Anyone used one? Thoughts?
https://m.harborfreight.com/900-pea...b-63025.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided
https://m.harborfreight.com/900-pea...b-63025.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided
Tailgator generator?
- Thread starter wandererr
- Start date
dwh
Tail-End Charlie
It's the normal HF 2-stroke gen. Used to be blue with one name, then red with a different name, now it's green with a new name. Same machine though.
I'm on my second one (both red).
I had a Champion 1200/1500 and dug it (a LOT), but after 1200 hours it was using oil...and it doesn't hold much oil to begin with. Got to where the low oil sensor would shut it down before it ran through a full tank (1.2g, 14 hours). I would have bought another, but the only thing I use it for is battery charging, and it was bigger than needed for that.
So the HF. Smallest gen I could find. Net wisdom says put a good spark plug in it, retighten all the bolts with a dab of locktite and put in a fuel filter. So, okay I did.
ZERO problems. Starts and works every time. 2-4 easy pulls and it fires. Putting 2.5oz. oil in each tank of fuel is easier than changing the oil on the Champ 4-stroke. Has a measuring cup in the cap.
(Hint: Fill the tank halfway then add the oil, then top off the tank. If you put the oil in first, it takes more pulls to start and smokes pretty good for a minute or two.)
After, I dunno, a couple years, couple hundred hours, the plastic shield around the cylinder vibrated/cracked/fell off. No biggie. Also, the vibrations ate through the rubber feet.
Then I dropped it and broke the sheet metal housing of the recoil starter. And you aren't getting replacement parts for that thing. So I bought another one.
Old one held 1.0g and ran 10 hours powering a 10a battery charger. New one 0.8g, 8hr. So I swapped the tanks. (Slight (but noticable from the bottom) difference in the stamp tooling accounts for the lower capacity.)
Old one was steady at 118v/56hz (under load). New one 120v/61hz. I could have diddled the governor adjustment screw but both are within spec so...screw it.
No idea how long it'll last. Doesn't have an hour meter like the Champ did, and I broke the first one before it had a chance to wear out. 10 of these would be the same price as one Honda and would absolutely get more hours of run time. My guess is it's probably good for at least 600 hours, so 10 would be 6,000 hours. One honda won't last that long without rebuilding the engine.
Loudness...not as bad as I expected. Not all that much louder than the Champ, but still, it's a 63cc 2-stroke. If you ran it in a residential area after dark, you would definitely piss off the neighbors. All of them. The whole block. And probably the next block over as well.
Goes on sale for a few days just about every month for $99. Every couple of months they toss out a coupon for $88. Stole the July coupon book from a buddy last night. Page 6 has a coupon for it, $88.88.
I'm on my second one (both red).
I had a Champion 1200/1500 and dug it (a LOT), but after 1200 hours it was using oil...and it doesn't hold much oil to begin with. Got to where the low oil sensor would shut it down before it ran through a full tank (1.2g, 14 hours). I would have bought another, but the only thing I use it for is battery charging, and it was bigger than needed for that.
So the HF. Smallest gen I could find. Net wisdom says put a good spark plug in it, retighten all the bolts with a dab of locktite and put in a fuel filter. So, okay I did.
ZERO problems. Starts and works every time. 2-4 easy pulls and it fires. Putting 2.5oz. oil in each tank of fuel is easier than changing the oil on the Champ 4-stroke. Has a measuring cup in the cap.
(Hint: Fill the tank halfway then add the oil, then top off the tank. If you put the oil in first, it takes more pulls to start and smokes pretty good for a minute or two.)
After, I dunno, a couple years, couple hundred hours, the plastic shield around the cylinder vibrated/cracked/fell off. No biggie. Also, the vibrations ate through the rubber feet.
Then I dropped it and broke the sheet metal housing of the recoil starter. And you aren't getting replacement parts for that thing. So I bought another one.
Old one held 1.0g and ran 10 hours powering a 10a battery charger. New one 0.8g, 8hr. So I swapped the tanks. (Slight (but noticable from the bottom) difference in the stamp tooling accounts for the lower capacity.)
Old one was steady at 118v/56hz (under load). New one 120v/61hz. I could have diddled the governor adjustment screw but both are within spec so...screw it.
No idea how long it'll last. Doesn't have an hour meter like the Champ did, and I broke the first one before it had a chance to wear out. 10 of these would be the same price as one Honda and would absolutely get more hours of run time. My guess is it's probably good for at least 600 hours, so 10 would be 6,000 hours. One honda won't last that long without rebuilding the engine.
Loudness...not as bad as I expected. Not all that much louder than the Champ, but still, it's a 63cc 2-stroke. If you ran it in a residential area after dark, you would definitely piss off the neighbors. All of them. The whole block. And probably the next block over as well.
Goes on sale for a few days just about every month for $99. Every couple of months they toss out a coupon for $88. Stole the July coupon book from a buddy last night. Page 6 has a coupon for it, $88.88.
Happy Joe
Apprentice Geezer
Used the blue (older style) one; worked OK, note; its 2 stroke so mixed gas is required and the construction quality is typical H/F, chinese.
Powered; a H/F electric chain saw pretty well, as well as a coffee maker and some lights (not all at the same time); note; they are considerably noisier than a Honda or a Yamaha.
...when I bought a generator for myself I went with a 1600 (~2000 advertised) watt Yamaha since I wanted reliability and the option of using a small inductive hotplate Note Honda and Yamaha generators are now assembled in china (at least some of them).
Enjoy!
Powered; a H/F electric chain saw pretty well, as well as a coffee maker and some lights (not all at the same time); note; they are considerably noisier than a Honda or a Yamaha.
...when I bought a generator for myself I went with a 1600 (~2000 advertised) watt Yamaha since I wanted reliability and the option of using a small inductive hotplate Note Honda and Yamaha generators are now assembled in china (at least some of them).
Enjoy!
Ducky's Dad
Explorer
The Yamaha will peak at 2000 in short bursts.
