Harbor Freight Predator 9500 Inverter Generator Good Or Bad
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS!!!
We have been living off-grid for 6 months and we have had to replace 3 generators. Harbor freight generators are they worth it or are they junk? Couple building their own home in the woods in the foothills of the ozark mountains.
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Keeping It Dutch
P.O. Box 1484
Pryor, Ok 74362
From what I’ve read 1000 to 2000 hours is what you should expect from a gas generator before it needs some major repair or replacement. Most diesel generators are more like 10,000 to 20,000 hours. They do cost twice as much usually but there’s a reason, they’re very dependable and they last 10 times longer.
Getting a higher quality unit, preferably with a Honda motor would help to extend the hours quite a bit.
⚠️Generator safety tips:
This is just a reminder for everyone’s safety when using portable generators. All generator safety rules need to be followed carefully to avoid hazards.
1) Please do not allow an unqualified person or your children to operate the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Be aware of all the hazards.
2) Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have carbon monoxide detectors if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Not even at your porch and your deck. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house.
3) 🔥generators cause fire hazards too. Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules.
4) generator operation; make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords.
Hope this helps
I have a predator 3500 with over 6,000 hours on the clock,.. just oil changes and a single spark plug change…. Occasionally cleaned the air filter…. Needs a new pull cord and the starter solenoid is screwed up but it runs great and doesn’t burn oil 🤷🏻♂️
If from the Chinese Communist party 500
@@rickthewelder_ maybe a quick valve adjustment here and there wouldn’t hurt 🤣
I bought a Honda generator 3 years ago. Never had an issue with it.
My grandpa used to say, “Buy quality and you will never be dissatisfied.”
⚠️Generator safety tips:
This is just a reminder for everyone’s safety when using portable generators. All generator safety rules need to be followed carefully to avoid hazards.
1) Please do not allow an unqualified person or your children to operate the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Be aware of all the hazards.
2) Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have carbon monoxide detectors if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Not even at your porch and your deck. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house.
3) 🔥generators cause fire hazards too. Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules.
4) generator operation; make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords.
Hope this helps
I saved for a while for my Honda eu6500is. More than worth it for reliability & quality. I've heard some of those with over 6,000 hrs.
I bought a champion 5 years ago and no issue. You overpaid.
@@Dingleberry1856 Haha you muppet. You just have to bring someone down because you cheaped out and bought an inferior product.
@Dingleberry1856 but is your generator an inverter also? Doubt it.
Someone I know went trough similar problems until he found out if you put shelter from weather over it. It does better. We ran a 5000 for two winters with shelter and it ran perfect still 10 yrs later. Until it was stolen.
I’m looking to buy one of these 9500 generators soon and I’ve been told by several people to build an insulated “shed” for it. I’m aware of the type of insulation to use. I’m sure it has several different names but the style I plan to use is called “Reflex”. Sucks yours got stolen. I’ve had a couple problems with thieves the one that pissed me off the most was a $500 smoker. A friend gave it to me when he and his wife divorced and I helped him move. It wasn’t even a really nice smoker, it was the principle of the matter
I run an older Generac 5k+ does well, the longest I've ran it solid was three days, no issues. Runs ON A 10HP Briggs
Generac is the Best
⚠️Generator safety tips:
This is just a reminder for everyone’s safety when using portable generators. All generator safety rules need to be followed carefully to avoid hazards.
1) Please do not allow an unqualified person or your children to operate the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Be aware of all the hazards.
2) Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have carbon monoxide detectors if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Not even at your porch and your deck. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house.
3) 🔥generators cause fire hazards too. Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules.
4) generator operation; make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords.
Hope this helps
I know someone who runs their predetor 8750 every single day 12 hrs per day. Never had a problem. The difference is that he takes care if his.
My grandpa owned a Honda 3500 and camped for two weeks twice a year and ran it the whole time while camping
It was a 1983 model.
Just sold it last year and it was still running.
Won't be getting a generator but wanted to thank you again for the surveillance cameras yesterday. I ordered one of them today. Nobody available for help so hopefully I got the right one.
Dutch, that's a God thing that your store had a generator right when you needed it.
