3000W Chinese Gensets Info.

[professor95]

professor95 wrote:
EDIT ADDED 45/5/2013- When this thread started in March of 2005, I never expected to see it survive this long or amass the quantity of information that has been shared here.

In the eight year run of this thread we have amassed almost 10,000 postings and surpassed a million views. This creates somewhat of a dilemma for anyone who has just discovered the forum.

Since the amount of information is virtually overwhelming, I suggest you set your preferences for this thread to read "newest first" and then begin to page backwards.

What you will find in these pages is a wealth of info on virtually any make or model of Chinese manufactured synchronous (non-inverter) generator in the 3,000 watt performance class. Info will include how to rewire series coils to parallel to obtain maximum wattage from a single 120 volt outlet. Tips on further reducing sound levels, how to care for these generators, which ones are "RV ready" and provide the best overall performance for the dollar invested. Which companies NOT to deal with, where the best prices are, how to safely wire the generator into a home or RV, how to check your RV for electrical faults, sources for generator accessories, which 20/30 adapters are safe to use and which are not. How to convert a gasoline generator to propane or NG. This is only the beginning. The forum has a life of its own with the focus sub-topic switching frequently. Still, the main topic of utilizing the amazing, inexpensive Chinese gensets is always there. The amount of creativity and innovation presented in these pages is indicative of the talents shared in the diverse backgrounds of the folks who make up our combined RV community.

Many of the original brands and models of Chinese gensets mentioned in the introduction and early pages of the thread have since disappeared. New EPA and CARB emissions requirements, company bonds assuring the emissions warranty will be honored even if the company goes out of business, and fierce competition in the industry have changed the playing field. Champion Power Equipment has become the apparent "trophy team" providing an ever expanding retail outlet, an ample parts supply, a strong warranty and excellent customer service. CPE has continued to improve their product and now offers a new model (#46538) with exclusive convenience, safety and performance features aimed at the RV market. Big names like Cummins/Onan, Honda and Generac all now have Chinese built open frame synchronous gensets available. Ironically, the prices often found on these gensets has not significantly changed during the past eight years - even with the devaluation of the American Dollar and new EPA/CARB requirements.

I also encourage you to use the search function and even the advanced search options to find information. Key works such as "rewiring", "PowerPro", "Champion", "Onan Homesite", "Duropower", "ETQ", "Jiung Dong or JD", "Tractor Supply", "Costco", "Lowe's" and "Home Depot" are all examples of keywords that will give you specific information on different models being sold by retailers today.

Or, you can fill your glass with your favorite beverage (keep more close by - maybe some munchies as well :D, sit back at your computer, tell your wife (or significant other) that you will see her in the morning and spend the next 10 or so hours reading through the postings.

No one on the forum gets mad if you ask a question that is a repeat. Please do not hesitate to post to the forum. All questions are considered important and those active on the forum will do their best to respond with a valid answer.

Also note we are not out to knock the Honda, Yamaha, Kipor or other brands of high end digital gensets. We recognize the quality of these products and their suitability for quite, efficient RV use. But, there is a flood of reliable, inexpensive and comparatively lower cost gensets coming out of China that are excellent alternative choices for the RVer wanting power to run an air conditioner, microwave, etc. without excessive noise or breaking the budget.

Oh, one last thing. The folks on this forum are true gentlemen. We do not flame one another or the product discussed - period. Ugly contributors usually have their comments and remarks ignored by our masses. It is not a forum to start arguments to obtain a clear win. We do disagree on many issues, but we have all agreed to do that in a respectable manner.

We now have the introduction of more and more inverter gensets. There is a rather extensive thread named "The Official Unofficial Champion 2000i Generator" on this forum. Today, I added info on the new Champion 3100i inverter genset. Discussion on this product may get moved to its own thread at a later date.

Many have looked upon this thread with distain saying Chinese is cheap and doomed to failure. I remember saying exactly the same thing about Japanese products a few decades back. But, over the past eight years the track record for Chinese built generators has shown otherwise.

Please, join us in a fascinating journey down the Chinese built genset road of knowledge.

This is the question I posted that got it all started back in March 2005.......

Randy

For a little over a month now, I have been somewhat intrigued by the availability of a 3000 watt, 6.5 HP generator at Pep Boys and Northern Tool for under $300.00. The engine on this generator looks identical to a Honda 6.5 HP OHV engine. Knowing that the Chinese have become very adept at “cloning” reputable technologies from other manufacturers, I was not surprised at the similarities. Neither store could give me any information on the generator nor did they have a “running” display model.

