Generators - whats good, whats bad, whats affordable?

hi, it all depends on what u want to have running. I would recommend at least 5500w with a 6250 surge rating and poss. with out a floating neutral. If u have any ques. u can PM me. I have set up many Gen. for residential and commercial. :bum:
 
i have the 3500 watt version, for like 300$ and it hasnt given us any problems so far.

it ran my 55 gallon with eveyrthing including lights, chiller, fridge, 2 tvs and a few lights np.
 
Watch out for the cheaper noname generators, They might work for a while, then when they break, Try to find someone who can fix them , Most of them are from China, They like to say that they're the same parts as honda, but they're not, Seen many people with problems.
 
In my esperience, the best in terms of clean power, low noise level and portability are Honda and Yamaha, espcially the inverter series.
 
Honda's are nice, but they are expensive. any generator with a honda motor or briggs and straton are also good, I've had a coleman with a B&S motor for several years now. No problems. Now its a backup or just to run the tank.
 
the difference on the generators are going to be stuff like what the motor is made of. If if cast iron it will last longer than those aluminum ones. check out places like grainger.com they have a selection of well made generators
 
Yeah, friend of mine works for grainger, was going to contact him about getting a generator before I went out and bought one.

-Mike C.
 
thats where I was looking to get mine, but I got a hand me down for free. So no need to go shopping for one anymore. U know that if u are worried about the nano, u can always go and get a power inverter and hook it up to a deep cycle battery
 
Grainger is expensive!, I've done alot of searching and your HD and lowes seem to have the best prices. You also have to maintain your generator during the off season. This is a must! You have alot of money riding on your generator.
 
davebell, if I get from grainger it will be a discounted price or at cost.

abengochea, I have a power inverted, used it last year and the battery ran out quick and I lost over 2000$ in livestock from a 45g tank.

-Mike C.
 
yes, grainger is expensive. as i said get the 5500w form hd or lowes and u will have no problem. get someone to hook up transfer to house and no problems. But Briggs and Straton engines are the bomb. have on 5500w gen with b&s for 9 years and works great. Even when I lent it out during wilma and got it back siezed up. I still got it to run after .
 
Briggs engines are loud, 2nd only to Tecumseh when it comes to noise.

Honda engines are the REAL bomb...but they often cost a bit more.

I have a Coleman 7000/8750 with a 13hp Honda GX390 OHV engine. It produces a ton of electricity, it's quieter than the average lawn mower, and I manage to get by on 8-9 gallons of gas per 24hrs while running my tank/house and my neighbor's house. And it cranks on the first pull...
 
yes, but once again a honda cost $$$. If U are going to spend almost $2000.00 on a honda Gen. You could buy a 15kw portable for that price, and who cares about noise in a crisis. But to each his own it my opinion. Hope everyone is just safe.:D
 
I had a 150$ credit to Lowes, so I got the 5550w one with the 8550w starting power for 699. with the briggs n straton 10hp ohv motor. It's nice.

-Mike C.
 
I was as home depot getting some stuff, and I noticed they have jacked the prices on the generators. The exact same model i got last year for $449 is $599. Profiteering?
 
I work for a rental company as you all know, and I've worked hondas and briggs and scrapiron for a long time. Hondas win hands down. After working on them for so long, I wouldn't buy a briggs if you paid half. I know they're somewhat reliable, but they are harder to work on in my opinion. Show me a Honda that doesn't start, and I'll troubleshoot it in about 5 minutes. Hondas are more forgiving when not started in awhile. Some of our generators, pumps, Edco grinders, etc etc are all Hondas, and a few of these sit until they're needed. They get started on average about every 3 months. Do that to a Briggs and 50/50 chance it'll leave you.

Now, I bought a Generator made by Wen from Pep Boys last year just before the hurricane, 5500w continuous, for the awesome price of $371. It's a honda knockoff, and I've already verified I can get parts at work from a similar honda engine (think it's the exact same carb) It ran 24/7 for 10 days. It ran my 65 with 2 x 250w mh, 2 x 110 vho, all the pumps (6 of them!) an aquaclear filter, my 18 gallon with 192w pc's, another aquaclear filter, a seaclown skimmer, 2 more pumps, a couple of fans, my refrigerator, my 65" TV (not plasma), satellite, and DVD player. I can unplug the fridge and lights to fire up the hot water heater for an hour or two, take a nice hot shower, plug in the washer, wash clothes, plug in the dryer and dry clothes. Last time I started it was early Nov last year. Put new gas, changed the oil, new spark plug, fired right up last week! If it runs this year again, I'll consider it a great investment no matter how long it lasts. And if it dies, I can fix it. Only problem is, it is noisy. I live in Davie, where everyone owns a gun, and I swore I'd wake up one morning and it'd have a bullet hole in the side. LOL My dad gave me a silencer that I'm going to try to adapt.
 
any gear heads our there? would it work if i just cut off the crappy "muffler" on my brigs & straiten generator and welded a muffler from a motorcycle or small car on its exhaust pipe?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8031775#post8031775 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shockme
yes, but once again a honda cost $$$. If U are going to spend almost $2000.00 on a honda Gen.
Click to expand...

Mine was only $999, kinda narrows the gap a bit. As far as I'm concerned, that's a great price for a generator that size with Honda quality and reliability.
 
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