Glad you were able to get another one so quickly
It's great that they honor their warranty..
Have a good evening ❄❄❄
Know a contractor that uses his 8 hours a day, for the last two years. Now, when it is time, no matter what, he will stop and do an oil change. Filters his gas, and changes the plug and air filter regularly. He used to use Honda, but moved to these. Also have a friend with some off brand model, with over 11k hours on it. Still. constant oil changes and filter. I have this one for storms only. Thank you for your grand video, VERY informative.
Oh gosh, and we bought a Predator 9500 this season just incase we loose power. Now I'm concerned we got the wrong unit. The reviews were good on it. Hmmm
I hate 10% ethanol gas and run ethanol free fuel it in my mowers, weed eaters, ect. With that said, there is no reason not to run it in the generator. The problem occurs when it sets in an unused piece of equipment or seasonal equipment. May God bless you and Merry Christmas.
You might look into the Generac that's mounted permanently on a concrete pad and uses butane since you got the tank now.
I'm sure you mean Propane.
My sister has one and it’s great!
You have the same problem my wife has , it’s Propane not Butane!
@@deernats ok, propane. I'm all electric.
Just get electricity out there until you get your solar up. Solar panels, do you have a plan to protect them in case of a hail storm?
Generators are not suppose to run all the time. People are looking for generators in case the grid goes down.
Good luck!
Glad they will take the generator back with a warranty. Have a blessed Sunday .💕💕
We have taken back many! We are off grid. Ine thing we found is its better, no critical that when you turn power on and off there is NO LOAD on it. So turn it on with no cords attached then unplug it before you turn it off. It helps but un 4 years we have gone through maybe 10ish... and not all preditors, generac, and Oman and champion...
I have a Generac is it's great. It's a whole town generator for 1500 square feet. It's uses propane but it last a long time.
I have a 10,000 watt Generac that I bought new in 1999 and it has been used a lot I replaced the carb 5 years ago and that is all that has been done to it besides oil changes, new spark plugs and air filters…. I set my house up so I could run my whole house on it if needed.. easy to use my wife at the time would set it up to run when I was deployed
You are right, it need to be under a shelter. Would suggest you pull cattle trailer up to your camper and use it for the generator. Merry Christmas to you and the family.
Thanks for the info on the generator I buy from Harbor Freight. Sorry that you have had troubles I don't think I will buy one. Enjoy watching
I’m on my 3rd Small, 4 gallon Harbor Freight air compressor. Each one had less than 10 hours !
Unfortunately generators aren't meant to run 24/7.. Y'all need to find a better solution for power
Not even close to true
Only runn ours 4 - 5 hrs a night and all have died
I had generators running on big jobs for over 6 months without turning off even to fuel them.
I was in the Army for 20 years... we ran generators for weeks at a time with few problems. All depends how you maintain them.
@@justanbaker8937 Hey Justan what brand generator was it ?
I got a Honda Generator 15 years ago and it has been in the shop twice in that amount of time for general service. I use it for my NASCAR camping trips which equals to about 200 hrs straight pre trip. I run my A/C 24/7 (when needed) I needed a dependable one because we can't leave to take it in for repair. Good luck on your new one.
what is "general" service?
Glad you were able to replace your generator:) everyone needs to look at what they need it for and go from there it’s great that you gave your honest opinion:) stay safe and God Bless:)
Dutch, we are living in our RV at our off-grid property. When charging batteries etc we run a 2000watt Champion generator. They are around $450 at Tractor Supply and run everything but our air conditioning. This time off year it’s perfect and runs 7 hours or more on a gallon of gas. Definitely worth having. (I did a video if you want more info). I also run 3 batteries on the RV and charge them to full daily
Considering the usage, they haven't been bad generators. I know contractors here in Florida that run them 5-6 days a week, but usually only for a few hours daily. They like them as well, but their usage is "normal". I have a 9500 as a house back up, in case of hurricane outage and whatnot. Love ya'll ❤
Did it go well?
@@DabblelyDiddly If you're referring to Ian, yes, the generator and I are fine.
