Build site generator

[Yuhjn]

Are there particular makes and models of portable generators for the build site that you guys recommend? Not looking for something to run backup on the house, just something to run the tools on. Questions include: Make/model Gas vs Diesel Must have options Like to have options

[Shark]

We used a 5500 watt briggs & stratton, seemed to do the job fairly well.

If you can afford one that idles lower when not being used (like those nice quiet honda's) they may save on gas usage, but I've only ever used the briggs.

[rreidnauer]

Yea, I use a Generac 4000 watt I bought right before the Y2K thing. (NO, not because of the Y2K BS, but because my little Coleman 1300 decided to give up the ghost while I was building my plane) I purchased it at the time because they were the first to have a 30A 120V outlet, which works perfectly with my RV's 30A 120V service. It also had the option of a spin-on oil filter for the pressurized lubrication system. (which I got) It also runs my 150A MIG welder pretty good.

I really can't recommend a specific model since I haven't used enough models to form an opinion. Hondas are supposedly good, but are very high dollar to watt in cost. I'd think an Onan might be a winner. I'd avoid the mass of no-name copies coming out of China.

As far as gas vs. diesel, and considering the premium price of diesel, I'd compare hours to gallons, then hours to dollars, before making a decision. Just make sure you get one big enough to cover your current and future needs.

[hemlock77]

We have the same unit. it's a reliabale unit. I have used it for 220 mig welder a few times with no problems.
Stu
http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u64/hemlock77/

[Basil]

I've used high end honda and low end briggs units. Both did their jobs fine.

[Simple Mind]

A little off subject. Does anybody have any experience with an old Lister engine/generator? Diesel, low RPM, run on junk fuel, and last forever. I would love to set one up.

http://www.utterpower.com/

[StressMan79]

As far as must have's, many low output models don't offer 220. Be careful, most that do offer a 4-prong 30A twistlok receptacle. I made a converter to a 20A (that's all my genset can put out anyway) 3-prong device by jumping the neutral to ground. The only reason I point this out is that the 30amp twistlok plugs are SPENDY at HD (~$25), and you may want to be able to plug other types of 220 into them. For what it's worth I AM using one of those cheapos from China for my backup generator, but I will likely have a backup backup for my building, since I will be away from power. For the price (~250) I couldn't pass up the 3500Watt unit.

-Peter

[Simple Mind]

We have a Yamaha portable generator. They are trying get market share from Honda and are priced very well. We have lots of friends with B&S and no bad stories, from them. Figure out your load before you buy. Don't purchase 5000w just because it is popular. Their are a couple jobs in the future where we will wish we had more power, we can either borrow or rent for a day. We save more money by getting fewer watts upfront. We ended up with 2400w. That is also enough to use the microwave and turn the TV on when we lose power. We heat with wood so that is not an issue.

[lbrowne]

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=CPE&MfrPartNumber=C46540&CategoryCode=3483C

We bought this one last year for $299, on sale. It was on sale a month or two ago for that price again. We have a 5th wheel with a/c, tv and microwave and it powers all with no problems. Two Honda eu2000i in tandem would give easier portability, lower decibles and less gas usage, but the price is somewhere around $2000. I figured that if we ever want to sell our Champion we'd be able to get all or most of the cost back on it.

[Kola]

Craig,

For the last year I have been using a cordless drill/screwdriver, a cordless circular saw and a chainsaw. I bought a 40 dollar inverter/charger that recharges my batteries. I hook er up to my car battery, run the engine and let them charge. It works manifico.

No need for lights. I wake up at sunrise and by sunset I am bushed. I have a solar radio and solar flashlight.

I have a solar shower (black bag with a hose) and this baby has me in heaven.

I haul my water from an artesian well 3 miles from my land and have a 200 gallon tank mounted on a lil trailer. That lasts me and my horses all week. The horses and my dog use most of it. You'd be surprised how frugal a person can be using water. There is no greater feeling that hauling in a fresh load of good clean water to my site. It was something I took for granted until I moved up here.

I also got a great little porta-potty with the truck camper I bought for 100 clams. Its a older Sears model but is easy to use and efficient. Theres a lot to be said for a good outhouse.

OTOH, everything will change once winter sets in...GULP!

