Generator question

[rtjh]

What brand of generators do yall recommend or is there much difference in them? There are a bunch of ones I've never heard of.

[tycoon]

I've had a couple of champions. The 1st one I bought was great, but wasn't that impressed with the 2nd one. I bought a 13,000 Predator from Harbor Freight and really like it so far. Just my opinion

[DUKFVR]

Bought a champion during storm a month or so ago. Wouldn't buy another. Carbon monoxide sensor has had to be replaced. Had some other issues earlier, so soured on champion. My son has one and no problem.

[TexasBob]

Predator from Harbor Freight has been great, and the extra warranty is cheap in case it ever isn't. Honda is the best, like with most small engines, but you'll pay for it upfront.

[Traildust]

Westinghouse has been good for me. My little 2800w inverter ran from Monday morning until noon yesterday. Never missed a beat. Wen has a good rep also. Honda / Yamaha is the best I believe.....but 3X the price.

I just bought a Westinghouse 12500watt dual fuel as well for my house.

[CaptainDave]

Firman Tri-fuel has been good for us. It will run on Petrol, LP or NG. They also make a duel fuel one that will run on Petrol or LP. We live in the city and have natural gas service, so having a quick disconnect installed at the meter is nice. This obviously is not an option for anyone without NG service. Regardless, I like having the multiple fuel options.

My neighbor just bought a Ryobi generator at Home Depot. The muffler literally rattled off the engine and was dangling on the ground by the end of the 3rd day of use. I wouldn't recommend one of those. He woke up to a popping sound and saw a blue flame comming out of the generator.

[Oldblue]

Can’t speak on newer Champion generators with sensors but, ive got two older ones and they have been great. Just my two cents.

[Greenheadless]

Running a Honda EU3000is at my parents, and it has been nothing but a struggle during the hottest parts of the day. Constantly vapor locking and surging/stalling. Barely 100 hours on it, has had the oil changed 3 times now, and have a plan to do so for every 48hrs of run time. Did a Google search and there are loads of complaints on this very issue with this model.

Following this threads for recc’s as it will soon be replaced with something more reliable. Really like the idea of using natural gas.

[CaptainDave]

Running a Honda EU3000is at my parents, and it has been nothing but a struggle during the hottest parts of the day. Constantly vapor locking and surging/stalling. Barely 100 hours on it, has had the oil changed 3 times now, and have a plan to do so for every 48hrs of run time. Did a Google search and there are loads of complaints on this very issue with this model.

Following this threads for recc’s as it will soon be replaced with something more reliable. Really like the idea of using natural gas.

The only issue I've seen thus far with natural gas is you do loose efficiency on the wattage. Our Tri-fuel generator is rated as such -
Gas - 7,500 running watts
LP - 6,750 running watts
NG - 5,500 running watts

The 5,500 running watts is enough for what we need. Regardless, you have to go bigger to achieve what Gas powered will get you. That's the only downside I've seen thus far. I also like having the option of Gas or LP as a back-up fuel source if NG service is down.

[RMW]

I’ve got a Honda EM4000sx that’s I let neighbor borrow and it’s 4-5 years old and never an issue, also have a John Deere 6000 I’m loaning out and it’s been great as well. I always use stabilizer in the fuel and use synthetic oil.

[aggie2000tx]

Predator from Harbor Freight for me. Haul it all the time for the horse trailer

[Greenheadless]

I am curious to hear those that have been running their gen for multiple days straight, other than fueling and their experiences. Especially in Texas summer time heat.

[Txhunter3000]

The only issue I've seen thus far with natural gas is you do loose efficiency on the wattage. Our Tri-fuel generator is rated as such -
Gas - 7,500 running watts
LP - 6,750 running watts
NG - 5,500 running watts

The 5,500 running watts is enough for what we need. Regardless, you have to go bigger to achieve what Gas powered will get you. That's the only downside I've seen thus far. I also like having the option of Gas or LP as a back-up fuel source if NG service is down.

I brought this fact of reduced wattages a couple of years back and was laughed out of the building. Glad to see someone else bring this up and maybe validate what I said. Maybe!!!

[CaptainDave]

I brought this fact of reduced wattages a couple of years back and was laughed out of the building. Glad to see someone else bring this up and maybe validate what I said. Maybe!!!

I'm no expert by any means. What I wrote is exactly what is printed in the user manual and stamped on the side of the generator. Westinghouse makes similar Tri-fuel units and downgrades the wattage specs in a similar fashion. I don't see why the manufacturer would state this if it wasn't true. With that said, these are portable units, not whole home generators.

[txbowman12]

I like champions, I have a champion tri fuel inverter that is 9000w, and a predator dual fuel 5000w inverter

you can bypass the CO sensors if they are finicky. Not too hard.