Generator question

A friend took the generator end off a similar generator, and fitted a pulley so he could run it off his old gas welder so he also has electric along with the welder.

My two concerns would be engine life, and electrical spikes that may damage electronics.
 
If I were asking the same question and needed a generator, I'd come home with a Honda or I wouldn't come home at all. With something that you plan to rely on, especially if it is inconvenient to fix the moment and place that it breaks, the rule is buy once, cry once. Unless it gets stolen, then you cry three times: original purchase, theft, replacement purchase.

Basically, I see two types of users for generators this size. Contractor folks who beat these things up from jobsite to jobsite daily are one group (more Hondas here) and Ebeneezer homeowner who is cheap and wants a backup that won't be run much (hardware store Chinese model). Which one is going to be left out in the cold when their generator craps out? Is that an acceptable eventuality?
 
I have been looking at a replacement for my 20 year old 5000 watt Homelite portable generator and have decided on a Honda or Yamaha 6000 watt inverter generator.
Inverter because of the quality of the current, better gas mileage and less noise.
Yamaha and Honda are the most quiet and reliable.
 
There is a third category, the person who buys cheap initially then finally buys quality, effectively buying twice, sorta. I've done it, we all have. Sometimes, your wallet is the best teacher LOL
 
Me too except it took two cheap generators for me to wisen up.
 
I use to sell generators. You have to be careful. Some rate them with a higher rating using the surge Watts. A good unit will rate them with the continuous watts. If you are going to have any kind of motor loads on it, keep in mind that motors can take up to 5 times their running amps if started with a load on them.

Most Chinese junks I have found are rated at surge not continuous. That being said, if you think it will pull your load, then you may be ok. For the price you could buy a couple of them before you paid out the money for a good unit.
 
Superburban said:
My two concerns would be engine life, and electrical spikes that may damage electronics.
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+1 THIS. Until you’ve had it happen to you, you don’t even think about it. Electrical spikes can do massive damage. We lost a whole sound system to a funky generator when it hickupped and died.
 
Having used the Honda 6.5KW both professionally and at home, it has stood up to continuous and intermittent duty quite well. But I do have a "protocol" for running it, even at home. Shutting off the gasoline feed and letting the generator run out of gas has been well worth the little effort to do so. Keeps "varnish" from filling the fuel system. Storage treatment for gasoline in the tank is a bigger problem, for which I haven't really found a solution.

(Political comments withheld)

Then there are a couple of "gizmos" that are really in the experimental stage. First off is a stand alone generator. I have an older John Deere(216) where the mower deck has gone south. But the engine is still in reasonable shape. Driving the generator with a belt from the engine PTO so pulleys can keep engine speed below 3600. And other "tractor duties" as I feel like it.

And last of all, a PTO generator for a (small?) diesel tractor. A self contained system for a 540 RPM output from the tractor. A small system, 7.5KW, the tractor has power plus to spin it. Cheap, less than $1000, plus shipping.

Out where you are of course, shipping would eat your lunch, for months. But looking into a stand alone system might well turn up something worthwhile. I would lay the money down for this one and keep looking for something stronger. What you show isn't going to last very long. Stay ahead of the game. If I'm not mistaken, you have 50 Cycle power. That reduces the engine speed to 3000 RPM. That makes quite a difference on the engine.

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I have this one at the house that I use up in NY and at yard sales . Never had a problem with it .

I also have that little Tiger Cat 900 from Horrible Freight that works quite good when needed .

I do NOT run ethynal thru anything I own nowadays and haven't had issues gas related since . I would love to eventually get a 3 pt tractor driven model also as Bill stated out .
 
Suzuki4evr said:
Hi guys.
I am looking at this generator for my shop,because here is SA we have a LOT of power outages. About twice a day now for two hours,thanks to.............let me leave it at tgat. And we were informed on the news that this will go on until July next year.

I know it must be some kind of Asian machine, but do someone perhaps know the make and quality of it? Price tag second hand at about $367. I can't pronounce the name.
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At that price I'd give it a try. Buy some extra jerry cans cause those things take a lot of gas. With some personal experience you will be better able to appreciate what is on the market, what is involved in operating one and what you want.

Since the power failures you are facing are a daily occurrence and are expected to continue, then a standby generator that automatically kicks in would be my choice. It would be a permanent installation that costs much more than a portable emergency but should increase the value of your home. My brother-in-law has had a standby Generac for years at his country home. After experiencing the seamless switch-over to his Generac when a power failure occurs I am sold.

My own portable generator is a hassle to set up but we only have one or two power failures per year. For now!
But I am expecting more frequent and longer power failures as the climate changes. If we continue to experience more and more violent storms then there will certainly be more power failures to deal with.
 
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