Generator drive and flywheel questions

[DukeOfSavoy]

Looking at options to provide 3 phase power to my shop and am toying with the idea of a generator, rather than phase converter. I found an affordable generator head on ebay, only rub is that it's a flywheel drive rather than shaft driven. As the small shaft output engines are much more my budget, I've been trying to figure out if it's possible to drive the gen head with a coupling to the motor shaft?
Has anyone ever heard of doing such a thing?
P.s. sorry if this isn't the right forum

 

[RJSakowski]

You will need to hold the rpm fairly tight. As to coupling, you could make an adapter plate to couple to your engine. I did that for a 30kw aircraft generator. However, the generator runs at 1700 rpm and your drive will have to provide that. Depending upon choice of engine, you might want to gear it down anyway. Pulleys seem the obvious choice for that.