Generator for cook offs?

All other competition related questions or comments about recipes, techniques, and related topics.

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k.a.m. USER_AVATAR
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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby k.a.m. » Sat Jun 08, 2013 6:55 pm

I am in the Harbor freight crowd. Please don't hate on me they are pretty quiet and run my lights. :lol:
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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby BigDave » Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:56 am

We spent the dollars for two Honda 2000 and link em together. Super quiet and can carry on a conversation while standin over the things. However, when you are next to someone using a cheap generac or even the Champions (they aint that quiet folks) you think to yerself why did we spend the money! Most all of the inverter brands are quiet but they cost more too!

If you are next to us with one of those loud generators, the correct etiquette IMHO is turn the exhaust towards your own camp!!!!! Don't turn that exhaust towards me please. :shock: :roll: :banghead:
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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby k.a.m. » Mon Jun 10, 2013 3:28 pm

The little harbor freight is actually very quiet. Not whisper quiet but you can hold a conversation next to it when it's running. One of these days I may get ahead enough for a Honda but not now.
Always remember slow and steady wins the race.



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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby TXLNGHRN » Mon Jun 17, 2013 1:10 pm

I put the champion behind the pit and it wasn't that bad. I didn't keep me up in the camper and I couldn't hear it over the radio when we had it on.
It's not whisper quiet, but I am happy with how it ran.
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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby JMoney7269 » Mon Sep 09, 2013 2:49 am

Onan ATW! I got almost 6500 hrs on my Onan 5500 and it doesn't smoke one bit. Starts right up. Had to do some TLC on her a few times like fuel pump, spark plugs, lash adjustment etc, but them are nearly full load hrs. Super quiet and just run forever. The small one are just as quiet as a Honda and last 3x as long. No matter what anyone says, run 15w-50 synthetic. Had a few run ins with straight 30 and other oils. Them gennys run a lot hotter than normal small engines.
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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby RWBTEX » Mon Sep 09, 2013 6:48 am

3 star redneck wrote:Arnie...that Champion 3500 is the best on the market for the money..Ive had 2 in the last 5 yrs.....they are very quiet and have an RV 30 amp plug built in and the Warranty is second to none....the first one had well over 5000 hrs on it running my big Rv before finally going down......You wont be disappionted with one I promise....



Wound up buying the Champion 1800 but it was to small to run my a/c so I exchaged it for that 3500/4000. Have used it twice now and its not Honda quiet but its not too bad either. Just cant beat it for the money. $300.00. Two of my cooker friends have owned those for a couple years and they have been dead reliable, it will do for now.
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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby JMoney7269 » Sun Sep 22, 2013 2:01 am

Some pics from my last maintenance. You change the oil in a Onan regularly and exercise it once a month, it the comp world it will probably last you the rest of your life. Will prolly outdo 10 of those little overpriced inverter Hondas. 7000 hrs after our last cookoffs and beach vacation and doesn't burn a drop of oil between changes. They make cummins Onan all the way down to 2kw
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Lash adjustment, new fuel pump, filter and rerouted fuel line to avoid vapor lock, plugs, wires, de sooted the muffler, carb clean and readjusted, installed, ran a can of seafoam through it, purrs like a kitten, ready for a few more thousand hours.
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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby KevinSalyer » Fri Dec 07, 2018 3:24 am

Using generator outdoor is realy awsome. :D

I got a portable genny, for working sometimes, but convenient for outdoor power supply.
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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby rus_bro » Thu Jan 03, 2019 10:20 am

The wife bought me a generator for Christmas, BUT she got a full size one.

Yesterday I returned it and made my way to Harbor Freight and picked up a Predator 2000W Inverter Generator.

I did alot of reading and it seems like there are alot of them around the $500 range that are very close. It came down to the Predator and the Champion Ultralight from Tractor Supply.

It came down to Consumer Reports. They have the Predator as their #3 2000W inverter behind only the Honda and Yamaha. That kinda pushed it over the top. Got my fingers crossed.

rb
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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby limey » Thu Jan 03, 2019 12:59 pm

That should work well, I have a Honda1000 and it does the job at Cookoffs.
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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby allenayres » Mon Jan 07, 2019 1:48 pm

I picked up the predator 3500 to use in our Christmas parade float - ran super quiet, no power hiccups. Should run fine for cookoffs this year too :fiestanana:

https://www.harborfreight.com/engines-g ... 63584.html
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Re: Generator for cook offs?

Postby oliverj » Wed Feb 13, 2019 8:44 am

I bought one of the $600 generators and although it still runs it is slowly falling apart. Pretty much all the switches have fallen off and the start cord snapped after only a couple of starts, they are also very heavy compared to the Hondas

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