Once I get heavily into my loghome construction I will invest in a dang good generator (made in USA, hopefully) and I plan on spending approx 2 grand as I will use it as a backup for my solar power. A lot of the constructin guys are running Hondas around here so they must be good. I think Ellsworth has given them high marks too.

But for now my little inverter works slick and the cordless saw has me spoiled.
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/kola58/Picture117.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/kola58/Picture100-1.jpg



Kola

[Yuhjn]

First, I love the pics! Thx for sharing.

I envy you being able to drop it all and live out there. I'm still slaving away at the office job trying to save money and gather materials and tools. Long way to go but I can see progress almost daily and I'm very determined.

Charging your tools on the car battery is simply brilliant. I dont know if you thought of that one or read about it somewhere, but that's a really slick idea. My truck can produce electricy, why didnt I think of that? Hehe.

For my current situation I'm actually trying to get an itemized budgett together so I have an idea how much I need and can really start looking for good deals. I also have cordless stuff and plan to use it as much as I can, but I'm really trying to prep for construction and I dont think I want to try to run a hole hawg on my truck's electrical system :)

After construction I'll be on propane for hot water, fridge, and backup electrical power and the gas generator I buy for construction will be a backup to the propane generator I pick up when I'm further into the electrical phase.

In any event those are great ideas and thx for bringing them up!

And dont worry about the winter! You'll be cold but you're not going to freeze to death or anything :)


Craig

[Kola]

I think it was Rod who brought up the idea of using your car as a generator. Some of those die-hard 4-wheeling guys hook up all kinds of alternators and generators off their engines to produce power. They even tap into the heater hoses and use that for available heat options.

I found my little inverter at home depot for around 40 bucks. It hooks to the battery and has 2 AC outlets. Running the car or truck is much quieter than most generators too.

btw..last winter I didn't freeze but everything else did..my food, my water etc. I couldn't keep the tipi warm enough. Once the fire went out I was S.O.L.

Kola

[Yuhjn]

btw..last winter I didn't freeze but everything else did..my food, my water etc. I couldn't keep the tipi warm enough. Once the fire went out I was S.O.L.


I'm probably not telling you anything you dont already know, but one trick is to put your food and water into a cooler or ice chest. That can at least buy you more time before in insides cool down when your fire is out. It's easy to think of a cooler used to keep your beer cold but it works in reverse too to keep things warmer than ambient temp after a fire goes out.

I'm sure you're already doing that though. What's that other building there, is that yours?

Do you have time to just frame up some kind of 10x10 unibomber-style cabin for the winter? Even if it's salvaged wood and some kind of rust-bucket wood stove, it would keep your water liquid I would think. Even uninsulated it's gotta be better than a house made out of leather or canvas during those long January nights.

How about travel trailer? That's my current plan.

[wwlivin]

Kola, did you ever sell your building so you could cut your strings from the city and free up a few bucks?
wayne
http://s196.photobucket.com/albums/aa19/wwlivin/?mediafilter=al

[Kola]

Wayne said :
Kola, did you ever sell your building so you could cut your strings from the city and free up a few bucks?
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No Wayne, the buyer backed out before the closing. My building is set to be auctioned off Aug 15th. I have already moved up to my property though. With this auction outfit, I will have the right to accept or decline the highest offer..or counteroffer. I have 5 weeks before the auction so everything is on hold and winter will be coming faster and meaner than a pitbull on a porkchop.

Kola

[Kola]

