Generators

Check the brand of engine they use to begin with. Then pull and start them. You can tell a lot by how easy they pull and start. I have a John Deere that we use and if I didn't know better, I'd swear it was a Honda, may have been made by Honda for JD.

I also have a 5000 watt electric start Honda that has given me more problems than my JD, which has had none.

We have a onan 5500 genesis genset made by cummins. Gasoline vtwin 1800 hrs and we have hardly any problems. Quiet also. Have had it shut off 3 times during cookoffs in 110*++ days running 2 air conditioners and god knows what else the wife does while im Cookin. Solved this problem by leaving the Motorhome enclosure open, runs flawless. Like $3k brand new and worth every penny compared to other manufactures IMO!

I have a Coleman 6850w that I have used every weekend for eight months of the year the last seven years. It is used at a dirt track where it is very dusty.

The biggest key is to make sure that you run the gas out of the motor after each use. Most generators have a fuel shut off on the fuel line coming from the tank. Also, if you don't use it for long periods dump the fuel and start it with fresh fuel. Change the fuel filter every year with the annual oil change.

Like you I liked the quietness of the Honda, but the price was not an option when I was buying. I did put a muffler for about $40.00 on the Briggs motor that made it tolerable.


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93vpmod said:

I have a Coleman 6850w that I have used every weekend for eight months of the year the last seven years. It is used at a dirt track where it is very dusty.

The biggest key is to make sure that you run the gas out of the motor after each use. Most generators have a fuel shut off on the fuel line coming from the tank. Also, if you don't use it for long periods dump the fuel and start it with fresh fuel. Change the fuel filter every year with the annual oil change.

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:shock:

I think you need to change your oil more frequently. I know that Honda and Yamaha inverter generators recommend changing oil every 100hrs.

Check this one out. I used to have it and liked it very much. Just as quiet as the Hondas and half the price!

http://www.kipor.com/product/xiangxi.aspx?classid=144679241835872256&id=211

cynfulsmokersbbq said:

In the same sense I know people with a Black Max that have had it five years with no trouble.

Thoughts and suggestions.....

Thanks in advance
Cynful

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I have a Black Max with about 70 hours on it. No problems. Noise isn't a factor. I believe it says it is rated at 8500 starting, either 6500 0r 7000 continuous. Genuine Honda engine. When I bought it, it cost $999 plus tax. I have used it on the farm, running table saws, a 12" planer, sawzall, skill saw, etc. Never bogs down, starts right up either with rope or starter. It is relatively noisy. For those who say you get what you pay for, I'm not willing to pay an extra $3K for noise reduction. As for longevity, I can buy an extra one for reserve and still have less than half what an equivalent size Honda brand costs. The only thing I could not speak to is extended running time under load. The 70 or so hours on mine has probably been done with just short bursts of loaded running.

luke duke said:

:shock:

I think you need to change your oil more frequently. I know that Honda and Yamaha inverter generators recommend changing oil every 100hrs.

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Thanks Luke...it does get changed more frequently-about every 12 nights of use. I should have referenced "first run of the season" vs. annual oil change. Thanks!


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cynfulsmokersbbq said:

I know the most popular on the BBQ circuit is a Honda. I need something in the 6000 range for my mobile kitchen. I'm not ready to drop the $4,000 on an EU6500.

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redlevel42 said:

I have a Black Max with about 70 hours on it. No problems. Noise isn't a factor. I believe it says it is rated at 8500 starting, either 6500 0r 7000 continuous. Genuine Honda engine.

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From what I've found online the Black Max that was mentioned is rated at 78dB. I presume (hope) that this is at full load.

The Honda EU6500is is rated at 60 dB(A) @ rated load, 52 dB(A) @ 1/4 load

It's obviously up to you whether or not the money is worth the noise reduction.

Watch craigslist and the local "shopper" type papers. I was looking for a smaller light unit for my camper and found a honda eu6500 with electric start and under 300 hours and bought it for $600. It looked like new and fired right up. It was the victim of a divorce , losing the house etc. It wasn't what I wanted for my trailer but it was perfect for a back up at the house. Living on the coast in Florida warrants having one sitting in the garage. I then took my 2 smaller units that I had for the house and put them on craigslist, sold them both and bought a new Boliy, which is a yamaha copy that weighs less than 70 pounds and runs a 15k rv ac with no issues for my trailer.

When I was done I had better units for both uses than I had planned on for less money than a 2000 watt honda. The Boliy is an inverter as well and very quite.
Mommas happy so that means I am as well !!!

thunderalley3 said:

Watch craigslist and the local "shopper" type papers. I was looking for a smaller light unit for my camper and found a honda eu6500 with electric start and under 300 hours and bought it for $600.

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You stole that. I'll give you $625 for it.

