Are harbor freight generators any good?
- Thread starter NavyVet88
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I have several. I have one of the 2stroke ones that I have had for many years. It has so many hours on it I quit counting. I also have the 3200w-4000W 4 stroke one and It's been great. The 2 things you need to do to them is to throw away the sparkplug that comes with them and replace it with a name brand one,preferably a Denso or NGK. Also use quality oil,especially important in the 2 stroke one.
I have had the 3200-4000w generator for 7 years now and it is still running although I dont use it that often. I bought it for backup for the freezer and some lights incase of power outage. I will get it out every year or so if it has not been used and start and run a half tank through it. I always drain the tank and carb bowl, close the choke and pull the cord a few times to clear the carb passages then pull the plug and fog the cylinder. It always starts on the second pull when I get it out.
Originally Posted by Chris142
I have several. I have one of the 2stroke ones that I have had for many years. It has so many hours on it I quit counting. I also have the 3200w-4000W 4 stroke one and It's been great. The 2 things you need to do to them is to throw away the sparkplug that comes with them and replace it with a name brand one,preferably a Denso or NGK. Also use quality oil,especially important in the 2 stroke one.
Great tip on replacing the spark plug!
I have several. I have one of the 2stroke ones that I have had for many years. It has so many hours on it I quit counting. I also have the 3200w-4000W 4 stroke one and It's been great. The 2 things you need to do to them is to throw away the sparkplug that comes with them and replace it with a name brand one,preferably a Denso or NGK. Also use quality oil,especially important in the 2 stroke one.
Great tip on replacing the spark plug!
I have had the little 2 stroke one for a few years. The spark plug that came with it is junk. Otherwise it's been great. I can also say that I've run the thing WAY over capacity for hours on end and it just keeps taking it! It's a great little generator!
Yes, they are good. I have had good luck with the spark plugs on the one I have bought but most people replace them because they are unknown brand.
I like the two stroke one as an ironic symbol mainly. I think it's licensed from Fuji or some other Japanese manufacturer.Time tested design.
I like the two stroke one as an ironic symbol mainly. I think it's licensed from Fuji or some other Japanese manufacturer.Time tested design.
If it is going to be used for a fridge..look at the one that has the highest running amps/watts. The gen needs to be at least 2.5 times that. Keep the gen as small as possible. It will likely be more efficient. You need to figure out how mush gasoline you need...its probably a lot more than you thought.
I have the little 2 stroke. It's not a high quality generator and I don't expect it to be. Per the online suggestions, I installed an NGK plug, replaced the fuel line and mix the oil at 32 to 1. It's been fine up until I broke the fuel shut off lever. I ordered another, which is just as poorly made, and backwards too!
The air filter is does not seal tightly and despite regular cleanings, it has dirt beyond the filter element. Probably best to run this unit on a box or stand. Otherwise it will ingest dirt.
The larger units use the same type of low build quality. Not awful, but certainly not robust.
Champion makes much the same product line, but they are built to better specifications.
The air filter is does not seal tightly and despite regular cleanings, it has dirt beyond the filter element. Probably best to run this unit on a box or stand. Otherwise it will ingest dirt.
The larger units use the same type of low build quality. Not awful, but certainly not robust.
Champion makes much the same product line, but they are built to better specifications.
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Got one from Pep Boys 10-15 years ago. 3500 watt I think. Probably haven't run it more than 10-15 hours but seems well made. Can't remember when/if I changed the oil on it though but did replace the carb last year for about $10.
Mine are not Harbor Freight. I have a Coleman Powermate 4 cycle 5500 running Watts / 6250 Watts peak that has a 10 Hp Tecumseh 4 cycle engine, and a 2200 Watt Generac inverter type.
Along with draining all the fuel and draining the carburetor for long term storage I fog the cylinder with Sta-Bil spray cylinder foaming oil and put a clean rag over the spark-plug hole and pull the rope a few times, then put the spark-plug back and with the ignition turned off pull the rope a few times, then pull the rope slowly stopping when the you begin to feel the rope being hard to pull because of compression of the cylinder. This leaves the valve springs not in full compression which one of them would be if a valve was open.
