Harbor Freight Predator 4000 Generator review

[debit.servus]

Everybody's getting in on the act! Hyundai HY2000si 2200-Watt Portable Inverter Generator.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004919NEK?psc=1

If it compares with Honda quality and repair parts are available it is a bargain at $545. It has a larger motor and continuous power rating.

Guy

Finally some competition for HONDA. Wait and see what the long term reviews say, see who establishes a track record of reliability and durability comparable to HONDA. At 16 amps it can power anything one can plug into a 15amp conventional house outlet. Somebody needs to engineer a tiny 4-stroke 2000 watt genset, like smaller than carry-on bag size. It has to be possible to build a 2000 watt continous genset a little larger than a 800 watt continous genset.

 

[66788]

Most of the Harbor Freight gensets, as well as the Generac units will self destruct in short order. Pay the extra money and get a proven product like Honda or Yamaha.

 

[debit.servus]

You are starting to sound like Steve Jobs. It's probably possible to build but you couldn't afford it.
...

It would be expensive at first. How about removing the dead air space and re-configuring components in the HONDA style gensets? Yes it would cost more than a normal size genset.

Most of the Harbor Freight gensets, as well as the Generac units will self destruct in short order.   Pay the extra money and get a proven product like Honda or Yamaha.

If I had $600 more to spend on a generator I would get the super-quiet, built to last HONDA EU2000i portable generator. Some people do not have the extra money, and desire the portable electricity. So we get the cheap, loud generators that self-destruct in short order. If you can scrape $50 or so for a protection plan, by all means get it! Especially with Harbor Freight!!!! When it goes bust, take it back to HFT and pay $50 for the protection plan for the replacement. Rinse and repeat until enough pennies have been saved to buy the holy HONDA.

Or eat at homeless shelters and sleep at churches for a couple months and take two SSI checks or minimum wage paychecks to buy the HONDA. Or work a minimum wage job for a month to buy the HONDA.

 

[bigsallysmom]

In Alamogordo NM I passed a truck pulling a large utility trailer. Plastered across both was flashy vinyl -- Honda portable generators. I'm pretty sure last weeks blizzard and future unusual heavy snowfall has caused the only place in town that sells them to stock up.
I have no experience with generators. I see online there is an EU2000i companion. "Built in 30A outlet for easy parallel capability with another EU2000i". Does that mean if you have a little 30 amp travel trailer you can just plug into the generator to run everything?

 

[ahh_me2]

The companion is meant to run with the parallel kit, that allows **two** Honda 2000's to be tied together to get almost 27 amps of power

 

[Goshawk]

The companion is meant to run with the parallel kit, that allows **two** Honda 2000's to be tied together to get almost 27 amps of power

So speculating it takes two Honda generators to nearly fully power a 30 amp outlet in a RV. Very interesting to know this. Since some of the roof top AC units are so poorly designed that they do suck up the amps. Then folks would want to charge house batteries during the day at the same time.

Seems like getting a $20 a night camp ground hook up might start being financially viable. Two generators is $2000 roughly; plus the cost of gasoline.

 

[debit.servus]

So speculating it takes two Honda generators to nearly fully power a 30 amp outlet in a RV. Very interesting to know this. Since some of the roof top AC units are so poorly designed that they do suck up the amps. Then folks would want to charge house batteries during the day at the same time.

Seems like getting a $20 a night camp ground hook up might start being financially viable. Two generators is $2000 roughly; plus the cost of gasoline.

There is also the 3200 continous/4000 peak watt PREDATOR 4-stroke genset with 30 amp plug. They could be had for $300 (sometimes as low as $290) with coupon, pre-sales tax. One year HFT protection plan is $50, two years $80; covers accidental damage & mechanical failure. Be aware if/when you take it back to HFT the fuel and oil needs to be drained before return/exchange. A quiet box to drop the decibels to near holy HONDA levels, or at least to an acceptable volume, can cost $50 to $150 depending on how resourceful one is.

To get setup:
3200 Watt genset $300
Sales tax $30 (10% sales tax)
1 year protection plan $50
Quiet box $50-150

So $430-530 to get same power output, and noise as two holy HONDAs.

 

[Goshawk]

Debit.servus --- a smart plan!!! Does the quiet box overheat the generator and risk early failure? Does anyone monitor the internal temperature on the air cooled hot boxes ? Two years warranty is not long enough. Will the Honda design last ten years, or are you saying the cheap generator will also last that long once it's broken in?

 

[Canine]

Six years on a HF 4000 watt at home.I have used it a bunch during cloudy,rainy weather to power the house.No problems yet.

 

[debit.servus]

Debit.servus --- a smart plan!!!  Does the quiet box overheat the generator and risk early failure?  Does anyone monitor the internal temperature on the air cooled hot boxes ?  Two years warranty is not long enough. Will the Honda design last ten years, or are you saying the cheap generator will also last that long once it's broken in?

The HONDA is the gold standard of portable generators. If you can afford it, acquire the HONDA.