If you were closer I would really think about it,,,,NOT :icon_smile_tongue::icon_smile_tongue:

Now your talking my department here as I own and run a small engine repair shop There are a lot of lesser name brands that are just as good as the Honda, and most have what is known as a Honda Clone engine. They are basically a chineese knock off that are virtually identical to a real Honda. I have had a couple folks "in the know" tel me they are even made in the same factory as a true Honda. Most Honda parts will work on them, but it is not as simple as going to Honda dealer for the part. The will likely run you out of the store if you tell them you need a part for a clone as Honda will pull their dealership if they sell parts to fit a clone. Allpower and Champion are two that come to mind. We are a factory warranty center and I see very few in for repair, and most are just for the pull start rope being broke. No matter what brand you chose, before purchase contact the company and see where the nearest factory warranty center is. I mention this because some of the brands we warranty, we are the only one within 200 miles that will do warranty work on them, and we are in Southern California meaning we cover what, over 3 million people?

As far as the gas is concerned, first of all seeing you are in Iowa (my wife has family scattered all over Iowa) DO NOT use the cheaper, higher ethonol content gas. it may be fine for cars but anything over 10% ethonol WILL cause fuel related issues AND void your warranty. No need to run dry before storage either as long as you keep your fuel treated with a good fuel stabalizer, such as the Marine Grade Sta-bil or Star-Tron. Even when you "run it out of gas" there is still a little left in the carburetor that will more than likely cause problems during long term storage.

If you have any questions or need advice feel free to PM me.

redlevel42 said:

I have a Black Max with about 70 hours on it. No problems. Noise isn't a factor. I believe it says it is rated at 8500 starting, either 6500 0r 7000 continuous. Genuine Honda engine. When I bought it, it cost $999 plus tax. I have used it on the farm, running table saws, a 12" planer, sawzall, skill saw, etc. Never bogs down, starts right up either with rope or starter. It is relatively noisy. For those who say you get what you pay for, I'm not willing to pay an extra $3K for noise reduction. As for longevity, I can buy an extra one for reserve and still have less than half what an equivalent size Honda brand costs. The only thing I could not speak to is extended running time under load. The 70 or so hours on mine has probably been done with just short bursts of loaded running.

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So how does this compare to 1800 hrs of nearly full load running over a 8 year period? When ya get to them hrs @ nearly full load lemme know, this brethren is lookin for something proven and dependable. I don't think there is any gasoline generator out there that surpasses the prover performance of the Onans. I got a husky 2250 which is made with the same overseas mentality yours is, and have had great success with it early, after 2 years, nothing but problems, maintainance and repairs. I would honestly love to be corrected on my $.02
If your gonna buy something, buy it for a lifetime, not just a few years. It always catches up to you

jmoney7269 said:

So how does this compare to 1800 hrs of nearly full load running over a 8 year period? When ya get to them hrs @ nearly full load lemme know, this brethren is lookin for something proven and dependable. I don't think there is any gasoline generator out there that surpasses the prover performance of the Onans. I got a husky 2250 which is made with the same overseas mentality yours is, and have had great success with it early, after 2 years, nothing but problems, maintainance and repairs. I would honestly love to be corrected on my $.02
If your gonna buy something, buy it for a lifetime, not just a few years. It always catches up to you

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Congratulations. You have a generator that meets your needs. I have one that meets mine. I don't need a unit to run 200+ hours per year under continuous load. I need one to run 40-50 hours per year building fence, repairing outbuildings, building deer stands on site, providing very occasional emergency backup, and providing some lighting a couple of times a year. If mine will operate four or five years under those conditions, I will have gotten my money's worth.

It seems that on these types of discussion, Black Max is always scorned as being nearly worthless. I have never been able to understand that. After all, the power unit is genuine Honda. Not a "Chonda" or other Chinese clone.

If I needed a set to run under your conditions, I would probably go with a small diesel. If I needed a stationary genset, I would buy a PTO unit and power it with my 55hp JohnDeere diesel tractor. You know, for a lifetime.:roll:

He would have 70 hrs in 2 weeks in a Moble kitchen on that generator. I was not dogging your generator or anyone else's. The Jap and china machines have small oil reservoirs which in turn the oil breaks down quicker and the machine runs with more heat, oil has to be changed more often, which results in pump cavitation, dry starts, premature wear etc. my little 5500 onan holds almost 4 qts of oil and how many hrs to cars run with the same capacity of oil? I have owned generators from $200 all the way up to this onan and it has far been the best and I'm sure it would fit nice stationary into his mobile kitchen. A tractor PTO generator is silly to bring into the equation for a food trailer. :caked:
Also who wants to have a loud vibrating generator around their trailer. I know at comps, loud azzzzz generators suck!! Thankfully promoters have it written into the rules that no overly loud generators are allowed.

I donno the decibel level, But it's on the other side of the Motorhome permanently mounted and you can't hear it inside and barely hear it outside. Even up next to cook teams, they have commented several times how quiet it is. When it's cold, it's a rattlin son of a gun on a cold day till it warms up.

Have you looked at propane powered generators? Menard's has a Generac 3250 watt for $650. I understand you would need two of these but then you would not have to haul extra fuel around.

Do you have your generator outside your mobile kitchen or is it in a built into the trailer?