I have done a little research. This is what I have discovered:

Many of these generators are imported by ELIM International (www.eliminternational.com) out of Buffalo, New York from Jiung Manufacturing in China. (The unit at Northern is identical but carries the JIUNG name.)

The engines are indeed a Chinese knockoff of the popular 6.5 HP 196cc Honda Engine. “Supposedly” Honda has licensed the engine technology to the Chinese manufacturer of the product.

The Chinese company that makes the ELM3000 generators is a rather large, diverse, long-standing company with a reputation for “above average quality” Chinese made products (Jiung Manufacturing). There are many more Chinese companies making almost identical gensets.

The generators at PepBoys do have a six month limited warranty. But, it is only on the engine (not the generator) and requires paying for shipping to and from Buffalo. Probably not a very practical thing to do if you have warranty issues.

ELIM does supply replacement parts (a PDF parts manual is available on the ELIM web site). No prices are given for replacement parts nor is there an “availability listing”.

The generator head itself is a brushless design. The only really significant wear parts in the generator are the bearings – most likely universally available.

The published dB rating is 67 at 23 feet. This is “reasonably” quite for a generator of this size as most comparabl.... The 67 dB rating is the same as Honda gives their 3000 watt CycloInverter with a “look alike” eng...

[Clark_W__Griswo]

Shopping for a new fiver. The new rig has the bigger AC unit. 15,000 I believe. My AC unit I have now is 13,500 and the ELIM 3000 runs it fine. Is anyone running the 15,000 with the ELIM 3000?

[sidewindr]

MrWizard wrote:
my little champion 1200-1500 from kragen now has about 50 hrs and 3 oil changes on it and continues to run like a top..

i put it on the front/curb side of the MH and you can barely hear it on the other side, just a low buzz

it's now 10 days old

it will run the microwave IF the batteries have recieved enough charge, that the converter is not drawing full power

MrWizard:

i was also thinking about getting the Champion 1200 from Kragen, how is the noise level compare to the 3500w generators??

I've found a PowerPro 3500 on display sitting at a local Kragen, along with a few Champion 3500 in boxes. Which one is better?

If i don't need to run AC, i think i can get by with a 1200W.

any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[MrWizard]

Saving Web Pages for archive

a few tips , I have learned

if it is one page, such as the champion test..

have that page in your browser

now goto the file menu and choose-click ? 'offline'

yeah take the browser offline... NOT you INTERNET service DO NOT disconnect.

the webpage will save faster if the browser is offline

if the browser is online the save function will fetch everything from the web AGAIN, instead of using the files that are displayed.

now choose save , NOT save HTML

when the save the save menu comes up

change the file type using the menu at the bottom of the save window

use 'MHT' email web archive ( no it won't email it any where )

it's just the type of file

it saves all the pictures the text the whole page exactly as it is displayed in your browser ..

as one complete file ( kinda like a MS 'doc' file or a PDF file ) same concept

these files automatically open in your browser if you double click on them

and they can be emailed to your buddies as attachments

the webpage will save faster if the browser is offline

if the browser is online the save function will fetch everything from the web AGAIN, instead of using the files that are displayed.

after the file has been saved

you can put your browser back 'online'

[MrWizard]

my little champion 1200-1500 from kragen now has about 50 hrs and 3 oil changes on it and continues to run like a top..

i put it on the front/curb side of the MH and you can barely hear it on the other side, just a low buzz

it's now 10 days old

it will run the microwave IF the batteries have recieved enough charge, that the converter is not drawing full power

[in_da_keys]

PatJ wrote:
My (now highly over-rated) Champion site is back up (with some updates after 75 hours of use.)

Here it is

Pat

Thanks Pat

I missed the link to your page when I went through the 100 plus pages in this post. I just got done reading it, and although I didn't get the champion, I did order the one from Homier.com. Have not received it yet but it is on the way. Makes me feel even better about this product. I don't remember which member recommended it but he stated that it will run a 13,500 A/C without any problems, same unit no 220. Here in Memphis we have none of the stores that seemed to carry these generators. Homier will deliver it to my front door via UPS,have my fingers crossed for under 300.

Again thanks so much for the time you have invested in testing this product, you and others have made a hard decision easy.

Michael

Here is a link to the Homier.com generator

[PatJ]

My (now highly over-rated) Champion site is back up (with some updates after 75 hours of use.)

Here it is

Pat

[guy48065]

DO you mean the Power Pro? I don't think Pep Boys carries the Champion...

