Ventured into the concrete jungle yesterday. (generator)

Discussion in 'Back to Basics' started by Thunder5Ranch, Nov 26, 2016.


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  1. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    I rarely leave the farm except to go to Farmers Markets or make our delivery route runs. There just is not a whole lot in town that I find interesting. So for me to venture not only to a town but into a actual city, it has to be something truly worthwhile that lures me there. Very worthwhile indeed to get me there on a Black Friday.

    Generators!!! In particular the Predator Generators Harbor Freight now carries. A friend bought one a while back and I have been quite impressed with it. They are still on sale today. I picked up the Predator 13,500 for $1500 and a Predator 8,750 for $500 Have seen them other places for $2400 for the13500 and $1000 for the 8750.

    The 13500 is a beast at 425 pounds and runs like a dream. I plugged the welder in and cranked it up good and hot and didn't even slow this generator down. Plenty of power to replace my old generac 10,000w that has been the back up generator for the last 6 years. Not uncommon for the power to go out here and I have to keep 12 big chest freezers, a walk in cooler and a walk in freezer powered up. All combined they pull 9800 watts. So I hooked this big guy up to the alternate electric system and flipped the line breakers one at a time. When I flipped the breaker for the walk in freezer compressor last it did bog the generator down a bit on the initial surge of start up, but it recovered in a few seconds. I normally run the chest freezers in a outage on a 6500w generator and the Walk in on the 10k. but to test the new generator I want the full load. Not good btw to run a generator for a long time at or close to a full load. Just really hard on any generator. 50%-60% load is where I like to run if it is going to be more than a few hours. image_25744.
    image_26726.


    The 8750 is a lot lighter at a hair over 200 pounds, also held up to the load testing I did last night within its parameters. Going to mount this one on the MCP (Mike's Construction Platform) lol a old 16' flatbed trailer I use for building things around the farm it is basically 8' x 16' work bench. With tool boxes, air compressors, a welder, and a generator. So the 8750 is going on it. My friend has been running his on jobsites and around the farm for a couple of years now and estimates he has around 2200 hours on it. That works for me.

    63088_zzz_500.

    Anyway the price is right on all of their generators at Harbor Freight, if you have one near by the Black Friday sale is still going on today and Sunday.
     
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  2. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    @Thunder5Ranch Thanks as it is always good to get a personal recommendation on a product, especially generators. We have a Harbor Freight here and I will look to see if they have either of these as I have been looking at getting a generator. Thanks again!

    @Thunder5Ranch Question: can one man move that Predator 13,500 by themselves using the handles and wheels?

    I would have to move it about 75-100 feet over level/flat ground from its storage to it's running location and wonder if it's feasible. I suppose I could put bigger wheels on it or rig up something but thought I would ask...
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 26, 2016
  3. UncleMorgan

    UncleMorgan I like peeling bananas and (occasionally) people.

    Put large wheels on it at the center of gravity (balanced as it were) and add a honkin' set of barrow handles (removable steel tubes).

    Then you can trolley it around wherever you like without having to hold up any of the weight. That makes it almost effortless.

    Wheel barrows are designed stupidly, to cut down on the manufacturing cost. The pic is better, but still not perfect, balance -wise.

    barrow.
     
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  4. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    I have the generac 17,500w and it weighs well over 400lb, has a wheels that look like that as far as size and placement and I can move it around no problem.
     
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  5. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    Yeah it moves pretty easy on concrete with the wheels on it. Any place else Uncle Morgan has the right idea. If I were going to move mine around I would weld the mounts for the wheel shaft right under center bar and extend the handles to 3' long and double the diameter of the wheels atleast. Let the wheels do the work and the handles jusfor the initial lift and balancing. Mine is going in a 6x6 x6 Well vented block house and only gets pulled out for oil changes and other maint. and it sits on a steel floor with 6 casters under that let it just slide right out and back in. The smaller generators I don't even bother putting the wheel kits on. I keep one bolted to the bed of my truck to power the market trailers and one on the MCP trailer usually only run 4500-5500 watts on those but the 8750 will give me some more mojo with the stick welder on the MCP. The old Chicago Electric one I bought from Harbor Freight for the market trailer like 10 years ago has 5000 + hours on it and still powers everything like a champ. Think I might put one of the generacs on the truck though, simply because 5k+ hours is a whole lot of hours an a 10hp off brand engine and wouldn't hurt to have a back up.
     
