Portable generator opinion.
- Thread starter IonicDOG
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mcinfantry
*Banned*
may last 300~500 hours (may last a lot more) its going to be loud and unstable power. that means electric motors and electric grills and such are OK. electronic is NOT. to much variation from 60hz and you will burn up TV's, computers, etc. id change the oil every 20~25 hours.... NO carb parts, no regulator parts, no parts..... period.
it depends on what you want to do.
it depends on what you want to do.
it also may have too much lead involved it the manufacture of the generator. Chinese can't make pet food without killing pets, they can't make childrens toys without killing the kids, i suspect this product won't be much better.
IonicDOG...I have two of those Hunks O $hit now that I'm working on and both problems are nearly identical. Electrical!
The engine runs great and has quite a few hours on both, but the electrical is one of the worst designs that I've ever seen. As stated it only will do 7200watts sustained and that's even a stretch. I would say more like 5800 if run only run in ideal conditions. Add Heat and other elements and they just don't hold up.
It would probably get you through 2 seasons of light use and just like mentioned you would need to change the oil after the first tank of fuel(8 hours) and then after every 4-5 tanks of fuel ONLY IF YOU USE A QUALITY OIL like Mobil-1, Rotella, Castrol Synthetic.
One other thing that is missed on a lot of typical generator setups is the use of SuperCheap or Undersized supply cables. I would say that 90% of the people that I helped with portable generators spend most of their money on the generator and have a 100ft 16 gauge extension cable with a couple $5.00 8 outlet plugs or those little famous 18 guage "3ft Brown Extensions". These can actually do quite a bit of damage to the generator and also to the item plugged into the cord.
If I were you I would keep shopping...The Only Inexpensive generators that I've been impressed with are the Champion Brand. I have two myself and my Father-In-Law and Father have one that have been going well since Hurricane Katrina/Rita.
Be Warned that since Katrina Louisiana andd Texas have become a huge dumping ground for some of the worst Chinese Gensets that are made. You still have a good 2 months of looking and possibly can come across a good deal on something much better.
The engine runs great and has quite a few hours on both, but the electrical is one of the worst designs that I've ever seen. As stated it only will do 7200watts sustained and that's even a stretch. I would say more like 5800 if run only run in ideal conditions. Add Heat and other elements and they just don't hold up.
It would probably get you through 2 seasons of light use and just like mentioned you would need to change the oil after the first tank of fuel(8 hours) and then after every 4-5 tanks of fuel ONLY IF YOU USE A QUALITY OIL like Mobil-1, Rotella, Castrol Synthetic.
One other thing that is missed on a lot of typical generator setups is the use of SuperCheap or Undersized supply cables. I would say that 90% of the people that I helped with portable generators spend most of their money on the generator and have a 100ft 16 gauge extension cable with a couple $5.00 8 outlet plugs or those little famous 18 guage "3ft Brown Extensions". These can actually do quite a bit of damage to the generator and also to the item plugged into the cord.
If I were you I would keep shopping...The Only Inexpensive generators that I've been impressed with are the Champion Brand. I have two myself and my Father-In-Law and Father have one that have been going well since Hurricane Katrina/Rita.
Be Warned that since Katrina Louisiana andd Texas have become a huge dumping ground for some of the worst Chinese Gensets that are made. You still have a good 2 months of looking and possibly can come across a good deal on something much better.
I bought a 6500 chinese clone of a honda, the exact one poulan pro is and I am happy with it, I idled it up to better stablize the voltage and I feel safe using it for electronics.
The golden rule is DO NOT let it run out of gas while still using power from it as it undervolts and kills your compressors and electronics.
The golden rule is DO NOT let it run out of gas while still using power from it as it undervolts and kills your compressors and electronics.
Barney88PDC
SEND IT
Last edited:
I have a unit very similar to that one all though smaller (5500) the engine is incredible. I have almost 500 hours of hard labor on mine and it's never missed a beat still cranks first pull every single time. And it's no inverter gen but it pretty darn quite. I dog this engine, I've only changed the oil twice and it always sits outside uncovered. I bought it for a short term construction project but I just can't kill it.
Those engines are Honda clones (reverse engineered pirated designs). The bad side is they don't have any direct support the good news is, from what I understand, you can find a Honda model that will share all of the same parts. I haven't had to work on anything on mine up to this point.
The bad. My 5500 watt chicom genset appears to put out about the same power as my 3500 watt briggs. Struggles hard with inductive current loads and uses brushes in the gen head which will eventually wear out. Worst as I said you will not find anyone that specializes in repairing that particular brand of Gen, and some places still refuse to work on the Honda clones b/c honda reps put their foot down. (At least that was still the case three years ago I'm kind of out of the loop these days).
