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Old 06-04-2020, 06:29 PM   #21
Bill-2020
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Read the service intervals of those Harbor Fright generators... then read the service intervals of the Hondas and do that math. I put my $ on the Honda.
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Old 06-04-2020, 07:25 PM   #22
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I just read the pdf periodic maintenance charts for the Harbor Freight 3500 generator and the Honda EU3000IS. The oil change requirement, air filter cleaning requirement, spark arrestor cleaning requirement are the same. Honda requires a spark plug change at 300 hours or annually, HF doesn't address changing the spark plug as periodic maintenance.

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make, but these manuals indicate very similar maintenance requirements.

https://manuals.harborfreight.com/ma...3999/63584.pdf
http://cdn.powerequipment.honda.com/...s/31zt7601.pdf
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Old 06-04-2020, 07:46 PM   #23
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Do the 1st 2 oil changes after 8 hrs. Also get a magnetic dipstick upgrade. After that, I do them every 25 hrs of use. Easy oil change on the Predator 3500.
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Old 06-05-2020, 04:56 AM   #24
Bill-2020
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Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
I just read the pdf periodic maintenance charts for the Harbor Freight 3500 generator and the Honda EU3000IS. The oil change requirement, air filter cleaning requirement, spark arrestor cleaning requirement are the same. Honda requires a spark plug change at 300 hours or annually, HF doesn't address changing the spark plug as periodic maintenance.

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make, but these manuals indicate very similar maintenance requirements.

https://manuals.harborfreight.com/ma...3999/63584.pdf
http://cdn.powerequipment.honda.com/...s/31zt7601.pdf
This can be read several different ways. And perhaps HF has changed their manual(s) since I last looked about a year plus ago because I don't recall all of the oil change intervals it shows here now ( ), but here's why I said what I said. Every 20 Hrs? I understand Honda's position of changing after the first 20, then every 100 hrs. HF leaves a bit to the imagination i think. I have two Honda's (EU3000's). They are essential for hurricane season and portable for recreation use (occasional boondocking, and I mean "Occasional!" I prefer a 30amp pedestal power source). I chose the Honda's over the HF because of the service requirements at that time. I applaud HF, and their manufacturer, for this new service interval. They even skipped the first 20 hour requirement on this revision, which may mean it has a larger oil capacity.
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Old 06-05-2020, 07:34 AM   #25
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Do the 1st 2 oil changes after 8 hrs. Also get a magnetic dipstick upgrade. After that, I do them every 25 hrs of use. Easy oil change on the Predator 3500.
I change the oil in my Champion 2KW generators every 25-30 hours. For the amount of oil needed for an oil change, I use synthetic oil. It seems to make "pulling the starter rope easier, but that's probably speculation on my part. I also use alcohol free gas and keep the generators off the ground when in use. I find that operating them "on the ground" increases the dust filtered through the air cleaner and putting the generator on a concrete surface or on a "3'x3' foam board when operating keeps the air filter cleaner. I also keep them covered when not in use. In the evening, after the generator is turned off and cooled, I put the cover back on them to protect from dew, possible rain and from "the neighboring campsite male dog"... Maybe I've got a bit of OCD about keeping my stuff protected, but it seems to work for me.
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Old 06-05-2020, 02:42 PM   #26
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Which is "really quietest" ??? Hard to tell just from engine brand or design, because the frame design, sound baffling, engine speed control circuits, size of the inverter and many other factors will all affect the perception of noise and how far it travels before it's at an acceptable level. Heck, just the frequency of the noise is a factor in how "irritating" it is to some people while other people (who worked on the flightline around jet engines) can't even hear that frequency range....

So, as much as the specifications for sound (58dB) might "sound good" <pun intended> the true test of any generator is to actually stand beside one in operation and compare it to what you heard yesterday at "the other big box store"....
John that is a very good description. The dBa rating may have nothing to do with ASTM standards. Heck, claims about dBa may not take into consideration whether it is at full load and how far away from the muffler outlet it is. You almost need to do the DW test, but nothing will be quiet enough for her (mine) so good luck! LOL
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Old 06-05-2020, 04:03 PM   #27
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John that is a very good description. The dBa rating may have nothing to do with ASTM standards. Heck, claims about dBa may not take into consideration whether it is at full load and how far away from the muffler outlet it is. You almost need to do the DW test, but nothing will be quiet enough for her (mine) so good luck! LOL
Frequency, direction, distance, load, preventative maintenance, previous abuse/misuse, early shutdown (when the windings are hot), direction the exhaust is pointed, operating in the truck bed with the tailgate open (think metal megaphone), humidity, ambient noise.... Just a few of the things that come to mind when trying to determine how loud a generator might be.

Then there's the way the generator box is built and insulated, what materials are used, how "well it's secured inside that box", the proximity of bearings to openings in the box, (ie: good engineering or poor engineering)… And while most of the physical quality can be related to generator price, that alone is not an indicator of what any generator is going to "sound like when you start it up behind the trailer or in the bed of your truck.....

Honestly, I don't have a tremendous amount of "generator time in campgrounds" but I can attest that on some days my generator seems to blend into the background and other days, it's as annoying as hell, as it intrudes on everything we're trying to escape by being as far from everyone as possible... So, among everything else that must be considered, I suppose we'd need to include "attitude, fatigue, alcohol, population of friends that relax us vs friends that make us tense" No doubt, depending on the situation, even the best generator might be a "pain in the neck" on any given evening.....
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Old 06-05-2020, 06:48 PM   #28
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John that is a very good description. The dBa rating may have nothing to do with ASTM standards. Heck, claims about dBa may not take into consideration whether it is at full load and how far away from the muffler outlet it is. You almost need to do the DW test, but nothing will be quiet enough for her (mine) so good luck! LOL
DW test--- right!

Skids... Florissant Colorado or Missouri? I've been through the CO Florissant on the way to Eleven Mile canyon to get many a fly wet.
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Old 06-06-2020, 05:02 AM   #29
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DW test--- right!

Skids... Florissant Colorado or Missouri? I've been through the CO Florissant on the way to Eleven Mile canyon to get many a fly wet.
Florissant, Colorado. Yeah, 11-mile is about 6 miles as the crow flies, or a 30+mile drive to my shore fishing spot. With half the season gone due to the virus, I may forgo getting a license this year.
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Old 06-06-2020, 07:10 AM   #30
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I also went with the WEN after lots of research and yes cost was a factor. Quite and the electric start is great for my wife and my shoulder. At the time going through the WEN site was the lest expensive, even Amazon at that time. Consider the two smaller units and thither them together when needed. Most trips you'll only need one.
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