diesel generator???

dvofg

New member
Has anyone ever used a road sign charging generator? The signs use a small lombardini or hatz diesel to charge a batter to run the signs.... seems to be a good idea to me for a low cost diesel charge system
 

jronwood

Adventurer
I was going to make a gen out of a single cylinder Yanmar and a HD tractor trailer alternator unit a buddy made me an offer on the Yanmar I could not refuse. Keep in mind you can idle the motor way down and still produce 12v inot your battery. I want to carry just one fuel, diesel.

Jronwood
 

FellowTraveler

Explorer
Low rpm diesel

Stay away from high rpm diesel (anything above 800 rpm) the noise becomes an issue quickly, then fuel consumption while not as bad as a gas powered unit sux. Find a low rpm diesel 800 rpm +- then proper pulleys to drive gen/alt at rpm it needs for good output.

I had recently bought a 10/11 hp Yanmar genset required 1,600 rpm minimum and I was not impressed w/it's loudness or fuel efficiency, sold it right away at a loss and never looked back.

If the diesel @ 800 rpm or less can power the gen/alt head your good to go IMHO.
 

cwsqbm

Explorer
The downside of low-rpm diesel generators is weight. Every time you half the rpm, you need to roughly double the engine size to get the same power out. An 800rpm generator would need an engine more than 4x what's in a normal 3600 rpm generator.

For example, a 650 rpm Lister Diesel engine/generator that creates 2500W can weight over a 1000 lbs. They are great for backup or off-grid situations where weight isn't a concern.
 

FellowTraveler

Explorer
The downside of low-rpm diesel generators is weight. Every time you half the rpm, you need to roughly double the engine size to get the same power out. An 800rpm generator would need an engine more than 4x what's in a normal 3600 rpm generator.

For example, a 650 rpm Lister Diesel engine/generator that creates 2500W can weight over a 1000 lbs. They are great for backup or off-grid situations where weight isn't a concern.

Brings to mind "turbocharging w/aftercooler" might be a nice project for the high rpm units then drop rpm's or has someone done this at an affordable price yet. The low rpm Lister Petter rocks for output and low, low, low fuel consumption. I've been looking at some military surplus 6.5 hp diesel Listers lately again they are high rpm.

If using vehicles diesel engine as as power unit surely a nice 3.5k watt head could be driven w/proper pulley ratio @ idle, thinking it maybe cost effective too.
 
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jronwood

Adventurer
Or solar panels, battery banks , and for inclinate weathrer a low speed single cylinder diesel w/ alternator. IMHO.

Jronwood
 

bajajoaquin

Adventurer
Brings to mind "turbocharging w/aftercooler" might be a nice project for the high rpm units then drop rpm's or has someone done this at an affordable price yet. The low rpm Lister Petter rocks for output and low, low, low fuel consumption. I've been looking at some military surplus 6.5 hp diesel Listers lately again they are high rpm.

If using vehicles diesel engine as as power unit surely a nice 3.5k watt head could be driven w/proper pulley ratio @ idle, thinking it maybe cost effective too.

Note that the low-RPM Lister is the CS (Cold Start), which is a different engine from the Lister-Petter. I think the Petter is an 1800 rpm engine. The CS is a 650-rpm engine, also known as a 6/1 (6 hp, 1 cylinder). The other 650-rpm engine is a 12/2. There are also 8/1 and 16/2 engines out there that run 800 rpm. There are 5/1s, but I'm not too clear on them. I think they're 600 rpm engines.
 

cwsqbm

Explorer
If using vehicles diesel engine as as power unit surely a nice 3.5k watt head could be driven w/proper pulley ratio @ idle, thinking it maybe cost effective too.

If you're running the main engine, it'd be easier just to install a large inverter and a properly sized alternator (or dual alternators). That's basically Earthroamer's solution to no generator, although there is mention of a possible PTO-driven 6KW option for the stretched version. With alternators and an inverter, you have clean electricity any time the main engine is running, regardless of the engine's RPM (and even some electricity off batteries for a short time). Generator head units, on the other hand, demand the engine run at a fixed rpm to get the correct frequency output. That's why the new class of quiet "inverter" generators (aka small Hondas) are able to run at varying rpms for different loads - they generate DC and then use an inverter.
 

ande21

New member
As diesel cost is rising high. i would prefer a chg conversion for gen. Cause its cheap and echo friendly. its also reduce sound pollution. gas is better then Diesel. what do you say about it?
 

cwsqbm

Explorer
As diesel cost is rising high. i would prefer a chg conversion for gen. Cause its cheap and echo friendly. its also reduce sound pollution. gas is better then Diesel. what do you say about it?

The problem with a CNG, propane, or gasoline portable generator is that they won't run off the diesel fuel in your expedition truck's tank and therefore require you to bring and refill multiple fuel types.

For a home backup power setup, I'd run it off natural gas or propane depending on what's available. For local portable use or if your truck runs on gasoline, use gasoline but that's outside the scope of this thread.
 

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