Free generator~ What do you guys think?
 

I'd have to drive 10 hours to get it and it has 600 hours on it.

http://i944.photobucket.com/albums/a...p/DSCN3923.jpg

Anybody know anything about this unit?


KT

Looks like an early eighties model. Still worth decent money, but not sure it's worth a ten hour drive.

Think Onans are susposed to be good generators.

It's a Mcgraw-Edison Onan 5.0ORV GenSet. Says so right on it.

Good to have but I wouldn't drive 10 hours for it..that is round trip, right?. Is it 5kw?

You can find them for $200-400 in running condition

10 hours- ONE WAY!

I'm leaning toward a new Honeywell with Honda motor from Costco for $1000.
7000 watt.


KT

Then, NO

Go for the Honda.

Sometimes you get what you pay for. Free stuff can be expensive.
Jim

That is a 5KW generator. Its not a portable generator so I assume you want it for backup on your home? If so 5KW won't get you far. That RV generator is not worth a 1 hour drive...pass on this little gem.

I had a 7KW Onan Marquis Gold in my motorhome and that thing could burn through 20 gallons of fuel overnight if running both A/C units. A little Honda or Yamaha would be much more efficient per KW.

Thanks for the feedback!


KT

20 hours is 20 hours... You could watse that much time watching sport on the weekend.
I'd grab it. It's only gas and time.

In Treks f350 it will be quite a bit of fuel, and a lot of time.... I'd pass...

$200 to $250 in fuel?

Could be a great road trip and he could see a part of the country he hasn't seen before (assuming)... So why not?

You're going to wind up pulling a permit to put a transfer switch on your house to use that thing...if you do it right. That's going to cost about $1500- $900 for the switch, and perhaps $250 for the permit, and $350 for the install.

OR...

You can just ask an electrician to install a 50 amp twist-lok 240 volt input next to your electrical service, and then buy a decent length of cable with a twist-lok end and then you can power your house. That's how I did it. It works for me because I have enough common sense to turn off my main breaker before I turn on the new aux power breaker that allows my 6.2 kw generator to power my house. Not to code, but it works!

You're looking at trouble with that generator; You have to figure out where to store it, where to plug it in, and that depends on what sort of output it has. I'd sell it on eBay and buy a Honda or Briggs & Stratton portable generator, which is made to be hooked to a home electrical system.

N!

If I get the generator it will be mounted to the tongue of my enclosed race trailer in a weather tight box.

I need something to power my appliances at our occasional races or camping trips.

A road trip to the PNW would be very nice and an UPM might be in order as well.


KT

20 hrs... what is the value of your time?

besides that thing will lead you into Onanism

Spilleth?


KT

It's a 444 mi one way trip from Napa to Sutherlin, Oregon.

I'd like to check out Portland and sit in with a friend's Jazz group in some club.


KT

I'd spend about $400 in fuel, see my relatives, play some jazz and maybe see some of you goofballs... :D


KT

I have to think if it was free and worth something, it would be gone by now by a local.

But if you have nothing better to do, make it a road trip.

Might not be a bad deal - virtually anything "older" is better than the new stuff that's out there these days. I can't stand buying new - virtually across the board - everything seems to have exactly ONE consideration and that's economy of production. Quality, fit, finish, feel, performance, durability are all crap these days. Looking at that thing says "this will be here long after I'm dead and gone" to me. That's worth having. Some new, plastic, made-in-China POS from Home Depot? Not so much.

I'll cut against the grain and say get it - if you have the time to make a fun adventure out of it. I'll assume 10 hours highway time = approx. 600 miles each way, so 1,200 total. 1,200 total / 20 mpg (guesstimate) = 60 gallons fuel x $3.50/gallon = $210 is what it will cost you... Not factoring in the value of your time. So it's definitely not "free". However a little cleaning and tuning up on that thing and a fresh coat of paint on the covers, it'll probably look/run like new for as long as you want it to.

not as good as a gererator though.

I've got an old Airco welder-generator with a twin cylinder Onan on it.
Only thing i've ever had to do to it is replace the coil once.
Onan is owned by Cummins (diesel engines) and parts are easy to get.

If you want a generator go buy one.
If you want to make a trip to the PNW, go.
But don't try to rationalize one with the other, yer just deceiving yourself.

I'm disappointed.
Sure took someone long enough...SmileWavy


KT

Look on Craigslist locally. Found this, http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/tls/2225584223.html

You might find a suitable substitute locally. I shipped an engine by common carrier once and it wasn't that expensive, you could pay the guy say $100 to strap it to a pallet and arrange for pickup.