3 ms·

> An obvious disadvantage would be the necessity to maintain stocks of two fuel types. Wouldn’t a starter motor running off a battery charged by the very gener

> An obvious disadvantage would be the necessity to maintain stocks of two fuel types. Wouldn’t a starter motor running off a battery charged by the very generator you are running just be an all around better solution? You can run some modern starter motors off a tiny 12x8 in AGM.

doodlebugging 3y ago
That may be true if you are building this today. There evidently were enough problems with that setup back when these pony motors were common to make the use of a pony motor instead of battery power more practical. Perhaps it was a battery efficiency issue or one where a battery couldn't supply enough amperage to generate the torque required for a standard starter to cause the diesel engine to start and run. I know that a pony motor starter was standard on old heavy equipment diesel engines until the late 1940's and possibly after that.
- ComputerGuru 3y ago
  That’s true and there certainly other considerations. I know which I’d consider to be a more solid/reliable option if I were going to be somewhere without access to electricity, at least. It’s easy to see when you’re running low on gasoline and when you’ll need to top off, but I wouldn’t want to be relying on a small 12v battery if I didn’t have a backup jump source available.
  - doodlebugging 3y ago
    That's true. For backup power on my own property I bought a used towable light tower/generator with an industrial Caterpilalr diesel engine and a 20 kW generator. It is portable, comes with its own lights, has a large capacity fuel tank so it can run for days, and it generates enough power to power my house and my shop should I lose grid power. Since it is portable I don't need to rebuild my old gasoline welder to use working on my fence since I can power my electric welder directly from the unit. It also has enough outlets to run several electric tools simultaneously. I have to add a frequency meter on the generator so that I can make sure I get some clean power and a power conditioner to smooth all the wrinkles so my electronics inside the house won't be damaged. Then I need to have an electrician add the subpanel and manual or automatic power transfer switch but for the price I paid it is a bargain over the usual generator packages available.
    - ComputerGuru 3y ago
      That sounds like the making of a great setup! I likewise far prefer to purchase used industrial equipment instead of new residential-grade stuff. But as much as I’d love to be in your kind of environment, we’re in a more suburban setting at least for the medium term - where I’m blessed to have piped natural gas, though. I haven’t bit the bullet yet, but the convenience of a NG generator in that setting is hard to compete with.
      - doodlebugging 3y ago
        I promise I would already have a NG generator if I had gas to the property. I have a high pressure pipeline easement across my place now but there is no way to tie in or buy a drop to supply anything here. It is a gathering system and not distribution I guess. Propane is doable but we decided to focus on solar for those things that aren't easily tied to the existing grid power and this portable generator for its high utility value out here. Good luck to you!

doodlebugging 3y ago

That may be true if you are building this today. There evidently were enough problems with that setup back when these pony motors were common to make the use of a pony motor instead of battery power more practical. Perhaps it was a battery efficiency issue or one where a battery couldn't supply enough amperage to generate the torque required for a standard starter to cause the diesel engine to start and run. I know that a pony motor starter was standard on old heavy equipment diesel engines until the late 1940's and possibly after that.

ComputerGuru 3y ago
That’s true and there certainly other considerations. I know which I’d consider to be a more solid/reliable option if I were going to be somewhere without access to electricity, at least. It’s easy to see when you’re running low on gasoline and when you’ll need to top off, but I wouldn’t want to be relying on a small 12v battery if I didn’t have a backup jump source available.
- doodlebugging 3y ago
  That's true. For backup power on my own property I bought a used towable light tower/generator with an industrial Caterpilalr diesel engine and a 20 kW generator. It is portable, comes with its own lights, has a large capacity fuel tank so it can run for days, and it generates enough power to power my house and my shop should I lose grid power. Since it is portable I don't need to rebuild my old gasoline welder to use working on my fence since I can power my electric welder directly from the unit. It also has enough outlets to run several electric tools simultaneously. I have to add a frequency meter on the generator so that I can make sure I get some clean power and a power conditioner to smooth all the wrinkles so my electronics inside the house won't be damaged. Then I need to have an electrician add the subpanel and manual or automatic power transfer switch but for the price I paid it is a bargain over the usual generator packages available.
  - ComputerGuru 3y ago
    That sounds like the making of a great setup! I likewise far prefer to purchase used industrial equipment instead of new residential-grade stuff. But as much as I’d love to be in your kind of environment, we’re in a more suburban setting at least for the medium term - where I’m blessed to have piped natural gas, though. I haven’t bit the bullet yet, but the convenience of a NG generator in that setting is hard to compete with.
    - doodlebugging 3y ago
      I promise I would already have a NG generator if I had gas to the property. I have a high pressure pipeline easement across my place now but there is no way to tie in or buy a drop to supply anything here. It is a gathering system and not distribution I guess. Propane is doable but we decided to focus on solar for those things that aren't easily tied to the existing grid power and this portable generator for its high utility value out here. Good luck to you!