Hooking Up A Generator Head To A Gas Motor?
I have a Northstar 5500 watt generator head that has the electrical recepticals built into it. I want to mount to a garden tractor (could be mounted just to a platform too). The directions say that they recommend a 9hp motor with the maximum size being 11hp running between 3540-3720 RPM’s. I found a 12hp garden tractor. If I use the math can’t I “depower” the 12hp motor to a 9hp motor by the size of pulley I use? Will anything else matter as long as I make the generator shaft run at the correct RPM? At that point I don’t think the horsepower or torque of the motor matter. Thanks for your help!
February 14th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Maximum horsepower is irrelevant, you could run the generator with a truck engine if you wanted, as long as the minimum hp rating is observed and to avoid bogging, overloading, and the generator is operated at the recommended rpm to insure proper output voltage
February 14th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
The recommended 9HP is a minimum. A 12HP engine will work properly provided you can mount things together and have the generator turning at 3600RPM. Most generator engines will have a governor to keep the speed correct. If you can’t keep the engine speed constant the frequency and possibly voltage output of the generator will vary. I think this will be your biggest challenge.
Read through my generator pages for other information.http://members.rennlist.org/warren/gener…