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

I am looking at purchasing a natural gas 20k standby generator.The choices are generac,kohler,c ummins onan. Is there one that is truly more reliable than the other?And if so what makes it more reliable.

Mikie- I know 4 people that have Generac units and all of them had trouble during Sandy. I don't know about the others you listed but would strongly suggest Gillette or Winco. Marc

We have 2 big ( need a crane and a tractor trailer big) Generacs at work. We haven't had to use them but they are tested and maintained on a regular basis. No problems that I've heard of.

Reminds me of a story about an emergency gen set with 5 hours of fuel in the tank. For four years it was tested each year for 1 hour. During the 5th year they had an outage and the thing died after 1 hour. They added a "refuel after test" to the check list.

Main points:

1. Test your setup every so often and include a full load cycle;
2. Make sure fuel is either good for long term storage or changed regularly;
3. Natural gas is good as long as whatever killed the power doesn't kill the gas lines (earthquake);
4. A properly installed cut over switch is mandatory, a 20K unit should have one as part of the package.
   

The problem with winco and gillette is finding someone to service them.generac has plenty of service techs followed by kohler.

The generacs that had problems,were they air cooled?ARe the water cooled generacs more reliable?

I would be more worried about parts and service for the actual generator half of the unit.

It's usually no big thing to service an engine yourself or find a small engine service shop.

Mikiewest, I would check this forum out. lots of chat going on there. http://www.zillerstore.com/forums/

Check out $#%*mins Onan closely.  They're a huge company in the generator business with a very good reputation.  I have a 5.5 KW gasoline driven version purchased from Costco and it has been great.  I run it (excercise it) every few months although they recommend every month.  Change the oil once a year.  They have parts and service in key cities nationwide. I've had this gen for six years and last year I had to use it for the first time and it was great.  We were the only residence in the area with power.  We live on a main street and got a lot of questions when we were the only house with lights at night.  Our "ordeal" lasted for two days yet it seemed like it never happened.  I highly recommend ownership of a generator.  The simple run-and-maintainence requirements are worth the benefits when suddenly you need it!  My family actually forgot that the area was without power.

There are several affluent towns in Massachusetts who rely on well water (electric pumps).  They lose power and their backyards behind bushes become their bathrooms (latrines).  Some people I know rely on local hotel rooms for which the price would pay for a gen set.

mikiewest wrote:

Mikie-They were all the air cooled model. One belonged to my son's in laws, one to a person i worked with and the other two were a fishing buddy of mine and his neighbor. I am most familiar with my son's in laws situation.The unit has failed on them every time they have lost power in the 3 or 4 years they own it. Marc

mikiewest wrote:
When we were taking a look for our home generator we had this same issue. The few top brands are tough to tell apart and there seems to be a wide range opinions. There are lot's of guides and articles out ther ebut Here is one I found specifically helpful when making my decision. I ended up choosing generac due to it's reputation, but hopefully this will help you decide which brand is best for you..

http://www.norwall.com/blog/news-and-updates/20-kilowatt-standby-generators/

My Troybilt, 030477, 7500 watt purchased new in Oct, was dead by Feburary. It worked for the hurricane. I ran it in Nov, & Dec.Loaned it to my stepdaughter and her husband at it was dead When they tried t ouse it after the blizzard. The Rotor, Stator and regulator were fried to a crisp. New parts are on back order. I suggest staying away from Troybilt units.

Do you lose power that often and for long periods of time to justify a big stand-by system? I ask because I had looked at going that route when I finally got tired of constantly losing power for days on end but could not justify the 5 digit price tag. I ended up with a Honda EM6500SX, transfer switch and installation for well under $3K and it serves all my needs - well pump, oil furnace, fridge, stand up freezer and 90% of my other lighter load electrical requirements. I've had no problem going for several days off grid running my gen set for 12 or more hours per day. I could go all day if needed but why bother when you're not home (at work, etc...).

Here is another option, if you have a small acreage and in the market for a lawnmower.  Lowe's sells something called a Raven (think it's only available from them), it is a hybrid gas/electric ATV with a 46" lawn mower deck, 7mph mowing, 17mph without the deck, 7kw generator.  They currently have a recall on it due to a safety switch issue, but the machine's specs look good.  Internet rumors price it at $3k.  Nice thing about it is that you're always running the generator, always has fresh gas and should always be ready to go when you need it, plus you can use your electric power tools out in the woods with it.  :)  Other nice thing is that it doesn't have a transmission, which is usually the weak link on sub-$3k mowers.

video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn7p-Mt65ZA

jimbedro wrote:

I just picked up my generator yesterday, 7/29/13. It was in the shop since Feb 19, 2013. The final resolution was a new replacement generator was shipped as parts are not available. I promptly returned the new unopened generator to Lowes for a refund. We had been in touch with Lowes to express our displeasure with the product and lack of parts. The quoted delivery date for the stator was Sept, 2013. If Troybilt didn't ship a replacement generator, the broken generator would have been on the shop 7 months waiting for the factory to deliver repair parts.

The Troybilt name is just one of many former reputable brand names out there that continue to dupe the public into thinking they're buying a quality product.

FrankMA wrote:

I hear ya... my dad still uses my grandfather's 1970 Troybilt rototiller. That is one stout piece of equipment. The carb has never been rebuilt on it either.