6 Best Generator Transfer Switches For Farm Emergencies Old Farmers Swear By
Ensure farm operations continue during an outage. We review 6 reliable generator transfer switches that seasoned farmers trust for safe, essential power.
The power goes out in a winter storm, and the clock starts ticking. Within hours, the pipes in the barn are at risk of freezing, the brooder full of chicks is losing heat, and the freezers packed with a season’s worth of meat are slowly warming. This is when you realize that having a generator is only half the solution; safely and effectively getting that power where it needs to go is the other, more critical half.
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Why Your Farm Needs a Real Transfer Switch
Let’s get one thing straight: that "suicide cord" you’ve heard about—a male-to-male extension cord plugged into your generator and a dryer outlet—is a disaster waiting to happen. It’s an illegal, makeshift connection that can electrocute a line worker trying to restore your power by sending electricity back down the grid. It’s also a massive fire hazard for your home and barn.
A generator transfer switch is the professional, safe, and correct way to connect a generator. It’s a small electrical subpanel that physically disconnects your selected circuits from the utility grid before it connects them to the generator. This mechanical break makes it impossible to backfeed the grid, protecting utility workers and your equipment.
Think of it as the traffic cop for your farm’s electricity. When the main road (the grid) is closed, the transfer switch safely diverts traffic from a side road (your generator) to your critical destinations—the well pump, the freezer, the furnace. In the middle of a stressful outage, you just flip a few switches, and you’re back in business. No fumbling with cords in the dark, no guessing, no danger.
Reliance Controls Pro/Tran 2 for Well Pumps
For many small farms, the emergency power plan boils down to one thing: keeping the water on. The Reliance Controls Pro/Tran 2 series is practically designed for this exact scenario. It’s a simple, surface-mounted manual transfer switch that lets you power a handful of critical circuits without rewiring your whole life.
This switch is a favorite because it’s so easy to understand. It typically handles 6 to 10 circuits, and each switch on the panel is clearly labeled for what it controls (e.g., "Well Pump," "Furnace," "Freezer"). Most models include watt meters, so you can see exactly how much power you’re drawing and avoid overloading your generator—a common and costly mistake.
The Pro/Tran 2 isn’t a whole-house solution, and that’s its strength. It forces you to be disciplined about what’s truly essential. By focusing on just the well, a freezer, and maybe the fridge and a few lights, you can get by with a smaller, more fuel-efficient generator. It’s the perfect, no-fuss setup for targeted, critical needs.
Generac 6852 HomeLink: The Upgradeable Pick
Maybe your power needs are simple now, but you’re thinking about the future. The Generac HomeLink is the transfer switch for the farmer who plans ahead. It functions perfectly as a manual transfer switch for a portable generator today, but it’s pre-wired and designed to easily connect to a Generac home standby generator later on.
This switch offers more capacity than basic models, typically handling 8 to 16 circuits and up to 50 amps of power. This gives you the flexibility to run more than just the bare essentials. You can power your well, freezers, and furnace, and still have circuits left for the home office or workshop.
The real value is in its dual purpose. You’re not just buying a solution for today; you’re making a down payment on a future upgrade. If you ever decide to install a fully automatic standby generator, you won’t have to pay an electrician to rip out your old switch and install a new one. The HomeLink is ready to go, saving you significant money and hassle down the road.
Eaton CHGEN3060N: The Heavy-Duty Workhorse
When your emergency power needs go beyond the basics, you need a switch built for serious work. The Eaton CHGEN3060N is a heavy-duty transfer switch designed for larger portable generators and bigger electrical loads. This isn’t for just keeping the lights on; this is for keeping the farm operational.
This is a 60-amp switch, a significant step up from the standard 30-amp models. That extra capacity means you can power high-draw equipment like a large well pump, a welder for emergency repairs, or multiple circuits in a barn simultaneously. It’s often installed as a dedicated subpanel, giving you a robust, centralized hub for all your critical power needs.
