Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

We had a power outage here a few days ago. It was out for several hours which is unusual. During the outage, it was raining pretty hard and that had me concerned about the sump in our basement. I'm certain that it would take a couple of days of heavy rain for the sump to flood but not having an operative pump caused me concern. Accordingly, I bought an inexpensive Chinese Champion CSA40032 generator. It has 3000W continuous and 4000W surge power. I tested it out today with a 1500 watt continuous load then plugged in and actuated the sump pump. The generator worked just fine. Overall, I'm impressed with the machine. The engine is a Honda GX200 clone. From what I've read, this 196cc engine is produced for Honda in China and, Champion Power Equipment supposedly have a license to manufacture the same engines under their name. According to their advertising, they claim that their engines are built to the same quality and specifications as the Honda GX200, cast iron cylinder, ball bearings and all. After adding fuel and oil, it started on the first pull. A bit of white smoke originally puffed from the exhaust then absolutely clear exhaust after two or three seconds. The engine is very quiet and smooth. I ran it under 50 percent load for an hour and a half on a liter of fuel. I hate to say it but this little generator has impressed me. I think I'll have to take back some of the bad mouthing I've done in the past about Chinese engines. In addition to my initial impressions, my research has revealed that owners of these generators have put many hours on them with very few mechanical issues. One person reported that he has been using one for up to seven hours a day for almost a year with no problems at all. That's encouraging.

Oh, and did I mention the price? I paid $450.00 taxes included, out the door at Chinadian Tire. I checked out a comparable Honda EG3500XK1A (not exactly the same specs but close enough) and it's priced at $1789.95 plus taxes, which comes to 2022.64. Now, I'm not so gullible as to believe that these machines are on the same level. However, I'm also realistic enough to know that the machine I bought will only be used in emergency situations for brief periods of time. Considering that I could buy 4.5 of these machines for the price of one Honda, it truly does make one wonder why a person would shell out that kind of bucks for an iconic brand name and a bit more quality.

Does anyone out there have any comments on these machines?

I was given a GX340 clone. Someone passed away on my wife's side and some of the shop stuff came my way. Along with the engine I was given a fan rake with missing tines and an old stick welder that does nothing more than hum when you turn it on. I figured the three were on the same scale of worth.

The engine was in decent shape, never run, and had a few scratches on it. There was a plug wrench and a small manual with it. I bolted it to a shop table and ran a tank of fuel through it. There wasn't a hiccup out of it for hours. Looks like a Honda, ran like a Honda, sounded like a Honda. As Friiy had mentioned, a little retorque was required as the muffler's heat shield fell off.

I changed the oil and saved the old oil in a clear pop bottle. I did notice some stuff that came out of suspension after the bottle had set on its side for a few days. I felt it with my fingers, and it was not metal, but grit that seemed to have the consistency of talcum powder, I couldn't tell you what it was. I ran more fuel through it and checked the oil after that, and it is very clean looking. I would say that the parts are the same, but the folks doing the assembly might not be as conscientious as those on a Honda assembly line. They very well could be the same assembly line... Who knows?

I had repowered an old blower 2 winters back, and I used a Honda engine from a trash pump. I am going to bolt this new engine up and run it. The reason is I'd like to save the Honda and run the clone, but I am also curious how it'll stand up. As the bolt pattern and shaft height are exactly the same, it'll take me 20 minutes to do. This will be done by the end of today.

The only real difference I can see between the Honda and clone is the kill switch is ridiculously cheap on the clone. I know that it will fail as soon as the temperature drops below freezing. I can see that switch and gas/choke levers breaking, but I bet the rest will stand up well enough. Time will tell.

Thanks for the input guys.

As far as castings and assembly go, this little engine is very clean and by outward appearances seems to be as nicely built as the real thing. I wouldn't doubt that Champion clones come off the same assembly line as the Chinese built Honda engines. This discussion also brings to mind my pressure washer. It's powered by a 6 h.p. Mitsubishi engine. My neighbour borrowed it from me yesterday to clean off his Jayco vacation trailer. When he was done, I went over it thoroughly to see where it was built. Looks like it was manufactured in China. There was nothing printed or stamped on it indicating country of origin. Not unusual for Chinese clones. Nonetheless, the Mitsubishi engine has been great over the years and has never missed a beat. For a 6 h.p. engine, it seems pretty strong. From outward appearances, it too looks to be finished nicely.

I'd venture to say that these GX series clones will likely prove to be better than Honda GC series engines. I'll never know for sure because I don't own any GC engines. I do own a Honda GX series V twin engine that powers my camp lawn tractor and visually, it doesn't look to be any better built than either my Mitsubishi or Champion engine. As JohnnyBoy says, Time will tell.

As a consumer, we're getting very good value with these engines provided they hold up. On the down side, I fear for domestic manufacturers and more specifically, their employees. The fall of Tecumseh is obvious proof that low cost imports of reasonable quality will and do carve out significant market share. If Briggs and Stratton begin to feel the pressure, It's not unlikely that they'll move their production off shore just to compete. Puts us, the consumer in a bit of a quandary. Doesn't it?

Briggs Vangard engines have been built by Mitsubishi for years.. I have one on my genorator for the last 12 years..The Vangards were made in Japan, I believe that they have not changed (Mitsubisi/ Japan Manufature)...

