Chinese diesel generator?

   / Chinese diesel generator? #1  

John White

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2006
Messages
430
Location
Newark, Oh
Tractor
Kubota B3030
I really dont know which catagory would be apporate to ask for the information I need. Has any one had any experience or thougnts on these Chinese diesel generators in the 6 to 7 kw range? Are they any good. I pruchased two Chinese gas generators from Harbor Fright and both have went bad. No parts or service after the 30 day warranty. Refered me to a generator shop, which was to be the authorized repair center. The fellow just laughed at me and said throw it away. Thay they dident even have any specs or repair manuals on then or parts. I would like to purchase something more efficent than a gas. I see the diesel ones advertised on e-bay for around $1000.
 
   / Chinese diesel generator? #2  
I really dont know which catagory would be apporate to ask for the information I need. Has any one had any experience or thougnts on these Chinese diesel generators in the 6 to 7 kw range? Are they any good. I pruchased two Chinese gas generators from Harbor Fright and both have went bad. No parts or service after the 30 day warranty. Refered me to a generator shop, which was to be the authorized repair center. The fellow just laughed at me and said throw it away. Thay they dident even have any specs or repair manuals on then or parts. I would like to purchase something more efficent than a gas. I see the diesel ones advertised on e-bay for around $1000.

Expect the same results .. Completely disposable crap. When it breaks toss it out. These are sold by tonnes of people , under tonnes of names, all the same crap. Also I hope you arent powering something that is voltage sensitive as I can guarantee you the junk will spike before it dies.

There is no parts manual as they change the parts on the line with whatever is cheapest that day. You can check ten of the same generators and find different parts in at least one of them as long as they werent made the same day

If you plan on using this generator, quit "Trying to save" and buy a real one from a company that actually has a name and a phone ..You are being penny smart and pound stupid. You have already lost $1000 on chinese junk, why get ripped off again.. Say after me..Honda....
 
   / Chinese diesel generator? #3  
I have two of the 6kW chinese diesel gensets imported by Wenpower. One has run quite a bit as it is the power source for my remote cabin. No problems so far. I'd say it has 200 hours or more on it. The other is at my home for power backup and gets run monthly for exercise. If you search the net you'll find they are are mostly the same genset sold by many, just painted different colors.
I lucked out and got these for $600 each at a Pep Boys closeout after they sat for a year or more for $1700 each originally.:D Many places are selling the same genset for around $1200. Don't think I'd pay that for one but for two I bit:)

BTW if I make large purchases at HF I usually get the extended warranty. HF sells the same diesel genset and if you get the extended warranty they just give you a new one in case of trouble! Wait for a sale or use the 15% off coupons they mail out to get the price down.
 
   / Chinese diesel generator? #4  
Wow...am I the ONLY one that actually has any of these Chinese diesel gensets?
I'd like to hear more from those with actual experience with them.....;)
 
   / Chinese diesel generator?
  • Thread Starter
#5  
I cant see as the warranty would help me a whole lot. I would bring the gen. home, run it 4 or 5 hours, put it in storage, start it up once or twice a year, run it for 5 min, then put it back in storage, but then when the power goes off as in the last hurrcane or the ice storm here five or six years ago, then I WANT A GEN THAT WILL GEN. I cant wait a month if a part has to come from China. Like the last storm, the recoil spring broke, simply went to my local lawn mower place and got the part instanly, power back on in 1 hour. In a critical stituation, your life might depend on one. In warm weather all you would loose is your food in freezer but if power goes out in 10 below o you need something you can depend on to keep from freesing and keep your water from freezing up. Actually I have another emergency back up generator that I use for construction, but would like to get a good decent one for the home. I figured one of the Chinese diesel would be pretty fuel efficent (and not cost $40 a day in fuel to run it) and beling a diesel be pretty reliable. But I am beginning to bee leery from what some of you are adviseing.
 
   / Chinese diesel generator? #6  
I have a thread running asking about generators. I am not even remotely well educated on generators so I'm asking a lot of questions before I buy. Most responses and PM's I've received are not favorable concerning the cheap Chinese generators. I have a Rural King store really close to me that had two 6kw diesel generators made in China sitting on their floor leaking oil everywhere up until we had some really high winds that took out power a week or so ago. One was sold for about $350 and the other is still sitting there leaking oil.

I'm very well aware that not everything made in China is junk. My problem is that I am not smart enough to be able to tell which generators made in China are complete junk and which ones would be okay.
 
   / Chinese diesel generator? #7  
Wow...am I the ONLY one that actually has any of these Chinese diesel gensets?
I'd like to hear more from those with actual experience with them.....;)

I saw some people selling these after Ike, the green ones, can't recall the name. About 1400 bucks for a 7500 or 8000 if I recall. Does yours have an electric start? These did. When I was rebuilding diesels we sold some one cylinder diesels that were hand crank. Not that bad, compression release, hand crank, huge heavy flywheel, easy once it got going. No way to pull start a diesel IMO, but an electrical system is something more to maintain.

Thanks,
Rob

Here is what they were selling off the back of a truck, I think a little more KW. this is from ebay. If that s pull start? wonder how that works?
8b79_1.JPG
 
   / Chinese diesel generator? #8  
Yes the two I have are electric start. I can't vouch for all chinese diesel gensets but mine have been good so far, no oil leaks, no problems. Of course they could quit tomorrow, but I'm sort of a generator junky and I have several gasoline ones to fall back on if it is an urgent situation. Lets see a roughly 20 year old Coleman 5kW with a Tecumseh 11 horse, a 10+ year old 4kW Generac with a Nagano (Honda copy) 8 horse engine, and my most expensive is several year old Honda EU3000is, now that is a nice generator:) Oh and a 4kW Onan Microlite installed in the toy hauler camper.

My chinese gensets look pretty much like this except they are red-
 

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   / Chinese diesel generator? #9  
Nice compack unit. Mine is a 1983 model Robyn 3500w. Little noisey but not to bad if I back off the rpm a bit. Actually during Ike the little Robyn out performed my neighbors Honda EM5000s I used a bit(he was out of town). About as loud as the Robyn but screamed rpms, and used more fuel...something I couldn't believe.

Asking $2600 for the Honda on the web, that one not worth it IMO. It actually died on us a few times. My neighbor was using my Robyn for 5 days until he borrowed another generator.
 

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   / Chinese diesel generator? #10  
it also depends on your handyness level.

some guys are basicly rebuilding the chinese junk to make it into decent equipment.
 
 
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