Lets talk portable generators....

 Every one needs to check out California Air Resource Board   Title 13 Notice of public hearing. proposed amendments  to the small off road engine regulations  TRANSITION TO ZERO EMISSIONS. set for Dec 9 2021.  The number I heard was every thing under 26 hp  

Trade groups are suing to try and stop this but are saying they are fighting a losing battle. This includes the small generators people use for backup power. Honda has all but give up on California and is not shipping any more product to California, sell what you have no more,

 
realtreeHD said:
Ever been in the firman warehouse?   They have more pallets full of returned defective generators than they do new ones.  
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Also from the Vice Pres of the company(my good friend) Firman only has a 1% return rate and that is with Costco returns.  Firman sold over a 150 million in Gens last year. That is just north America. They are world wide

 
Carwashguru said:
Can you PM pricing on a Firman 4K watt model or something close to it? I want to be able to run the microwave or 1 AC unit if needed. 
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On the firman 3650 inverter with Remote start I can sell them for $1100.  You can also hook up a 1900 or another bigger gen together so I you can have almost 7000 watts with two of them.  for $2200 you can have 7300 watts plus the 50 amp cable for $130 bucks. 

 
I have the Onan 5500 in my toyhauler as most do and it is quiet. I also have Honda generators and they are quiet also. I got a rebate from SDGE to buy a portable generator from Lowes or Home Depot. I bought a Champion that runs off propane or gasoline and plenty big enough to run most things in my house during a power outage. I haven’t had a chance to put it under any big loads but I have ran it for the break in period. This damn thing is LOUD AF and has no idle down feature. She just seems to run WFO! Stay away if using for camping. If I camp anywhere near someone with one of these I’m gonna hook a chain to it and drag it to the canal! 

 
Lord of the Dunes said:
How many A/Cs are you planning on running? Those two gennys are a little overkill for 2 A/Cs and a fridge. The Pulsar 4500 is electric start, remote start, 3700 w continuous. Most A/Cs are about 1600 w, let's say the fridge is roughly 300 w. That's 3500 w total. The Pulsar is nice and quiet and about $900.

The 3500 w load might be a little too close to max. for comfort, even though my Pulsar 4000 actually produced about 200w over it's rated max. If you can find a comparably priced 4000 or 5000 w continuous genny, it should work out great. You might not have to run 2 A/Cs very often.
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how do you like the pulsar 4500? 

 
I ended up buying a Predator 3500 from harbor freight. Great little generator and super quiet. Runs the AC and the microwave no problem and sips fuel. I put close to 20 hours on it this past weekend alone.

 
Carwashguru said:
I ended up buying a Predator 3500 from harbor freight. Great little generator and super quiet. Runs the AC and the microwave no problem and sips fuel. I put close to 20 hours on it this past weekend alone.
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been running this one for a whole season and a half.. rock solid I love it. 

if it had a remote start it would be 10/10

 
1slomofo said:
been running this one for a whole season and a half.. rock solid I love it. 

if it had a remote start it would be 10/10
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They sell a remote starter kit on Ebay, pretty reasonable. I bought one but haven't installed it yet. Looks very easy to install, no soldering or wire cutting required.

If yours is one of the units that has a slight misfire at idle, they also sell a slightly smaller jet that helps it run cleaner and gets rid of the stumble.

 
i have a preditor 3500 use it mostly at night for lights and 1 ac...   during the day if we need to run 2 ac we use a yamaha 6300. the preditor is very good on gas wit gas in California 5 bucks a gallon use the smallest generator you can get away with. the onan 5500 on the trailer uses alot of gas compared to the inverter models 

 
Lord of the Dunes said:
They sell a remote starter kit on Ebay, pretty reasonable. I bought one but haven't installed it yet. Looks very easy to install, no soldering or wire cutting required.

If yours is one of the units that has a slight misfire at idle, they also sell a slightly smaller jet that helps it run cleaner and gets rid of the stumble.
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If you are talking about the fact that it SLIGHTY seems to hunt for a RPM  MINE DOES THAT! - I had no idea there is a fix. very excited about that.... 

Be sure to update when you install that remote start. I looked at it, but not sure if its janky.

 
1slomofo said:
If you are talking about the fact that it SLIGHTY seems to hunt for a RPM  MINE DOES THAT! - I had no idea there is a fix. very excited about that.... 

Be sure to update when you install that remote start. I looked at it, but not sure if its janky.
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Here's a video on the jet kit and installation



 
I have a Honda 3000k and a Honda 6500. Both went tits up last season and I paid $1100 and $1200 to have each fixed to 'like new' standards. The repair shop asked if u wanted to sell either. He does all the Burbank, CA movie studio gennys and they are always looking for more. Heard a 6 month backorder.

In the meantime I bought a Firman 3650 remote start for a backup power house generator and it's definitely louder than my Honda 3000 and 6500. I run it monthly for 15 mins. 

Don't have a use for the Firman since I had both Honda's fixed. Anyone want to buy it? It has under 10 hours run time on very light loads, never the RV AC. 

 
I ordered the remote start for my Predator 3500 this past weekend, seems like an easy install.  I will report back after install as well.

 
Cookie said:
I ordered the remote start for my Predator 3500 this past weekend, seems like an easy install.  I will report back after install as well.
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Yes, I think it's an easy kit to install and well thought out. I installed a remote kit on my Honda 3000 and that one required major disassembly and soldering, it was a pain to install.

 
I want to give Squatcher a thumbs up for bringing me out a new 3650 firman generator to glamis last weekend, Just like he said, brand new in a sealed box.Worked out great and even better that he was camping about 75 yards from me.did not set it up yet but, I believe i will like it after reading reviews. Thanks Squatcher for the easy transaction.

               Johnny

 
Cookie said:
I ordered the remote start for my Predator 3500 this past weekend, seems like an easy install.  I will report back after install as well.
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Follow up ...............I installed the remote start kit for the Predator 3500, easy install.  Very detailed as well.  Works great, can turn on gennie from the Moho bed in the morning to brew some coffee now.............

 
Cookie said:
Follow up ...............I installed the remote start kit for the Predator 3500, easy install.  Very detailed as well.  Works great, can turn on gennie from the Moho bed in the morning to brew some coffee now.............
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Congrats!

I had a remote start on my Honda 3000 gennie and even as an electronic tech, the installation was a pain in the butt requiring cutting and soldering wires. However, the convenience of being able to reach over and push the remote and start the gennie while lying in bed was one of the simple pleasures that made it all worthwhile! 

 
Reviving this one....

Costco has a Firman 4000w duel fuel going on sale next week for $600 that has got my attention. I like that it can run off of gas or propane, but have no idea if either of the two limit its performance or if that model is any good.

I am also looking at the Pred 3500 which is on sale for $850 right now. I see a ton of good reviews for it and am told its easier to work on?

I don't know much about either, but I think I know enough to have some confidence in one of these two being the right size for me. I am on somewhat of a budget, and will be using it to power the fridge and AC in a cab over camper or smaller trailer, maybe a small air compressor and microwave from time to time if I can. In wanting to take advantage of some sales, I am thinking I will be making a purchase next week. What do the pros think!? Thanks

 
Propane and NG are less energy dense than gas. Curious how the rate the Firman on propane.

 
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