Riding Mower Drives 10,000-Watt Generator

Riding Mower Drives 10,000-Watt Generator FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 32-3-35 When the electricity goes out, Ken Schmitz starts up his Deere 325 riding mower. Schmitz bought a 10,000-watt generator at Harbor Freight for $279 and mounted it on an axle and two small plastic wheels. The generator can be wheeled up onto a metal platform on front of the riding mower and bolted down. The riding mower's engine is used to belt-drive the generator, which delivers electricity through an electrical cord to a transfer switch in his basement. "It's relatively inexpensive and there's no engine to maintain," says Schmitz. "I can remove the generator and put my snowblower back on in less than five minutes. According to Schmitz, the engines on standby generators don't get used often enough which causes the seals on the crankshaft to dry up and leak oil. He had that problem with his 4,400-watt Homelite standby generator equipped with an 8 hp Briggs & Stratton engine. "I had to take the entire generator apart so I could get at the oil sump and replace the seals." He bought a used Deere 325 tractor equipped with an 18 hp air-cooled engine. The generator attaches to a metal platform that bolts onto the bracket that holds the snowblower. "It took me quite a while to get everything all figured out," says Schmitz. "The generator will take up to an 18 hp engine which is what my Deere riding mower has. When the generator is under load it'll produce up to 7,000 watts which provides enough electricity for an average house." "At first I had to run the tractor almost wide open, at 3,600 rpm's, in order to produce 110 and 120 voltage and also 220 voltage. It was too noisy and was hard on the governor. To solve the problem I replaced the original pulley with a smaller 1/2-in. dia. one. Now the tractor's engine runs at about 2,700 rpm's and is much less noisy." Schmitz says that if there's another widespread power outage, he'll be ready. "Ten years ago there was a power station malfunction in Ohio caused by an overloaded grid, and some people all the way to the East Coast were out of electricity for two weeks. If we get another power outage like that and it happens during the winter, I'll be able to blow snow off my driveway and also keep my house warm." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ken Schmitz, 954 Honeysuckle Lane, Fond du Lac, Wis. 54935 (ph 920 922-2962).

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