Predator generator

[Kpackpackkelley]

Here's a post about the HF generator . Might help.
( I purchased two of these 2 strokes last year: One on sale from HF $79 & the other from Home Depot at $99 to get the 12 VDC port. For the money these are well worth it. If you do what I list below, your unit will power a 5,000 BTU window AC also. More on the AC unit later, first you need to conduct the following break in procedures:

#0 – Buy a Kill-a-Watt meter of you don’t have one. $30 investment and you will need it to set the RPM so you can get the proper frequency of 60 hz.

#1 – Clean all the metal shavings and other******out of the new fuel tank. No quality control, metal shaving left inside both tanks. Clean float bowl on the carburetor while you have the fuel tank off, it is easy.

#2 - Replace the cheap fuel line with a contemporary / decent fuel line. Add a small fuel filter if you are motivated .

#3 – Buy a NGK, Champion, Autolite, or something similar. The spark plug it comes with is junk.

#4 – The most important factor is to follow the break in procedure of at least 20 hours at 50% load (400 watts). Yes, 20 hours or more, this seems to allow the rings to seat and the engine will then make full power.

Now you can load the unit up to 750 to 800 watts. Both of mine will make this level of power but what I really wanted to do was to determine if I could power a window AC. This is how you do it. For about $10 buy a Supco SPP6 two wire hard start kit. Takes about 15 minutes to install in your AC. Make sure it is not the SPP6E.

http://www.amazon.com/SPP6-Capacitor...=pd_sim_misc_3

Use of the SPP6 will allow the little two stroke to overcome the compressor start up surge and run the unit while consuming 540 watts of constant power. This is how you do it. And, in my opion, for the money, these little units are worth $80.)

[MrWizard]

Well you have your electrons backward

The things most likely to affected by dirty power aka poor wave form

Are motors and transformers

Modern electronics using switching power supplies are Not affected in any noticeable way

[ctilsie242]

I am surprised about the life of those little generators. While the power is too dirty for anything electronic, I can see about keeping one at hand at a remote cabin or whatnot to keep the lights on, or placing it in a well ventilated storage box for a noise baffle.

[hugemoth]

Yes, old thread but I thought I should mention that my little HF 2 stroke generator finally failed after 1000+ hours. Using it to power the 40 amp battery charger today when it stopped making electricity. Running normally but no output. 4 bolts and one hose to pull the fuel tank and I noticed one of the spade connectors on the capacitor had melted it's plastic cover. Crimped on a new connector and it's working again. 10 minute repair.

[mlts22]

HF hand tools can be a bargain, especially for tasks I don't do often. If I'm getting tools to last, it seems that all the tool brands are making tools that are worse than they were putting out a decade or two ago, so I might as just go with the least expensive with the lifetime warranty. Only exception is if I'm working on bicycles, I use Park tools even though they are at best middle of the road.

However, if I were buying a generator on a budget, I'd probably meet in the middle and go for a Champion open-framed model which is a few hundred more than the Yamaha ET800 clone (which most of those $100 generators are), and produces much cleaner power. Plus, the Champion pollutes less (just gas exhaust, not gas + oil), and has better voltage regulation.

[Kpackpackkelley]

I'm not really telling anyone to buy them. I just thought it may help someone if they did get one. I believe any gen needs to be broke in right.

[hugemoth]

I've had a 800 watt HF generator for about 4 years now. It often runs 4 or 5 hours per day powering a 40 amp battery charger attached to 8 golf car batteries. I estimate it to have well over 1000 hours with zero problems. I'm using it today (cloudy) to keep the batteries up while I use the HF wire welder which is plugged into a 3000 watt inverter. Last year I bought a second one as a spare, a red one which appears to be identical other than the color.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Thanks again for the info. I love those cracks about Harbor Fright.

Like when I broke a defective WiHa screwdriver and had to finish the job with a 99 cent HF unit. WiHa did jump all over this when I sent them images of the snapped tip.

Or my 130 dollar Snap-On ratchet sitting unused because its DESIGN is defective. To many degrees of arc swing needed to engage the next tooth. The Snap-On 12 volt test light irreparable corrosion was a hoot too. Thirty bucks for a test light and it lasts a year. The HF has lasted eight under identical conditions.

Some HF stuff is junk, like their standard electrical terminal assortments. And fasteners. But I found the HF Vise-Grip-Like needle nose pliers have outlasted (GASP) Vice Grip brand pliers. The HF wire tools are garbage as well.

[Fisherman]

RoyB wrote:
What The only maintenance mine gets is an oil change at the beginning of each camping season...
Roy Ken

You should actually do the oil change at the end of the season, no point in leaving dirty acid laden oil in the crankcase all winter.

[beemerphile1]

I love my little Harbor Freight 800/900 watt generator. It runs my 5,000 BTU window unit with no modifications.

It runs my electric chain saw which is more than I can say for my Champion CPE 2000i. The chain saw kills the Champ immediately when the trigger is pulled. I have to parallel the Champs to run a chain saw that the HF 800/900 can power by itself.

I have pulled 1,000 watts out of the HF generator for nearly 20 minutes before the breaker tripped.

Noise isn't an issue on my own property although it isn't that much louder than some others. I only wish it was easier starting. I still haven't figured how to get the HF 800/900 to start easily.

[RoyB]

What I usually notice is I will see one somewhere and it looks interesting. Then I come back a couple of months later and find the same unit under a different name and model number.

Should tell us something I guess...

I got my 2KW Honda EU2000i from MAYBERRYs in 2008 for $850. Still fires off on the first or second pull on the handle... Has never give me any trouble once I figured out what the ON-OFF lever was for on the gas cap hehe

The only maintenance mine gets is an oil change at the beginning of each camping season...

It sits secured in the tail gate corner of my covered and locked fold-a-cover bed cover truck bed.

Best PLAN B I have come up with - have rescued many of folks including my self...


Roy Ken

[Ron3rd]

2 points about your recommendation #4:

1. I didn't know the $80 HF genny would actually run 20 hrs in a row without blowing up.

2. What's the cost of fuel and 2 stroke oil for the 20 hr break in period?