JFS 0 #1 Posted October 29, 2012 Hi what tractor should I use to power it 520H, 416H or 310-8?? Also how do you set the tension for the pulley? Had it mounted on the 416 and 310 and was just hitting the green area on the guage. Thanks Jim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 36,945 #2 Posted October 29, 2012 I see them come up for sale every now and again. I sure wish I had one for back up when Sandy comes visiting later on tonight. Tried it out yet, does that little guy make clean power? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 19,585 #3 Posted October 29, 2012 Any of those machines will run it just fine. If you were to buy 3000 watt generator from Home Depot say...it would probably not have any more than 8 hp. Personally I would use the 310 since it would suck down the least fuel. Mike......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 15,937 #4 Posted October 29, 2012 As a rule of thumb it should take 2hp per 1000w to run a generator so any one of those tractors should handle 3000w easily. I would use the 310 because of fuel ecomomy. I don't own one of those generators but I believe the weight of the unit is what applies tension to the belt If the generator is running low on output it could be your engines are not runing at 3600 rpm. If you increase the RPM then you should see the needle increase and less RPM will decrease the output. You can verify that meter is working properly by testing the voltage with a multimeter right at the receptical. Adjust the speed of your engine to achive the correct voltage output. I'm not 100% possitive on the exact voltage but my generators put out 118v. 115 to 120v should be about right. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldredrider 2,547 #5 Posted October 31, 2012 I've found the tighter the belt, the more constant the voltage output, especially under load. As the power demand increases on the generator, the greater the strain on the belt and the more likely it is to slip...hence less "gen" output. PTO driven generators have stronger shaft bearings to handle the side load and can withstand a tight belt. If after running your generator under load for 5 minutes and the belt is "hot", you know it's been slipping and is too loose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JFS 0 #6 Posted November 2, 2012 Thanks for all the input I used a 310-8. I ran it from Monday until this afternoon off and on. I would turn it off over night around 11:00 PM and start it in the morning. During the day I also rested it between refueling and checking the oil. It kept the chest freezer and fridge cold didn't lose any food. Ran some other stuff too like the blower for the wood stove and cell phone chargers. Only bad part was no way to run well pump for water had 60 gallons in muck buckets but it was running out today. Jim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites