From: clewis@nortelnetworks.com (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house rec.autos.tech alt.home.repair sci.electronics.basics
Subject: Re: Use the car as a temporary generator during black out ?
Date: 19 Feb 2004 14:39:41 GMT
Originator: clewis@nortelnetworks.com (Chris Lewis)

According to Ed Stasiak :
> > Tony P.  wrote

> > Other option is a truck with a PTO hooked to a generator.
> > But even that isn't cost efficient.
 
> How difficult/expensive would it be convert an old yard tractor
> (10hp) into a mobile generator for use in case of blackouts and
> where would one find the necessary components?

You'd need a speed governor and a generator.  I was researching this
some years ago because I thought of doing exactly that.

I found that Northern Hydraulics (now just "Northern") and
Princess Auto (more or less the Canadian equivalent of Northern) were
selling brand new "bare" (motorless) 3500 and 5000W generator units for
somewhere in the neighborhood of $200-$400.

[I've seen Princess selling "surplus" 20Kw motor-less generators for
~$800CDN.  Drool drool ;-)]

The problem is finding a speed governor that detects the output
frequency of the generator and can adjust the tractor's throttle to
keep the frequency reasonably and consistently close to 60Hz under
wildly varying load.  These are usually custom units built into
motor-generator units ("gensets").

Even Northern, who also sold gensets they assembled themselves (from
the generators and motors they also sold) didn't sell the governors
separately.

While yard tractors usually do have a governor already (my 12HP Cub Cadet
certainly does), I don't think they're anywhere near fast or accurate
enough to reliably use in a generator/tractor combo.  The one on my
tractor certainly doesn't seem "quick" enough.  This presupposes as well
that you get the speed set right in the first place for the governor to
govern.

If you _did_ manage to find the generator/governor units, then the problem
becomes mounting it on the tractor.  I had that all figured out for mine -
it would have involved producing a customized version of the snowblower
mount and adding belt drive to link the generator to the accessory clutch
pulley (3/16" or 1/4" steel and some welding).  The generator would have
stuck out in front of the tractor almost between the front wheels.  But
very easy to mount/dismount.

[The manual for the tractor did say a rear PTO was available for it just
like the big ones on full size tractors, but the local Case-IH dealership
just laughed at the notion that something like that had ever existed.]
-- 
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.