New to the forums. I am designing an agricultural fan motor assembly and need mechanical engineering advice. I have an old generator with a 16 hp engine. I am trying to use it to drive an agricultural fan. Anyone out there experienced with electromechanical design? I need a clutch assembly (something like that on a lawn mower only much bigger) and need advice on design/sourcing. Basically, I need the engine to connect to a clutch that connects to a PTO drive assembly. I have already designed the electronics for monitoring outdoor temperature and auto-starting the engine. I’ve stripped it down to just the engine, and have an adapter that connects it to a 1“ shaft. I need to find a way to go through a gear 6:1 gear reduction box and then into a clutch assembly I can drive with an actuator. I am an electrical engineer who slept through mechanical engineering classes… I can’t seem to find anything that will work. Any suggestions for how to approach this and find a device? Any other forums you’d suggest I check? Or consultants I can hire?
Not knowing the load from the fan.
The first thought I had was a centrifugal clutch like used in a go-cart and control the engine speed for engagement.
There are also electric PTO’s like this one: https://amzn.to/3ytgibZ.
Search for “electric PTO”.
Another source example: https://www.warnerptodirect.com/
Thanks, Don! Good idea, I will call them to discuss it. The fan is 8’ across, and it has 4 steel blades. So a pretty significant load. I don’t see any throttle on the motor, so was thinking I could devise a clutch mechanism I could engage slowly to get it turning.
You could pretty easily add a throttle control using a screw-driven stepper. This may be a good addition even if you have a clutch or PTO. Controlling the speed feels like a basic need ;).