Generator recommendations

ARC

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I was in Northern Tool... 1k in hand wanting to buy a Honda... the sales guy says they are out... then says... "hey you ever think of Yamaha "?

At that point I had no clue they made generators (eons ago).

I am familiar... very... with Yamaha outboards... so I was curious... went home and researched for a WEEK.

Walked into Yamaha dealership and walked out with the 2000eu for UNDER 1k.

They even oiled fueled and fired ... then drained it / ran it dry for me.

Never looked back.
 

Mudflap

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Honda small engines are as good as it gets.
The only thing I know about Yama-ha ha ha's, is when I rode Motocross bikes, if i wanted to see one i looked behind me.

Yea.... You never would have seen me behind you on my RT1, Ported, polished intake, tuned around 53 Hp. kit carb, head and tuned pipe. 21" front and Koni shocks to keep the rear end happy. Extended trail arm and re toothed counter shaft sprocket. Course that was 52 years ago...... Yikes! grin
 

ARC

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My YZ250 dirt back in the day... would eat Hondas for breakfast lunch and dinner... And leave a trench in a yard 6 inches deep doing it.

My KX would eat them as well.
 

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ARC

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Honda small engines are as good as it gets.
The only thing I know about Yama-ha ha ha's, is when I rode Motocross bikes, if i wanted to see one i looked behind me.

Behind... lol... heh

You could be on a flying saucer.

Its the balls and how you drive that dictates whos "behind".
 

IMAUDIGGER

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AARC, I’ve never heard of an EU2000i breaking a timing belt or camshaft. Probably needs overhauled by the time it needs belt replaced.
I’ve got great confidence in Honda engineers in the design aspect and their quality control seems pretty dang good.
We have a Honda 500EM generator that finally gave up the ghost after 40 years of reliable service.

Reviews and spec sheets aside, real world reputation based on long term use is what I rely upon.
I bet the Yamaha generator is a fine piece of equipment.

500 hours?! I put 500 hours on my generator in the first 6 months and that was a couple years ago. It’s still brand new. Just keep the oil and fuel fresh. They are pretty good at sticking to what works rather than getting caught up in fancy bells and whistles. It would be awesome to schedule run times with my smart phone...but that’s something else to break. I’ve no complaints about the fuel run times.

That IS just my opinion. Your results may vary.

Back to the topic...I would not hesitate to buy a used Honda as long as it looked like it was taken care of. In fact, I’d be looking for one that wouldn’t run due to the fuel spoiling....get a good deal and easily fixed. That goes for just about any generator.
 

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ARC

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AARC, I’ve never heard of an EU2000i breaking a timing belt or camshaft. Probably needs overhauled by the time it needs belt replaced.
I’ve got great confidence in Honda engineers in the design aspect and their quality control seems pretty dang good.
We have a Honda 500EM generator that finally gave up the ghost after 40 years of reliable service.

Reviews and spec sheets aside, real world reputation based on long term use is what I rely upon.
I bet the Yamaha generator is a fine piece of equipment.

500 hours?! I put 500 hours on my generator in the first 6 months and that was a couple years ago. It’s still brand new. Just keep the oil and fuel fresh. They are pretty good at sticking to what works rather than getting caught up in fancy bells and whistles. It would be awesome to schedule run times with my smart phone...but that’s something else to break. I’ve no complaints about the fuel run times.

That IS just my opinion. Your results may vary.

Back to the topic...I would not hesitate to buy a used Honda as long as it looked like it was taken care of. In fact, I’d be looking for one that wouldn’t run due to the fuel spoiling....get a good deal and easily fixed. That goes for just about any generator.

I agree with you.

Like I said... I have owned Honda... I like Honda... nothing wrong with Honda.

I just like Yamaha just as well.

And own several... and nowdays... no Hondas for me.

BUT.. you can bet your arse ... if I am a yard sale and a Honda is for sale... I am a buyer.
 

IMAUDIGGER

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I agree with you.

Like I said... I have owned Honda... I like Honda... nothing wrong with Honda.

I just like Yamaha just as well.

And own several... and nowdays... no Hondas for me.

BUT.. you can bet your arse ... if I am a yard sale and a Honda is for sale... I am a buyer.

10-4

One thing I noticed...that old EU3000is generator that was used for so many years that just leaks oil....a new Honda replacement engine is only $280 to my doorstep. I’m half tempted to start a little project.
 

Gold Maven

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I bought a Generac 17kw whole house last year, runs on natural gas.

One thing i didn't know until after i bought it, is that they use a lot of gas. Luckily I have an oil well on my property, with free gas, but i saw some guys on line with propane ones, that drained their tank in just a few days.

If fuel is a concern, don't let the salesman talk you into one bigger than what you need.
 

Rmeav8r

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I have a Generac 22 KW whole house standby unit. I live in the panhandle of Florida near the Gulf Coast. It runs on natural gas and has worked flawlessly for 5 years. It was a life saver 2 years ago when we were hit with Hurricane Michael a Cat 5 storm, wind speed at my home exceeded 165 MPH. It ran for over two weeks providing power for my entire house. I am on a deep well so I am completely dependent on power. It has a load shed that drops off the high demand items if needed. As far a fuel use it used a little over $300 in natural gas over two weeks, some of the time was high demand on the unit. I had two AC units , hot water, ice and power that I shared with dozens of neighbors that lost everything. I maintain it like I’ll need it at a moment’s notice, which I might. It starts once a week at a preset time, runs for 10 minutes then shuts back down into a ready status. Worth every penny of the $9,000 initial cost.
 

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