| Author |
Message |
Jayjay (207.30.115.135)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2002 - 10:56 am: | |
A well-known national retail/mail order company (sure is hard to keep "Names" out of a post sometimes) has an 8KW (and 10KW) belt drive generator for $499.00. (the 10 is $100.00 more). 3600 rpm and needs 14hp. Very complete, but no motor/engine to drive it. Does anyone have any experience/thoughts about these. I'm a tinkerer, and the idea of bolting a 3 or 4 cyl. diesel engine to this thing, and beating the ridiculous price of gensets, just makes my wallet jump for joy. Oh yes, I'm a realist, and having done this sort of thing many times, I'm aware that there are many hurdles and pitfalls. The engineering of the project doesen't intimidate me, but what about the quality of the generator? Any empirical input from the world-of-busnuts? Thanks, and Cheers...JJ |
degojo (152.163.197.73)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2002 - 11:36 am: | |
i hav e a govt surplus 15kw brush type generator running off of a detroit 2-53. runs great and decent cost |
Glenn (Paso) (209.178.165.176)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2002 - 11:57 am: | |
I would like to know the name of the company with
the belt driven gen sets.
Thanks Worldwide@earthlink.net |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (65.207.109.167)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2002 - 1:01 pm: | |
In my experience, 3600 rpm generators (actually alternators) in that price range are a piece of junk. They are typically self excited where the output voltage varies with both speed and load. The capacitors that are used for excitation are failure prone as are the bearings.
And they are loud. I strongly recommend against trying to use something like this. I built gensets for 40 years and I never had any luck with these units. I built a few, but the reliability was so bad, I standardized on 1800 rpm, brushless synchronous design with external voltage regulator.
The other problem that you may experience is maintaining the proper rpm on the engine. It must have a governor to properly maintain output frequency. The air vane type on lawnmower engines are not precise enough.
If you do decide to go ahead, the alternator is belt driven so you can use either an 1800 or 3600 rpm engine. |
jmaxwell (66.42.93.26)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2002 - 1:01 pm: | |
Genrac, Panda, and China Diesel all make belt driven units, although the quality of Genrac & China Diesel is questionable. Panda reportedly makes a very good one, although pricey. Easy to pulley it for 2 to 1 and get your 1800 rpm or maybe even less on the engine. Kubota has 2 and 3 cyl. that will pull 14 and 20 hp, respective. Another national discount tool place had the gen. heads for 399 recently. The 2 cyl. Kubota I looked at had electronic governor on it, so if u can stabilize the rpm on the engine, you control the Hz on the gen head. Probably a good way to go to save a few thousand dollars. |
Scott Whitney (24.205.239.26)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2002 - 4:08 pm: | |
My guess is that the catalog company referred to sounds like:
Barber Wait?
BTW, I didn't know we weren't supposed to mention company names? I thought people used terms like Wally World and Big Orange just for fun.
Scott |
Henry van de Graaf (Hcvdg) (12.13.226.21)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2002 - 5:03 pm: | |
Here's a place.
http://www.nbmc.com/voltbelt/index.html |
Jayjay (207.30.115.173)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 12:42 am: | |
Hey Gang, thanks for all the input, Northern Tool(.com) is the company. It is a brushless alternator, with less than 6% THD, 1 yr warranty. It's a house brand, so who knows. I feel a cog-toothed belt, would do the job. My thoughts were just like several of you, to use an emgine at 1800rpm, and 2:1 ratio to drive it at the required 3475 to 3750 rpm range. Maybe an Isuzu P.U. engine, or a VW Rabbit,then you could use the cruise control as a governor, right? I've tried to not break the 'no commercials" rule here but, I got so many e-mails it is easier to do it on the 'Board and hope |@n isn't too perturbed at me. 'AH 'Presheeightit Guys. Cheers...JJ |
Ace (24.28.44.126)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 7:24 pm: | |
JJ, if you have a problem with I@N just remind him of the Ole' drinking days you and he had. Just don't send him any pictures! LOL
Ace |
Jayjay (207.30.180.49)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 7:46 pm: | |
Maybe its |@n what could embarass me some. Huh? 'Specialy since I don't want to upset my new Arcadia Bride. Have a nice day, give my best to what's-her-name, and Cheers...JJ |
Ace (24.28.44.126)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 8:40 pm: | |
JJ you didn't get married did you? Man you work fast! LOL
Good luck... I guess!
