Crazy generator idea, or maybe not?

[Grimmster]

It doesn’t seem like there is an amazing value generator wise when considering price, noise, fuel consumption, output etc.

I think there are plenty of good values out there.

I'm all for DIY but I have no illusion that I would be able to piece together something that would out perform commercial offerings. And how much is your time worth?

 

[Surferdudemi]

I've seen mixed comments about the Kubota Lowboys on the DC Solar trailers. Several people in a FB group said that the coils and brushes wore out or went bad, and parts are over $2K. Others have been running them no problem. No word as to whether or not Kubota will warranty them.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

I see power heads on PTOs for tractors. I assume there is a 2x gear advance on them to swing the power head.


The issue you're going to run into is that you need 3600 rpm for direct drive applications - Pretty sure the Honda's are making fractional power at that point. You'll also need to govern the power to keep it at 3600 rpm.

You only need 3600 rpm’s for a 2 pole generator.
1800 RPMs for a 4 pole. Old Detroit’s ran at 1200 with a 6 pole but were 3 phase.

 

[Crowz]

I had toyed around with different generators in the past and even did the belt drive bit kind of..

I only wanted dc at the time to keep the battery bank up or to feed the inverter and I had a riding mower that the deck had rusted out on so I figured I could use that.

I mounted 24 volt alternators like buses use onto metal bars off the frame close to where the engines shaft came thru. Then I ran the belts off the drive pulley from the engine to the pulley on each alternator. Worked pretty good.

I still prefer the 12k generator I bought off amazon though if I need backup power especially since I have it setup to run off natural gas. Having a fuel that never runs out is the ultimate backup method to me personally.

If I went along the lines of this thread and was starting from scratch I'd find one of the natural gas modded car or truck and drive it off of that with it being fed from the houses natural gas hookup.