If you read the instructions it probably mentions.. "don't crush the funnel" .lol Good video. Thanks
You are so trusting. Isn’t the definition of insanity “doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different outcome”? Good thing you have that warranty.
I hope you find a final resolution that works.
Hilarious, especially when you have no choice!
A: you don't know their budget. B: that was very critical to say, your implication was that he was insane. That makes me wonder if you are and are quick to label people.
C: because he and I and they are born again Christians, we forgive you but I say, don't come here to his family Channel and jar is with your negative attitude and spoil the family and learning experience for the rest of us and him.
Oh my gosh, I was just making an observation, no harm intended. He is right, that is ridiculous to have to keep replacing the generator. At least the warranty saves him from having to buy a new one.
Try try again. A quitter never succeeds. No hill for a climber…. We are taught to achieve insanity.
@@Mari-wj3uu D: WOW, that escalated quickly.
At the first oil change I would upgrade to synthetic
Great Video ! I could almost vouch but I’m not there. Sounds accurate ! Someone who can afford a BOBCAT has no business with Harbor freight stuff
Have to admit if I by anything I expect to be a long term use item it does not come from HABOR Freight short term and I expect them to fail.
Just a learning curve on the bobcat but man that is so much nicer then having to lift it up. Nice job!
I live in an area with hurricanes. Sometimes we go 20 to 30+ days without power. Your on your third generator. That simply tells me that it is not a brand I would not want to buy or own. It's definitely not the quality you would expect for the price.
Dutch you should build a small canopy open sides with roof just big enough for the generator to fit in to keep it out the rain as it might be rain getting sucked in filter
Thank you Dutch, for all your time, efforts, and sharing!
And I would say ‘YES’ on the magnetic dipstick . And, dont screw the dipstick in to test the level. Just stick it in, pull it out, read the measurement and then put it in all the way in by screwing it in.
I fill my generators until the oil is about to spill out and screw the cap back on and they run like a top. At any given running moment, there is oil splashed over all surface areas inside so they aren't actually overfull and there is crankcase ventilation.
I think you should ask Predator to sponsor your You Tube channel. You made some good points about the use of it. Also in Ohio you cant warm the floor in a camper no matter how much you insulate it. So I pray you all stay warm. Keep the videos coming.
Dutch, if you haven't looked at the "Lumnah Acres" channel run by AL and Jena may I suggest you follow them as they build their tiny home off grid in the northeastern part of the USA. AL is installing a self supporting electrical system made up of 8 batteries and 20 solar panels plus the electrical wiring and MPPT control units. His channel is very interesting as he shows us the overall install and setup for his current and future farming electrical needs. This is Al's new solar setup for his new small home requirements. From what I have seen so far on Al's channel, your expectations compared to Al's solar setup is that his solar field is 2 or 3 times bigger than your initial expectation. Al expects to feed and support a 2 bedroom and a kitchen and living room plus a workshop and several freezer units with his electrical equipment/solar setup. Your shell building looks to be about twice the size of Al's tiny home homestead. Sorry to hear that you lost your second electrical generator. Han in there brother.
That solar power system Al is the installing will also run everything on the new homestead including the permanent big house when they are ready to build it.
Al also has an outdoor boiler and the tiny house has radiant heat when connected. Al is a very smart lad and doesn't waste his money. Constantly working rain or snow doesn't stop him.
@john klenzak, Al and Gina are installing more than 20 panels, it is either 42 or 44 panels equal to 17,500 watts of solar power, I don't recall how many lithium ion batteries he said, but I do believe it was quite a bit more than 8 of them.
I was wondering why you hadn't gotten a Generack Generator. Hopefully you will get your Solar hooked up soon! God Bless and have a Great Day!! 😀⚘❤🎄
Pro tip - buy a magnetic dip stick and magnetic plug, break in period consist of changing the oil every hour for about 3 hours to get rid of most of the metal shavings in these machines. It will extend the life of your generator. But running anything full time puts a lot of wear and tare on it! Thanks for the video!! 🤠
That skidsteer sure is saving your back. Pretty neat maneuvering, dropping the generator into the truck bed. I was cheering you on to to get out and pull the generator off ....and then you explained you couldn't open the cab door 😅
Also appreciated how you didn't bash the generator - instead you explained the situation.
