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What is a good PTO powered generator? 27kw or higher...

S

Steven f/AZ

Well-known Member
My parents up in ND are currently victims of an unreal ice storm that has taken out power for hundreds and hundreds of miles.

Dad is currently running a 27,000 watt continuous duty generator with his IH 1086 (about 140 horsepower). Been running for almost 100 hours straight now and they say it could be up to two weeks before power is restored. We are confident that what we have will hold up, but what about next time? And the wear and tear of two solid weeks generating power for the entire farm and cattle operation will take its toll on the generator. It is a 540 PTO.

So, he plans on ordering a new one. I'm looking for experience with 27,000 watt or higher continuous duty PTO powered generators. What brand? How is the parts and service? How many hours have you used it with or without trouble?

Thanks in advance!
 
We've had storms like that too.They can be checked out.Mostly what they do is replace the bearings,springs and brushes.If the armature isn't burnt up,that's just about all that usually goes wrong with them.A few hundred dollars to the right electrition goes a long long way.If you really do need a new one though,winco seems to be the gold standard in these parts,winpower and baumalite are good brands too.As far as hp goes,it only takes 2 hp per kw,so a 60 hp tractor can easily run a 27kw generator,saves alot of fuel if you have one around compared to the 140.You may need to change the oil every 4 or 5 days in your tractor if you are running it 24/7 till the lights are on.Also,keep the shaft well greased and change the oil in the gear case on the generator too.
 
Yep, I told Dad to change the gear case oil after a few days.

We are actually running it off the 1000 shaft with a 540 adapter. Tractor is running around 1200 RPM or so. Works really well and saves fuel. The 1086 is the smallest reliable tractor we have on the farm, next step down is the 544 gas with only 50 hp and it's not reliable enough to be left unattended. We figure 150 to 175 hours run time on the tractor at this rate should be fine, but of course if the oil looks bad or it starts burning more than usual he will change it out.

Thanks for the advice!
 
It is a good thing you are running the 1086 at a lower RPM running the 540 PTO generator on the 1000 PTO shaft. The generator only needs about 54 HP for full output. If you were running it on the 1086 on a 540 shaft running the tractor engine at 540 speed you can over HP the generator and inadvertently pulling surge power from the generator burning it out. This happened to a friend of mine during an ice storm cause power outage here. They were running a 30 KW generator on a 100 HP tractor. It burnt out because they could load it higher with the higher HP tractor than what the generator was designed for. TO me if you have a 100 PTO HP tractor you need a 60 KW generator. If you have a 120 PTO HP tractor you need a 80 KW generator which I do not think is available. IN simple terms you want more generator than you have tractor.

Kent
 
Phillip, did Winpower get rid of the Winco name or? Is Winpower still in existence? I Googled Winpower and all I got was wind generator sites. The Winco name comes from LeCenter Minn. now.


The old generator I'm looking for parts for has a name tag that has the Winco name on it, but it also says Winpower, Sioux City, Iowa.Jim
 
A very well respected electrical rebuilder told me one of these old pto generators will never need anything more than a set of brushes someday. Just have someone qualified take a look at it when he is done using it.
bill
 
(quoted from post at 17:55:29 01/24/10) A very well respected electrical rebuilder told me one of these old pto generators will never need anything more than a set of brushes someday. Just have someone qualified take a look at it when he is done using it.
bill
Click to expand...

Thanks, I will let Dad know that. It's just a matter of finding someone locally who is qualified... He doesn't plan on getting rid of this one, basically wants to buy a new one for the chance that this one might go out. Power doesn't go out in the summer when you don't really need it - always goes out during the worst cold weather you could imagine, currently blizzard conditions up there!
 
I just Googled Winpower again and found out Winco and Winpower are still the same and alive and well, the company merely moved out of Sioux City (sigh). Jim
 
Yep, been there and done that. Last winter it was -12F when the power went out one night. With the right motivation it doesnt take long to get the tractor and gen set hooked up and working!
bill
 
I was told Winco and Winpower are two different things. One is a generator, one is an alternator. ???
Also was told some new generators are now brushless. ???
And was told you want something with inverter technology to protect your appliances.
Newer appliances have computer boards that cost $400 to replace if you burn one out with a power spike. ???
Don't know anything about electricity so I use a lot of ????? and respond with "so?" a lot.
 
As long as the unit is not overloaded or full of mouse dirt. It's good for thousands of hours of continuous duty.
Just keep a quality oil in the gearbox and the alternator cool and dry.
Sleep well without worrying about the generator. It will outlast the tractor.
 
A generator that turns at 1800 rpm rather than 3600 rpm. I don't know if any over 25KW turn at 3600 rpm though. Dave
 
I am a generator tech and I agree with buickanddeere. As long as it is dry and has plenty of airflow and is not overloaded. You will have nothing to worry about. I have seen some with over ten thousand hours on them. Still running fine. When he does go to buy another one. Let me know and I can give you a list of good ones to check out.
 
Tugboats, fishing vessels, etc. run (mostly 1200/1800 RPM) around the clock for years. Those operators expect in excess of 10,000 hours from those sets. Usually, the generator/alternator outlasts the engine. Your 540 RPM generator is turning much slower. Assuming it's a quality generator (not an elcheapo), it will probably be good for many thousands of hours. Just don't overload it, insure adequate ventilation and follow the owner's manual instructions on maintainance. It'll probably outlast the tractor.
 
Kentb,
I'm by no means an expert on generators. BuickandDeere & Billy Shafer, among others, are the experts. However, in my opinion, the reason the PTO generator that you mentioned, burnt out was not because of the high horsepower of the tractor, but because of improper operation. As long as the PTO is turning at 540 RPMs, the generator cannot "sense" the HP of the tractor, whether it be 50 HP or 500 HP. But if the RPMs are set too high, or the generator is overloaded, then a problem can arise. If the load exceeds the designed capacity of the generator, the voltage will begin to drop, and if the operator pushed the throttle up to bring the voltage back up, the overload will cause excessive heating and burn out the generator. You are right in that the excessive HP creates the potential to cause problems if misused. The RPM setting, within a given range, is very important for the life of the generator. Most modern tractors have a PTO setting indicated on the tach, as far as I know. Just my opinion, and I could very well be wrong.
 
Is the Winco/ Winpower the same company that built generators in
Newton Iowa? We have a Newton built generator and the factory is
long gone,and I would like to find a parts supply.
Thanks
 
The gen is run by a 540 PTO shaft, but the gearbox ramps it up to probably 3600 rpm, there is a pretty big step-up to it. It might be 1800 rpm, but I'm not sure...

Dad is set on getting a new one "just in case." Survival without a generator when it is -20 and blizzarding might get sketchy...
 
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