Your last generator Maintenance Run

[90cummins]

We’re in for some nasty weather, 2~5 inches of wet snow with some ice buildup and winds up to 60mph in higher elevations (me) and flooding in lower areas.
Going to start the generators & make sure everything is ready for a long haul.
As prepared as I am Murphy will probably look elsewhere!
90cummins

 

[daugen]

tonight after dinner weather is supposed to get pretty nasty with a lot of rain and wind.
At least no snow or ice here, going to be 44 degrees here tonight, warmer Southern air pushing North
but our ground is really soft, and with three or four more inches of rain,
the dead ash trees start to fall, particularly when the wind kicks up.

and now they are talking about the storm after this one...
pretty active weather

rain has started here

I changed the oil in gen recently, ran it, charged the battery.
what shall be shall be
actually more worried about flooding; I think that will be a big problem for New England

 

[3930dave]

Best Wishes for riding out the storms guys. You'll reap the benefit of the work you've put into your generators .

Rgds, D.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Our snow totals have dwindled from nearly 14”, to now about 2”. I did do my maintenance run. The battery was very strong, but it did take a few attempts to get it to fire. It’s a Predator 3500W inverter with about 13 hours on it.

We are ready for any pending power outages with the generator, backup propane heat and plenty of food.

 

[LouNY]

Well I got a surprise this morning went down to the IH 574 to start it and get the generator backed up to the house. The ol girl had only been started a couple of times all summer and with the forecast almost an inch of rain and high winds I figured it'd be nicer to be backed up and ready to go. She almost fired on the second attempt went for a third and the starter was dead, a quick check it looks like a bad solenoid on the starter. Didn't mess with it for long, called a brother to come up and help by tow starting the ol girl he is just getting over a cold, called my nephew on the farm couldn't get a hold of him so fun time about to start. Came up and got my wife who has refused to drive the tractors much she did drive the 574 about a 100 ft one time. Got her in the Branson 8050 and we tow started the 574 once she was running ran my wife back up to the house and she says it wasn't as bad as she feared.
So hooked the Branson up to the generator and backed her into place and gave it a 10 minute run on an electric heater and said OK good to go now.

Bringing the generator up with the 574

All backed in with the Branson 8050 ready to provide power if needed,
short trailer good sized tractor I have had a bit of practice backing things up.

 

[3930dave]

Our snow totals have dwindled from nearly 14”, to now about 2”. I did do my maintenance run. The battery was very strong, but it did take a few attempts to get it to fire. It’s a Predator 3500W inverter with about 13 hours on it.

We are ready for any pending power outages with the generator, backup propane heat and plenty of food.

.

On a farm, you probably have a can or 2 already.... I like having a can of Quick Start (ether) on the shelf.

I consider Quick Start (for modern engines not designed for it) as "drugs" for engines, so rarely ever use it, but like to have it around for "battlefield" conditions, should they arise. Only time in recent memory was for my push-lawnmower, this Fall. Dry cold day, late season cut - normally starts by second pull - balky (no choke) so a TINY whiff of ether, air-filter and cover on, had instant response . Too easy to cause damage w. ether, if overused though.....

Someone on here suggested propane, so I have a collapse-able silicone funnel sitting in the garage. It's sized to slide over the nozzle of a propane torch, and mostly covers a standard Briggs air filter cover. Gut feel - I like the propane enrichment approach more than ether, and if/when we get back to stupid-cold Winters (March ?), may have to try that as a plan B or C.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Well I got a surprise this morning went down to the IH 574 to start it and get the generator backed up to the house. The ol girl had only been started a couple of times all summer and with the forecast almost an inch of rain and high winds I figured it'd be nicer to be backed up and ready to go. She almost fired on the second attempt went for a third and the starter was dead, a quick check it looks like a bad solenoid on the starter. Didn't mess with it for long, called a brother to come up and help by tow starting the ol girl he is just getting over a cold, called my nephew on the farm couldn't get a hold of him so fun time about to start. Came up and got my wife who has refused to drive the tractors much she did drive the 574 about a 100 ft one time. Got her in the Branson 8050 and we tow started the 574 once she was running ran my wife back up to the house and she says it wasn't as bad as she feared.
So hooked the Branson up to the generator and backed her into place and gave it a 10 minute run on an electric heater and said OK good to go now.

Bringing the generator up with the 574
View attachment 845755

All backed in with the Branson 8050 ready to provide power if needed,
short trailer good sized tractor I have had a bit of practice backing things up.
View attachment 845756

Great after-action report Lou !

I know you lived it...... 2 is One. Good example today.

Like you, I tend to always take the household lead on these things. A reminder ^, that I need to do a better job of familiarizing my better-half with the generators here...... I don't travel for business like I used to, and am normally close to home these days, but that isn't really a good excuse for me

Rgds, D.

 

[LouNY]

Great after-action report Lou !

I know you lived it...... 2 is One. Good example today.

Like you, I tend to always take the household lead on these things. A reminder ^, that I need to do a better job of familiarizing my better-half with the generators here...... I don't travel for business like I used to, and am normally close to home these days, but that isn't really a good excuse for me

Rgds, D.

My wife seems to be of the attitude that I'll be the one doing so she doesn't need to know how. Last winter she got nervous when we had a storm that put a lot of trees and limbs down in the driveway. So when I mentioned getting a small tractor for around the house, I was thinking 25-40 hp, I was looking at used. I had gone and looked at a couple hadn't cared for what I saw, had bid on a couple of auction units and hadn't got them. Was getting ready to bid on another one was a package deal with a few implements that I had no use for, when she saw what I was placing for a max bid she got to thinking and asked to to cancel out and then we talked about a new small one with a cab that she thought she would feel comfortable driving. Which is why we have a Kioti CK2620HSE Cab, which she hasn't even set in yet. Untill today she was scared of the larger ones even though I had told her they were much easier to run then what her father had when she was growing up (Farmall H). Now she halfway believes that. When I told her the NH 8160 was much easier to run then the Branson she is a bit skeptical. The Branson is a 3 range 4 speed with a full Power Shuttle, the NH 8160 is a Full Power Shift with the full Power Shuttle.

 

[Robin Veerman]

…but it did take a few attempts to get it to fire. It’s a Predator 3500W inverter

She’s crying for a little loving’. Telling you that maybe she needs to run for a couple of hours under a medium load with a double dose of a good carburetor cleaner. After the workout top off the gas and add a dose of stabilizer. She gonna bite you if you continue to neglect her…

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

…but it did take a few attempts to get it to fire. It’s a Predator 3500W inverter

She’s crying for a little loving’. Telling you that maybe she needs to run for a couple of hours under a medium load with a double dose of a good carburetor cleaner. After the workout top off the gas and add a dose of stabilizer. She gonna bite you if you continue to neglect her…

It's already full of fresh treated fuel as of the fall. It's a whopping 6 months old.