I'd like to get a generator for use when power goes out ....but need an electrician to make it where I can hook one up safely.
Enjoying following your journey and how you solve many of the challenges.
I wish you well with this generator. Wow going through three. That just doesn't sound right.
God bless and have a Merry Christmas.
Our hospital generators, I think propane fired, kept our tornado damaged hospital ER functioning for 2 weeks solid til power was rebuilt to town.
To make a quick cover, extend the sides of the old well cover. If you made a 3’ extension it should make the walls around 7’.
Awesome job maneuvering the Bobcat and getting that generator in the truck. Very impressive! Great channel Merry Christmas!🎄
We had a brand new generator our son bought us. We live on the coast and Hurricane's hit every several years. It was stolen and had never been used. Hope yours will last longer than the other 2. Merry Christmas Dutch to you and your family. ❤🙏
My Westinghouse 9500/7500 has been working flawlessly for over a year (we’re off grid also). They have a bigger one that’s bi-fuel. Good luck with the Predator !!
Thank you for all that you show us...being vulnerable is hard but I enjoy you content!
Should have got a generac generator. We love ❤️ ours. Why don’t you hire someone to help you build your house. ??? God bless 🙏🙏🌻🌻
Hi from Syracuse NY brother and thank you for sharing your family and everyone else and your thoughts and adventures and your farm
I've had a Generac that size for about 8 years no issues Don't run it everyday but it's a quality generator.
That’s there newest model I have the 8750 inverter generator it’s great almost 3,000 hours so far and running strong I have had several of the normal gems from them they all worked fine mostly. Did have a 9,000 throw a rod once but was warranted I love them but was wondering about that new one
Thank goodness they had one in store to replace it with! I think knowing that you're going to be using this in the same manner for a while I would've gotten what I needed.
I worked for Harbor FREIGHT for years. The replacements plans are so worth the money. You never know what or when your tool/generator/compressor or pneumatic tool will need to be replaced. So I definitely recommend getting the replacement plan.
Have a blessed day.
Hope this one works out. Great video thanks. Chris from England
Use Mobil one synthetic oil. I use 15w 50. I first used a standard 30 weight oil. The Generac was using oil and running hot. When I switched to Mobil synthetic it stopped using oil and running cooler.
Dutch you can make it last longer if after breaking in put full synthetic oil in it
My dad loves Harbor Frieght because they do stand by their warrenty
If you want to keep using gas generators, you should invest in a larger battery bank so you can run the genny less and make use of more of the power it does generate.
Well said. Just after Ian ( worst Cyclone ever) it's battery banks and gas generators charging the batteries.
Some thoughts I think might be interesting to try:
1. Magnetic dip stick.
2. Propane conversion for this generator. It would be interesting to get a better idea of how long one of these generators will last on a cleaner burning fuel like propane. I have to wonder if propane would be cheaper in your area than getting pure gasoline to run it on. The rough conversion I have come up with is 15 lbs of propane is ~= 2 gallons of gasoline in terms of run time. If you get one of those big stationary tanks, you would be able to go quite a while on a tank of propane.
2. Maybe look into a 16,000W generator. The reason being I was seeing some of these with a real oil filter and some other goodies you don't normally see on a smaller generator that should make it last longer as long as you do the regular maintenance cycle.
3. Look into setting up a server rack battery and all-in-one off grid solar-battery-inverter. The idea being beef up what you do with solar and batteries and then run the generator periodically to charge up on cloudy days. It looks like with some of these all-in-one off grid solar-inverter units, you can charge up even a large LFP battery array pretty quickly, maybe holding back some so your generator is not slammed delivering the load, and then coast for a while on just battery and whatever the solar panels manage to collect. Server rack batteries are low cost enough and you can have them communicate with the solar-inverter for optimal battery utilization.
