Short Lifespan of Harbor Freight 800 watt Generators

[dragonflyspit]

I'm wondering if someone knows why these cheap little generators put out fewer and fewer watts over their little 100 to 150 hour lifespans.

I've run through about ten of them. Every one of them has been different from the last. No two have ever sounded alike, started alike, etc. It's as though each one is made individually instead of by mass production. A couple have failed in other ways, but the one thing they all have in common is that over a month, they slowly produce less and less power until they won't even charge the batteries.

Each lasts only about a month of running about 4 hours per day. I follow all the rules for breaking in period for each one; I've never overloaded one; I use the right gas/oil mixture, etc.. I've tried replacing the spark plug as as soon as I replace one, and I've tried replacing it every few days. I've done nothing wrong, but nothing extends their life.

What do you suppose goes wrong with them?

(I'm not looking for advice about what generator to buy, etc. I'm just curious why these particular generators fail in this way.)

[Eycom]

In jest... Unless you are a maximum load inspector for the manufacturer of these "cheap little generators" and after running "through about ten of them", I'd check Albert Einstein's definition of insanity.:B

[I_am_still_wayn]

dragonflyspit wrote:
I'm wondering if someone knows why these cheap little generators put out fewer and fewer watts over their little 100 to 150 hour lifespans.

I've run through about ten of them.

Because they are cheap Chinese junk!

You bought 10 of them?

At $130 each, you could now have a very nice Honda or Yamaha with money in your pocket and a working generator!

[n7bsn]

Harbor Freight, your choice for disposable tools.

I'd guess something is wiping out the field strength, maybe the cheap "iron" is taking a magnetic set, probably something else.

Personally, unless the replacements are free, you've more then paid the cost of a Honda eu1000

[PapPappy]

I agree that you have fallen victim of the "you get what you pay for", and HF is notorious for this. I love to buy stuff there, but you need to know that it's for limited use.
I'm not sure if 4-hours is exceeding that "limited use" category.:B
I wonder if it's like many welders, where there is a service/use rate that should be followed....only welding for say 20 minutes, then letting it rest for 40 minutes in any given hour.

Keep in mind, these are cheap and small pieces of machinery, which are built cheaply, with cheap parts, and cheap labor............did I say cheap enough:B
They may be mass produced, but they still have people putting them together, and not everyone is going to do the same quality of work.

Still, you gotta give creds to the HF for continuing to replace the defective units, and to the OP, for continuing to keep trying.

[MrWizard]

i assume your getting an exchange
or
you could have taken that money bought a better generator

you say 'charging the batteries'

do you mean directly with 12v from the generator?

or do you mean thru a charger with 120v use

any dc 12v charge is intended as an emg rescue start your vehicle
Not
for full time battery charging,
you are over working them

If its with 120v and a charger, i have no idea,
other than over heating the core and causing the armature to 'demagnetize'

[exeter_acres]

dragonflyspit wrote:
these cheap little generators

appears you already know the answer.....
HF has some cool stuff, but it is rarely "top of the line"

[2oldman]

Sounds like cheap generator windings. You've gone thru 10? You are persistent.