Tractors, Mowers, Chippers, Trailers, Chainsaws, Generators, Driveway Erosion Control, ETC.

I can’t answer this but isn’t there an arrow on the rpm gauge which is meant for pto speed?

 

https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/grd/d/aston-vintage-sears-custom-7-garden/7215833007.html

 

Are you wanting to run a 12v inverter and just run the tractor to keep the battery charged? I’d run it a little above idle, just to be safe.

I wouldn’t think it would hurt the tractor to sit there and run, there won’t be any load on it to make it get hot or anything.

 

That’s what I had in mind. I wasn’t sure if they like to idle low or not or if they’d run too lean. In the middle of debating all that the power just came back on after two days haha. Time to get a good generator

 

Glad your power is back on and you don’t have to worry with it. We’ve got several around here that are without power.

When I went to work this morning I almost ran into this tree, that was 6:45, it was dark. When I came back home this afternoon it was still there if that tells you how busy the crews are around here.

 

But why washer fluid?

 

I’m using it because I can get it cheaper than anything else for 72 gallons.

 

I'm assuming you also chose washer fluid because it's significantly heavier than water?

 

Lots of people use methanol (washer fluid) for fluid in tires, just keep in mind that it is highly flammable.

 

The place I bought my tractor (JD 3038e) told me they fill all their tractor tires (rear) with beet juice because its non toxic incase there's a blow out. Especially important for those who farm fruits and vegetables. And it's 50% heavier than water so it makes great ballast.

 

A guy up the road from me bought an RK37 tractor and it has beet juice in its tires.

 

She's a working beast

If you don't have debris forks I highly recommend them. Game changer for so many things.

Rolling logs


Hauling bucked rounds



Moving logs


Scooping brush


Raking large clean ups.
Before


After


Even rakes the little stuff

 

Nice machine. Beautiful property. What a piece of land!

 

Thank you for the kind words. We're in rural Sherwood Oregon smack dab in the middle of wine country right at 1,000ft elevation. Bought five wooded acres full of 2nd growth fir so now I have firewood for life which works out since fire is 99% of my heat sourse. I just finished taking down three large trees to open up the view of our local icon Mt. Hood

 

You need to run the engine fast enough for the alternator to keep up with the load, otherwise you would be pulling out of the battery (until it goes dead that is). That said modern charging systems produce more at an idle that the old ones did.

With no added load, throttle the engine up to about 1400 rpm and read the battery voltage with an electricians multi-meter or your instrument panel gauge if equipped. It should read somewhere around 13.8 - 14.3 volts, this is what the charging system operates at normally.

Now turn on your inverter and attach your load to it (freezer, etc.) and throttle the engine up to achieve the same voltage reading you had with no added load, I would suspect it won't be too far off an idle speed. Keep in mind that the alternator will be working hard which makes heat, the alternator cooling fan turns faster at higher rpm. After running a while you may want to (safely) check the alternator case to insure it isn't unusually hot, it so bump up the rpm a bit more.

For a long run it is also a good idea to vary the engine speed occasionally during the run. When stationary at a constant speed the oil in the engine will be spraying or splashing in the same location, if you raise the rpm up a few hundred for 15-30 seconds every 1/2 hour you will insure that everything gets good lubrication, then return to your target speed.

Also, be mindful of capacity of the inverter, motor starts require more power than running, about 3X the running demand. This is the surge rating listed in the inverter specifications. Start the largest load first (motors) then add the smaller ones like lights and battery chargers.

Edit: I see your power is back on, if you are a "plan B" type of a guy you can set up and test all this stuff out now and be ready to plug in and go next time.

 

I copied and pasted this to read later when I can focus on it. I appreciate you taking the time to type it. We definitely have a better idea of what we need next time. We needed the tractor to clear a path out of our driveway quickly. I don’t want to tie it up with an inverter or PTO driven generator. I am going to wire up some transfer switches to essential circuits and the water pump when we can find a generator.

 

What he said, add also that it doesn’t freeze hard only slush.
It’s also less corrosive than calcium chloride fill and not as messy as beet juice if spilled.

keep in mind, you don’t fill 100% full, only 75-80% and then have air space for tire compliance floatation and cushion (as much as a tractor tire can cushion).

 

Sometimes even 4wd isn’t your friend....

Sigh....

 

Muddy mess! You knew that was probably gonna happen ;-)