To better understand the difference between a regular generator and an inverter generator, consider the following;
1. Electrical transformers operate on a concept called flux. In this case flux is the change of an electromagnetic field. Electricity is tied into magnetism. So basically AC (alternating current) power is like having a magnet constantly growing and shrinking and flipping poles when it shrinks down to zero. Like take your fists in front of you and swing them side to side so they pass each other rhythmically directly in front of you and pretend your fists are the poles of a magnet. Now when you coil a wire around a piece of iron, you can either turn the piece of iron into a magnet by putting a current flow through the wire coiled around it or if you have another coil of wire around the magnet with an alternating electric field, it will induce an alternating magnetic field in the iron. Then the secondary coil will have electricity flow through it as it experiences an alternating magnetic field through it. Like a piston moving up and down, current will flow back and forth through the secondary coil. However, the piston stops moving, it stops producing power. Another way to state it is an engine works on the flux of a piston being moved back and forth. A constant fire / pressure in the cylinder does nothing on its own, only reciprocating action does work in an engine. The same thing in a transformer. A transformer allows an "upshift" or a "downshift" to happen like changing gears in your car or truck. If you have a few windings on the input coil and a lot of windings on the output winding, you can change a low voltage to a high voltage, however there is little current flow on the output side. Like going into high gear, you can go fast, but you cannot accelerate fast in high gear because force is exchanged for speed. You can easily to the reverse as well with transformers. The thing is we figured out how to do transformers effectively a long time ago, so this is what our electrical grid is based on.
2. Now you get into a traditional generator. Something to understand about the electrical grid is they had to standardize the frequency of change, how many times the power alternates from positive to negative and back to positive in a second. For the USA grid, the standard is 60 Hz or 60 cycles per second. It turns out that RPM is just seconds times 60 to get to 60 seconds. So take 3,600 RPM and divide by 60 and you get 60 revolutions per second. So a traditional small generator will complete one AC (alternating current) cycle for each 1 revolution of the engine. So the traditional generator needs to turn at a constant 3,600 RPM to produce this 60 Hz cycle. There is a secondary issue of voltage. The faster an electric motor/generator spins, the higher the voltage. So you need stable frequency and stable voltage, you need to keep this 3,600 RPM on the engine exactly. This is easier said than done, especially say your hard starting air conditioner kicks on and draws a huge starting current from the generator, so say your generator instantaneously needs to go from generating 1 HP to 15 HP, and then after a second or so the demand dips down to 4 HP once the air conditioner has kicked on hard start style, that is basically impossible for a traditional generator to handle correctly. It will bog at first, so both voltage and frequency take a plunge, and then it will over-correct as it ramps up to full throttle to handle the surge, but then it suddenly dips down as the motor on the air conditioner has rapidly ramped up to full speed. It is basically the motor is a dead short to the generator at first and then rapidly becomes a much lesser, more constant load. So the traditional generator may do something like put out 240V and 60 Hz, then dip to 160V and 45 Hz, and then jump to 300V and 75 Hz, and then settle back down to 240V and 60 Hz. All of that in-between stuff is not good, especially if you are running sensitive electronics.