Then I spray the inside of the carburetor with WD-40 and be sure to get the tube in the center of the carb where the fuel comes up, and if you can see them get it in the very small hole towards the intake of the carb. WD-40 is very combustible so do this only when you will not be pulling the rope any more, because the engine might start from compression heat even if the ignition is off.
Along with draining all the fuel and draining the carburetor for long term storage I fog the cylinder with Sta-Bil spray cylinder foaming oil and put a clean rag over the spark-plug hole and pull the rope a few times, then put the spark-plug back and with the ignition turned off pull the rope a few times, then pull the rope slowly stopping when the you begin to feel the rope being hard to pull because of compression of the cylinder. This leaves the valve springs not in full compression which one of them would be if a valve was open.
Then I spray the inside of the carburetor with WD-40 and be sure to get the tube in the center of the carb where the fuel comes up, and if you can see them get it in the very small hole towards the intake of the carb. WD-40 is very combustible so do this only when you will not be pulling the rope any more, because the engine might start from compression heat even if the ignition is off.
If you do not have Sta-Bil spray fogging oil a spoon-full of any clean unused auto oil is good enough to use.
An additional advantage of lightly pulling the rope and stopping on a compression is that by closing both valves you prevent moisture in the air from getting into the cylinder during storage.
An additional advantage of lightly pulling the rope and stopping on a compression is that by closing both valves you prevent moisture in the air from getting into the cylinder during storage.
I have the hf 4375 unit, i do not have many hours on it, but it handles what i need fine. Starts easy, seems to run about 3.75 hrs on a gallon. Holds 4 gallons. I run mine every 2-3 months for about 10 minutes. I like that it has a fuel shut off, so i can run it dry if i want to.
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Originally Posted by NavyVet88
Topic.
For one small deep freezer and a regular size 90's fridge. Should it be needed.
Buy a small one for fuel usage. if just that, a 2000 watt unit would do.
Topic.
For one small deep freezer and a regular size 90's fridge. Should it be needed.
Buy a small one for fuel usage. if just that, a 2000 watt unit would do.
Originally Posted by NavyVet88
Topic.
For one small deep freezer and a regular size 90's fridge. Should it be needed.
It is unlikely the little 2 stroke one (the 89ish dollar one) will handle the inrush current demand to start an AC motor that is 20 years old. I did some testing on one of those with a kii-a-watt meter. Although is was listed as a 1K gen, it would only put out 650W and when it got close to max, the Hz varied more than I would want any sensitive electronics to be exposed to. My FIL has one though and it'll put out 800W, there are a ton of these little gensets badged under several different names.
Topic.
For one small deep freezer and a regular size 90's fridge. Should it be needed.
It is unlikely the little 2 stroke one (the 89ish dollar one) will handle the inrush current demand to start an AC motor that is 20 years old. I did some testing on one of those with a kii-a-watt meter. Although is was listed as a 1K gen, it would only put out 650W and when it got close to max, the Hz varied more than I would want any sensitive electronics to be exposed to. My FIL has one though and it'll put out 800W, there are a ton of these little gensets badged under several different names.
My little 2-stroke HF generator (not HF brand, but same unit) runs either my deep freezer or refrigerator (not both) just fine during a power outage. According to nameplate, the fridge uses 700W. Voltage is rock solid at 115V with the fridge running.
I also used to take it camping and run a oil filled heater all night at medium setting which was 900W. It did fine in that application as well.
To the OP, I've heard good things about HF generators and have considered buying one, but sadly they don't come in dual fuel which is what I ended up with. A 2000 [running] watt generator should be able to handle the peak (starting) load and leave some extra capacity for other things you might want to plug in.
I also used to take it camping and run a oil filled heater all night at medium setting which was 900W. It did fine in that application as well.
To the OP, I've heard good things about HF generators and have considered buying one, but sadly they don't come in dual fuel which is what I ended up with. A 2000 [running] watt generator should be able to handle the peak (starting) load and leave some extra capacity for other things you might want to plug in.
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