Electric Generator

[Briarwood]

I am planning to purchase a general use gasoline powered generator approx 4,000 to 5,000 watts (already did my homework on size needed). What brand do you recommend and where to buy? Are the Campbell Hausfeld at TSC any good? What features should I look for? I am thinking a name brand engine like Briggs & Stratten OHV type with cast iron sleeve and ball bearing alternator. Your thoughts please.

Briarwood

 

[MDNY]

You might want to try Generac Power Systems. www.generac.com since they offer many different systems including direct wire to the house.

 

[patrickg]

Don't shy away from the Honda powered units. They are pretty reliable. Sounds like you want the engine to last. Make sure that you get a unit with automatic low oil shutoff to preclude accidently seizing the engine.

Patrick

 

[cp1969]

southwestfastener.com carries a pretty good line of generators. The ones with Honda engines will cost you the most but they're probably worth it. I think Honda makes complete generator sets, but just because it has a Honda engine doesn't mean the generator is as well.

There are always quite a few generators on ebay, too. I've been thinking about getting a pto driven one (you get about 1kW per pto horsepower) just to have one less internal combustion engine to take care of.

 

[Egon]

One that will return to idle when not under load would be nice. Also some indication as to voltage being produced and being able to easily adjust it is helpfull. The overhead valve are probably more efficient engine and cast iron sleeves should be a must. The engine's come in different service ratings and if you can figure out the combination of engines, generators and different manufactures please let me know.

I purchased a Homelite LR4300 last year. It is an inexpensive model with low oil shut off but voltage is adjusted by throttle setting which is a pain.
You probably get what you pay for but the price was good and it does serve my purpose.

Egon

 

[Anonymous Poster]

??? How long will you run it?
Will you be present to change oil every 10 hours?
What will you be running on it?
Is frequency stability important in your application?
Will it be mounted inside a building?

Given the size you figure to need, why NOT a Kubota Diesel?
At 6000 watts, Kubota becomes very cost effective when compared to gasoline.

 

[alco141]

more information?

what are you going to use the generator for? is for life threatening emergencies, or just camping, or to handle a remote work/play electrical needs. how much would you depend on this generator on a weekly basis. what are you going to run.

i guess these questions will help you to select the most likely candidates. as far as the campbell hausfeld units, i think they look about like some of the coleman units, they would be good for occasional use but i would not rely very heavily on them. i have had a few generators over the years. as far as pto generators, they will give you about 1 kw for each 2 pto hp supplied. they are built tough, but the speed is tractor dependant and so throttle adjustment is critical.

alex

 

[cp1969]

Re: more information?

alco141 is right--2hp per kW is correct, not 1hp/kW as I said in earlier post.

 

[cisco]

Had a Coleman for 10 years, and it did well but began burning oil after only 20 -30 hours of use, and if not started at least monthly - yes, I use fuel preservative - became a real bear to get going. Bought a higher output unit, and settled on Honda. The Honda (full Honda, not just motor) is subject to a fair mark-up, and the best deal I could find was Mayberrys.com - who were prompt and as advertised. Anyhow, the home use Hondas, not the less expensive industrial line (be careful - Honda had 3 lines of generators - and the quiet home line-up is by far the most expensive - so a "Honda generator 4000 watts" means not much, you need specifics). The home line Hondas have built-in line fault interupters, governors to lower engine speed appropriate to line demand, and so on. I particularly like the propane kit conversion option - I'm "hard wiring" one to my house, and can run the generator off my large propane tank - no need to haul gas, worry about the spark plug or carb gumming up, and so on. The battery start-up that comes on the larger generators has an attached trickle charger. So, when your power fails, the battery kicks over the generator, and such runs as long as your propane tank will allow - weeks in my case (I'm in the hurricane zone - coastal SC - had no power for 8 days after Hugo in '89, and neither did the local gas stations, stores, etc - learned my lesson - no cooking except the outdoor grill, no hot water, no dry clothes, no refrigerator, no nothing & a good stock of deer and fish in a freezer were spoiled within 2 days - so, I've converted to a gas stove, water heater and oven, and put in the Honda for the rest - not that I ever want to see another major hurricane - took 2 days just to chainsaw the stuff blocking my driveway). Good luck - when you really need a generator, there is nothing else that will substitute, and if something goes wrong with your generator during a prolonged power outing, there's no way you'll get service, or even a store open with parts.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