3. So now you look at the inverter generator. Whatever voltage and frequency that comes off the generator raw doesn't matter. It gets rectified into DC (direct current) power and fed into a power electronics based pure sine inverter. The DC to AC inverter in the generator can take a wide voltage range from the alternator on the generator and convert it into stable 60 Hz and either 120V or 240V power depending on the generator's rating. You could also have a traditional alternator putting out a constant voltage, but these suck at efficiency and have bruhes that wear out. Especially inefficient means bigger, heavier, more fuel guzzling engine, so you don't want that. So say there isn't much load on the generator. The generator engine spools down to say 1,200 RPM; in other words 20 Hz. This 20 Hz gets rectified into DC power, so frequency doesn't matter. Say the inverter can can take anywhere from 20V to 120V input. So say at 1,200 RPM, the alternator puts out 35V. The inverter is happy and dumps out a steady 120V at 60 Hz. Now you put a sudden heavy load on the generator. If it is a good inverter, it should have capacitance to absorb some load, maybe draw more current right away from the alternator, but hopefully not too much so, and the engine throttles up, say it quickly goes up to 3,000 RPM and 88V to sustain the sudden new load. 88V DC is still in the input range of the inverter, so it is fine and happy and continues to put out the same 60 Hz, 120V power and recharges its load capacitors once the engine on the generator catches up. If it is a cheapy inverter generator, then you need to turn off eco / low idle mode if you have big surges like a hard starting fridge or hard starting air conditioner or something so that there is enough spinning energy to absorb the hit. If a cheapy generator is run in eco / low idle mode and gets a hard starting hit, say it is cruising at 1,200 RPM, then say a high immediate load gets dumped on the engine and it slows down to say 700 RPM and the alternator ends up putting out 15V. The inverter will under-volt and say put out 60 Hz because the power electronics can put at 60 Hz no matter way, but at say 90V instead of 120V. Then the engine revs up as the throttle swings wide open and the inverter catches up to the load. It is also possible the engine just stalls. So say the same generator setup with a cheap inverter is setup to spin at 2,500 RPM instead of 1,200 RPM with the same low load because the low idle / eco mode is turned off. When it gets that hard starting hit, maybe the engine slows to 2,000 RPM, but enough power gets to the inverter so that it can hold 60 Hz and 120V output and then as the hard start hit rapidly eases and the throttle is jammed on, the 3,600 RPM rated generator overshoots to 4,200 RPM, pushing up towards the peak input voltage of the inverter without going over and then the engine is throttled back and settles on 3,600 RPM as it is not using an economy mode and it is seeing a substantial load, so just decides to run at its max rated RPM so that it can have a "spinning reserve". The whole time the inverter puts out a constant 60 Hz, 120V, but when say the engine peaks at 4,200 RPM, the alternator voltage is high, so the current draw by the inverter is relatively low.
Hey you did good with that bucket! I am impressed!
G'DAY from Australia mate. I have a Yamaha 5.5 kva inverter generator with only 1613 hours so far so good.Only runs a few hours per night to back up n charge my batterys. Has been serviced a few times. It cost me 5000.
Those generators you are buying are generally speaking not rated for continuous power operation the way that you are using it.The manufacturers detailed specifications (either on their website or call a sales rep and get them that way) will have that information, how long you can run them in a given time period, expected maintenance hours and so on. I would recommend that you set up a whole house generator sooner rather than later. You will need that in coordiantioon with your solar system. Basically it runs to charge your batteries when the sun can't keep up with the use. Then get something like one of the Bluetti type products and charge that off your solar array/whole house generator.
As far as the waiting list for the whole house generator. If you are even remotely mechanically inclinded, there are some options from used heavy equipment sellers. Diesel Creek bought one of those things that public utilities use to have roadway lights where there is no power. It turns out those come with a powerful generator. He did a little bit of repair work on it and basically had a mobile generator.
We have a motorhome and travel.the best way to heat an rv is to buy 2 or 3 cheap electric heaters and run them off of generator. Its so much more efficient to run them than buying propane. If your plugged in to power it's so much more efficient. If it gets really cold then you can run elect and run propane every now and then.propane being gas furnace.something you could try and see how it works for you.when were off grid we run generator and use electric skillet for cooking and electric heaters.more efficient
that is a standby generator not a full time power source.
Did you watch the video? That is exactly what he said.
@@susangroth9142 I replied before i watched the full video, but it started out like he was blaming the generator. nothing against dutch and family, but imo he should have been working on the solar field a long time ago.
@@heatherclayton-callaghan4270 He said it should not be used 24/7. Watch the video!!
@@bc1997 You can delete it.
brian is right,, generators were NOT ment to run all the time as a total power source..
And aren't you supposed to change the oil every 100 hours?
I've got a Honda generator I bought in early 90's for work, it ran 8 to 10 hrs a day for 5 years until builders started putting in temporary electric poles ,sat for about 10 years until buddy needed it after tornado in 2019, filled it with gas started on second pull ran for a week solid. You get what you pay for
That’s what I thought too.. they’re not meant for 24/7 running.. I would think the whole house propane generator would hold up and last much better..