Where can you get parts for your Champion generator Borat? In Las Vegas people are having a problem getting parts.. The clones are sold at Harbour Freight, Checker Auto parts, Pep Boys, and a few other places.. But the local repair shops have shunned the units for fear of costly repairs, problems locating parts, and people leaving them in their shops after estimates...

Besides Generators, Water pumps and engines, these outlets sell 4 wheelers and street legal 50cc moped/scooters. There is a large amount of people looking for repair service for these units..

Friiy

<BR>As much as I'd like to think so, I doubt very much that my Mitsubishi pressure washer engine was built in Japan. The rest of the unit was made in China. Therefore, my strong suspicion that the engine came from there too. <BR><BR><BR>Being that the machine is new to me, I'm not familiar with parts supply. However, I've read that the engine's parts are directly interchangeable with Honda GX200 engine parts. Here's a link for anyone looking to resolve repair and or parts issues

http://www.championpowerequipment.com/

I was watching a show about briggs and stratton.It was cheaper for the co. to have part of the engine assembled in China and the it came back to the U.S. for final assembly.I never knew this and there's so much going on that companies dont tell us the consumer.I guess when u pay people in China low wages,it makes sense for the company and their share holders.

Oh, I'm certain that if all the facts were revealed, we'd see plenty of manufacturers having some sort of Chinese connection. After all, if Honda didn't have confidence in Chinese manufacturing capabilities, they wouldn't be putting their good name on the line. As reluctant as I am to admit it, from recent examples I've seen and information I've been reading, the Chinese are building some reliable engines at prices a fraction of the cost of domestics and big name Japanese manufacturers.

Briggs and Stratton are wise to carry out partial manufacturing in China. I'd say that they're likely doing the most labour intensive work in China and saving big bucks. However, by completing the manufacturing process on home ground with Made in USA stamped on the machine, they will keep their loyal customers who believe in and support domestic manufacturers. I'm interested to know if Briggs is passing on some of the manufacturing savings to the customer?

"Besides Generators, Water pumps and engines, these outlets sell 4 wheelers and street legal 50cc moped/scooters. There is a large amount of people looking for repair service for these units..

Friiy"

I can believe this. Half of those things are not worth fixing though. I bought my daughter a small 49cc Chinese ATV for Christmas last year. It was the shoddiest piece of machinery I have ever seen. The carb leaked when brand new, the throttle limiter didn't work and I had a hard time getting it to idle. It was the epitome of substandard quality. Even the muffler was no good at its job; it sounded like a chainsaw, extremely loud. She rode it three times, each time resulting in a tip over and bruises. I found out later that the rear shock had no travel. I don't know if it was faulty or designed to be too stiff to actually move. Thankfully that POS didn't have the potential to go much beyond 10 mph. I sold it, warning the new owner about all the trouble I had with it.

That said, it was not a clone of anything. I bet that if it had a Chinese version of a Honda engine, those problems wouldn't have been so bad. Had the suspension been copied from a proven design, it would have at least worked. Maybe these hypothetical machines wouldn't last as long as the Big H's would, but they would work well enough when new.

I am as cheap as the next guy, but I threw away $500.00 on that purchase. All I did was terrorize a 5 year old girl. Next time I'll spend $500 on a decent used brand name machine, or at least a reasonable reproduction of one.

ACCORDING TO FRIIY THE WORKMANSHIP IS SUBPAR.I wondering why you didnt consider a generac or ridgid?The price and power is similar,with a better track record.Also I think what worries me about products coming out of China ,is all the bad press they have gotten.As far as non mechanical products such as dog food,tooth paste etc etc.The US has banned certain products from China.I think they r trying to cut too many corners.JUST LIKE friiy said,it might look good,but its not that good when u look closer like he did.

mikiewest wrote:
The reasons I bought it was first and foremost, I likely will never have to use it. We would need a power outage for at least 24 hours before we need to use it. That has never happened. I'm not about to drop a lot of cash for something I might never use. Secondly, in my view, this machine doesn't look all that bad. After all, the engine is a Honda clone. I fired it up and ran it for a couple of hours under 50 percent load. It runs as quietly and smoothly as any single cylinder engine I've owned or seen. Check one out. You'll be surprised how nicely they run. The generator end looks up to the task. Wiring, connectors and switches appear fairly robust and nicely assembled. Unit has low oil sensor shut off switch, a large muffler, large 4 gallon fuel tank, fuel shut off valve, voltage meter, a stout frame and moving parts all rubber mounted. My research revealed that most people are very happy with their Champion generators. Contrary to what Friiy says, I saw very few that had anything bad to say about them.

So, I'd say that for $450.00 out the door (including a $50.00 accessories pack), it's going to be a challenge to get a better deal. Let me know if you can come up with anything close to it.

By the way, I'd be willing to bet that the Generac and Rigid probably have a lot of Chinese content in them. We know that Honda does.

Alright, I didn't say Champion was a crappy clone.... I doubt if all Chinese Honda Clones come from the same factory, I Have found some clones that the manufacture wasn't proud enough to offer a parts breakdown or support info in the users manual (or English). I have seen the Champion's, They seem to be higher quality. Some of the older Harbor Freight clones were horrible (The paint washed off some with gas)...

....Anyway, so far I have yet to see the a decent 4-wheelers,cycles, mopeds or pitbikes from China.

Friiy