Make no mistake, this is a more involved and expensive setup. It’s a piece of permanent infrastructure, not a simple plug-in device. But if your power outage plan includes running equipment that draws serious amperage, a standard switch is the weak link in your system. The Eaton is the unbreakable chain.
Connecticut Electric EmerGen for Simple Setups
Sometimes, you just need a tool that does one job reliably without any bells and whistles. The Connecticut Electric EmerGen transfer switch is exactly that. It’s a straightforward, ruggedly built manual switch for farmers who have a clear, limited set of emergency power needs and want a solution that just works.
Functionally similar to the Reliance Pro/Tran, the EmerGen allows you to select 6 to 10 circuits to power from your generator. It’s known for its durable metal construction and simple, intuitive operation. During a chaotic power outage, you don’t want to be deciphering a complex interface; you want a big, clunky switch that is impossible to operate incorrectly.
This is the choice for pragmatists. It lacks the upgrade paths of the Generac or the massive capacity of the Eaton, but it’s also more affordable and dead simple to use. If your plan is to power the well pump, the refrigerator, and the furnace blower with a 5,000-watt generator, the EmerGen is all the switch you’ll ever need.
Square D QO2DTI Interlock: Electrician’s Choice
What if you don’t want a separate panel and want the flexibility to power any circuit in your home? The solution is a generator interlock kit. It’s not a transfer switch panel, but a simple, ingenious mechanical slide that gets installed directly on your main breaker panel.
An interlock works by making it physically impossible for the main breaker (from the grid) and the generator backfeed breaker to be on at the same time. You slide it one way to use grid power; you slide it the other way to use generator power. This provides the same critical safety function as a transfer switch but allows you to use all your existing breakers.
This is by far the most cost-effective and flexible option, but it comes with a huge warning: installation is not a DIY job. It must be installed by a licensed electrician to ensure it’s the correct model for your panel and is installed to code. It also requires you to be disciplined. You have to manually manage your electrical loads to avoid overwhelming your generator, as you could technically turn everything on at once.
Reliance Controls XRC Series for Big Generators
If you’re running a portable generator that’s a true beast—10,000 watts or more—you’ve already outgrown standard 30-amp transfer switches. The Reliance Controls XRC series is designed specifically for these high-output generators. These are 50-amp, 10-circuit switches built to handle the power needed to run a significant portion of your farm.
The key feature here is the 50-amp inlet, which matches the high-output plugs found on commercial-grade portable generators. This allows you to use the generator’s full potential safely. With this setup, you can confidently run a walk-in cooler, multiple pumps, barn heaters, and household essentials all at once, without worrying about tripping a breaker on a lesser switch.
This is the bridge between a portable generator setup and a full-scale standby system. It’s for the serious hobby farmer who has invested in a powerful generator and needs a transfer switch that won’t be a bottleneck. It ensures every bit of that expensive power is put to safe, effective use.
Choosing Your Switch: Amps, Circuits, & Safety
Picking the right switch comes down to matching the hardware to your generator and your emergency plan. Don’t overbuy, but don’t undersize your system either. Start by looking at your generator’s main outlet—is it a 30-amp (L14-30) or a 50-amp (L14-50)? Your switch and inlet box must match.
Next, get brutally honest about what you need to run. Make a list of the absolute essentials.
- Well Pump: This is non-negotiable for most farms. Check its voltage (120V or 240V).
- Refrigeration: At least one freezer and the kitchen fridge.
- Heat: The blower motor on a furnace doesn’t draw much power, but it’s critical for keeping pipes from freezing.
- Lights & Communications: A few lighting circuits and an outlet to charge phones.
Finally, prioritize safety above all else. While some simple switches seem manageable, electrical work is serious business. Hiring a licensed electrician is the single best investment you can make in your emergency power system. They will ensure the switch is installed correctly, is up to code, and is safe for your family and the utility workers down the line. It’s the peace of mind you’ll be grateful for when the lights go out.
Ultimately, a transfer switch transforms your generator from a simple machine into an integrated part of your farm’s resilience plan. It’s the piece of equipment that ensures when a crisis hits, you can calmly and safely restore power, turning a potential disaster into a manageable inconvenience.