I believe HFT also offers a 3 years Protection Plan.

Do install a fan inside the quiet box, because on hot days the generator can overheat.

 

[Goshawk]

So it comes down to a question of investing $700 or investing $2000. Harbor freight or Honda. Well since I like to gamble on used. Will instead try to find a well tested used Honda and take my chances.

 

[debit.servus]

GoshawkSo it comes down to a question of investing $700 or investing $2000. Harbor freight or Honda. Well since I like to gamble on used. Will instead try to find a well tested used Honda and take my chances.

HONDA gensets are built to last, unlike HFT. People want too much for even a well-used HONDA generator, seen beat-up but running HONDAs go for $700! The sellers want something for nothing.

If one is looking for a lower-price used HONDA genset, watch EBAY. Saw an beat-up but functioning EU2000i bidding at $400 with a BuyItNow for $480 or so.

Looking into acquiring the 2200 running watt HONDA clone genset from HFT. They can be had sometimes for as low as $340 before sales tax and protection plan.

 

[SoulRaven]

Why not build your own AC/DC inverter generator.

A gas engine, an alternator, and an inverter of xx watts, and you have an easily repairable, modular system. You do need to add a battery to get the alternator to start charging.

 

[debit.servus]

Why not build your own AC/DC inverter generator.

A gas engine, an alternator, and an inverter of xx watts, and you have an easily repairable, modular system.  You do need to add a battery to get the alternator to start charging.

That sounds like a good plan, for those who want a genset that is fully user servicable. Thought about building it but imagine the cost to build would be on par with a ready-made genset, but for those who want a custom genset setup on the cheap...

Building a genset means I could build that smaller than carry-on bag size 2000 watt continous genset with full direct DC output and retractable outlet cord, for as low as $300.

 

[debit.servus]

So the 3200 watt HFT genset sat in storage for 8 months, in a garden shed sheltered from El Nino storms. Before I pulled the genset out of the garden shed I noticed a dark spot underneath, pull it out and at first thought it was fuel (genset tank is topped off with PRI-G treated gasoline), but discover it was oil. The engine oil somehow made it's way into the air intake filter, coated fuel line coming down from the tank, and the bottom of the alternator assembly. I started it and engine immediately fires to 7500 RPM (from the spark plug tachometer installed onto the genset), with the engine not even idling. It could be that the genset load throttle is broken, because the generator doesn't sound the same as it did last September. How does engine oil throw up into other components while in storage for 8 months?

I change the oil to see if that was the problem, same thing.

Don't want to risk any appliances by seeing if things can still be powered from this genset, so I think it's time to take it back to HFT to replace it at the cost of another $50 1-year protection plan; as these cheap gensets are not worth repairing. This means removing the spark plug tachometer, draining the oil & draining the gas into one of the 6 gas cans I now have. This is the cost of cheap, and I don't have $600 earmarked for a HONDA EU2000i.

When in Las Vegas for EDC LV 2016 I plan to downsize to the PREDATOR 2200 watt Inverter genset (the HONDA clone), which is not available in California due to the CARB-tyrants. Yes, I know the HFT HONDA clone is not the same quality as the holy HONDA and too is likely to go bust within a year, but it doesn't cost the same either. The PREDATOR 2200w is quieter (they claim 64db) and reviews have shown it to put out over 2000 watts continuously. 3200w is a little too big for the van life. Get a protection plan on that and save my pennies to finally afford the initial purchase price of the holy HONDA EU2000i generator.

 

[highdesertranger]

save your pennies and buy the Honda. you already wasted good money on one junk generator and now you are thinking about buying another junk one. do without until you can buy the Honda. highdesertranger

 

[jimindenver]

Champions newest 3200/3500 inverter model has more power than a EU3000is and is rated as quiet for half the cost. (59 db) Honda needs to step it up.

 

[speedhighway46]

Until proven differently through field use; there is Honda, and then there's everything else.

 

[jimindenver]

Champion has proven itself through field use for years. It's gotten to the point that the only thing they are not is red. With the 3200/35500 surpassing the EU3000is, yellow is looking pretty good to a lot of people.

 

[debit.servus]

save your pennies and buy the Honda.  you already wasted good money on one junk generator and now you are thinking about buying another junk one.  do without until you can buy the Honda.  highdesertranger

Are you going to loan me $500 so I can afford to buy the HONDA? The banks won't yet.
Either can wait until I am in Las Vegas to exchange the 3200w generator, or exchange it now paying $50 for a new protection plan. The protection plan for the 3200w bought today could possibly gets refunded towards the increased cost of the PREDATOR 2200 watt HONDA clone, due to EDC Las Vegas being less than 90 days away. HFT's protection plan doesn't start until 90 days after purchase, last time I checked.

Rent-a-Center needs to offer HONDA eu2000i gensets to rent-to-own. What is easier for a poor boi? $800-1000 upfront or $50-200 a month payments (payments include double digit interest & any fees)?