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Posted by John McGaw on July 1, 2007, 8:36 pm
Toller wrote:
>> Has anyone come across a solution to the proliferation of small (5 to
>> 8hp) engines?
>> I've a lawnmower, generator, and pressure washer, chipper/shredder and
>> might buy another tool with a 5hp gas engine. I never use more than 1
>> at a time. I'd like an elegant PTO solution for small engines.
>>
> Look at that Black and Decker thing where you pull the front off and use it
> as a drill, saw, sander, and who knows what else.
> Would you use a lawnmower etc that were that crappy?
>
> What I want is a way to use an automobile as a whole house generator. Think
> about it, they can drive for an hour at 30mph on one gallon of gas. A 4kw
> generator uses a gallon gas an hour while doing maybe 5% of the work.
> Or maybe a NG powered A/C that can also be hooked to a generator.
>
>
It has been done for decades with trucks and it might be possible with
an automobile too if enough space can be found under the hood. Basically
an AC generator is installed via brackets to the engine block and driven
by belt from the crankshaft. I'm not sure how the generator was
engaged/disengaged from the drive. Most likely it was via a mechanical
linkage and might even have been done by slacking the belt tension. But
given the efficiency of air conditioner compressor clutches something
along that line would be more user-friendly.
These generator sets were routinely used on construction sites to power
tools before power lines were installed and probably were capable of 5kW
or more.
--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com
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