50Kva PTO Generator bought at a sale...1000 or 540 speed?

[Fat hen]

Hi

Just acquired a 15yr old 50KVA pto generator from a big estate sale. Its for a 46KVA reqd 22kw turbine for drying floor. Usu hire so seems a cheaper option. Downside being noise and toll on a Ford 7840! Though collectively I doubt itll get used for more than 15-20 days in a year

The Ford has 1000 and 540 speed. In the past it has ran a big trailer dryer b4 on 1000 spline. Started off at 540 to get it going then whacked into 1000 speed. Not sure on the power of the trailer dryer but it was a beast!!

Would this require a similar speed does thou think?
Also it IS 3 phase yet the power dial on the front only goes up to 300V, would have expected 400V+, strangely

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

It will in all likelihood be 540 PTO rpm geared up to 1500 rpm with a 4-pole alternator.

The power dial may only be measuring phase-neutral voltages, so 230-240v expected there, rather than phase-phase voltages ~415v.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Just out of morbid curiosity, have you run up this 22kw fan before on a 50 kVA set?

 

[Tarw Coch]

I’m assuming the generator will be meant to run at 540.
Presumably the question is wether the tractor can be used at low revs in 1000 pto to drive it.
My gut feeling is a 7840 isn’t going to be up to doing that, I have a 50kva generator myself and have never tried it as it would mean the tractor running at not much more than tickover, enough power up front and it would be fine just not convinced 100hp is enough, 750 pto is ideal for this but if you haven’t got it it ain’t an option.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Tend to agree about the HP requirement. Most gensets of 50-60 kVA will have around a 75hp engine fitted in the set.

Ultimately what you put on the front to drive it, really depends on what the power draw is...a 22 KW load at startup may draw 2 to 3 times that power, perhaps more - hence why I asked the OP if he’d ever driven this load successfully with a 50 KVA hire set that he was implying.

Also a 50 kVA set will have more useable engine HP than an equivalent HP tractor simply because the engine is directly coupled and not driving transmissions and hydraulic pumps etc all wasting a lot of HP. Not a problem normally but if the power requirement is high for the tractor a consideration.

 

[chaffcutter]

Not got any advice on the Ginny, but if you are going to run the tractor long hours unsupervised, at night etc, I would strongly suggest you fit an engine monitor to shut it down in case of low oil, overheating etc. Used to have one on one running an Opico and it saved the engine a couple of times when it was out on hire.

 

[Fat hen]

Just out of morbid curiosity, have you run up this 22kw fan before on a 50 kVA set?

No usually I ask to hire a 46kva gen but end up with something bigger depending what they have. The turbine installer said it needs 46kva to get it going then a lot less once it's running

 

[Daniel]

Just out of morbid curiosity, have you run up this 22kw fan before on a 50 kVA set?

My bet is that it'll start the motor but it'll make the tractor grumble for a minute or so!

 

[Fat hen]

I've found the 540 PTO that comes with the gen. So that answers that. Any ideas what sort of revs for the gen to run as? it should?

I hear what you say about the old 7840 running It has run a trailer dryer in the past but I felt I was being cruel to it!

My main tractor is a jd 7530. This has 540e and I may well use it sometimes on the gen but I'd like to think I'd be doing other things with it at drying time.

 

[milkloss]

I think you’ll be needing electronic rev control on whatever tractor you use on it. It’s going to need some fair power on start up and if it does lug down it’s going to stress the gen and turbine some.

 

[Tarw Coch]

I've found the 540 PTO that comes with the gen. So that answers that. Any ideas what sort of revs for the gen to run as? it should?
.

There should be some sort of speed indicator with the generator, mine has a series of three lights, orange when it’s under speed, green when it’s right and red for over speed, it’s also geared that it only needs running at 1600 engine revs on 540 although I usually run it at less revs in 540e, in theory I could probably run it in 1000 at tick over but I’ve never tried as it would give bugger all back up if the load started to pull back on the tractor, that’s with 130/150 hp on a 50kva generator.

 

[Fat hen]

I think you’ll be needing electronic rev control on whatever tractor you use on it. It’s going to need some fair power on start up and if it does lug down it’s going to stress the gen and turbine some.

Not come across electronic rev Control. Any pointers? Are they generic for every tractor? Rough idea on price?

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Not come across electronic rev Control. Any pointers? Are they generic for every tractor? Rough idea on price?

I think he means as factory engine on the tractor is ECU/common rail or electronically governed/throttle mechanical injection.

Wouldn’t be worth the hassle or money to try and retrofit to an exiting tractor.

 

[Fat hen]

There should be some sort of speed indicator with the generator, mine has a series of three lights, orange when it’s under speed, green when it’s right and red for over speed, it’s also geared that it only needs running at 1600 engine revs on 540 although I usually run it at less revs in 540e, in theory I could probably run it in 1000 at tick over but I’ve never tried as it would give bugger all back up if the load started to pull back on the tractor, that’s with 130/150 hp on a 50kva generator.

Thanks for that info.