In short, If your pretty adept at maintaining and repairing equipments such as generators I wouldn't fear buying one; however, if I could afford it I would buy something with better local support. A briggs is no Honda or Onan but everyone works on them and they aren't priced much higher than that knockoff your looking at. Just my .02.
Those engines are Honda clones (reverse engineered pirated designs). The bad side is they don't have any direct support the good news is, from what I understand, you can find a Honda model that will share all of the same parts. I haven't had to work on anything on mine up to this point.
The bad. My 5500 watt chicom genset appears to put out about the same power as my 3500 watt briggs. Struggles hard with inductive current loads and uses brushes in the gen head which will eventually wear out. Worst as I said you will not find anyone that specializes in repairing that particular brand of Gen, and some places still refuse to work on the Honda clones b/c honda reps put their foot down. (At least that was still the case three years ago I'm kind of out of the loop these days).
In short, If your pretty adept at maintaining and repairing equipments such as generators I wouldn't fear buying one; however, if I could afford it I would buy something with better local support. A briggs is no Honda or Onan but everyone works on them and they aren't priced much higher than that knockoff your looking at. Just my .02.
Idled up or adjusted the governor? If it is a chinese knock off I doubt it has an auto idle to control fuel which means you probably adjust the WOT to a higher RPM's higher RPM's=higher Voltage they do not equal more stable voltage. Higher voltage=equipment failure (both generator, motors, and electronics). I hope you checked your max voltage out.
The generator is ok as long as it doesn't break then you are screwed, spend the extra money and buy the one with Honda engine on it. I am going on 800 hours and 15 years on mine i got from home depot 6000 watt with a 13hp honda. I just purchased a generac 7000 from HD for 899.00 to run my house and use to 6000 for my central air cause it has a idle switch on it.
Good luck with your decesion....
Good luck with your decesion....
I need to do more research but I have one of those knock off chinese generators (panic buy post gustav) and the motor on it is a Honda motor. I haven't seen honda printed directly on it but honda parts do fit this motor.
Made by a company called DEK.
DEK is a chinese copy, some call them chonda.
yes I just turned up the rpms, it did settle the voltage drops some under load, using a freq meter and your right it did drop as loads were added or the compressor would kick on, but when I upped the rpms, just 250 it settled the drop to nearly nothing.
I did not mean to miss lead anyone, the auto idle feature is not an option..
yes I just turned up the rpms, it did settle the voltage drops some under load, using a freq meter and your right it did drop as loads were added or the compressor would kick on, but when I upped the rpms, just 250 it settled the drop to nearly nothing.
I did not mean to miss lead anyone, the auto idle feature is not an option..
lsufan1971
Well-Known Member
http://www.themanstoreonline.com/Power-Boss-Generator-with-9-HP-Honda-GX-engine-p/1648.htm
I have one of these. It has a Honda 9 HP engine.I ran it for Gustav and it was awesome. It has a 7 gallon tank and I ran it for 12 hours at a time. It is relatively quiet. I ran two small window units, a 30 cb ft fridge/freezer, lights and 2 Tv's. I bought from the tractor supply company for around $800.00
I have one of these. It has a Honda 9 HP engine.I ran it for Gustav and it was awesome. It has a 7 gallon tank and I ran it for 12 hours at a time. It is relatively quiet. I ran two small window units, a 30 cb ft fridge/freezer, lights and 2 Tv's. I bought from the tractor supply company for around $800.00
I've never owned one like that, but my sister went through 2 similar chinese units during Gustav, and everyone else I know has had trouble with them. (3-4 that I know of). Like others say, no repair support. They make great conversation/cussing pieces though!!!! 
FWIW, I bought a used Coleman 6500 after Rita with 10hrs. on it for $300. I think a similar deal would be a bit more attractive. Just sayin.
Steve
FWIW, I bought a used Coleman 6500 after Rita with 10hrs. on it for $300. I think a similar deal would be a bit more attractive. Just sayin.Steve
buddy_fuentes
Well-Known Member
Some years back (approximately 6-7) I was in line at Home Depot with everyone else wanting a generator. They had Coleman and Generac (not sure this is the correct spelling) available and I was going to buy the Coleman because I knew the name. A guy I had been talking to while we waited in line told me he worked maintenance for LSU and they were using the Generac with great success. So, that is what I bought (5500 watt/8500 surge watts) and it has been super. It has a Briggs and Stratton engine and burns 5 gallons of gasoline every 12 hrs.
Buddy
Buddy
