10 kW generator replaces mower deck

[ewdudley]

Seems like a good idea. Drop motor deck and use mower pulley to drive generator. Mower governor regulates speed.

$1300 from what I can tell. Nice simple idea, wouldn't take a lot of fabrication to build your own.


http://housepowergenerator.com/

 

[Hass]

I think it's pretty warm there.
Or that guy was really nervous.

I was pretty interested, then I noticed that guys back and butt, then just laughed the rest of the video

 

[JustWood]

Pretty good idea but my mower uses about 1 gallon/hour.
My gen will run about 4gal/hr.

 

[Hass]

Pretty good idea but my mower uses about 1 gallon/hour.
My gen will run about 4gal/hr.

yours is probably 1.5-2kw, this is 10kw.

It's like comparing towing capabilities of a Toyota Prius to a 80k GVW International truck saying the toyota gets better gas mileage.
Well of course it does... But does it tow as much?

 

[JustWood]

Pretty good idea but my mower uses about 1 gallon/hour.
My gen will run about 4gal/hr.

yours is probably 1.5-2kw, this is 10kw.

It's like comparing towing capabilities of a Toyota Prius to a 80k GVW International truck saying the toyota gets better gas mileage.
Well of course it does... But does it tow as much?

Gen is 7.5 K

 

[Bad Wolf]

Did you really mean 4 gallons per hour? That sounds like a lot.
My 7550watt generator burns about 3/4 gal/hour
Other than that, $1300 sounds like a lot for just a power head and my tractor only holds a gallon or so.

 

[Hass]

Did you really mean 4 gallons per hour? That sounds like a lot.
My 7550watt generator burns about 3/4 gal/hour
Other than that, $1300 sounds like a lot for just a power head and my tractor only holds a gallon or so.

Nah he meant it the other way around, 4 hours per gallon (I hope!!)

What kind of generator is it inev? a usual rule of thumb is 10kw = 1hr/gal, 5kw 2hr/gal, 2.5kw 4hr/gal and so on.


I think the main selling point behind it is the mobility of it. If you've got to power something way back in the woods, you don't have to drag a generator out there. Just hook it up to your tractor or whatever you've got that has a pto and go at it... Then when you get there, there's no need to start up another engine to run since it's already going. Not a lot of practical uses for it I guess... But you never know. Considering it scales with mower RPMs, you can turn it way down low and run it for a good long time. Some generators are either all or nothing even if you're not using it. With this you can throttle it back to save gas.
I'd still rather have a small Honda generator for what I do instead.

 

[JustWood]

Did you really mean 4 gallons per hour? That sounds like a lot.
My 7550watt generator burns about 3/4 gal/hour
Other than that, $1300 sounds like a lot for just a power head and my tractor only holds a gallon or so.

Whoops,,,, ya , I meant a gallon every 4 hours.

 

[MasterMech]

I agree that fuel economy is an issue. Most tractors and ZTR's have a whole lotta engine compared to what's needed on a 10K/8.5K Genset and only carry fuel to run those engines @ load for a couple hours.

Unit isn't really portable, could be much more useful if it moved around with the tractor. Anybody remember the John Deere GT235E?

Belt Driving the gen. head reduces harmonic distortion from the engine.... I like that idea.

Cost is totally out of line. What are we saving here?

Hass, you can't throttle down while using power. That changes generator RPM's and the Hz of your power output. That said, not all mowers run at exactly the same RPM either so the engine would have to be re-adjusted to produce 3600 RPM at the generator's armature.

Set it up so that big o'le tractor engine turns at 1850rpm, to reduce fuel consumption/noise. Make it attach to the tractor in a way that I can drive it around. You might sell a few then.

 

[heat seeker]

It might be an inverter generator, which might explain the cost. That type of generator is not sensitive to engine speed, since the electronics control the Hz. You'd still probably have the run the engine at max governed RPM to allow for an increase in the load. If you knew the load would be light, you could throttle back and save gas.
It's a good idea that isn't going to work out, IMO.

 

[Flatbedford]

Here's a link to a similar older version.
http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=110928

 

[Retired Guy]

Looks to me as it is a medium size inverter mounted on the top of a DC generator, perhaps an alternator. 10KW would need at least 12-15 HP probably more, taking into consideration the losses in the belt drive. I had always thought that harmonic distortion came from the design of the generator, not the drive method.

 

[Hass]

Hass, you can't throttle down while using power. That changes generator RPM's and the Hz of your power output. That said, not all mowers run at exactly the same RPM either so the engine would have to be re-adjusted to produce 3600 RPM at the generator's armature.

I think in the video it said your throttle speed will relate to power output and was adjustable. Or it was on their site.

 

[MasterMech]

Hass, you can't throttle down while using power. That changes generator RPM's and the Hz of your power output. That said, not all mowers run at exactly the same RPM either so the engine would have to be re-adjusted to produce 3600 RPM at the generator's armature.

I think in the video it said your throttle speed will relate to power output and was adjustable. Or it was on their site.

The site says power output is drops with engines under 18 hp.

In order to achieve the 60Hz AC power we use here in North America, the alternator must be turning at 3600rpm or some are wound to be run at 1800rpm. (That's common on very large gensets that output 3-phase power or on gensets that must run quiet, like RV units.) The only other way that I know of is to run a true DC generator and convert the power to AC with an inverter. I believe that's what is going on inside the little Honda EU2000i generators everybody loves. That type of unit will maintain 60Hz regardless of generator speed but available output (watts/amps) will adjust with rpm. I doubt very much that whatever is on top of the unit is an inverter capable of 10,000 watt output.

The whole product misses the mark by using a big, thirsty power-plant to run a relatively small generator. It weighs 150lbs, and must be setup underneath the tractor for each use. That setup means removing the mower deck from your machine, something that may or may not be easy to do. Manhandling a mower deck and then positioning the generator isn't going to be much fun in poor weather conditions (can't do it in the garage either. Once the unit is hooked up the tractor is immobile.) and most certainly isn't something I'd expect my wife to be able to handle if I wasn't around. She has no problem hooking up a portable generator and flipping the transfer switch however. I love how they secure the unit and tension the belt. A cam-buckle tie-down pulled 180 degrees from the engine crankshaft position. Certainly works but I think a $1300 product should be better engineered.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200416449_200416449 - 10K/8K for $1300 bucks. Doesn't involve removing the deck from my mower.

 

[Hass]

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200416449_200416449 - 10K/8K for $1300 bucks. Doesn't involve removing the deck from my mower.

I hate B&S motors! They're so darned cheap. They always start on the first pull after sitting for months too.

 

[MasterMech]

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200416449_200416449 - 10K/8K for $1300 bucks. Doesn't involve removing the deck from my mower.

I hate B&S motors! They're so darned cheap. They always start on the first pull after sitting for months too.

I'm not their biggest fan either. They make some great engines but also a ton of not-so-great ones too. There are plenty of Honda-clone powered gensets out there for the same price tho.

 

[Pallet Pete]

1299.99 not a bad price but I will just stick with my 9500W Champion that was 799 works good.

Pete