some incredible bsfc numbers...

[ChrisOlson]

and a Magnum MS 4448. That generator support feature would be very useful for the applications I had in mind...

The Magnum MS4448 doesn't have generator support in it.  But Magnum has just released their new inverter that does have it - the MSH4024RE
http://www.magnumenergy.com/products/MSH-REseries.htm

--
Chris

[ChrisOlson]

This is what I'm using the little diesel for:

We got no wind power with only a 6 mph breeze. We got 6.0 kW installed capacity solar, and the solar is only running at about 20% of its rated output due to heavy overcast, thunderstorms overnight. I got a bunch of work to do in the shop after lunch that's going to take about 30 kWh in 5 hours. Plus we got water to heat and other stuff to run. Plus I got walleye fishin' to do tonight. You can either wait for the weather to get your work done, or start the little generator and say to heck with the weather.

The little diesel will supply roughly 1/3 of that power for five hours this afternoon, and the inverter will supply the rest, assisting it for peak loads.

This is all it takes to bring the little diesel online for prime power for a few hours today, and save on the batteries:

--
Chris

[Dualfuel]

Yes Chris this is a very slick set up and quiet too, when you shut the door....That was good.
Is that Robin engine a Yanmar clone or an actual yanmar? I have two 4kw yanmars...I really love them...
I was aware that the gen support feature wasn't available...I do want to stay with 48 volt for simplicity as far as the cart is involved...
Right now I must add that I am 6 months behind because of the late spring we had...I am still trying to gather April's firewood...in fact I skipped the garden this year altogether and we are just going to get buttoned up for next winter directly.

[ChrisOlson]

Is that Robin engine a Yanmar clone or an actual yanmar? I have two 4kw yanmars...I really love them...

No, it's a Robin engine.  It is built by Fuji Heavy Industries in Tokyo, Japan.  They were originally called Wisconsin-Robin, with the engines built by Fuji Heavy Industries and marketed by Wisconsin Engines (Wisconsin Motors) in Waukesha, Wisconsin.  There were thousands of them built for the military for small portable 3 kw diesel gensets - the engine was originally called the Wisconsin-Robin WRD1-270.  They gained such a reputation for ruggedness in the military services that used ones sell for more than a new Honda.  They are still in service in the US Army and US Marines and you can occasionally find them used on government liquidation sales.

Wisconsin Motors quit handling the Robin engine and then they were marketed under the name of just Robin, but mostly overseas.  They are quite common in Europe and Asia, but not in the US.

Then Subaru bought the rights to sell them and the company is now called Subaru-Robin.  The DY27 that's on my generator is still built by Fuji Heavy Industries in Japan and sold all over the world today, except not sold in the US or Canada since 2004 because it doesn't meet EPA.

Edit:
I should clarify this:
Then Subaru bought the rights to sell them and the company is now called Subaru-Robin.

Subaru is actually the automobile manufacturing division of Fuji Heavy Industries.  Subaru Power (called Robin America in the US) is the fourth largest manufacturer of industrial engines on earth:
http://robinamerica.com/
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Chris

[SteveU.]

Yes ChrisO you did make this Japanese Robin distinction versus the later adoped German EPA certified Hatz engine distinction to me.
I downloaded manuals for all three: the DY 27 Robin engine; the Hatz 1B30 engine and the Yanmar "L" series.
Much , much similarty in the two different Japanese engines -  they both had screened filtered pressure pumped oil to the crankshaft and rod bearings. They both had traditional three lobe camshafts with the valve lobes operating rotatable mushroomed headed valve lifter tappets. Both of the Japaneses engines had the means for a counter rotating in the crankcase balance shaft.
The German Hatz engine service download would not open up for me so I could not tell on the crankshaft oiling - filtered  pressure? or just unfiltered splash?. Their more detailed engine features download was very clear that this was a prideful single lobe camshaft engine. Yes. Both the intake and the exhaust valve were actuated off of the same in the block cam lobe through positioned mounted rocker fingers acuating up to pushrods. So right away the intake and the exhaust had to have tha same opening and closing rates. Lift could have been different some based on the rocker finger ratios. BUT twice the wear at least on this single cam lobe! More actually in that it is well proven (to me at least) that a finger following cam lobe WILL have a higher wear rate versus a rotating wear distributing barrel tappet follower system.
Also the fuel injector pump was actuated from this same single cam lobe through a third rocker finger being arc plunge pushed! Again even MORE increased single lobe cam wear! And anyone having looked at injector cam profiles can see they are distinctly different than valve cam profiles. Oh, I am sure the clever Germans thought they had compensated for this in the rocker finger's ratios and even with some internal injector pump changes.
Bottom line is far too much over reliance on a single cam lobe. And far too much monkey motion, side thrusts, and finger tips and rocker shafts wear points to make this work long lived.
Gack!
Reminds me of some of the PITA double rocker armed for a single valve actuation Izuzu auto engines that I've had to work on. Why Izuzu why!? They always became noisy clacker engines.

