ok im looking for a generator. after the last storms and my power was out for three days i just about lost all of my deer meat. i need yalls opinion on one. as far as size and power.

What are you looking to run with it. You have to look at all the items you want to run, and on the item it will give you amps, sometimes watts. If it gives you amps, you must mulitply the amps X the voltage (120 volts), or (240 volts), and that will give you the watts. Add up all the watts on what you want to run at the same time and this will give you the minimum generator wattage. Don't be fooled by some generators listed wattage, some of them give you the peak ( or start up wattage) you need to use the constant wattage.

As for as brands, you get what you pay for mostly with the noise level. Honda, and yamaha have some of the quietest ones.

Honda's and Yamahas get good gas mileage and they are quiet. more money though.

Buddy has the home depot one and it works good just loud.

Sams had a model one time that was big, and had a honda motor under someone elsed name.

I have a Generac 7500 watts continous, and 13000 peak that I bought during hurricanne Katrina, and it has served me well, very noisy but runs great. It has the idle circuit, that when there is no draw the engine will go to idle which is nice sometimes. It also has electric start that the wife really likes. I think I paid 1300 for it.

thanks thats pretty much what i was needing.im just needing to run a frezzer, tv, lamp and a window unit.i was lucky it was still cool and not 100 deg.

I would not waste my time on buying anything under 6,000 watts. I have a portable for this house that set a transfer switch with 4 single poles and a two pole breaker or 6 single poles. We lost power for 5-6 days during Dec never shut it down but to change the oil and refuel. I've got the living room circuit, (gas) heater, fridge, bedroom, sump pump. Never running all circuits at the same time. Then i run a cord and heat the water tank and kill everything else while it heats up.

I have a Onan Homesite Power 6500 Watt generator that works great. I keep it at the ranch, where I do not have electricity, and it runs everything on my 38' travel trailer without a problem. I got it at Parker Power Systems in Carrollton for around $1000.

I had 2 generators before this and they would not run everything on my trailer without blowing a circuit breaker, but this Onan works great and has never popped a circuit breaker!!

The problem with all the generators is without wiring them in (ie not using the plugs on the front) you will never get the listed wattage. Most generators have 4 120 volt plugs, and 1 240 volt. If you look at the breakers and multiply the number by the breakers times the voltage, times the number of plugs you will see that the breaker will trip before reaching rated output.

During the power outage last week in DFW I bought a proforce 3000watt generator from Northen Tool (the last one left) it started up on the second pull and ran great. I used it to power my refrigerator and freezer as well as my neighbors refrigerator. It costed 319.00. Probably not a highend model but meets my needs.

I have a 6500w Generac. LOUD and heavy, but works well. I got it a few years back when I had a side biz repairing decorative steel fencing. Sometimes I still use it for my welder when the house current doesn't seem enough for the welder. Otherwise it just sits waiting for the 'fit to hit the shan'...

I would like to add a motorcycle muffler to it to quieten it down though!

I have a 3500 watt 4000 peak champion generator. Bought it for $280, it will run our 30' travel trailer without a problem, and will run several frige freazers. Mostly I use it for bowfishing, it aint the quietest one I have ever heard, but by far not the loudest.

matt

and dont wire it it the the breaker unless you pull you meter. Iam tired of finding back feed on the lines.
I bought one a few years ago for the wife to use when I cant get home.