Harbor Freight 10 kw Generator Head 

It will be fun figuring out and building your own generator. Good luck on your project.

+The Shade Tree Fix-it Man It painted up good. And the cart made it easy to move around too. Thanks George

+FixinThatUp It came out nice and worked really good. Thanks Stan

+Ozzstar 30 amps can really get you out of a mess if you need it. Thanks and take care

+Harvey Spooner They are hard to run across, I found 3 of them so I jumped on them.

+geargriden19 Thanks GG, I was happy how it turned out and should work good. Take care

The gen-head has performed great. Be aware it takes a 16hp engine to operate it to it full potential . Good luck and Thanks

+MIKE MAYERAN Thanks Mike , was a good project and may come in handy. Take care

+fruittreehugger1 Thanks Bud, I think it will do a good job . Take care

I tried to get another one but it was damaged in shipping. Re-ordered and the same thing happened again. Gave up after that and just got one of their generators at the store. Thanks

You COULD run it off an electric motor. You could not run that motor off the electricity generated by it, though. It would be a complete waste, obviously. I'm not sure who would think that was a good idea.

+johnsont963 Thanks, I wanted a 240 volt generator and saw this gen head. Looks like it will work OK.

+ShawnMrFixitlee It painted up nice and works pretty good too. Thanks Shawn

+Mothership Videos It shined up nice and works pretty good. Thanks and take care

+Chevy Shack They can add up , Thanks for watching

Thanks Mike, I have done an update on the power plug, you may look at this video. Take care ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-m08AR_eqITw.html

+shopplay I agree, need to have a plan. Never know . Thanks and take care

+Danny Walker A 50 amp is a better choice for the home. Thanks Danny and take care

+captainjerk Thanks, Never can tell, but if it hasn't in a while your likely OK. It will go off here during thunder storms here when it does. Take care

@@RustyGlovebox what size pulleys did you use on the generator and the engine ?

@@brieannateylar5810 3.5 inch on both

+Willco Jak Thanks, I need it at times but not to often. But it's nice to have and never need it I guess too. Take care

Any time!

Great point!, Thanks for checking it out.

+Roodog Gonebush Thanks Roodog , a project with a purpose...lol

Rusty Glovebox Yes best ones... the ones with a purpose mate :) she is a real beauty top job Lloyd!

+Darren Charron Thanks Darren, it was something I wanted for a while and it all came together pretty easy and painted up nice. Take care

+Buckswoodshop Thanks Matthew, got to keep the work shop going...lol

+dwayne whitaker Thanks Dwayne , glad you care by

+tlcbear2 Will make a nice back up plan if it comes to it. Thanks and take care

+ramblers69 Will come in handy if I ever need it...lol Take care Tom

+DriveShaft Drew Thanks Drew, It all came together real good. Take care

+BIcknell Manor That would be handy to hook it up to the tractor. Thanks and take care.

+19stoney64 Thanks , it will come in handy the next time the power goes out. Take care

The instruction for the gen head says 16hp is the minimum recommended hp. Thanks

+GOBC Models Thanks George, Power never goes off for a long time here. But it's never at a good time when it does. Take care

+txsviking And the same for you too. Take care Terry

+scottsinfl Thanks for watching Scott, take care

TheZooBrooksAB It is loud, I have it down 86dec now. Your right an insulated cabinet should make a big difference. Haven't done that yet but will figure something out for it. Thanks

Thanks for checking it out

+Josh Kilen Thanks Josh, appreciate you watching

Sorry I took so long to get back but here is the link for the gen head instruction manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/45000-45999/45416.pdf

+Dan Whiteford Haven't tested it yet. 16 hp Kohler any guess? Take care

+John Wallace Everything worked out good on the generator . Thanks and take care

Mine really works good. Here is the manual and it should answer any question. Good luck manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/45000-45999/45416.pdf

Thank you, it works very good.

The gen-head is big so you would have to be the judge if you have the room under the hood.

It requires a 16 hp engine that can drive it 3200 rpms. You will need to check and make sure you are getting 60 cycles. You can change that by increasing or decreasing the rpm's. You can buy a meter on ebay or amazon cheap. Good luck

​@@RustyGlovebox Using a 16HP engine seems like a lot. I have a 7.5KW gas generator and it cost me $77 for gas to keep 2 fridges and a freezer going off and on for 6 days during Hurricane Irma a couple years ago. That was maybe 6 hours a day.