Craig said: I'm probably not telling you anything you dont already know, but one trick is to put your food and water into a cooler or ice chest. That can at least buy you more time before in insides cool down when your fire is out. It's easy to think of a cooler used to keep your beer cold but it works in reverse too to keep things warmer than ambient temp after a fire goes out.=================
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I had my stuff inside an old fridge and freezer and it still froze. In winter, some night temps go into -20 and then add the wind chill. I am at approx 9500 ft above sea level. I am not sure how it is in Montana but it prolly could get just as cold. Maybe newer style fridges would work better and I thought of encasing them in insulation as well. Heck even my contact lens case froze with my damn contacts in there!
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Craig says : What's that other building there, is that yours?
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Thats my run-in horse shelter and storage shed I started building last year. I finshed er up this year and just about have my corrals done. It was built with old utility poles and mostly used lumbar from CraigsList and scrap. wood from a local lumbar mill. It cost me approx 2500 clams and most of the expense was for the dang roof. Its 20x20 in size. Half of it is for my horses and the other half is for tools and hay (and for now my shower room). Theres nothing goofier than a cold nose of a horse touching ya when your shampooing your hair and ya got your eyes closed! My little filly snuck in while I was showering. She scared me then I scared her.
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Craig said: Do you have time to just frame up some kind of 10x10 unibomber-style cabin for the winter? Even if it's salvaged wood and some kind of rust-bucket wood stove, it would keep your water liquid I would think. Even uninsulated it's gotta be better than a house made out of leather or canvas during those long January nights.
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I did think of using a 10x10 area for winter living quarters and it would have be cozy and doable for me, my dog and cat. But I have decided to frame the inside of my tipi with 2x4's or 6's, insulate them and add a insulated ceiling as well. Since the framed walls will lean inwards (following the contour of the tipi poles I will attach crossbraces in the ceiling to strengthen it up. I can then cover them with drywall or wood. I will just run my wood stove piping up thru the top of the ceiling at out the smoke flaps. I failed terribly last winter and I am not giving up yet.
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Craig said :How about travel trailer? That's my current plan.
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Yup, thats what I recommend to most folks. Sometimes I wonder why I always have to try doing the hardest stuff. Travel trailer/RV is the easiest way but you still have to address winter freeze ups unless your trailer is souped up with insulation. Some RV's and trailers come from the factory ready for winter weather and many RV places can alter your trailer for those accomodations (at a chunky price). Some trailers have lots of goodies too like stove, oven, pooper, shower, TV and even some basic solar set up. Get yourself an old RV motorhome with a generator and all the goodies and you be da man. Now coming from me (a dumb@ss hick in a tipi), those trailers and motorhomes are like a 5 star motel.
I guess I like challenges (always have). I do like to push myself and even if I fail, I keep trying. In the event I give it everything I have and still don't succeed, I chalk it up as a lesson learned and file it in the "wisdom" drawer of life. Anyway, that all sounds like a good excuse to cover up my stupidity. LOL. I guess its just the adventurous stuff that attracts me. I like the "raw" side of life and living but it sure ain;t easy. Not yet anyway but I'll get there. And when I do, thats prolly where they will bury me..with a silly looking smile on my face. But while I am still here I got some living to do. REAL living. FREE. Like a bird.

Freebird Kola

[Timberwolf]

www.utterpower.com (I know it's probably been mentioned on this site before), probably has the best info on getting set up permanently with power.

That said I have a cheapy Champion, but as a construction gernerator, that or pretty much any unit that has enough power to run your loads while you build will suffice, and should last if you do routine maintenance and run synthetic oil.

J.

[ribbonevt]

We are using a 2900 DeWalt generator that has a Honda engine. It has worked for us just fine and we like the combo.

Chris

[bearman1]

I have a nothstar 5500 gen. with honda engine for 6 years and oct last year bought a honda eu3000is the best buy I have made yet! It is very quiet and very good on fuel and can run my 12 chop saw and compressor. I just got tired of my ears ringing ( i paid 1600 and free shipping)

[Ellsworth]

I have a nothstar 5500 gen. with honda engine for 6 years and oct last year bought a honda eu3000is the best buy I have made yet! It is very quiet and very good on fuel and can run my 12 chop saw and compressor. I just got tired of my ears ringing ( i paid 1600 and free shipping)
+1 to the Northstar with the commercial grade Honda GX engine. I've heard nothing but good things about the GX engine, and I have friends who have used several Northstars for years with zero problems.
Costco also sometimes sells a generator with the GX engine (12k watt peak, 8k constant iirc). The generator was branded either B&S or Coleman, I forget which. I've been using several of the Costco ones for a few years with zero problems.
I have also heard good things about the Honda EU line. Expensive, but good quality. For someone like Kola (living on site) the EU might be the best fit since it sips gas with the eco-throttle.
Maybe Rod, or another 'other-power' type person, can share input on propane conversions for gas generators.
<a href="http://www.propane-generators.com/">http://www.propane-generators.com/</a>
<a href="http://www.propanecarbs.com/">http://www.propanecarbs.com/</a>
Are they dependable, easy to do, safe? What are the upside/downsides? (i.e. you lose some watts, but no need to drain the gas for storage).
The main reason I'm interested in the propane conversion: During the big storm we had last year you couldn't get gas for about 5 days. Most stations didn't have power, and those that did ran dry. No deliveries due to downed trees on every road.
BBQ propane cylinders on the other hand were easy to get. Luckily I had the gas on hand, but who knows about next time ;)

