[79ford]

The winters here contain more ice and slush then lots of snow. About every 2-3 years we get a good ice storm to bring down trees and knock out power and about 12 years ago the storm was bad enough to keep power out for over a week.

I'm not looking for something that's going to get me through the end of the world for 25 years, but I'm looking for a generator I can use to power my refrigerator, a couple lights and radio/tv.

So far I've looked at a Gravely 7,500 watt generator as well as a Honda EU3000 generator.

What are your thoughts on the two generators and suggestions on any other generator? I see very little use out of the generator overall and would only be used in the event of a power outage.

 

[Sal4liberty]

I went with a propane generator , because I know I would forget and leave gas in it and gunk up the carburetor .... but thats because Im absent minded

Also when there is a run on gas I can almost always find propane , plus it stores well unlike gas

Diesel generators are nice but generally more expensive , they are more suited for longer run times

just some food for thought

 

[79ford]

For something that's only going to be used 'maybe' once a year, should I even worry about getting a tri-fuel generator?

 

[Wild Bill H]

I've got a Honda EU2000i and love it. Very easy to start, handy size to carry and accessories if you want them. Plus the Honda quality. I don't know anything about Gravely.

Once you start using a generator you'll find out real quick how much power different tools or appliance use. It will be an eye opener. I am looking for another EU2000 to daisy chain with the current one.

 

[OldBlackWater]

I too have started to look into getting a Generator as we often lose power up here.

I would love a tri-fuel but it makes sense for me to get one that runs on Propane as we already have a 500gal tank sitting behind our shop.

Any good advice is appreciated as I am clueless as to what I need.

Be Prepared,
OBW
.

 

[Sal4liberty]

For something that's only going to be used 'maybe' once a year, should I even worry about getting a tri-fuel generator?

thats really a decision you will have to make dependent on your availability of fuel , it is a nice option to have but do you thing you will need it for your area ? If gasoline is unavailable because of said Ice storm then it would be nice to have the option of running propane from your tanks if you have them

If your only planing for a day or two then you could store gas and rotate it with your automobile to keep it fresh

Do you have natural gas available ?

 

[Sal4liberty]

I too have started to look into getting a Generator as we often lose power up here.

I would love a tri-fuel but it makes sense for me to get one that runs on Propane as we already have a 500gal tank sitting behind our shop.

Any good advice is appreciated as I am clueless as to what I need.

Be Prepared,
OBW
.

obw there is a thread on this board somewhere where a poster goes into detail about using propane from a large tank to run a generator , but the board has been giving me fits trying to find stuff maybe if you search around a little bit :thumb:

I just have 10 grill sized tanks that i use for my grill and generator

 

[maine-marine]

Here are a few questions...

Are you looking just to power a few things?
Are you going to need to run a heater and heater fan?
Will you need 220 or just 110?

 

[maine-marine]

I have this model

http://www.lowes.com/pd_106885-8701...duct_price|1&Ntt=generators&page=4&facetInfo=

It has been a champ for me

 

[lyingelk]

Make sure you check and see that the generator in rated by cont. power not surge power.
A lot of 4500 watt generator are only 3250 or 3750 when running under cont. load. Propane burns cleaner, less maint. than gasoline. Avoid anything made in China their quality control sucks at best.
Honda-Generac, have good portable units.

 

[wasniper]

I too have started to look into getting a Generator as we often lose power up here.

I would love a tri-fuel but it makes sense for me to get one that runs on Propane as we already have a 500gal tank sitting behind our shop.

Any good advice is appreciated as I am clueless as to what I need.

Be Prepared,
OBW
.

I have a Honda 5000 that runs on propane, I didn't change the plug for 8 years, I use it a lot on job sites in the hills where there is no power, It has been a very good gen, starts in the --- weather the only thing I would do different would get a key start (for the Wife). JT

 

[concernedcitizen]

You can convert the Honda EU series to run on propane as well as the Yamaha EF series. There is at least one company (sorry forgot the name) that sells them already converted/shipped ready to run on trifuel.

I would suggest that if you go with a larger honda/yamaha (3000 honda/EF4500 yamaha) that you have either (a) many 20 lb (actual 15-17lb) tanks (b) spend a bit more and get a 40 lb tank or better yet a 100 lb tank as they will burn through about .99lbs/hr for a Honda EU6500is and .47lbs/hr for the Yamaha EF4500iSE (friends have both models and that is why I had the numbers of consumption handy, both models have encountered no issues/problems for our friends)

 

[SgtGrover]

Don't buy too big of a generator, the bigger the generator the more gas it burns. Look up the energy use of the items you want to run and add them up, then add 50%. A 7.5kw seems excessive for running bare necessities. I have a 3.5Kw that will run 8 hours between refueling. It takes 5 gallons to fill, and runs water pump, refrigerator, furnace, and a few lights. But the propane generator is only second to a diesel generator, either of those would be a better choice for a long term SHTF scenario.

