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Generators and Fuel Flow

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Jeff
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1999-08-28          7402

How many gallons per hour would a compact tractor use when running a generator?Another web site mentioned that a 155 hp diesel tractor uses 10.45 gallons perhour at full load. So if a generator needs 15.5 horsepower, maybe a compact tractor would burn 1.045 gallons per hour? For that matter, how many gallons per hour does it take to keep a PTO spinning at 540 RPM with -no- load? By the way, do most compact tractors have governers that would keep the generator speed fairly constant as the load changes?

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Generators and Fuel Flow

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Nuclear_Weapon7
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1999-08-28          7427

Massey Ferguson MF240 (a 50 engine HP tractor, i dont know its PTO HP but can guess that its about 40) uses about 2 to 2.5 liters per hour at idle and about 3 to 3.5 liters per hour at maximum load. I guess that runnung a generator on PTO would consume less than 3 liters per hour.Nuclear_Weapon7.Nuclear_Weapon7@Hotmail.com.Hyderabad,Sindh,PAKISTAN. ....

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Generators and Fuel Flow

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Roger L.
Join Date: Jun 1999
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1999-08-29          7442

Ultimately it will depend on how hard the generator is working. If you are pulling a lot of amps, the tractor will burn proportionately more fuel. Compact tractors get great HP hours per gallon. It would be hard to find more efficient motors. I wouldn't be surprised if a 5 to 10 KW generator burns less than a gallon/hour in normal home use. As a general rule, the governor on a tractor has a wide range and the motors have heavy flywheels to help smooth the governing. A tractor should adapt to the load very nicely. If you are doing something that is extremely frequency dependent - like running a vintage hi-fi with a turntable - then any small generator will fluctuate more than you like. Roger Loving ....

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MichaelSnyder
Join Date: Jun 1999
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1999-08-31          7501

Jeff,As a rule of thumb, 2 PTO HP per KW output. Fuel usage & PTO RPMs will vary with load. Rememer: a Diesel idles at about 100:1 fuel/air ratio, and about 25:1 under full load. Theses ratios are only numbers, and vary among make, model, age & usage. It is probably safe to say that a 50hp unit would use less fuel than a 40hp running the same generator, mainly because the 50hp wouldn't have to work as hard. Also, that 155hp unit might be a turbo diesel, a compact isn't. Governor or not, a tractor can only maintain what it has to offer. If the generator is capable of overpowering the tractor at full load, RPMs will drop. On the other hand, a tractor with 50% more hp than Max output of the generator probably wouldn't be fazed by the load. ....

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Generators and Fuel Flow

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Tim Bartlett
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2000-10-09          20462

A tractor running a pto generator is perhaps the most fuel efficient and reliable way to have emergency portable power. I will explain my setup first.
I have a Ford 1720 with 23.5 pto hp running a generac PTO 25 generator 25000 watts with 50000 surge which is connected to my house with an auto transfer switch. My generator is mounted on forks purchased from Central tractor approx $45.00 this allows my generator to be mounted to my tractor and transported as any other attachment . I performed a fuel consumption test when I first put my systen togeather as follows. First I filled my fuel tank then I transfered the house load to the generator, I asked my wife to do all the laundry she could find and dry it in the dryer which was rated at 5000 watts plus the washer at approx 700 watts and misc items scch as lights and submersible pump 1/2 hp 500 to 700 watts total load = 6200 watts+/-. It takes approx 2 hp to generate 1000 watts so we have 2 x 6.2 = 12.4 pto hp. The test was 8 hours and 20 minutes long and the tractor consumed 5 gallons. Fuel consumption is calculated as follows 5 gallons divided by 8.3 hours = .6 gallons per hour. To determine BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) you multiply .6 gallons x the weight of diesel fuel which is approx 7.08 lbs per gallon = 4.248 lbs per hour divided by hp 12.4 hp which = .34 lbs per hp hour (BSFC) Keep in mind that this test was not under laboratory controlled conditions so I would not put money on them but they are as close as I can get assuming the load. The advantage of my setup is fuel efficiency and the surge capability to start heavy loads and the fact that my Tractor is always serviced and ready to run. If there was a prolonged outage I could use that heating oil fron my furnace which is #2 oil. As I mentioned earlier my generator is a Generac pto 25 rated @ 25000 watts however due to my 23,5 pto hp 12000 watts is the max I can generate with a surge potental of approx 24000 watts. This allows my systen to start larger motors. My generator also has a frequency meter on it which allows me to set speed, I set the frequency at 62 HZ which allows for speed droop due to electrical loading.
Probably the most important consideration is that it can set indefinately and I do not have to worry about gasoline going bad and guming up the carburator.
Addressing another topic i would like to talk about transfer switches which are absolutely essential to ensure the safty of you, your house and equipment and the utility workers who would be out repairing the utility lines in the event of a power outage because thats when you,d be using it right. If you wired your generator to back feed power into your house and you didn't isolate it from the utility or you FORGOT to throw a breaker then you could charge downed lines that utility workers would assume to be dead and they could end up dead. It wouldn't take the utility long to find the source of power and pin the blame. Think about what would happen when the utility power came back on if you weren't disconnected. Kiss one generator good by and who knows what else. ....

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al
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2000-10-10          20501

interestingly i have about the same setup, NH 1520 with 19 pto hp and a 25kw generac. my experience is about the same as far as fuel consumption, and setting the freq. meter to about 62Hz. there isen't a governor on my tractor, bur just upping the speed to 62 from 6o Hz takes care of the variations in load and motor startup.
i think that the frequency meter is much more sensative than the volt meter built into the generator, you cant rely on the pitch of the motor to tell you if you are at 60Hz. i would recomend that anyone who has a generator should use a frequency meter, available for about $50 from radioshack or other mailorder places. poor frequency will be extremely detremental to electronics and motors, refrig/freezer/well pump etc, had a friend that was off the grid for several years, burned up a few appliances until he figured it out.
also agree on the transfer switch option, people are selling them on ebay for under $100 since y2k over, no excuse not to have one. those gentran/emergen type units are easy to install, if you can twist two wires together you got it made.

good luck,
al ....

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lsheaffer
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 1082 Northern Illinois
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2000-10-11          20515

Nebraska tests include gal/hour at rated load. This would be the maximum consumption. Ex. JD850= 1.62g/h.jd950= 1.838 g/h, Ford1510= 1.474, Ford1910= 2.236 ....

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