Other things in that range that come to mind are ~350ft yachts and in some situations jumbo jets.
Yeah, I’m sure that it’s easy enough to cobble one together, but it’s the “Easy” mode of an OEM designed solution for multiple uses that would really appeal to me. I’m OK with just having separate units at that much work.
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When you own that size tractor, you don’t really have that many neighbors. Heck, my parents have a 30 HP tractor that might be a good fit for a 15 KW head, and they don’t have any neighbors in reach. And dad doesn’t see much merit in tying up the tractor for power generation compared to just having a separate generator.
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Think I talked Dad into a ~3kW generator (didn’t even need to talk him into a Honda) and a professionally-installed transfer switch. Suspect he (or likely I) will build some sort of secure doghouse for it to live in.
Pondering a similar setup at my place - WFH is the new reality for now and my yardwork operations have cleared out a decent spot for it to live.
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My two tractors’ PTO’s are happiest at 540 RPM. This device expects 1,000 RPM at the PTO.
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Don’t know much about tractors, but that unit seems sized for tractors with air conditioning and multiple touchscreens in the cab (330+hp).
They sell smaller units between 10-50kW that take a 540rpm input.
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What, you mean my little 35 PTO HP tractor won’t run it? Darn!
(Yeah, I’m not really serious - the generator costs more than my smaller tractor did.)
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FWIW, they do make a $2,000 15 KW generator which my tractor probably could run (expects 30 PTO HP)
With the folks leaning towards a 3kW unit (as am I), how to address care and feeding when idle? >200lbs seems to be the curb weight for these things which is a bit much to be lugging around off pavement - especially for my folks.
I’m imagining some sort of doghouse for the unit to live in:
- Secure and obfuscate the unit when not in use
- Keep the unit out of the weather
- Adequate airflow when in use
- Not obstruct the backup ropestarter
- Convenient to the likely wall penetration for wires going to the transfer switch / convenience AC power to a battery maintainer for the generator
Obviously the doghouse needs to provide for in/out and ideally allow for easy maintenance in place.
Does this idea make sense?
Proposed general site for a “doghouse” on my property - the otherwise dumb “bump-in” on my house’s perimeter with but a short run to an existing disused penetration that enters the garage within a few feet of the electrical panel. Rubble is from a mailbox that I demolished last year and have been slowly disposing of.
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My dad put one of these in 50 years ago, before it was popular. In a Chicago suburb with underground wiring to the house, he got tired of the power failures. I was too little to be able to contribute much in the way of specs, but he housed the generator in the garage, and drilled through the brick to 1) Vent the generator outside ( i remember the little muffler, it got hot!) 2) Access a car battery inside the basement, where it was warm, but supplied starting power. He found an Airforce surplus switchover, which as I recall, automatically started the generator, blocked ConEd power from feeding back, and turned generator off 10 minutes after ConEd restored, at which point it would permit ConEd to resume powering the house. The generator was the size of the the Honda 3000, and this setup worked, without active intervention, for over 30 years. We took it out about 10 years ago - he’d been dead about 15 years by then. It ran our house and neighbors freezer.
I remember it scared the hell out of the ConEd repair guys.
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I love hearing these stories.
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About 100 HP is the cutover from 540 RPM to 1000 RPM PTO. As noted previously, that generator head is sized for a 300 HP tractor. You look at the other units, and find the 15KW unit suitable for 30HP, and it is 540 RPM.
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Oil changes are a thing, so be sure to note where those service points are…and incorporate into The Plan ™ not only that they’re pointing somewhere useful, but that a human body of expected dexterity can use them (often conflicts with making other useful features, like pull cord, readily available).
I’m unclear how you’re using the doghouse phrase, so many possibilities, but in my head, it’s Chevy Van-style, and, like said icon, making the “doghouse” completely, easily* removable for maintenance might be a good idea. Also, again, for what my envisioning of your plan is, using an honest-to-god doghouse, like Snoopy’s or maybe the commercially available Dogloo, would be brilliant!
*easily is massively relative. On vans, “easily removed dog houses” are slightly easier than engine R&R, but much harder than, say, opening the door.
I might be misremembering, but I’ve heard the term doghouse applied to equipment housings - often for things that are installed outdoors.