You might look into placing an insulating barrier around the perimeter of the camper. A lot of inside heat is lost through the floor, especially if you are in a windy area. I see you have hay bales placed partly across near the door. You could extend that all around the camper but it wouldn’t be tight. I’ve seen sheets of foam board insulation used around the perimeter with success. There are several CZcams videos showing it. It would certainly save on gas and make the camper toastier. Just a thought.
Hardie board also
Just some heavy plastic sheeting would work.
As a retired Firefighter I wouldn't counsel using hay for wind breaks on any structure people live in.
I have to admit that when I read the description, I thought to myself "What did you expect from this thing?" sounds like you are smarter than I initially gave you credit for. Best of luck with construction.
That's good info to know what works, I am grateful for you sharing it, I can share the info to whom ever needs to know as well. This is the reason why I constantly to to watch your videos, Daniel's, those who I have got great information, what works. And seeing how things are going for you and the family. I will try to of course share the info on my media page just incase any of my family and friends needs to know. Thank you again 😊.
Ethanol fuel is for gas engines with turbo's. Here where I live. Cheaper fuel. The rest of what I own runs on the other. Cheaper to drive my truck then my Jeep. My truck as turbo's. Any ways. Thanks for the information on the generator. I cant get rain or snow here. Western Nebraska. My property in Missouri gets rain every time you do. Take care. Thanks again.
The first one I bought I returned immediately as the mounts on the Generator housing were completely broken off. The second one seemed to work well until someone came into my back yard and actually lifted it out of the trailer I had it in and stole it. Insurance refused to cover the loss and since there is no serial numbers on them there was nothing the cops could do. I only hope that it proved to be as bad as some people are saying they are.
Dutch I not tell you anything so don't get upset I going to tell you what I did I went to a equipment auction and I got a 4 cylinder cumming generator I did pay 2500$ to win it but it's never stop one time in 6 years now .
And we run it very hard in the jungle and we run the hole house and the well and even the welding machine.
It is diesel and its very good on fuel.
We were blessed to get it .
Maybe you need to look at one of them some time .
It does not have all them bells wand whistles on it .
But it works . Made in the USA too.
YES..not meant for long term use... however if you put a higher grade oil..lucus oil stabilizer.. maybe 10-20 % it would last longer I think....
I actually run several different units depending on the load I have the regular 9000 I have the 8750 inverter and two 4325’s I think I get normally 4,000 hrs changing the oil every 30hrs and regular ones need new brushes and voltage regulators every 1000 hrs or so I love them can’t beat the price and the big money ones are the same parts
Hi Dutch, that gen /set is all covered up may be getting hot, if so take some cover off / side covers
It's all about the break in procedure.
You need to get break in oil, run for 1 hr , then change the oil.
You will notice tons of metal shavings come out. Run another 10 hrs , change the oil. Then 50 change the oil. After that you can go 100 and switch to regular synthetic oil.
I have that generator. And it ran continuously for 2 weeks. Good generator
i bought a Kubota diesel 14 kw, 3 cyl duesel, water cooled. cost was over $10k.
saw a guy that was running one for 2 years, just to stop it to change oil. 2 years and going strong!
I'm in Asia right now and I could buy a new Perkins 3cyl diesel generator for $3k but shipping and import duty would have me back at the Kubota price. Someone could make a water cooled gas generator, with the suzuki 3cyl 800cc car engine and it would run for years only stopping for service. Air cooled gas generator engines are using fuel to moderate heat, they couldn't use so much gas otherwise at 13 to 1 air fuel ratio.
For the summer, do consider the Harbor Freight Tools, 60-70% UV ray blocking, black mesh tarps; or thier equivalent elsewhere. Use it over top a roof with ideally 2"-4" dead air space, around or hanging from a structure to keep the structure's walls from getting heated up, over top cement and rock based patio and foundation area from getting heated up, and more. It won't take the place of AC but will keep the area under cover 5 to 20 degrees cooler. We've used it as interior window curtain liners and dropped an apartment's temperature by abiut 30 degrees even though it works best on the exterior. It won't take the place of AC but might reduce your need for it and the load on the AC. Hanging and using the tarp certainly reduces the need for AC on many days.