[Yuhjn]

Ok after doing some homework (lots more to do) and talking to quite a few folks I'm considering this plan:

(First remember my house is going to be off grid)

1. Buy a big propane tank before building.
2. Build a small shed to house a propane generator
3. Buy a propane generator that will run backup for my house as well as run my build tools
4. Install

The idea is that I dont have to do temporary gas generator to run tools while I build only to replace with something else.

Am I missing something here? I have a feeling there is a flaw in this plan but I'm not sure what it is. I know I'll need a lot of propane since I'm planning to run on-demand hot water, fridge, furnace, and backup electric all on propane. So if I'm going to all that expense might as well use it during the build too, right?

Can I use the same generator for building that I run my house on afterward?

[StressMan79]

I think that a cheap portable champion (like I and others have) would be helpful, in any event. I am not sure about where to find a propane generator, and how much it costs to convert from gas to propane. Plus, having two gives you some advantages:
1) backup to your backup
2) lets you size your expensive generator appropriately--no conflicting requirements
3) gives you time to look for deals on your "final solution"
4) portability. I don't know about your propane genset, but it'll likely be (hard) plumbed to Propane. If you have a 15A sawzall on the other side of the building, you'd need an 8GA extension cord to run it. You could run the same tool with a shorter 12GA cord if you could move your genset.

FWIW.

-Peter

[rreidnauer]

I can't say I've ever been involved in an LP generator conversion, but it looks pretty straight forward. Anyone capable of changing their own brakes on their car should have enough smarts to do the carb mods. Watts "should" remain fairly consistent on LP, but will likely loose some on NG. Safe? As in, "will my generator/LP tank explode", safe? I guess there could be a remote possibility of the LP cut-off not closing when the generator is shut down, filling whatever space you have your genny in, with LP gas. Or, "will it ruin my generator engine via over-revving/ungoverned throttle?" Emmm, could happen too. Depends on exactly how they handle governing the LP flow rate.

I got to say though, I sure like the idea of it. No fuel to go bad, no gummed up carbs. What's a 20 lb. bottle of LP (comparable to 5 gal of gasoline) go for these days?

[Timber]

My Uncle in Colorado is a winter wheat farmer/ water well driller and he converts his Ford gas work trucks to propane from gas. He has a machine shop and is no dummy when it comes to wrenching. Makes his own parts if he has to because of short harvest time. Now i think he is running diesel though.
I dont remember the reason why he ran propane but he said starting and stoping a motor is hardest on it. He only started it once a day when he was checking fields-would not even shut it off for lunch.

[mrgripe]

We have been using a couple of the Honda EU2000i generators on our project. I love them because they are portable and super quiet, especially when the eco-throttle kicks in. One is enough to run my Hole Hawg, and I can couple two of them together to run most other power tools. They are expensive new but I picked mine up just slightly used on Craigs List.

[ChainsawGrandpa]

Old plan:
Get any generator for construction use.
*Found a New (the seller bought it for Y2K) Honda Harmony 2500.
It was half price, and had less than twenty seconds time on it.
No warranty since it was about seven years old. The governor
suddenly failed at about 12 hours. Am using a Champion 3500W
that Ken S. so graciously let me use. Starts every time.

New plan:
Get a Honda EU 2000 for construction and permanently install the
Changfa 8KW for the finished home. When I get some time (fat chance)
I'll rebuild the Honda Harmony and sell it.

Right now the Champion is on sale at Schuck's for $299. Ken's Champion
has lasted hundreds of hours longer than my Honda.

As for George and the Listeroids at utterpower...just can't say enough
good things. Even if you don't go with a Listeroid, the site and DVD
are a great source of information.

-Rick

[Timber]

Yuhjn, you starting to build soon? You get your logs priced yet?