Talking about my generation

[dumper]

1 hour ago, the village idiot said:

Yes, we like to have the generator a fair way from the splitters so hydraulic power packs are not ideal. It does mean that we probably have a voltage drop but we have not had any problems with the splitter motors.

 

I have contacted two windings companies. Neither of them wanted the job. One of them insisted that the alternator would be Chinese and not worth fixing even though I told him repeatedly that it isn't. It's a Mecc Alte (Italian).

 

If anyone knows of a windings company that actually does re-windings do let me know.

Made in Italy or imported to Italy from China then sold on?

[dumper]

I’ve had a repair done buy this company seemed to know what he was doing n j generators 01702 473694

[the village idiot]

6 minutes ago, dumper said:

Made in Italy or imported to Italy from China then sold on?

Point taken. I don't know where it was manufactured but it was a very expensive generator so am assuming that the components are of decent quality. Maybe I'm being naïve?

[gensetsteve]

I wrote a long post for you the other day then found I was not signed in and lost the lot ? 

I will try and stick to the facts 

mecc late is a good European alternator and won’t cost 4 k more like £1000 speak to Steve wells at  mecc  alte . 

find a generator motor calculator on line and make sure 10 Kva is big enough. If both these motors are under heavy load at the same time I think this will stress the windings and cause early failure.

does the alternator smell of burning. Like a flymo on a bad day if yes defo chuck it.

we avoid rewinds now like the plague 80 % of the cost and they are never the same as new. When heat is applied to remove the old windings the residue magnetism is reduced this is a particular problem if you are going to use it for running motors.

alternatively get a bell housing on the engine and mount a hydraulic pump you will get far more power there is a huge amount of efficiency lost in a generator . 

There is a good hydraulic company called harrier I think 

 

[arboriculturist]

I have been offered an 'old school' generator rated at 27.5 kw with a Gardiner 5.5 ish Litre engine and Maudsley alternator.

 

There is a wierd device the size of a shoebox attached with a winder knob on the front and 2 x 2" diameter x 12" long tandem vertical coils of wire coiled tubes in the back that a T bar moves up and down when you twist the knob at the front.

 

Anyone know what the shoebox is, what Kva it will actually produce all day long under constant load and what it is worth ?

 

Finally is it worth buying ???

 

The whole setup is mounted on some hefty RSJ's, came from a sawmill 30 years ago and it starts on the button and runs sweetly.

 

 

[dumper]

25 minutes ago, arboriculturist said:

I have been offered an 'old school' generator rated at 27.5 kw with a Gardiner 5.5 ish Litre engine and Maudsley alternator.

 

There is a wierd device the size of a shoebox attached with a winder knob on the front and 2 x 2" diameter x 12" long tandem vertical coils of wire coiled tubes in the back that a T bar moves up and down when you twist the knob at the front.

 

Anyone know what the shoebox is, what Kva it will actually produce all day long under constant load and what it is worth ?

 

Finally is it worth buying ???

 

The whole setup is mounted on some hefty RSJ's, came from a sawmill 30 years ago and it starts on the button and runs sweetly.

 

 

I would buy it just to listen to the engine

[openspaceman]

47 minutes ago, gensetsteve said:

if you are going to use it for running motors.

alternatively get a bell housing on the engine and mount a hydraulic pump you will get far more power

This makes good sense although you will need a good run of  3/4" pressure hose though the return hosewill be cheaper

[the village idiot]

3 hours ago, gensetsteve said:

I wrote a long post for you the other day then found I was not signed in and lost the lot ? 

I will try and stick to the facts 

mecc late is a good European alternator and won’t cost 4 k more like £1000 speak to Steve wells at  mecc  alte . 

find a generator motor calculator on line and make sure 10 Kva is big enough. If both these motors are under heavy load at the same time I think this will stress the windings and cause early failure.

does the alternator smell of burning. Like a flymo on a bad day if yes defo chuck it.

we avoid rewinds now like the plague 80 % of the cost and they are never the same as new. When heat is applied to remove the old windings the residue magnetism is reduced this is a particular problem if you are going to use it for running motors.

alternatively get a bell housing on the engine and mount a hydraulic pump you will get far more power there is a huge amount of efficiency lost in a generator . 

There is a good hydraulic company called harrier I think 

 

Thanks Steve, that is very helpful.

 

The alternator doesn't smell of burning, but it's useful to know that rewinding is probably not a great option.

 

The online calculators seem to vary widely in their outcomes. It doesn't help that start up loads seems to be such an inexact science. 

 

The hydraulic pump idea is a good one but the way we operate doesn't really lend itself to that system.

 

I'll get in touch with Steve Wells (thanks for the contact). Have you got any idea what it should cost for an engineer to remove an old alternator and fit a new one on a canopied mobile generator?

[william127]

7 hours ago, the village idiot said:

Thanks Steve, that is very helpful.

 

The alternator doesn't smell of burning, but it's useful to know that rewinding is probably not a great option.

 

The online calculators seem to vary widely in their outcomes. It doesn't help that start up loads seems to be such an inexact science. 

 

The hydraulic pump idea is a good one but the way we operate doesn't really lend itself to that system.

 

I'll get in touch with Steve Wells (thanks for the contact). Have you got any idea what it should cost for an engineer to remove an old alternator and fit a new one on a canopied mobile generator?

Do you have a picture of your generator? I do a reasonable amount of work for a very good mate of mine whose a generator engineer,  including alternator changes, but being the uneducated muscle on the job?, I always have trouble translating  kva into kgs/£££s! But I'd like to help an arbtalk stalwart such as yourself if I can! ??

[the village idiot]

Thanks William, that's very kind of you.

 

Below is a picture of the type of generator I have, although mine is a rather fetching blue.

The alternator is a Mecc Alte S20FS-160