    Aeason likes this.
  6. sarawolf

    sarawolf Monkey+++

    We don't go anywhere on black Friday. You did good.
     
    Aeason likes this.
  7. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    [​IMG]
    290 lbs, more or less.
     
  8. Altoidfishfins

    Altoidfishfins Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    I bought a little 3250W predator about 3 years ago to replace my dying Coleman power mate from the early 90's. Ran the A/C on my Travel Trailer on it last summer. Grunted on compressor start up but it did the job. Also used it to run my well pump before I connected that to solar.

    I came across a 5 kw 240 to 120 volt transformer that someone was throwing out (I'm a bit of a scavenger that way). If I connect the primary across the 240 volt output of the generator the full output (less efficiency loss of the transformer) of the generator could be used at 120 volts. Maybe then it wouldn't grunt so hard.

    The little generator has never required more than two pulls to start, even after sitting for months. Of course, I shut the gas off and run it till the carb is dry, and use Sta-Bil.

    Don't use a generator often enough to justify purchase a really nice last forever diesel job for five times the cost.
     
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  9. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Starting loads don't care what the voltage is, the demand for power is the same. It'll grunt either way you wire it. Fact is, if the load is 240, the grunt will be less dramatic due to lower IsqR losses in the wires.
     
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  10. Altoidfishfins

    Altoidfishfins Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    Right. But the generator is wired split phase, so that only 50% of the rated output is available at each 120 volt outlet. In essence, it's two 1625 watt generators. Since the air conditioner is a 120 volt unit, only 1625 watts is available to power it. On startup, that gets to be a bit of a squeeze.

    I think we're talking the same language, but i may be missing something.
     
    Cruisin Sloth likes this.
  11. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    No, you got it right, by using only half the Copper, you only get to use half the available power. However Ghrit is also correct in the the Grunting of the Engine, will be the same, when you dump the Load on the engine. The real issue is the Current in half the Copper, and the resulting Voltage Drop, when you overload the Copper for the few seconds, as the Engine recovers... Do that a lot, for a lot of times, and the insulation on that Copper will get real Hot, begin to Break Down, and when it does, the Magic Smoke will Leak Out, and your GenEnd will need a rewind Job, which is NOT CHEAP.
     
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  12. marlas1too

    marlas1too Monkey+++

    wow that’s better than my 4 a 1500w,3500w,5000w and a 6ooow
     
  13. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    I got in trouble about 15 years ago on Black Friday and had to spend the weekend in jail :) Guy kept pushing me and after I asked him nicely to stop, I laid him out in the aisle. So I tend to avoid going out in the shopping crowd of rude ass people.

    Edit: Judge threw out the charges and dismissed everything after hearing how it went down.
     
    Gator 45/70 and chelloveck like this.
  14. duane

    duane Monkey+++

    Got a Harbor Freight Predator 8750/7000 yesterday for an emergency generator, getting some real winter weather here in New Hampshire. The instruction book and warranty for using the generator reflects their take of people in our present world and how they treat tools . Use 5w-30 or 10w-30 oil, depending on temp, change oil at about 20 hours, warranty is not valid if you don't run it at least once every 3 months for 15 - 20 minutes, if you don't add fuel stabilizer, if the fuel has over 10 % alcohol in it, if you bypass the low oil shutdown, if you overload the gen head and burn it out, if you use bad gas, if you do not convert the carb for higher elevations, if you don't keep the air filter clean, and other such abuse. Seeing as that is a list of things that people have done to ruin the gensets and then try to get someone else to pay for their mistakes, those things may well be worth thinking about. They also state that if your genset is not properly grounded, to an earth ground or to the panel, the GFI will not protect you from a shock. Was on sale for $525 or so, Generacs with same wattage were over $1,000 and Honda's over $2,000. Do not intend to use this long term, just for emergency use and it seems well built.
     
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    Resource

    Generator FAQ 2001

    Generator FAQ, By Steve Dunlop. [img]
    Posted By: Asia-Off-Grid, Jul 19, 2018 in category: Energy
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