Lawnmower generator

[95boots]

So I have a 16 horse JD riding lawnmower and wondering if anyone has come up with a way to set up a generator head on it but still be able to use it to mow the lawn. Would not be need to do both at the same time. Every generator I ever deal with always has bad gas because it hasn't been used in a couple years and is big and heavy to move around. With it mounted to the mower it would always have fresh gas and you could just drive it where ever you wanted it

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[rsanter]

Does it have a PTO connection?
Otherwise, I would make a drive on platform that I could strap the mower to and go belt drive from where the blades are driven to the generator head.

I guess it would also matter the engine orientation. Perhaps a horizontal shaft engine would have enough shaft left to mount a drive hub or a special pull could be made to incorporate a drive hub

 

[95boots]

Does it have a PTO connection?
Otherwise, I would make a drive on platform that I could strap the mower to and go belt drive from where the blades are driven to the generator head.

I guess it would also matter the engine orientation. Perhaps a horizontal shaft engine would have enough shaft left to mount a drive hub or a special pull could be made to incorporate a drive hub

The only pto it has is for the mower deck. I'm thinking I would have to add another pulley to run a belt and mount the generator off the front of the mower.

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[matt_i]

One of the issues is how to accurately control the AC cycle rate (Hz) under changing loads. Most tractors have some kind of a governor to deal with variance of the load on the engine, but there's no guarantees as to what's coming out... I think if its powering other motors or resistance-type stuff its no issue, but might be bad for "electronics".

If you can fuel an IC engine with propane or Nat Gas then the fuel storage issues go away. Along the path to that end is regular running, using non-ethanol fuel, and/or emptying the fuel system after use.

 

[95boots]

One of the issues is how to accurately control the AC cycle rate (Hz) under changing loads. Most tractors have some kind of a governor to deal with variance of the load on the engine, but there's no guarantees as to what's coming out... I think if its powering other motors or resistance-type stuff its no issue, but might be bad for "electronics".

If you can fuel an IC engine with propane or Nat Gas then the fuel storage issues go away. Along the path to that end is regular running, using non-ethanol fuel, and/or emptying the fuel system after use.

Ya the hz was another thing I was thinking would be hard to get right and to know what size pulleys to use. The mower dose have a governor so it will hold it's rpm's once it is set right. Draining the gas after every time I use the generator just seems like a waste of time and ya propane would definitely be the way to go.

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[firebirdparts]

I don't think you want to tackle any mods to the governor. You could use an inverter rather than speed but with 16 hp on tap that may add a lot of cost.

 

[Falcon67]

Maintain a portable generator properly and you'll not have the mentioned problems.

 

[American Locomotive]

To do you project, you'll need to a find a belt driven generator head, and build a frame of some sort to mount it to your tractor. You'll then have to come up with an idler puller to properly tension the belt.

The next thing you'll need to do is figure out what size pulley your lawnmower's engine has, and figure out what it's maximum governed RPM is. Typically riding mower engines are governed between 3200-3600 RPM. Next you'll have to select a generator head RPM - consumer generator heads are typically available in 1200, 1800 and 3600 RPM variants. You'll then have to select a generator pulley size that will work in concert with your mower's existing pulley and governed RPM to achieve your desired generator RPM. It's pretty straight forward to calculate this with basic elementary school math. I recommend using an 1800 RPM generator head, as you'll use a larger pulley that will be less likely to slip.

A 16HP engine should be able to pull an 8KW generator head.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I've seen generator setups on different Wheelhorse mowers. If you don't have a front end mount you'd have to weld up a bracket. But once it's on there you could just swap belts between the generator and mower deck as needed.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

http://www.troybilt.com/equipment/troybilt/flex

Saw this set up in Lowes last season...while everything is overpriced for it I thought it was neat looking. Reminded me of the old David Bradley walk behind tractors.

So after actually clicking on the link, they don't offer the generator set up anymore.

 

[turbodave]

John Deere used to offer a generator attachment for the early 110 tractors. Found a thread with some info on it. http://www.greentractortalk.com/for...fender-attachments-you-dont-see-everyday.html

 

[AP514]

Maintain a portable generator properly and you'll not have the mentioned problems.