But yeah, it’s going to be more involved than a rigid cover for the generator (as opposed to the simple drape covers everyone seems to make). I’m trying to envision how it will manage the various demands - shelter/security while idle, same while in use with sufficient airflow, as well as allowing for in-place maintenance.
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You would be correct in your remembrance. Most enclosures or small building for equipment are very often referred to as Dog houses.
Just another slang term.
Like Peckerhead is another term for motor terminal box.
Prefaced with “I tend to know nada, so this thought is probably only worth what you are paying for it; which would be zip.“ end disclaimer.
That said, I picture something like the old-school swamp cooler housings of my distant youth. Wood Louvers, maybe 3-4” wide, installed at 45 degree angle slanting down so most wet weather is deterred from entering, but still allows for decent air movement.
I googled, and was unable to find any photos of one from the 1960’s.
But jalousie windows come close.
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I was thinking something similar to the Jalousie window or adjustable shutters, ala …
… only with a coarser pitch using something akin to fence pickets (pressure-treated lumber being my favorite color).
Or just make it incredibly simple:
… just anchored to the ground vis-a-vis some piles to discourage anything from walking off. Maybe some heavy-duty drawer slides for maintenance.
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I would like to chime in on this with perhaps a different angle.
I went full time RV 3 years ago and needed a similar power generator. All of my advice comes from actually having to live with the thing day in and out…
I am happy to answer any and all questions as best I can because this question is rough to figure out.
First read this… They are a good source for info…
Here is some of what I found.
First of all your best source for equipment is to look up equipment for boats. They often have shore power but still have to switch over to internal.
For a low noise generator I purchased one that was just a bit noisier and saved hundreds. Under actual use it is fine at 20ft. It could run on propane but honestly I would just get gasoline and fuel stabalizer. You will burn through about 1/2 gal an hour on max and if you are running a home fridge and more you will need to run it on max. It is also easy to wheel around and change the oil. Basically just roll it on its side every 100 hours or so.
(mine does not have the remote start but is otherwise identical)
Now you mentioned an automatic transfer switch. You can get a fairly inexpensive one like this… It just sets 1 power source as primary and ignores the secondary until the primary is not supplying power…
www.amazon. com/dp/B001535826/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_GLCTEbW612PX9
You do NOT have to have a battery array for the kind of need you are talking about. In fact, it massively increases the complexity and cost… If you add in batteries you need at a minimum, switches, fuses, batteries, cables, battery box, pure sine inverter, battery charger, plus maintenance of all the above. If you don’t have a long term need I would not bother… I did so I signed up for it all…
I started with a pair of $100 100 amp 6v deep cycle wet cell (like a car) from the local battery shop. You DO want 6v cells as they just live longer. If you ask about golf cart batteries you will get the right thing… However I quickly learned that wet cells are a pain to keep… So I eventually upgraded to 4 yes 4 230am 6v Lifeline AGM batteries at $300 each. Worth every penny for all the advantages.
I also installed 4 100 watt solar panels from Renogy solar (purchased from amazon).
www.amazon. com/dp/B07Q64ZKWK/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_4OCTEb3T8VP2A
So to summarize my brief. Just go with a generator for now. Then add in things which make it easier later if you want to. Buy a generator and GOOD extension cords… You want the 10-12 gauge cords, expect to pay a good bit more than you expect… Time to hunt sales…
best of luck
Sean Ellwood
[email protected]
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If somebody really wants it then it would take them 20 seconds to cut it up with a saw or cut a chain. The real security is it being in your backyard where nobody can see it passing by.
My use case is truly backup power : home office (workstation, room AC, comms), interior/exterior lights, low-power kitchen circuit. I have no illusions of being able to run my entire house.
Since it’s going to live outside in a doghouse I just need it not to be a racket that my neighbors will complain about and also not attract attention from the street. Usage will be sufficiently infrequent that stabilized gasoline is all I’ll need.
No, I expect to use a manual transfer switch. Critical home office loads are on UPSs - a few minutes to start the generator and throw the transfer switch are acceptable.
I have moved away from this approach since my power needs are beyond “big UPS” territory. Pretty much any reasonable 3kW generator will give me about an entire workday of uptime on a tank of gas.
Plan is to build a doghouse for it anyway so it’s always out of the way yet ready - might as well put a lock on it since building it sturdy was already in the cards.
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