Barton Family wrote:

guy48065 wrote:
On page 53 PatJ posted the results of his testing of the Champion genset. The link is now dead. Still with us Pat?

I'd be interested in that info again as well. PB is running another sale on these in my area, which would make it a little less than the ELM-3000 with shipping.

[ddguy20]

I ended up buying the champion 4450 3500 continuous. Runs Ac great and is very close to the quientess of the honda.

[1990_Bronco]

guy48065 thankyou for the reply. i saw your tests and sent those to my buddy. they are helpful. i think it was PatJ's page that i was looking for. when Pat gets it back up and running ill refer my buddy to that page as well.
thankyou Gentlemen. i appreciate all your hard work.
its also nice to hear the real world stories of how these generators performed, so thankyou guys for that as well.
Regards,
Ray

[Barton_Family]

guy48065 wrote:
On page 53 PatJ posted the results of his testing of the Champion genset. The link is now dead. Still with us Pat?

I'd be interested in that info again as well. PB is running another sale on these in my area, which would make it a little less than the ELM-3000 with shipping.

I don't recall the noise rating on this unit.

I looked at a Nikota 3500 at Costco Wholesale Membership Warehouse today. It was $279.00 and had nice features. It also had an output of 3000 watts and 3500 watts surge. It looked exactly like most of the other Chinese gensets, with "looked" being the operative word as it came in at 74db. That's right up there with my Generac 4000XL which is bigger, has more features, is made much better and has more output. Too noisy for me!

I hope the PowerPro 3500 is closer to the ELM-3000 in db rating.

[PatJ]

I'm still here. I had to take that down because I was running short of webspace. I will get it back up as soon as I get a chance.

Pat

[guy48065]

On page 53 PatJ posted the results of his testing of the Champion genset. The link is now dead. Still with us Pat?

[guy48065]

I tested the Wen Power Pro 3500, but I'll use this as an excuse to bump it back to the top for the benefit of any new arrivals:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mburnette/generator/pp3500.htm

1990 Bronco wrote:
there was a link somewhere in this thread that a member did to test one of the Kragen Champion 3500/4450watt Generators

[Kamphiker]

Has anyone figured out who manufactures the Power Pro 3500 (wen Power) sold at Pep boys ? (Jiang Dong or Jinling or ????)

I purchased one in a emergency (Hurricane Katrina) to run my Home Rfrig. / freezer and 13,500 btu A/C in my trailer.

I thought that it was going to be junk for $ 300.00 but really needed it and there was nothing left at Lowes & home depot. Figured if it got the family through a few day with out power and craped out so what.

I am suprised at the quality ! I filled it up with gas & oil and fired it up. Ran for 80 hours non-stop except to re-fill gas and check oil level.

Now it would trip the C.B. from time to time due to the refg. & A/C cycling about the same time. I also ran the 13" TV & Direct TV Receiver. But It kept us cool in the Mid 90 degree South Florida heat and Humidity (it was to hot in the house to stay inside) in the trailer and kept our food in the house cold. I dod utilize both recepticles by making up a short patch cord with the supplied 4 prong plug.

Getting gas was the hard part finding gas stations with gas and power. I burned about 12 gallons per 24 hours. Looking into US Carb Tri-Way kit (about $ 190.00 seems expensive for a $ 300.00 generator) since I have Natural Gas at home and allready use a quick disconnect to fire my BBQ grill.

I will be doing the Power Mod listed by Mr. Wizard and the Professor and a few others with-in these 100+ pages to increase the output.

Thanks to all with their input on this thread it's been very educational.

[1990_Bronco]

hi-

first of all.. absolutly AWESOME thread!!!

when i was searching for a generator this is the thread that did the most to put me twords the chinese generators, it did alot to put my mind at east. a wealth of information. thankyou ALL for contributing to it. as a lurker (former now?) you helped me more than you knew. wanted to say THANKYOU!

there was a link somewhere in this thread that a member did to test one of the Kragen Champion 3500/4450watt Generators... it was VERY well done, and was truly what made me feel good about going to Kragen and buying their generator. a buddy of mine is now wanting a generator, and i cant seem to find that same webpage where the gentleman went thru all the time and hassle to test the generator out and list everything about it.. was truly impressive. ive looked thru all 111 pages of this thread tonite.. scanned them and looked at the links. i noticed some dead links in here, and im hoping that one of them isnt what im looking for. the webpagehad a black background and i dont remember the color text. does anyone know the webpage im talking about? if its still alive, would it be possible to get a link to it put in this thread?

thanks for the time, and again for such a great thread. highly educational for RVers and Non-RVers alike!
Ray