This is the link for the gen head manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/45000-45999/45416.pdf

+Harvey Spooner I'll be watching for that Harvey. Good luck

+dee bowen Hopefully I won't have to run it for an extended time but a shed to enclose it and sound proof would be nice. Thanks and take care

It was a 16hp, it was the minimum required engine for the gen head . Thanks

7200 watts is 30 amps at 240volts or 60 amps at 120 volts total load. 10000 watts is about 40 and 80 amps and needs more hp.. about 750 watts per electrical hp on draw or 450 watts per engine hp. 7200 watts /16 hp gas engine = 450 watts per hp is correct because of lack of gas engine efficiency is barely at 50 % percent. electric motors are 85 %+ efficient

+MostlymoparIH Nice to have a plan and not wondering what if...lol. Thanks and take care

:> )

Well, It is still working. It has copper windings and sealed bearings. For the money I have no complaints. The few parts it has inside they could be replaced easily. it puts out 120 or 220. But if you wanted something for an emergency backup, I would get a stationary propane or natural gas unit.Thanks

+Matts Madness Works good, if your looking for some affordable pulleys try Surplus Center, nice selection. Not to hot , all cooper wiring

right on buddy thanks, still waiting on mine to get here

This engine ran at one speed load or no load. You can get an electronic throttle control if required. Thanks

That's a shame. Running at idle until load draw increases saves a lot of wear on your engine - especially in a power outage situation where you may need to run it for hours or even days.

I got it from Summit Racing, it is header wrap tape.

On page 5 it shows the way it mounts. It has worked well for me. Good luck manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/45000-45999/45416.pdf

+wtbm123 Thanks for watching Terry.

+Elbows Malone Have to cut the main breaker off, fines if you back feed power in the grid if the power is off.

+buzzsah That would work out nice on the tractor, nice to have power if you need it too. Take care

I'm sure it meets the usually cheap generator standards. It will maintain a steady 60 cycles but can't say about the quality of wave form it produces

+John Wojsiat I think your right, all the generators recommend grounding it. . Not the same but I know my electrical panel has the ground rod on the ground and neutral bus . Thanks and take care

+Rusty “rustyglovebox” Glovebox Ok, Thanks.....Typo, I meant to type "As rpeek would say"

The way it is supposed to work is when a generator is used at a job site with cords, it should be connected to a ground rod. If you are feeding a panel, the panel is normally connected to a ground rod and you should not ground the generator since the standard 4-conductor generator cord brings the ground to the panel. There should not be two grounds. Looking at the standard 4-conductor 240v 30 amp generator from the end, the curved one is earth ground (green). The one straight across from it is neutral (white), and the ones on either side are the hot legs (black). On systems that use metal conduit, the conduit provides the ground. This is where the 3-wire 240 volt plugs are used. The same holds true for household wiring. The two-prong outlets are only appropriate with metal boxes. If they didn't have conduit connecting them to the panel, they had romex with an additional ground wire. The center screw on the cover plate is electrically connected to the metal screws that connect it to the metal box, and is where you attached the ground wire for equipment that required it. When you buy a 2-3 adapter, it has a green flag on it that attaches to the center screw on the cover plate. The only other thing I would say is I wouldn't back-feed off the welding box. It is a legal problem. The way transformers work, is the side with many windings will have the higher voltage. So lets say you have 7600 at the pole and 240 coming in. If the main is left on or things inadvertently done out of sequence, you fix up the lineman, who thinks things are off, with 7600 volts. Vice-versa, the generator catches fire. Another scenario is you get blamed from something you didn't do. Transfer switches are expensive and nuts for most of the situations they are used. However, a lockout at a box is very easy and cheap to put in. Basically, you move the breakers down two spots on one side of the panel to make room for a 240v breaker. Then you install a lockout on the panel cover. The way it works is it is impossible for the main and generator breaker to be on at the same time. You certainly have the sense to turn off the loads you want and don't want when you switch to generator power and don't need a transfer switch that forces you do use only the ones that were decided on when that expensive thing was installed. A lockout also means when you are working on your generator and the power is on, you have full confidence you are not in any danger and you can't inadvertently fry your generator. Also get the lockout kit made specifically your panel. This will make inspectors happy and keep the ambulance chasers away from your finances. Since you've got everything apart anyways, now is a good time to balance the 120 loads so they are pretty equal on both sides when the power is out and document your panel. For me, what I do is guy a $30 light from Amazon that is by the breaker panel that kicks on when the power goes out, and an alarm that kicks on when the power is restored so I know when I can switch back to the mains. The generator will do 10KW, the 16 hp motor can do 8KW (hp/2=KW for mechanicals). Also, by using a lockout, you get your welding plug back and might have enough to weld with when the power is out. The 30 amp legs will only do 7200 (240 x 30 = 7200 watts), which is what the generator can do continuous. Regular 10Ks have 50 amp plugs. Breakers at the panel are sized by the wiring. The generator fuses and breakers are sized by what the generator can handle. BTW, VERY nicely done!

