Chinese generators??

[tom-ky]

Harbor Freight has a 900 watt generator on sale for a $100. Got a barn that is quite a ways to run power to that we work cows in, thought about one of these just to run a few lights when something has to be done after dark. Are they any good? Anyone got one of these cheap generators?

 

[Anonymous-0]

Hay is always cheaper after its been through the horse.....

 

[Robert E, Smith]

My wife has a concession trailer and she had a Midwest Regional Cowboy Shoot to do at the Middletown Sportsman Club a couple a years ago and we needed some power.
A friend of mine offered the use of his 2500 watt Chinese Generator. We ran that thing 12 hours a day for 4 straight days and it started everyday with no more than 2 pulls and performed great no problems at all.
i would go for the 900 I don't really think it will give you any problems just take good care of it change the oil regularly and for the money? It is what it is! you know!

 

[FF in MI]

if you get a Chinese generator and have problems, i will have to say, hahahahahaha, harbor freigth sells junk

 

[ericlb]

it will work probably 3 or 4 times then problems will start its cheap because its junk

 

[Uncle Ernie]

For a hundred bucks Give it a try! I use up or lose that in flashlights in a year.I would give one a whirl!

 

[lucas boy]

when it breaks,just throw it away...

 

[lucas boy]

when it breaks,just throw it away...

 

[JDemaris]

I've got half-a-dozen "cheap" Chinese generators, 700 watts up to 3500 watts. Some are fantastic buys and work fine. As far as the gloom and doom about being stuck for parts down the road? I've had two new USA brand generators and a few years later, no parts were availble. In fact, I had a Coleman 1000 watt generator that after 1 year, no parts were available. Circuit board went bad, Coleman told me that not only were no new boards available, they also refused to send me a schematic so I could try fixing myself. Now, they are out of business.

If you buy a generator for $100, and a few years from now, something major breaks - so what? But, I doubt that will happen. Minor problems, yeah, but if you can work on engines in general, you can keep these things going without needing special parts.

Many of these Chinese gensets used cloned parts from Yamahas, Hondas, etc.

 

[Oldmax]

Look around some times you can buy a good used one at a fair price . I have a 2350 watt that i gave $100 for and a 5500 watt electric start that I gave $125 for used. Both had been setting a long time and the owner couldn't get them started. I made an offer and they took me up on it. Also bought a 18 HP MTD garden tractor one time for $400 the same way, it had only been used two years but owner left outside over winter and Gas tank was full of water. Hahled it home cleaned out tank & carb, it is still running after 7 years.

 

[rockyhawaii]

Vendors here carry them on the back of their trucks, to run microwaves and such. You can hear the (Champion) Chinese generators from a long ways off.

 

[Tony S.]

Most of my HF stuff works fine. The extended warranty is usually pretty cheap. If it breaks they will give you a new one.

 

[Tony S.]

Most of my HF stuff works fine. The extended warranty is usually pretty cheap. If it breaks they will give you a new one.

 

[Anonymous-0]

had one given to me [the one on sale now] last year and have used it about 50+ hr. starts 2nd pull and dose a great job light and very quiet use it for camping all the time and had it out west last fall hunting and it ran 4 days almost none stop only draw back it runs about 5 hr on a tank of gas ran our heater coffee pot and lights but not all at once. and on the way home it ran the freezer