Sometimes you need a bigger toy

[JohninCT]

I would NOT bet my life by putting a fuel burning machine in my garage.You feeling lucky?

I wouldn't install/run the generator inside the house myself either. But, a lot of us have fuel burning machines in the garage/basement... called furnaces

 

[ctgoldwing]

I am interested in these govt auctions. How did you find out about that one?

As a start you can go here:
Government Sales and Auctions | USA.gov

I usually go to "Shop by government agency" here:
Government Sales and Auctions by Agency | USA.gov

Then I go to "Defense Surplus" here:
Government Surplus Auctions at Government Liquidation

GL has the contract for auctioning all this 'stuff' for Defense Surplus. If I'm just perusing I will plug in my state or a nearby state & see what (if anything) is being auctioned neaby. No sense (for me anyway) getting all bent out of shape wanting something they are auctioning off in California. . .

If you are looking for something particular you can search by keyword. ie My genset is a MEP-003A so you could search for that or something more generic like 'generator'.

Just a note of caution. . . from the comments I read on STEELSOLDIERS.COM you should not take the descriptions by GL as necessarily correct or complete. My son lives 30 miles from Fort Meade & was able to inspect (twice) the gensets we were bidding on. We both got really good pieces of equipment. Some of the posts on SS would indicate otherwise.

 

[RidgeHiker]

My sympathies for your loss RidgeHiker. You didn't mention that it was a gasoline engine generator though.

Thanks for your thoughts. Our friend, Pat, that died was in his 80's, had been a very active guy all his life - one of the early California surfers, an avid skier until recent years, etc. - and was his mind was going. We all felt sad, but that it was his time to go.

I did not mention the type of generator because I did not know.

 

[amigauser]

Hi amigauser

The approximate dimensions are 8' long X 5-1/2' wide - I'll have to measure it tomorrow.

It has a GVW of ~2600lbs and a net rating of 3/4 ton (but it sure looks like it could hold twice that. The 1st person down the driveway with $500 owns it

Thanks for the info. I am looking for a larger trailer. It should sell quickly on Craigslist for that price.

 

[TimberXX]

Any idea on the amount of hours on those units?

How many hours can one expect from an air cooled diesel? I would assume a ton.

 

[ctgoldwing]

Any idea on the amount of hours on those units?

How many hours can one expect from an air cooled diesel? I would assume a ton.

The gensets are anywhere from 20-30 years old. You will see some, like the ones we bought, with VERY low hours. Those units have refurb tags that the GL listing doesn't show in their images or in their descriptions. In our case they were refurbed in '08, put on new trailers and put in storage. The last thing they do before mothballing them is test run then, then drain all the fluids. My set had 2.3 hours on the clock, all the wiring / controls were new and the motor & generator looked new. In the manual it calls for a motor rebuild at 5000 hours. . . a lot longer than I'll ever run it. The motor on mine is 140 cu in air cooled and I have yet to get it warm enough to have the 'cooling shutters' open

btw in the listing they often show the hours on the clocks.

 

[TimberXX]

5000 hours is impressive for an air cooled engine.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[RidgeHiker]

In California it is now required by law to have carbon monoxide alarms installed in homes. Some would call this government interference but I think it is a good idea.

 

[D7E]

All of our generators for the pig houses were in the sheds ..just a pipe out for the exhaust (Cummins 855 14 litre)

 

[Mark Page]

I would build a dolly for it with locking casters/wheels (Northern Tools). If you wanted to you could winch it up a trailer ramp and move it where ever.
I won't run mine indoors in any way, shape or form. I goes outside and the garage doors stay open.