Best Portable Generators

[Limitless]

My current Generac may be dead:( Repair place is still troubleshooting, but says if it’s the alternator, it’s not worth fixing since the part is so expensive. I’m disappointed, because it’s only around 8 years old, and doesn’t have many hours on it. Therefore I’m not excited about purchasing another Generac. It being tax free weekend in Mass, I might pick one up to try to save some $$. Since I need to run my furnace and well, and some lights, etc. I want at least the size I have now, 7500 watts.

I don’t have access to Consumer Reports, so I can’t see the 2019 ratings. Any suggestions? I will say, my current Generac sucks to move, since it’s so frickin’ heavy and they put the cheapest wheels on it ever. It lives in the barn, so it needs to be dragged over a gravel driveway to the house when needed. Something with a smarter construction would be nice.

[jawa]

We have a 1000 W and a 10,000 W Honda. By far the quietest generators we have ever had. The small one is a pull start. As long as we use non ethanol fuel, it starts on the 1 or 2nd pull. The larger generator is a key start. we just have to remember to change the battery every couple of years. At a different property we have a propane generator. My husband and son are the main ones who have experience with it. One of the things they like is transporting the fuel for it is easier and safer (they use it on an island) than gas.

[hosspuller]

The best portable generator (tongue in cheek) is the one that runs when the power is out. Seriously, the wheeled units are poor movers in your size. Better to purchase a genset, and mount it on a trailer of your choice. You can choose the tires and towing attachment to fit your needs and capability. Liquid fuel is my choice since I can always get more. Propane could be a problem if the outage is long lasting and wide spread. Unless you have a large storage tank, then propane is a good choice since it stores well.

[Redemption3]

When I lived off grid my 7500 electric start Generac gave all the power I needed and was very reliable. About 13 years later in an on grid home I use it to power the well pump if electric goes out. Still reliable… but they probably don’t make them as well anymore.

[Guilherme]

For your purposes a genset on a small trailer, as suggested, would be a very good choice.

Go to Northern Tool’s website; they have a wide selection. You can Google each one for individual reviews.

One brand that surprised me with good reviews was the Predator series sold by Harbor Freight. A LOT of what these guys sell is “Chinese junk” but not everything. The Predator gensets have gotten some surprisingly favorable reviews, including from Consumer Reports. They appear to be very good value for the dollar. I’m going to buy something close to what you’re looking at later in the year as general purpose farm generator.

There are several on-line generator sales sites. Your good friend, Google, can help you out, here!

Good luck in your search.

G.

[ReSomething]

We replaced our 5Kw Generac with the same size Honda and never looked back. Every time we had a power outage the Generac would lose it’s windings or some other such thing and fail to perform, plus the Honda was so quiet we could still watch TV, nap through it etc. The Generac people honored the warranty at least three times but we needed it to be reliable!

[Bluey]

Our welder worked fine as a portable generator, on the job or well house or to run a bit of the household.

For those that just need a generator for the house, one set permanently with a big supply of fuel and an automatic transfer panel is the gold standard.
We have a Guardian for that, Caterpillar rents and sells those for hospitals and courthouses, construction and oil field sites and services those.
They also sell used ones at a very good price.
Our electrician found ours thru them.

If you need one to haul around, then of course portable is best.

[Equibrit]

Westinghouse WGen 7500 https://www.generatormag.com/westing…erator-review/

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Westinghouse-WGen-7500-Running-Watt-Gasoline-Portable-Generator/1000279513

[MsB]

We used our first Honda portable generator for over 30 years - needless to say we replaced it with another Honda.

[Limitless]

I thought I would update with the “purchase”. Since this was an unexpected expense, we opted to utilize our credit card rewards which got us Home Depot gift cards and had to purchase something from them. Since we decide Nope to another Generac, my husband chose a Pulsar hybrid (can use either gasoline or propane) and it’s a 10,000 kw version. Just arrived and isn’t assembled yet, and as always, we hope we don’t lose power! But, when we need it, we’ll see how it works. Clearly, it’s heavy and it will suck for me to move, but it isn’t unpacked yet to see how bad the tires are. It is a push start, which I require, since life is too short for me to deal with with a pull start!

[jawa]

Just a few been there done that experiences with generators… If you use gas, and don’t have access to non ethanol, let it run until it is empty. If you have access to non ethanol, ONLY use NON ETHANOL gas. It will save you a ton of heartache! Change the battery for the push start on the generator every couple of years. The batteries will go bad and then… life sucks!

We have a dual fuel generator, but it’s not one we use at the house, so I don’t have any experience with it. My husband likes the non spill, easy transport of fuel for the propane part. It can be a bit tricky, as I understand, to start if the propane/weather is super cold.

[Bluey]

@jawa

Just a few been there done that experiences with generators… If you use gas, and don’t have access to non ethanol, let it run until it is empty. If you have access to non ethanol, ONLY use NON ETHANOL gas. It will save you a ton of heartache! Change the battery for the push start on the generator every couple of years. The batteries will go bad and then… life sucks!

We have a dual fuel generator, but it’s not one we use at the house, so I don’t have any experience with it. My husband likes the non spill, easy transport of fuel for the propane part. It can be a bit tricky, as I understand, to start if the propane/weather is super cold.

Ours runs on propane and starts right away.
It has a block heater and so it is never too cold.
That is standard for the bigger generators in cold regions.

[jawa]

@blue yes, but a generator you can “move” yourself, i.e. not a large generator, most likely won’t have all of the bells and whistles. The one we have is probably a 7,500 watt one.

[Bluey]

@jawa

@blue yes, but a generator you can “move” yourself, i.e. not a large generator, most likely won’t have all of the bells and whistles. The one we have is probably a 7,500 watt one.

Yes, right, definitely do get a push start one, easier than fighting the pull type motors.

Bet you will get it all set up where it helps when you need it.

[danacat]

@MsB

We used our first Honda portable generator for over 30 years - needless to say we replaced it with another Honda.

I have two Hondas – the best IMO too. They always start, total work horses, never a problem. Heavy but easy to wheel around. Both are key starts. $$$ but worth every penny.

[BestBoy]

I’d recommend a Loncin generator. They are one of the few Chinese engines that I would trust. Inexpensive, and a huge range of power options.

[Equibrit]

@BestBoy

I’d recommend a Loncin generator. They are one of the few Chinese engines that I would trust. Inexpensive, and a huge range of power options.

Maybe you haven’t heard about the US/China trade war ?

[Guilherme]

I haven’t found much on the Loncin line regards durability and value. The Predator line from Harbor Freight is also a Chinese product but has some very good reviews by independent third parties and scads of happy owners (and a few not so happy). Based on that I’d likely go with the Predator as the prices are very close.

G.

[Tarlo_Farm]

I have a 2000 Predator with an inverter from Harbor Freight. Comparable to Honda, but hundreds of dollars less expensive. A couple tricks I followed: When I bought it, filled it with new oil, pull-started it (read and follow the directions exactly), let it run 10 minutes, stopped and drained the oil. Repeated with a 20 minute run. Repeated again with a 30 minute run.

I ALWAYS use Rec Fuel (non ethanol) and ALWAYS add Stabil to the fuel can. (I always use Rec Fuel with all my small engines) I camp remotely and can run a microwave, 'frig, etc on my camper if need be. Also use it when I need to run power tools remotely on the farm.

It’s very quiet, runs a long time on a high efficiency switch, and yes, is very heavy. The good ones are. Recommendations are to start it every three months and let it run a while, which reminds me it’s almost time to do that as well.

[Moderator_1]

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