If you get about 12 solar panels and maybe 6 or 8 marine batteries (they work just as well as the ultra-expensive lithium, for a fraction of the price, ) and you should be able to go all day with periodic recharges; 2 or 3 times a day. You probably already know that, hope I don't come across as Mr. Know-it-all. Enjoyable content every time.
I have only had two generators in the last 16 years with over 9 thousand hours each, I use FULL SYNTHETIC OIL in them which prolongs their life, I also had a small fan blowing on the motor while running. Now I use solar panels to supplement the generator, battery storage makes me use generator a whole lot less.
I am not surprised…..you are returning it..
My advice (as a fellow Okie) - spend the money on a Honda or Yamaha. There is a reason everybody tries to copy them. They also are more expensive upfront, and still in business, so there must be a reason. In the end when you factor in everything they are worth it. Plus nothing more annoying than the nuisance of prep/return and your time. They also are usually quieter.
there are some things it just pays to buy once and cry once {at the price}..... cause in the end you will be farther ahead.
We are also off grid. We are planning on buying on after the first of the year. We live in south Florida. We have not used air conditioning in the last 18 months, so I won't use the ac in the future. We will continue to use our CampChef propane oven. We do laundry in 5 gallon buckets, or drop of laundry service. I will continue to do so. My expectation and hope is it will run refrigeration. We run our lights off of solar. We are also planning on purchasing a solar generator.
Dutch,put a magnetic drain and fill plug on the generator.Change at 3 and then 10 hours.You’ll be surprised how much metal the break in period creates.With no oil filter all that metal is going through the engine.It’ll be clean after the second oil change.Good luck!
That's great advice , thanks for sharing man
As cheap as oil is, if I had the time, I'd change even sooner, three or maybe even four times, like after 1st, 3rd, 7th hour, and then again after the first full day.
@@fog8969 You could but it wouldn’t be worth it.On my second oil change I noticed almost no shavings,so it’s really those first few break in hours that are critical.
I just hit 40 hours on mine and going to switch to synthetic now,I’ll let you know how the magnets look.
Diesel generator is the way to go for extended run. I have a portable Generac gas that has ran approx 23/7 for 7-10 days several times due to ice storms and hurricanes.
Just me, but I would have the utilities ran onto the property for camper and house, then cut back usage when solar dependent in the future. Even then it is a minimal service fee but the power is there if needed. Economically, the electrical service will save money versus running a gas generator with the increasing gas prices.
I have heard a lot of complaints about Harbor Freight products
Hey Dutch you can put solar panels on your batteries too to help keep it trickle charged
Using ethanol free gas is a good idea but you should also use synthetic oil, even to break it in. Also you say you got about 1900 hours out of the second one. If you drive a car or truck for 10 hours down the interstate you should easily make it about 500 miles so according to my calculations that's about 95,000 miles. Thats not to bad
The BOBCAT!! Has Been A BACK SAVER!!! They Are Really Nice To Have! GREAT VIDEO!!!💯👍🏻💯❤️
Generic have lots of problems with their motors . They are also for standby not full time gen . Even larger commercial units are not designed for full time power. Have a great day .
Based on your history with that generator I’m guessing they are flying off the shelves because all their other customers are on their third replacement as well🤷♀️ lol
The Honda’s really are a great machine, here in my area of Canada it’s regarded as the most dependable through our very cold and snowy winters
Another great video Dutch
The predator is a Honda practically 😂
when you shut off the generator you should turn the three position circular switch to off and then let it stop and then shut off the switch. This will drain the gas in the carburetor.
Dutch you are just loving your new toy!!!! That’s great for you!!!! Makes your life a little easier I bet. Keep up the fantastic job your doing with the family. You all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Well explained on the generator! ✌🏼❤️
Awesome loading job. 3rd times a charm. I'm hopeful this generator will last.
That was smart how you put it in the truck, You will make it work so keep up the good work be blessed.
Just making a suggestion..... be sure to wire your new house for a generator, you never know when that one occasion might come up and you may need one.
I don't know if you're gonna use propane on your property but if you do think in getting an onion generator or a Generac generator that runs on propane have it installed close to your home run an extension card where you need it and it'll be your backup when solar is low try it