If I ever see a cheap 1086 for sale I’m going to snatch it up for just that use. They use less fuel than any similar powered tractor I’ve ever run across. They’re about unkillable as well, and parts are 1/3 the cost of anything with green paint.
If I ever see a cheap 1086 for sale I’m going to snatch it up for just that use. They use less fuel than any similar powered tractor I’ve ever run across. They’re about unkillable as well, and parts are 1/3 the cost of anything with green paint.
I'm not sure what manufacturers are doing with generators, but try to find one that can supply pure sine wave technology. (Maybe they all already do, or maybe they can't really do that. I'm clueless on that technology, as with many others.) Pure sine wave is beneficial for electronic components. When we ordered our RV, we ordered it with a 3000 watt inverter that is pure sine wave.
Electric start is sure nice when it's cold and wet outside and you just want to get things going.
As far as upping your KW capacity...do you need that extra power and are you ready to spend the $$ to configure your panel to utilize the extra capacity?
I upped mine a little bit so I could carry the simultaneous load of the HVAC and the well pump in addition to other things like the microwave, coffee pot and washer.
In my experience, expecting 12 hours off an on-board tank at those kind of loads is going to be asking a lot.
As far as receptacles go, you might want more than a single one. Are you just going to power a panel or will you also power other things directly. I use my generator's 50amp connector to power one of my two panels and I use the 30 amp panel to power my well pump directly.
I previously had a Coleman 5kw unit and just upgrade to a Champion 7.5Kw. Nice unit. Pleased with the upgrade.
Well, I'm not looking to power the entire house with AC and dryer going.
Just be able to watch TV and turn on lights and run furnace fan for heat.
Works well for that now, just would like to add some power so as to not have to worry about working the microwave occasionally.
Right now I have the genny set up so I can run a chord from the 240 connector directly into the fuse box.
Flip a breaker and I'm off grid, flip another and I'm on the generator.
Only have had one major hiccup along the way.
Turned out that we had a new iron and it drew something like 1700 watts when it cycled up. Even though it wasn't "on/warm" it still drew the 1700 watts. Took hours to figure out what the issue was!!!
Dave
Just be able to watch TV and turn on lights and run furnace fan for heat.
Works well for that now, just would like to add some power so as to not have to worry about working the microwave occasionally.
Right now I have the genny set up so I can run a chord from the 240 connector directly into the fuse box.
Flip a breaker and I'm off grid, flip another and I'm on the generator.
Only have had one major hiccup along the way.
Turned out that we had a new iron and it drew something like 1700 watts when it cycled up. Even though it wasn't "on/warm" it still drew the 1700 watts. Took hours to figure out what the issue was!!!
Dave
You definitely don't need 10KW for that...all you'll be doing is burning gas for no reason LOL.
Living on an acreage with total electric power is difficult in the winter especially when there is a power failure. I have used a Honda 2800W generator bought from Northern Tools and have had no problem with it but have since moved to "ugh" an HOA community where I have natural gas to heat with and that alone is a plus since I can fire up the gas logs and heat the main areas. I believe I have the Honda GX160 engine and they have a failure rate above other Honda engines. I recently converted the two generators I have to use natural gas. So, do a little research and if you're going to buy Honda, there are Honda generator forums that will enable you to hopefully make a sound buying decision.
I'm not a Ford guy, but https://www.yahoo.com/autos/texas-ford-f-150-hybrid-185100501.html
I turned on all the lights on the first floor (mostly LED), TV, and gas furnace. Then I measured the amperage on both input legs. Neither leg got over 3.5 amps, or roughly 1800 watts combined. I don't plan on running the dryer or AC or even the microwave (very high startup current) during an outage. Regardless, I have a gas dryer so it's only another 215 watts or so. So I can basically run the entire house during a winter outage with the 5550 watt portable (assuming I can get the damn thing started and keep gas in it).
You say that now but go without for 30 days. Our neighborhood has underground electrical service. We should not have had a power outage. It seems during the first storm before Halloween it took out some of the power station components. Our neighborhood, Bluff Creek, was without power over 3 weeks and I was without over 30 days. We kept wondering when our Generac would fail but in never faltered. During this we were warm, had hot showers, cold food from the fridge and hot meals from the electric stove and oven. We didn't have internet for a week because the power to their box was down. Tehy set up a generator to their box and we had internet until the power came back up. They took the generator and the power went off again for another week to their box again no internet. Permanent power back right after Halloween and all was back to normal except for the massive tree cleanup.
Same setup my mom has only she got the 14kw version. Not a single issue in about 8 years. It ran non-stop for over 265'ish hours during the ice storm only stopping to check the oil daily and change at 196 hours of runtime on the oil. She was undergoing chemo/radiation at the time. I mentioned the other day that having it really helped in a big way and she replied that she's never spent better money on a home improvement. I will have one myself soon.
OBTW, her gas bill only went up $2 a month on the ONG averaging plan. I was shocked as I figured it would be much more than that.
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