The guys that are recommending Honda generators, are right about the quality of the product. They are also correct to recommend the full Honda unit, not the Honda engine mounted to a generic stator assembly. I worked on Honda generators for seven years at a dealership, and have a hands on knowledge of their quality. Yamaha also makes an extremely high quality line of generators. Currently Yamaha has an econony line that offers a 6600w (EF6600a) generator. Yamaha calls the economy generators "the heavy duty line". I imagine this is because it sounds better than "the low budget line". If I was better with a computer I would provide you with a convienient link to Yamaha-motor.com, where you could view them yourself. Im sure American Honda has a similar website. You will just have to trust me when I say that these two product lines are superior to the bulk of the TSC, Lowes, Northern, etc. brand generators.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Whoops. I forgot to tell you the price. I sorta got out of Yamaha generator sales (too busy with bikes and ATVs), but I think the EF6600a retails for $1699. When I stopped dealing them I sold my last couple of units for around $1400. You should also keep in mind that these ecomomy generators, regardless of the size, have smaller mufflers and gas tanks than the "performance line" of Yamaha generators. Read into that-louder, and shorter time between fill-ups. I hope this doesn't sound too much like an advertisment for the moderators' tastes. Just wanting to help.

 

[LilRhody]

Well for what its worth....a few weeks back I hooked up my 10000 watt Generac EXL unit to power my home. Works great! I can run all sorts of stuff (i.e. well pump; hot water; refrigerator; micro-wave; pellet stove; A/C (window unit); garage door; sump pump; washing machine; three TV's (50"; 27"; 13"); outside flood lights; most of the house lights; and a few wall plugs to recharge flashlights/batteries. I have the panel balanced almost to the exact watt. The pellet stove and A/C will never run at the same time, but, everything else can run full tilt with some room to spare (not much though). I bought the Generac (with around 10 hrs. on it) from a fellow TBNer...picked up an EmerGen 10-12K (new in box) sub-panel off of e-Bay...and a 40' SO4 cable with 50 amp plugs to hook everything together (from a local electrical supply company). Total cost was under $1650.00. And as the commercial goes...Peace of mind: Priceless

 

[RET]

I'm also looking for a portable generator for use during power outages (such as hurricanes in south Louisiana!) and for football tailgating (go LSU Tigers!) and, in general, just to add to my small (by TBN standards), but ever growing collection of big-boy toys.
From my research on the net, I concluded (as has already been stated in a previous post) that Honda and Yamaha are the top dogs.
But, due to my VERY occasional use of a generator, and a very slim pocket book, I would like to keep the price down a little lower than those Mecedes models. I've been researching Generac and they appear to also be a very good generator - and seem to be priced a little better. Amazon.com has a special on a Generac 4000XL, 7.8 hp Generac OHV engine, for $750. This includes wheels, cover, FREE SHIPPING, and 180 day no interest!
Generac advertises their own engine "as quiet as any on the market". Consumer reviews on Amazon.com seem to confirm this. A quiet engine is one of my shopping requirements.
This is the size unit I'm looking for at a cost I can live with.
What do you think? Is Honda or Yamaha, at several hundred $$ more in price, worth it given that I will never wear out any generator I buy? I don't want to buy something cheap that I will regret, but I also need to save some $$ for tractor toys!
Any negative opinions of Generac? Any positives, other than listed in previous post?

