hey professor95 we need a hf 800 watt generator thread

Yes, old thread but I thought I would post an update on the blue #66619 HF 800 watt generator.

After 3 years and many hundreds of hours I noticed an intermittent rattle coming from the generator engine. Took me about 5 minutes to pull the cylinder off and feel that the piston was slightly loose on the rod and could be wobbled from side to side. The wrist pin bearing was going bad but had not damaged the rod or the wrist pin. I emailed HF and was told a new bearing was not available. This is a 10X14X14mm caged roller bearing. I could not find that size on line but found a 10X14X15mm for $6.50 which fits fine being just 1mm longer, and the little generator is purring like normal.

There was no observable wear on the cylinder, piston, or rings, and all the other bearings turned smoothly.

It shouldn't matter much what oil you choose but some build up more carbon than others, and some synthetics tend to stick the rings and don't provide the moisture protection that mineral oil does. My preference is Pennzoil multipurpose 2 cycle oil because I have 15 years experience using it in my 2 stroke ultralight aircraft engine.

2cycle oil?
I've been gone for a few days, getting to meet our new grandson, but now for my next generator question.
2cycle oil, what do you use? I have looked on the HF web site but can't find a recomended oil for it.
going on the internet and doing some research you will find that air cooled 2cycle oil is NOT the same as water cooled 2cycle oil.
OK, we know oil for water cooled engines would be mostly outboard boat engines.
we normaly think of air cooled 2cycle engines as chain saws, string trimmers, back pack blowers etc.
I think I need an oil made for air cooled engines but the engine on a HF two stroke generator is a very slow running 2 cycle engine as compaired to the chainsaw, back pack blower and the weed eater that run at 9-12 thousand rpm.
the generator runs at 3600 rpm. I don't think I need an oil designed for 12k rpm engines? so for the people who have run these generators what do you use? do you just use the out board engine oil, do you ues a high performance chainsaw oil? or do you just use the standard wal-mart 2cycle oil because after all this is just an $89 generator?
where is spell check,I need spell check!

My HF 800/900 is all I need for my Aliner. Powers the converter, air conditioner, microwave with no problem. Heating in the microwave is slower on the generator than on shore power.

You adjust the voltage by adjusting the RPM just like any non-inverter generator. I had to tweak mine. I now have the voltage at around 130 when idling so I have 115 - 120 under load.

My HF 800/900 even powers my 1,500 watt chainsaw if I am careful about not bearing down hard on it when cutting.

I'm a fan of using a small portable genny for camping to run lights, TVs, computers, small spot heaters, vacumm cleaners, battery charging, etc..

I know this thread is about the little 800 watt generator from H.F., but some might be more interested in owning a small-generator legend instead - the Honda EX650. It's ultra quiet (54dB at full power), four stroke, and sips 1/2 gallon of gas about every 5 hours. We use a 25+ year old one in our RV so as to not have to use our big Onan as much. Parts are still available for them, but it's rare that they need one. It starts with a pull or two every time. You can find them on eBay and from other used equipment Internet sources.

Here's a discussion of them:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_18/651153_.html

and here's a typical Internet add to sell one:

http://denver.craigslist.org/tld/3521870729.html

We have the blue 1000 watt model, and when the trailer is plugged in everything seems to work fine. I know the AC won't work, but I think maybe the little microwave might. At anyrate, it keeps the convertor/charger working, runs the stereo, TV, and laptops OK. Have used the vacuum cleaner and a 1/2 electric drill too.

If I plug the trailer into this, would it be safe to just charge batteries through the converter ??? If everyone is running small appliances with this, it should be OK..right ???

voltage control,
when I started this thread I had found out that when a load was put on the generator the voltage would drop from 120v to about 107v and was hoping to find a way to regulate the voltage. after running the generator all day and testing just what it would and would not run I thought I would check all the bolts and screws to see if any were loose. all bolts were OK but I found one brass screw on the left side that would turn freely, it seems this screw is connected to a throttle arm, when turning this screw with a load you can adlust the voltage output to bring it up to 110v by slightly increasing the engine rpm. so yes there is a little voltage control, it's not automatic voltage control but it is a form of manual voltage control. if you have one of these generators and it is running just a little low on the voltage check out the brass screw on the left side of the gen and see if this works for you.
I sure wish spell check worked!

Spark plug replacement for a ETQ 1200?

aaw, Gordyman you can do better than that.