This generator won't deliver more than 30 amps. It has 110 and 220 plugs but 30 total is all it will deliver. You will have to go with a unit set up to deliver a higher amp load. They generally will be rated for 50 amp or 100 amp load.

It does a good job, it said minimum hp was 16. Luckily that's what I had .

The one I got was a 10k gen head and required a minimum 16 hp to get full rated power. Your engine may operate it but will likely need a larger engine to get full power. Good luck with your project

@@RustyGlovebox Yep! You're right. Doesn't work! Found manual online and it say's 16hp. Would like to find a DC motor with that kind of power and RPM.

You have to order it on-line from Harbor Freight. The stores don't keep it. That is how I got mine. Good luck

It doesn't say they are stackable. I think it would be cheaper to buy a larger generator to get the 100 amps.

To stack them there would have to be a way to synchronize the waveforms and these do not have that.

+shartne I have a small bank of solar too. But hard to supply the amount of electricity the generator does. I have a small wind generator I built so between the three it's covered. Thanks and take care

+Rusty “rustyglovebox” Glovebox Sounds like a good plan. I am thinking about adding some mono panels that will work during cloudy days.

I bet that would work fine. More engine than you need but you alread have it. Plenty of power to gear it up. Good luck on the project.

A brick on the gas pedal will work just fine! 😀

The generator required a minimum 16hp to operate at the correct speed at full load. I had a Kohler 16 hp on the shelf that worked perfect for the job. Good luck on your project.

thanks

+5 Acres on the Bayou Propane would be easier for me. I have been looking at that too. Ha ha

At least 16 hp on gasoline . Must run at 3600 rpm to get 120//240 volt. More it better, 20hp would be better. At 10000 watts surge load it would use 20 hp.You can never have to much hp as long as its 3600 rpm with a rpm governor. I would build a bigger generator, but most cars engine are expensive to govern to 3600 rpm or use belts and pulley to that rpm...

Yep, 16hp or larger works perfect

+TheDisorderly1 Thanks , I was looking, do you have a supplier or type you were thinking of?

Seems like they're available a lot of places but a quick search shows grainger has a boat load of them, starting at 2.13/ea. www.grainger.com/category/cylindrical-vibration-isolators/mounts-and-vibration-control/material-handling/ecatalog/N-9tu?ssf=3

Thanks, I saw a couple I wrote down and going to give them a try. Appreciate it

+1970chevelle396 The power is pretty reliable here too. But a hard winter, storms or tornado never know. You will have power if you ever need it. Thanks and take care

I have a Hz meter and set the rpm to match 60 cycle

@@RustyGlovebox So when you hit it with a full rated load, how does the engine/Hz respond? The reason I'm asking. Most engine governors are not that sensitive to holding the correct Hz instantaneously.

My suggestion, Use a pure resistive load (space heaters or resistive incandescent light bulbs) and an Amp clamp and voltmeter and run it at no-load, then full 30A load and see how it responds.

@@RustyGlovebox BTW, I just looked at that "10KW" head, it looks like it's really a 7200 watt head, that's what it's rated at. It'll not hold 10KW continuous. I doubt it'll hold a 30A load for more than a few seconds before it trips or bogs the engine. The rule of thumb is that you need 2 HP to produce 1 kW of electricity.

It is a continuous duty 7200 with 10K surge. You are correct there is some fluctuation. It would not be a good choice to operate sensitive electronics. For those an inverter generator would be a better option.

I had a 16 hp Kolher engine I used . I had thought about standing the gen head vertical and use my riding mower engine but used this engine .

Rusty Glovebox but if you did the vertical route you would have to change out bearings to thrust bearings on the generator head

I will have to check.

16 hp is the minimum recommended engine. I'm using a Wisconsin engine I had on hand

The generator head cost $299 from Harbor Freight. You have to order it on-line, It is not available at the store.

TACOMASRT5 I think it would but you would not be about to generate at its maximum wattage. A 16hp is recommended

@@RustyGlovebox I've got a harbor freight mig 170 welder Idk how many watts I need to power it. Works just fine in my dryer outlet

@@TACOMASRT5 If the welder is a 120 volt welder and it draws a max 20 amps. The minimum watt needed would be 2400 or higher(go with a higher output generator). Go by the continuous duty not the surge rating. Without knowing the exact welder , this is very general.

@@RustyGlovebox the welder I have is a 220 20 amp. It's the mig 170 from harbor freight

220 volts X 20 amp = 4,400 watts minimum. The larger the generator the better. If you get to close to the minimum, it would over work the generator and cause problems with the generator or welder.

It is rated at 10k surge and 7200 continuous with 240 volts. 7200/240=30amps

@@RustyGlovebox got ya. I thought u were in the USA. My bad.

I have already sold it.

It looks rough but sure helps on cooling and heating