costco honda generator

Jul 11, 2009 145 Replies

costco is selling this weekend a honda gx390 13hp powered briggs&stratton rig for under 1k



the unit is listed as 7000 watts running power with surge power at 12000 watts



is there something in the powerhead design that allows such a wide margin that could potentially shorten the life of the unit since normally commercial units are



6000/8000w or 6500w/8000w but this one a whopping 7000/12000w ?

the costco unit is equipped also with electric start, battery and runtime meter


Looks like a BS Powerboss with Honda engine. I have a Powerboss with a BS engine and it is noisy but Honda should run quietly. When I bought mine at HD, they told me you never know what engines might be used. I considered the generac part of the unit important and another consideration is sound insulation which, I believe, keeps Honda quiet.

thanks for the reply

any idea on the 7000/12000watt part of my question?

I haven't seen the unit you are talking about, but the 7000 wats is probably set by the hp of the engine, and the surge 12,000 by the capacity of the generator end. In other words, you might find that same generator end connected to a larger engine rated at perhaps 10,000/12,000. If so, that sounds like a pretty good combination for home standby power.

Vaughn

Why would B&S a motor manufacturer use a honda motor, I dont think they would. The honda motor is good, but the 12000 rating is misleading and only a second or 2 surge rating.

I returned the unit

the 240v connection produced a very irregular 115v at both phases and causes light and fridge to flicker on-off

total load at house was below 900 watts

here is the picture

formatting link
same equipment at costco for 999.97

formatting link

Why would B&S a motor manufacturer use a honda motor, I dont think they would. The honda motor is good, but the 12000 rating is misleading and only a second or 2 surge rating.

I guess they found out many people won't buy an engine that says B&S on it and have to use Hondas ;-)

ended up getting this Honeywell unit from Northentool

formatting link

I have a Yamaha 2400W (peak) inverter-generator that will put out 2000W continuous. That's enough for me to get by in an emergency if my wife or daughter doesn't try using the microwave or a hair dryer while the air conditioner is running.

If I didn't have that already, I would be *really* tempted to get a knockoff Lister 6/1 diesel engine from India and put a generator head on it. (I just learned about them) 650RPM, relatively quiet, and they'll run forever. With their massive flywheels, they can supply enormous surge current, and the frequency shouldn't vary much. And they are too heavy for the neighbors to steal. ;-)

Bob

The lights flickered because there wasn't enough load on the generator. I would guess that if you put on more load, it would've worked fine.

Hank

Thew make good boiler controls and thermostats, I bet they didnt make anything on that gen they just put their name on it.

then why did another (also honda engine) generator produce a clean 119v on the same load ?

do you have any information on this, would appreciate very much to know

I was told such things by Honda dealer and HD. The same comments are true for things like bicycles and cars. The Honda dealer told me to avoid Coleman as their parts suppliers would be difficult to get parts from.

Curious as to shipping cost of the unit you are buying.

I have the understanding that Generac was bought out by Briggs. When I looked for a manual for my Generac 10 hp Tecumseh, they showed the same generator stock number with a Briggs engine. I guess that for a while they used up existing stock. Yet the Generac's like mine are all over. I got a 3200 watt 4,000 peak Porter Cable generator that had a 6 HP Tecumseh engine and I replaced it with a Honda 5.5 hp. The Honda wouldn't pull the load and ran at only about 1/2 the wattage load. I later found out that Honda engines are over rated on their HP. At work they use the 18 HP Briggs and as an option they offer a 20 HP Honda. The 18 HP Honda would pull the same load as the 18 HP Briggs, so the had to use the 20 HP Honda. Both engines are the V2 design. This is on the Stanley Hydraulic Power units.

formatting link
Richard W.

Only if you want to BEBUILD them from the Ground up, BEFORE you actually try and run them. These vary in quality from very rough to fairly well done. Some still have casting sand in them and haven't been deburred from the machining. The design is wonderful. NOthing like a real Lister, but the knockoffs are a TOTALLY Different thing altogether... and more have failed than have run good.....

More precise governor adjustment/control.

Hank

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required