HF Generator $329 + $6.99 ship, Now $289 after coupon code from Discover Mag.

gimpyguy said:   Some forced hot air furnaces, like those found in garages use 240V as electricity is their only heat source.Neither of these generators could come close to running one of those.

buster2 said:   comprx said:   gimpyguy said:   Some forced hot air furnaces, like those found in garages use 240V as electricity is their only heat source.Neither of these generators could come close to running one of those.

How So?, the HF has a 240v outlet. I understand the startup problem possibly but why would they not run one if its not over the rated amperage?Because electric furnaces and heat pumps typically need 15,000 watts or more to run.

I use fuel stabilixer (sta-bil) brand in all of my small engines. Whenever I fill the gas can, I add the stabioizer. I've started the engines up as long as 2 yrs later without a problem.

dcwilbur said:   buster2 said:   comprx said:   gimpyguy said:   Some forced hot air furnaces, like those found in garages use 240V as electricity is their only heat source.Neither of these generators could come close to running one of those.

How So?, the HF has a 240v outlet. I understand the startup problem possibly but why would they not run one if its not over the rated amperage?Because electric furnaces and heat pumps typically need 15,000 watts or more to run.

In an emergency situation or 'outage', screw trying to run the entire house on _any_ portable generator. Its evident that fuel is hard to come by, so I would think limiting usage is key in these situations.

Under those conditions, my family would hole up in a single bedroom and run an electric radiator heater (or window unit air-conditioner), along with and extension cord to the 'fridge. Forget the oven, microwave and lights - that's what the outdoor grill, and 12V battery-driven lights are for.

Theres a coupon in this months issue of discover to get this for $289 instead of the listed $299. Mines gonna be broke in today. I'm gonna start lookin for a larger whole house unit instead and keep this one for camping as I need something that will power the heat pump as well as eveything else. I see HD has units in the 7-8 kw range for about $2-3K that will suffice, now I need to get 1 of my electrician friends to take a look to see just how expensive and difficult it will be to hook up. I have a Lowes 10% off coupon I need to use so this will be the route for the house. The champion as well as this one seem to be ideal for smaller homes or those who only need them for short periods of time to run the fridge/space heater,etc. I'll keep this as a b/u unit in case and for camping in the meantime. Still a good deal and the difference in run time vs the champion I would suggest is doubtful as they both seem to have about the same rated HP tho the HF one has a slightly larger displacement by about 12cc hardly enough to make a difference in fuel usage I would think, either way use the coupon if ya need to in the Discover mag the number on it is 14836696 and should be applicable if ordering via internet sale coupons good thru 3/13/13 instead of a short sale period at Cabela's

buster2 said:   Mines gonna be broke in today...You've mentioned break-in twice. What exactly are you doing? Running it for a few hours under moderate load and then changing the oil is really all that is typically recommended for these things. Are you doing more than that?

Yes I ran it yesterday under load for about 4 hours then brought it in for the night to cool, changed out the oil and am now running it again under a slightly heavier load than yesterday and plan to change the oil again. I'm a certified mech by trade ,tho retired from it and this is my usual motus operandi for breakin in small 4 stroke engines like this.In 30 yrs never ever had one fail and still have a snapper mower from the 70's w/original 3 HP B&S mower on it today that powers it well enough to cut my yard if necessary tho I have a rider it still works as a trim mower. Keeping up proper maintenance on all my equipment is essential as well as a proper break-in procedure. This is how I choose to do mine as it allowes the motor to cycle thru 2 heating and cooling stages vs 1 that most usually take.

buster2 said:   Yes I ran it yesterday under load for about 4 hours then brought it in for the night to cool, changed out the oil...Thanks for the response. The only thing I would do differently would be to change the oil while it was still warm.

Break in's done ,starts on 1st pull everytime, great deal for $289 afaic

buster2 said:   Deals still goin strong, coupon code good till 3/13/13, Cabela's deals expired, get them while you can, great little generatorYou are mistaken, not expired. $319 and available as I type this.

I was in until they threw sales tax in. Under $300 to my door was mighty tempting

retrac said:   buster2 said:   Deals still goin strong, coupon code good till 3/13/13, Cabela's deals expired, get them while you can, great little generatorYou are mistaken, not expired. $319 and available as I type this.

Really,Care to point it out!! as its not on their website anywhere I can see, maybe I'm blinded by all the BS about a deal that has expired. It appears that the tank is less than 6 gal's. Taxes have to be paid on states that have HF stores in them, thats the law, same as Cabela's

buster2 said:   retrac said:   buster2 said:   Deals still goin strong, coupon code good till 3/13/13, Cabela's deals expired, get them while you can, great little generatorYou are mistaken, not expired. $319 and available as I type this.

Really,Care to point it out!! as its not on their website anywhere I can see, maybe I'm blinded by all the BS about a deal that has expire.Here

Like I said I spoke to a csr and he said they are out of stock, maybe need to update their system or maybe ordering more for delayed sales and distribution to folks up in Jersey, either way its to small for my needs like the HF one. Plus after reading about all the problems folks are having with the champions its the least of my worries as I'm getting a larger whole house unit, these are fine for camping and maybe the minimum to get by on, but not anywhere whats needed to really do much IMHO

buster2 said:   Longer cord for those in need,http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100665723/h_d2/ProductDi...

Also a good price for 50' of 12/4 cord!

Sorry I contributed. Done

dcwilbur said:   hammer45 said:   Question for the electrical folks out there....I got the Champion generator with the 30A 120v out...the previous homeowner has a generator switch on the panel which has a 240v plug (dryer connection). Any way to feed the panel at 120V @ 30A via that plug?Wow - if you already have a transfer switch installed at the panel for 240, I would skip the Champion and get a generator with a 240 output. That transfer switch is about $300 to purchase, plus installation, so you are way ahead of the game. That is by far the best way to hook it up. No extension cords around the house, key circuits already wired, only one cord going out to the generator, etc.

what dc said. I own the Cabelas champion, but if you have the electrical infrastructure already in place, then 240v is the way to go. even if you have to pay more, you would save from not buying low gage, (read:, expensive)extension cords and still have granular control at your breaker panel.

if you prefer the champion product/support you can get the 240 volt version of the 4000/3500 at tractor supply. good luck.

buster2 said:   http://www.tractorsupply.com/champion-power-equipment-trade-3500... $329 + oversized shipping charge at tractor supply, vs the HF for $289 w/coupon code and $6.99 shipping that has all the champion has and a better track record than the champion so far. Hammer 45 I would skip both of these and buy a much larger capacity generator if you have the transfer switch already installed and you'll be able to run soooo much more for a few hundred dollars extra in the long run + not having to deal with all the extension cords running thru your home. Look at the generac's at either HD or TSC IN THE $600-$900 range

As I continue to educate myself in generators, how are you defining the hf as having a 'better track record'?

Thanks

Also note I believe you can get a propane conversion kit for these here for around $175 ,I believe its a type A kit , http://www.propane-generators.com/

Thats the thing I an curious about and maybe someone can answer. We do get power outages here in rural Ga on occasions and while we haven't had a major ice storm since the 70"s I can remember it as we had power out for 3 weeks or more. The generators I have been looking at are all 8-10kw and I would think simply getting a small 30-50 gal propane or nat gas tank set up nearby rather than havin to drive every day or so would be much easier on the wallet in the long run as from what I have seen both are much lower in cost than gas right now. So do I go with a smaller 20lb tank or since I can afford it and they don't charge for the tank setup and delivery go with a larger tank that allows them ease to load it and they are like right around the corner from where I live ?