Agree +1

 

[theoldwizard1]

Frequency and voltage of most (all?) generator (more correctly, they are alternators because the make AC current) heads go hand in hand. If one is right, the other one will be.

Most of them use a electrified field (there may be a small permanent magnet field and stator just to excite the primary). In theory, an external voltage/frequency would be quite simple to control the field and maintain the proper output.

 

[vavet]

It would be a cool project. Build it and let us know how it comes out.

In the last few years, Lowe's sold exactly what you're talking about. It might've been Troy-bilt, but I can't say for sure and I don't see it on their site. It was a riding lawn mower with 120V AC receptacles. It had an onboard generator. IIRC, it was more expensive than a riding lawn mower and a similar sized generator combined. Unless you are really tight on space, it would make no sense.

 

[mike93lx]

Maintain a portable generator properly and you'll not have the mentioned problems.

This is way easier than cobbling together something.

Or convert the generator to propane and never worry about fuel again

 

[LXCam]

Just for consideration. Every engine driven generator I've ever seen for small units was direct drive. Another words the drive and driven pulleys only need to be a 1:1 configuration. And since you won't have a governor to compensate for safe I'd install both a voltage and frequency meter so you know where to set your throttle at for a given load.

Good luck

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Maintain a portable generator properly and you'll not have the mentioned problems.

Or get a propane generator and not worry about the gas issues.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

If you try this, keep in mind a lawnmower engine governor is not designed like a generator governor. It's hard to "tweak" a generator governor to maintain a set RPM with a varying load. Will it runs lights, yes. Power quality is what you need to look at. Can you "tweak" the governor to work right, yes if you're good and understand how it works and how to adjust for sensitivity. Is it a PITA to do this? Yes.

Most of the belt driven generator ends are built for horizontal use ONLY. The bearings fail with a vertical load.

An option might be to build a large battery bank and charge it with a large DC alternator and use a pure sine wave inverter if you are going to be running motor loads. A lot of motors do not like square waves for extended use.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Buy a spare carb for your generator and duct tape it to the handle. I have a carb kit for mine, but the carb is cheap enough I'd have been smarter to have just gotten the spare.

I pull the bowl and flush with carb cleaner every time I use the generator, but you know how Murphy is. It will fail at the worst possible time.

If your home is heated with gas, either natural or LP, consider using that as the source of fuel as it eliminates most of the fuel problems and you already have it on hand.

 

[chaosracing]

Depending on what you want to power, you really should look into a portable generator rather than attempting this. If you are powering anything with a circuit board, power fluctuations are really bad for them. A newer portable generator is designed to handle that. Just remember, newer washers, dryers, refrigerators, etc all have circuit boards and will fry if a surge hits them and will be $$$ to replace.

 

[doctordirt]

I actually saw a mower on the internet afew years ago that was based on a generator. The mower portion used electric motors for each blade. 3 if I recall. I thought it was a very clever design. The generator was quite a good size. You could drive it, where ever on your property and have power to work, or power the house. Do not remember how it was propelled.

 

[doctordirt]

Ah, here it is. 7100 watts.
http://www.ravenamerica.com/product/7100-2

 

[BDFan1981]

John Deere used to offer a generator attachment for the early 110 tractors. Found a thread with some info on it. http://www.greentractortalk.com/for...fender-attachments-you-dont-see-everyday.html

Some John Deere riding mowers (in particular their 6- and 7 HP rear engine riders, namely the 56, 57 and 66 from 1970-75) had an optional electric start setup. Their Tecumseh engines already came with flywheels that could accept an electric starter, but the starter motor itself was one that you had to plug in to recharge. Later configurations had a flywheel for an electric starter motor plus alternator, the latter of which recharges your battery while the engine is running.

~Ben

 

[wyliesdiesels]

thread is 6yrs old

 

[nadogail]

I have a 13 Horse Power Chanda (Chinese Clone of a Honda Engine, sold by Harbor Freight with their Greyhound name and made by Lifan) it spins a Chicago Electric Alternator that has a 10 KW peak rating. I think it is honestly good for 6 KW. I use it to power my Stick Welder and Air Compressor for work away from the shop.
The frequency regulation has been within I HZ from no load to 4 KW.

EPICENTER.COM has a good website about using small engines powering Automotive Alternators.