Please post your generator choice and experiences

General Lee · Jul 5, 2012

There has been some talk lately about generators and I know there is previous threads on them but that is a lot of reading. What I would like to do is consolidate a lot of it in one thread. I am asking if every can post their PORTABLE generator of choice if they were to purchase one today AND anyone that has a good proven one over the years.

I am researching to buy one very soon and I am over whelmed on which way to go. I have a 100 gallon LP tank for kitchen stove only. I like the idea of a standby unit but don't want to add another LP tank and I really don't want to spend 5-6 grand.

I don't need to run the whole house at once but the biggest thing I would want to run is my 3 ton AC unit. I'm looking at a generator in the 10-12,000 watt range. Also don't want a PTO genny because I may need my tractor in certain disasters.

I thought Generac was pretty decent but have been learning a bit otherwise. I have been getting by on my little 5500W Briggs & Stratton but want some more flexibility not worrying about running larger items. Winter time is easy getting by with 5500W but not summer time outages.

joshuabardwell · Jul 5, 2012

If money was no object, I would absolutely buy a Honda i series. Hands-down, Honda makes the smoothest, quietest, most reliable generator motors in the business. The i series (inverter) are much more efficient, and even quieter, than conventional generators. However, you pay a LOT for that. A Honda generator can easily run you 3-5x the cost of a comparable non-Honda generator. The Honda i series maxes out at 6500 watts, so that's out for you. A conventional Honda portable generator can be had up to 10,000 watts, which retails for around $5k, which is how much you said you don't want to spend.

So, to heck with Honda. Frankly, I think if you're buying in the 10kW range, you're unlikely to go too far wrong. It's not like you're going to be buying some $200 POS that is just intended to get off the shelf and then break a few years later. Get something with a motor you trust (Briggs, perhaps) and call it done. You can pretty much have your pick of 10kW generators for about $1000, and if it breaks, just buy another one and still be ahead of the Honda. Heck, you could buy five of them!

IMO, you should seriously consider buying used. There are lots of used generators out there that have hardly been run, although they tend to be more in a lower range than you are shopping for. Nevertheless, used generators are typically 50% to 75% of the cost of new ones. And the 10kW generators often will have an hour meter, so you can tell how used they are.

General Lee · Jul 6, 2012

I did find this one w/ a Honda motor, but with that wattage at that price makes me go Hmmmmmm, chinese knock off maybe?

http://www.generatorsales.com/order/H11000E3.asp?page=H11000E3

YesDeere · Jul 6, 2012

I'm gonna kill 2 birds with one stone. Millermatic welder. 10kw. Burn metal and run the well pump and window rattler. I got by this time with a 5kw Honda. Borrowed from work. Eb 5000. Ran from Saturday to thursday. Excellent machine. Burns about 10 gallons in 24 hrs.

aczlan · Jul 6, 2012

I would look for a MEP-002A or MEP-003A. The MEP-002A is rated to put out 5kw 24x7 at 6000 feet and 130F ambient temperature (civilian version is rated at ~7KW) while the MEP-003A is rated to put out 10kw 24x7 at 6000 feet and 130F ambient temperature (civilian version is rated at ~14KW)
See: http://www.canadianmilitarypattern.com/Resources/Practical Back.pdf for a primer on the MEP gensets.

Aaron Z

Lava Rancher · Jul 6, 2012

My off-grid backup is a kohler 12 RES. Wotks fine and is fairly quiet. It isn't really portable and shoupd be built in.

Turbys_1700 · Jul 6, 2012

I've owned 4 generators in my life...
The first one was a Yamaha that burned up in 5 days of used after hurricane Hugo...
The dealer did give me a refund because he was out of units at the time...
My 2nd unit was a Miller welder combo unit that I sold later...
It worked really well and I would highly recommend that unit...
My last two units have been Northern Tool units that have performed well...
The biggest issue I have with any generator is making sure that the darn thing will crank when needed...
I normally try to start mine up every month or two and keep stabil in the gas tank...

Baby Grand · Jul 6, 2012

I have a Miller Trailblazer welder/generator that served us well during 5 days without power last August and again, for six days in October.

It guzzles gas, it's heavy, it's expensive & it's noisy - that's the bad part.

The good part is - it's a welder! Since I use it fairly frequently to weld, I know the gas is always fresh and the battery is charged, so it will start. It's a very nice welder, BTW. Another plus is that since I have a tractor I can move it anywhere on my property that I can take the tractor and have 120/240V power, so I'm not limited by extension cord length if I want to work in the woods. Since it's heavy, it's a lot more difficult for thieves to boost in a hurry. It produces high quality 10k power.

-Jim

savageactor7 · Jul 6, 2012

We had our Generac 7k for over 5 years and have no problems...got it form a local dealer NOT a BB store.

For years we debated about what kind of gen to get and how to store fuel and remained deadlocked. The deciding moment arrived when we upgraded our propane tank to 250gal. Luckily I happened to arrive on a 4 day pass as the tank was being put in and the propane guy say with this tank I should get a generator ...it would run for a week or more.

He also advised getting the smallest gen possible for our use, that way the fuel last longer. It comes on automatically for a weekly test has dedicated circuits that it powers and it is very quiet. In an emergency you don't continue to live large...you hunker down and be grateful for running water and internet.

My only regret is not doing this 20 years ago or so. You don't want to out scrambling for fuel amongst other desperate folks in a weather or civil emergency. I highly recommend a Generac from an authorized dealer.

N8ghz · Jul 6, 2012

In my opinion, it's hard to beat an ONAN. There are quite a few floating around for sale. I have 2 that are from the 70's/80's motorhomes, that are still going strong. One of those is a 4kw CCK, and the other is an NH,which is 6.5kw.

My bucket truck also has an ONAN 4.5kw on it. And then there's my Miller Legend gas-drive welder, which is also a 5.5kw generator, also powered by an ONAN.

My biggest generator is a very old Pincor, powered by a 4-cylinder Wisconsin. It is on a trailer and is 15kw