I'm thinking of buying sometime in next few days, so any advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks!
ret

 

[bmabe]

Hi all,
I'd like to jump in with an alternate thought or question - I came across this when checking out some surplus miltiary electrical equipment:
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.colemans.com/>http://www.colemans.com/</A>
and check out the 4.3kva generator.

Anyway, I'm trying to research this generator as most items of this type bought and used by the military are grossly overbuilt and this one has the added advantage of 3 phase power for motors, etc. Does anybody have prior experience with this model, or has anyone dealt with Colemans Miltary Surplus? Seems that I recall they are located near the huge Letterkenny PA depot.

Barry

 

[Anonymous Poster]

4.3kva ain't going to power much of a motor. There are thousands of mil gensets coming onto the market currently, most have been sitting in storage for over 20 years, and are effectively new. Coleman is a liquidation contractor for the new government surplus system that replaced the old DMSO system.
Coleman is located a bit north of Allentown, and is a fantastic operation. They do business straight up, and you can rely on what they tell you. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from Coleman if he had what I wanted at a price I was willing to pay.
As far as surplus gensets are concerned, I'd also buy one or 2 of the part/repair kits that are being sold too.

 

[Ozarker]

I guess with over twenty years in the Army I have plenty of experience with them. Good units. Reliable when well maintained. Tune up parts will probably be tough to get since they have mil spec ignition systems. They were mostly used to run light sets and coffee pots for maintenance tents and command posts.

They are all rope start. No electric starters and no recoil pull starters like lawn mowers. You wrap the rope and pull.

 

[fishman]

RET,

I have that exact generator (Generac 4000xl) and have used it a fair amount (5-10 hours). I purchased it at Home Depot for $699 without wheels, cover, or electric starter. The motor is very quiet, much quieter than any other generator I've used, and I've used plenty. As an aside, at my office we currently have a Honda powered 13 hp generator that is much louder than my generac, but it's also more powerful, so. . . not a fair comparison.

Anyway, the 4000xl has low oil shut down, a spin-on oil filter, no-load idle setting, and an uncomplicated easily-accessible wiring panel (wiring diagram included) I really like mine, and it is much lighter than other 5000 watt discount generators (98 lbs, I think). It is also more compact by a considerable margin. It will run forever on a tank of gas, as I still haven't used up my first tank.

All in all, a nice quality generator at a price much less than comparable models. I have three honda-powered gas pumps and, although they are top quality, I would certainly equate the 4000 xl's motor with any of them.

I believe this generator is also available at Lowe's with an electric start option. A nice feature, but it adds weight if that is a consideration.

 

[RET]

Thanks Fisherman!
I'm pretty much sold on the 4000XL.....now I just have to convince the boss that she really, really needs one. I keep telling here that when a hurricane forms in the gulf, it's too late to get one.
Anyway, football season starts in less than a month I need this generator in time for some serious tailgating....of course I'm not telling her that though!
Thanks!
RET

 

[BillG_in_TX]

At the risk of sounding like a fan of ebay (I shop there way too often), there is a <A target="_blank" HREF=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1756297753>Generac 5500 EXL</A> for sale. It's less than $400 with 6 hours left in the auction, and the seller is near Baton Rouge!

 

[crawdad]

you get what you pay for.
im surprised no one has mentioned ONAN generators.they are probably one of the better brands.
i own an onan and it has served me well.
honda makes a quality unit.
one of the drawbacks to some of those smaller units is you will be filling the fuel tank very often when running at full load. my 6500 watt onan holds about eight gallons of gas.
i can go many hours w/o filling it up.
if your going to use it just for emergency related power for the house, i would get a propane unit.
no bad gas to worry about and filling up during some nasty weather can be a chore.
spend the money on a quality unit....a couple hundred bucks will not matter when the "bargain" generator doesnt start when you need it most.
if you buy a gas unit , i run mine for an hour or so under load once a month.keeps the battery charged up.