Ace |
Ron in SD (24.10.205.248)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2002 - 7:39 pm: | |
Here is a link that shows a VW Diesel motor powering a 10k belt drive unit.
http://www.oldengine.org/members/jdunmyer/genset/ |
Jerry H. (Coachconversion) (65.2.65.246)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2002 - 8:33 pm: | |
Ron:
Thanks for that link.
It was interesting reading.
Jerry H. |
Jim 4905 (209.240.222.32)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 02, 2002 - 12:29 pm: | |
Another place to look for engines is off of straight trucks. Refridgerated ones. Thermo kings. I got a used 3 cyl diesel complete in a frame for 50 bucks. Needs a little work but they are real easy to work on. It is on a frame that also holds the belt driven compressor. threw that away. The engine has a 2 groove pully. The plate that held the comp. is slotted, so you can bolt up the gen head, put on 2 belts, then with a pry bar, wedge the belts tight and tighten 2 bolts. Just like tightening the alt. on your car. The engine has a govoner, so you'll have to play a little with a meter to get it set right.
8-10000 watts for 1200 bucks and some of your labor
Jim 4905 |
Scott Whitney (66.214.66.193)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 02, 2002 - 1:36 pm: | |
I've heard those ThermoKing engines make a gawdawful noise. Could they be quieted down to campgound levels in a sound box? They are certainly noisy in truck usage, if you have ever parked next to one at a truck stop. Probably would make a great shop or cabin gennie.
Scott |
Stephen Fessenden (Sffess) (63.27.88.63)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 02, 2002 - 7:19 pm: | |
When you are at a truck stop, listen to the reefers. They run the thermokings all night and they can be very quiet.
If you are going to make a belt driven genset you might want to use a Gates banded belt on a double or triple pulley. The two or three belts are joined to a one piece backing so they don't slip and throw a belt easily and can transfer a lot of horsepower without slipping. I don't think a cogged belt would be necessary. |
FAST FRED (209.26.87.57)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 03, 2002 - 4:45 am: | |
There is no such thing as "quieting to campground levels".
NO campgrounds will knowingly allow you run a gen set while parked.
RUINES the campground for everyone else there.
Can you imagine the delight in being in a tent NEXT to your diesel exhaust?
Boondockin far from people ,
or parked in a truck stop enjoying the ambiance of a hundred ideling diesels , no problem.
The biggest hassle ( as yet unresolved) is speed/ load controll to keep the ac somewhere near 120V , 60 cycle.
An attempt to find a really good method of governing the unit should be made first.
IF your going to spend those big bucks for a real sine wave inverter, you could jury rig a DC gen set , to feed the fancy inverter.
FAST FRED |
Jim 4905 (209.240.222.32)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 03, 2002 - 8:54 am: | |
FF,
I'm NOT trying to start "something" BUT, I know i'm not the only one who feels this way.
I don't know if its your intension to do so but, Many of your posts like above, sound so damn condisending! It seems many times like you are talking down to people. Maybe its my imagination.
I have parked next to coaches, and didn't even know thier "noisemakers" were even running!
To each his own, but i prefer to be talked TO than DOWN to.
Just my perseption.
Jim 4905- 805 |
FAST FRED (209.26.87.67)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 03, 2002 - 9:34 am: | |
JIM,Sounds like a personal problem, to me.
What is the hassle ,
that you found a coach that didn't make too much noise ,
and think that tenters would love to be downwind?
Just ask them.
Or that its EASY ? to build a gov. unit to make a hybrid gen set run at 120V 60 CPS at any load setting?
Don't see anything condesinding here.
Sorry
FAST FRED |
johnwood (64.12.107.48)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 03, 2002 - 10:32 pm: | |
DC genset is best. Use an inverter for cleanest ac power. Clean sine wave 60hz is hard to obtain consistently with a genset with wildly varying loads.
Have seen a bonafide cool genset for an rv that is primarily DC with a built in inverter. Makes clean 60hz power at any rated load. Motor changes speed to match load. Mostly idles for bulk of time. /shortcoming is 3.5kW and gasoline fuel. |
Gary Carter (216.17.10.251)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 09, 2002 - 10:32 am: | |
The Onan quit gen of 7.5K is a really an inverter. Also the new gas Onan have dropped the old flat head in favor of a OHV V2 that belt drives a 3600 RPM 2 pole altenator |