Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Generators

[Simon Reed]

I've just boght a 3.7 kva one,brand new,its a chinese honda lookalike thing,6.5hp motor,1 yrs return to base warranty,110/240 volt,65db zorst,runs for 8hrs on a tank full, £220 brand new,used it last week on warmers @ caddy,no problem,gorrit from a *****house place in bidford on avon,nr stratford,i'll dig the no out,but for that money,its for nowt,i thort !"

[rockhopper]

Too much simon, need to be closer to £100!

[pedro]

Originally posted by Jon
If you want a genny, get yourself a honda powerd one or diesel engined.
Some of the alternators fitted to these gennys are crap. Six months and they are dead. Just do a search on ebay for honds gennys. Pedro picked up a cracker 2.2kva for £150, never been use.

[Edited on 28-5-2005 by Jon]

im just lucky jon,went to my sisters work other day,they got them everwhere, i asked if any for sale? their could be one coming up,await tex i will

[RD]

Hello,

Jon posted:-

If you want a genny, get yourself a Honda powered one or diesel engined.

I totally agree with Jon, but first I would seriously consider for what purpose I needed the genny: -

Just for tyre warmers ?
Tyre warmers and camping ?
Tyre warmers, camping and power tools ?

After considering the above, I would then weigh up the benefits and disadvantages regarding the wide range of gennys available.

I personally would avoid smokey 2 stroke gennys, they have to work hard to produce power and as a result wear out quicker than others. The only advantage I can see is their lightweight.

Gennys that produce up to about 1,000 watts tend to be lightweight and easily portable by one person. There are various makes and models that are usually encased in some way to reduce noise. Honda are probably the most popular at this level. The quietness and reliability IMHO shines through. If you intend to also use it for camping or caravanning, you may want to use it throughout the night to power a TV and fridge (To keep all those beers cool ) etc therefore it would be respectful to think of your neighbours and go for a quiet genny. The portable and quiet type are popular amongst caravanners and on some yachts.

The gennys that produce above 1,000 watts (2.2Kva or 3.7Kva etc) are usually housed in a steel frame or in some cases on a trolley because of their weight. My father had a large Makita petrol genny and it took 2 people to lift it comfortably.

Another thing to note is the smaller gennys tend to have a household socket (230-40volts) which are not waterproof. The larger gennys have blue (230-40volts) socket with a spring loaded cap and some have a yellow (110volts) socket with a spring loaded cap, ideal for power tools and lighting etc. Another useful benefit is for the genny to have 12volt/24volt charging system, good for those flat batteries.

I like diesel gennys very much. Usually, they are quite large in capacity, no smaller than 2.2Kva power output, overall size and weight. Diesel is far safer than petrol and less likely to burst into flames (flash point) if any fuel is spilt etc. The disadvantages are Noise and size/weight. I'm not sure on the rules and regulations regarding the use of red diesel which can be used on farm machinery and yachts but this is not taxed (That is why the red dye is added) and is far cheaper than garage pump diesel.

P.S. If you buy a diesel genny and you need any help locating a pump or 'filling up' just ask Paul, I'm sure he'll help....
Sorry Paul, I couldn't resist it. I'll get my coat.

[Edited on 29-5-2005 by Italian Stallion]

[rockhopper]

Hi, thanks for that. It will be used perhaps four times a year for trackdays, unless we have a power cut at home i cant think of any other time i would use it.

The weight issue is something i hadnt really thought about, plus there is the need to fit it into the boot of the car.

Red deisel is only an issue when its used on the public road so it'll be fine in a generator. Small deisel generators are a new one on me.