 

[OldBlackWater]

Short term I wouldn't mind getting one to run just essentials.

Long term I would like to have one big enough to run both houses and the shop.

And the shop requires 220 and a lot of high amperage tools like welders, air compressors, etc...

A Gov. Surplus Auction site has a 250kw one up for auction right now but it is a Diesel generator, plus side is we have diesel vehicles and it comes with a 250? gallon tank.

Downside is I will need to rent a crane to remove it, as it sits on a pad surrounded by bollards that they apparently wouldn't appreciate me cutting off.

.

 

[tankdriver]

This is the one I went with. It is a Tri-Fuel.

Costco was selling a smaller one that was not tri-fuel and saw it there. Home Depot, and Amazon sells them also. Just about all the reviews I have read online have been generally positive. It was delivered quickly, and no problems so far. I like the auto throttle, that slows it down when it does not need to run fast. It fairly quite, and the emissions are really low, when running on propane. It has a 8.5 gallon gas tank on it. I wish they had put a hour meter on it. I'll add one later.

The Free shipping was nice, and it was a good price.


https://app-powerlandonline-com.app-hosted.com/product/PD3G10000E/#

 

[anthony747]

Being without power for over 8 days when Superstorm Sandy hit I purchased the Yamaha EF2000iS 2,000 Watt. I did a lot of research and it was the best one for me, its super quite, sips fuel and starts right up. Of course now that I have a generator we haven't lost any power for almost 1 1/2 years! I did have to use it last week when my car battery died, after a few minutes charging with the cables that came with the generator the car started right up. Don't forget to purchase a high quality extension cord, not the thin cheap stuff.

 

[IronGhost]

I got a predator 7000 running watt generator. I put a higher quality spark plug in it, and am going to put a real muffler on it soon. I use STABIL in the fuel (supposed to be good for 12 months) but I rotate the stored fuel out every six (just did it last week). I plan on modded it to tri fuel, just because more options is usually better. have had no problem starting it ever, and I only charged the electric start battery once six months ago (I am gonna charge it fully again on my next day off.)

 

[wasniper]

Short term I wouldn't mind getting one to run just essentials.

Long term I would like to have one big enough to run both houses and the shop.

And the shop requires 220 and a lot of high amperage tools like welders, air compressors, etc...

A Gov. Surplus Auction site has a 250kw one up for auction right now but it is a Diesel generator, plus side is we have diesel vehicles and it comes with a 250? gallon tank.

Downside is I will need to rent a crane to remove it, as it sits on a pad surrounded by bollards that they apparently wouldn't appreciate me cutting off.

.

I think you would be sorry if you bought one that big, we put a 30KW in a place we built it ran every thing plus the shops and the battery banks house unless you planned on selling power to the neighbor hood. just my ,02 cents worth. JT

 

[Don H]

I've had a Generac 4000 (6600 surge watts) for 12 years and have had no problems with it. It powers my 220 volt well pump, 2 fridges, TV and some lights with no problem. I had it running a few days ago when we lost power because of the ice storms.

I always use Stabil in the gas and I run the generator with a load once a month. Got a friend who let his generator sit for years and then when he needed it the other day it would run but not make power. Something about exiting capacitors.

So how do you plan on hooking it into you house's electrical system?

 

[sarco2000]

I live off grid and I reckon I'll buy a new generator every 1-2 years because I use them so much they wear out.

Don't buy more watts than you need, because the bigger ones use more gas. This sounds unimportant, but if you do need to run it a lot, less gas is better. A 5 gallon gas can will last you a week or a day, depending on what you buy. So get a Kill-A-Watt and start measuring (or just estimate and do some calculating). Get the generator a little bit over-sized but not much. IMO the 7500 watt is way too big for what you need and it will suck the gas just to idle.

The Honda would be better (and uses way less gas), but IMO Hondas cost too much for me.

I would get one that has a 240V receptacle, just in case.

Since you don't need it right away, you can take your time and search and wait for a good deal. I was very lucky and found a Troy-Bilt 5500/8250 on clearance at Lowes for $314 which is a remarkable deal. It's bigger than what I was going to buy, and I can tell the difference in the fuel consumption. (OTOH it will run my compressor and a few other things.) But that deal was not advertised and impossible to find on the web site and I had to walk into the store (was going to buy a less powerful, more expensive genny) to find it.

My other genny is a chinese Duramax 3300. It would probably be ok for occasional use, but parts are literally falling off it and it doesn't put out near the power it did when new. But for $400 it came with wheels and electric start. It still works so I keep it for a backup and to run my well pump.

My Troy-Bilt normally starts on the first pull, but if the temp is in the teens it might take two.

Some gennys have a low-oil cut off switch, some don't.

Fuel consumption is usually listed in the specs.

Good luck.