also bad regulators on some old ones. My 15 KW sometimes won't make any power when I first use it after storing for a year or so. Then all of a sudden, something clicks in and then it works fine. There are new generic regulators available to fix them.

oldproudvet · Nov 14, 2017

I would not be afraid of it. I've 12KW Winco bought used back in the early 80s after a tornado, followed by an ice storm took every pole in the county, it was weeks getting power back. Best investment I ever made. I purposely use my stick welder on it at least once a year. I built a small trailer that holds the generator, my welder and a 5 hp 220 air compressor. Nice little work unit, easy to move around the place. I use a digital VOM in the house to set the rpm when we have to use the thing. Just plug the meter into an outlet and read the voltage. The meter on the unit is fine, but by the time you run it through the transfer switch and into the buildings, you'll have voltage drop. My power comes in underground, fairly close to old granary with a lean to. Years ago we burned up a tractor during a winter storm, while running the generator it iced up the cowl/radiator and cooked. I've a cord from the transfer switch, I can park the tractor in the lean to, and I've a stove pipe up threw the roof I can lower over the tractor exhaust. Works slick..................

dhermesc · Nov 14, 2017

This is an online auction - no chance to actually test it before buying. I was wondering about a good "load" test after I bought it before I sell the 6.5KW that I've had sitting in the garage for years.

The power pole is set with a switch to go from power line to generator - but no cord. If I get this bought I will correct that shortly.

kevinthefixer · Nov 14, 2017

I agree with Oldproudvet EXCEPT that you should not set generator speed with a voltmeter! Use a frequncy meter and if you can set 60 hz under load. Your tractor's governor was not really designed to be stable enough for a generator but should do in a pinch. And if there's no pinch, what do you need a generator for?

JDEM · Nov 15, 2017

My old Generac has a volt-meter and that is how PTO speed is determined. Having a perfect 60 Hertz Cycles means little to me.
If the Hertz is off, and I am using my record player from the 1950s - I might notice. Or an old clock. That said - I do have
a Canadian 50 cycle record player.

NOT that I recommending this but . . One day we were running our house on my IH tractor and PTO generator. My son revved
the engine up. Lights in the house got very bright. I ran outside and looked at the voltmeter. It was at almost 140 volts. I
turned it back down, but everything in the house was fine. TV had been on, along with a desktop computer.

61-4010 · Nov 15, 2017

Bought my 12kW Winco generator almost 15 years ago and LOVE IT! You'll need 2HP for every kW so 36 horses for this unit. I have my panel wired that allows me to feed the whole house panel SAFELY using an Interlock Kit. This way I don't have to play "breaker jockey" --- just need to be mindful of what I'm using inside since we're 100% electric.

BarnyardEngineering · Nov 16, 2017

Generators have a residual charge that can sometimes dissipate if left to sit for a long time. That is what the brushed drill trick described above addresses. The drill is acting as a generator and putting that residual charge back into the generator.

I bought a winpower 6/10 several years ago for $100, and the drill trick did not work. I ended up taking it to an electrical shop where they determined that it must have a burned/broken winding. Ended up scrapping it.

buickanddeere · Nov 16, 2017

(quoted from post at 09:01:13 11/15/17) My old Generac has a volt-meter and that is how PTO speed is determined. Having a perfect 60 Hertz Cycles means little to me.
If the Hertz is off, and I am using my record player from the 1950s - I might notice. Or an old clock. That said - I do have
a Canadian 50 cycle record player. .

More likely to be a European record player at 50hz and a 1950’s vintage record player if 25Hz.

JDEM · Nov 17, 2017

Nope. Made,or at least sold in Canada. 50 HZ. Combo radio and record player. I use it often, here on 60 HZ. Makes no
difference with the radio. Even has a Canadian government warning on it - saying it is illegal to listen to the radio without
permission from the Canadian government. Viking brand model 49-82. Manual says it was available in 50 cycle, 60 cycle, and
25 cycle. Mine is 50 cycle.

John B. · Nov 17, 2017

My little 10hp stopped generating once. I plugged my drill in to it, started the generator, pulled the trigger on my drill then turned the drill chuck by hand and generator starting working again. The drill produces a small amount of current that will excite the generator and gets current flowing again. I had a portable welder loose its residual magnetism and it wouldn't weld. All I got at the rod was a small spark. So I clamped the two welding leads together and revved up the welder by hand and all of a sudden the engine loaded up. Welder was ready to go. What small current was flowing thru the leads at this time was enough to flash or excite the fields & armature that it started working. A friend of ours saw a 5hp generator sitting out by his neighbor's garbage cans. Went and talked with the owner and he said the generator ran but didn't generate. I told my friend about the drill procedure and it worked for him.

buickanddeere · Nov 18, 2017

I don’t know what to say .the Ontario Electric Power Commission of Ontario , Ontario Hydro and Ontario Power Generation only ever generated 25 and 60 Hz according to the archives. Quebec is an odd place for certain but the utility power there was only 60Hz .
In both provinces there small privately or corporate owned generators at mines or lumber mills with 25,40,50,60Hz. Doubt if the 16-2/3 Hz and 133-2/3 Hz was used .
Southern California was 50Hz until after WWII.
The British dropped the AM and FM license fees in 1971. They are still miserable and charge $174USD annually for a license to watch TV.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/eaton_co_viking_49_82.html

buickanddeere · Nov 18, 2017

I just asked Father and he recalls there was a license to pay in 1934 or 1935 or so to listen to their first AM radio .
Radio listening licensing started in 1929.
The local station started out in 1926 at Doc Cruickshank’s radio repair shop and they called it JOKE. Locals would line up to sing, play ,perform skits and poetry music , mostly unscripted.
In 1930 Doc applied for a license and broadcast as 10BP. In 1935 CKNX came to be on AM 1200 and later AM920.
My Maternal Grandfather and two buddies composed ,performed and recorded the Circle Eight Barn Dance theme song . Can’t get that d@mmed tune out of my head . Had to listen to it twice a week for years as a kid .

kevinthefixer · Nov 19, 2017

This is what I use to set up gensets:

Wally World had it on closeout, I maybe paid $20 or so. Set up the frequency, then tweak the regulator if necessary. I've never had to mess with a newer solid-state regulator, they either work or no.

vsteel · Nov 24, 2017

A good load to use if you want something cheap is get an old electric oven. You can find them on craigslist for almost nothing, can pull a heavy load with load adjustment depending on how many burners/oven elements you turn on and helps if you need to bake something in the heat of the summer by having it outside so you don't run your AC as hard.

I recently got a good deal on a Voltmaster PTO 15/12 generator on craigslist. While it ran great the volt meter is hard to see from the tractor seat and while I could have marked the gauge so I could just rev the tractor until the needle is in the green I thought I would try and add a better option.

I ordered a volt - current - watts - frequency digital meter. I ordered a

ACM2-4-AC1-R-F-C Murata Power Solutions Inc.
https://www.digikey.com/product-det...ons-inc/ACM20-4-AC1-R-F-C/811-2703-ND/2331600

This meter is self powered and it can read up to 100 amps.

I got it installed and it works great. If you want to see my full writeup on it with all of the pictures it can be found at:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...-generator-volt-meter-upgrade.html?highlight=

PTO Generator

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