Thanks for the tip off on the Hatz engine weaknesses ChrisO.
Regards
Steve Unruh

[ChrisOlson]

Thanks for the tip off on the Hatz engine weaknesses ChrisO

I've never had real good luck with the Hatz engines.  I have had two of them on Scot pumps and neither one lasted even half as long as my Honda gas engines on the same pump.  After about 1,500 hours the link on the injection pump gets sloppy due to cam wear and they lose injection pressure due to lost stroke on the pump.  Then they won't start and got no power and smoke real bad.

Yes, there's a lot of similarities between the Robin and Yanmar L-series engines.  The Robin engines have been around for a long time - when I was a kid we had a twin-cylinder Wisconsin-Robin diesel on our hay baler.  I think it was 27 hp - and that baler was built in the late 50's.
--
Chris

[SteveU.]

Hello ChrisO
I am on slow dial-up so your 4 minute+ vidoe would have been a after local midnight near 2 hour download for me. So with your pardon I spent my download time tracking down workshop manuals for the Lombadini single cylinder 15DL engines to be able to contrast and compare. Original Italian version in English/english on a UK site. Kohler has am much quicker download in American/english on their own site. Hope you do not mind if I do compare and contrast:
Again a now double filtered pressure lubed crank and connecting rod system. DI engine series. Provisions also for an in the crankcase balance shaft. Conventional now four lobed camshaft (one for a possible mechanical fuel lift pump). To illistrate my point why a traditional multi-lobe cam with rotating barrel tappet followers would be better that a single lobe DO-ALL "modern" cam system just need to look at page 39, illustration #67 where it shows the different cam lobe purpose shapes with different lift heights and a service wear chart.
Page #40, pictures #60a, b and c shows the actual IP lobe shape versus the intake lobe shape.
Best of all page #44, illistrations #77 & #78 chart out the intake/exhaust opening and closing timings with the valve opening overlaps.
Both Kihler/Lombardini Manuals versions do many times refer to cam/valve/ring/injector modifiacations needed to make the US EPA certifiable engine versions. ALL just relitivly minor mechanical changes with of course the huge cerifications costs to have to bare into the individual unit selling price..
Shame Wisconsin Engines themselves folded and did not upgrade your engine. Double shame Suburu/Fuji chose not to also and now just use the German, paid for, EPA certified version Hatz engines on thier US marketed gen-sets.
Yanmar, Kubota and Kohler/Lombardini all chose to modify and certify some of thier engines as still mechanical injected for US market new sales. Good deal because they all do have multi-service and OEM parts sourcing. They are only doing this though on thier larger than yours version engines.
So manybe your Robins BSFE or g/kW hrs may not be fantastic in comparision but since you are asking and using a smaller CC displacement engine I am sure your actual fuel consumed per hour will be less on spec grade bought out fuels for your power supply needs.
Just what you were after.

For anyone else good to know now that new almost eqivilent are still available as non-electronic mechanical engines in single cylinder aircooled diesels.

Regards
Steve Unruh

[ChrisOlson]

Best of all page #44, illistrations #77 & #78 chart out the intake/exhaust opening and closing timings with the valve opening overlaps.

It's not totally necessary to use different valve timing events for intake and exhaust on a normally aspirated diesel.  A turbocharged engine can take advantage of increased overlap time and duration on the intake side.  But a normally aspirated engine, especially these little ones with the air intake design they use to dampen the intake noise, is not going to benefit much from it.
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Chris