I bought the exact same generator and followed the directions- Oil, gas and battery connections, When I started it, gas starting pouring out of the carb overflow tube. There was a puddle of gas under the machine. Of course, I turned it off and moved it away from the puddle> cat litter to clean up the gas. I let the area ventilate to avoid any fumes. From the factory, the carb drain screw was very loose causing the leak. Once I tightened the drain screw, the thing ran like a clock. Very Happy I did not have a fire. But, all in all, I am glad it happened to teach me what could go wrong. Glad I bought it. No more lost refrigerators of food when the power goes out.
. When we moved to West Virginia from Florida 24 years ago, We brought with us a 5,000 watt Coleman generator. We bought it new in 1999, 2 years before we moved, and never used it. Our new double wide was placed just a month before and it took us 3 weeks to get power connected, for various reasons, so we ran that Coleman 24/7 in July to run the fridge and a window A/C unit in the bedroom for those 3 weeks and cooked on a Coleman propane stove under the stove hood in the kitchen. The wife, myself and our 2 then young kids camped out in the master bedroom for those 3 weeks. Gas was only 69c a gallon at the time. Oh, and I got real tired, real quick of tripping over the extension cords to the fridge, lights, A/C, and lights in the bathroom. I took care of that problem next. After we had our unconnected steel garage built, I wired lights, a garage door opener and outlets around the garage through an 8 circuit, breaker box. The main wire cable from the garage breaker box to the main breaker under the meter box is 8 gauge. Kind of heavy for simple lights, outlets and a garage door opener but the last 2 circuits in the box were reserved for a special twin set of 30 amp breakers. I wired these breakers to a 4 prong 50 amp outlet on the wall next to where my generator sets 3 feet from the walk in side door. When we need power, I open the side door, start the generator then open the big door about a foot to provide flow through to vent the exhaust. There is no carbon monoxide issue as the garage isn't connected to the house. Anyway, I made an 8 foot long, 8 gauge cord with a 50 amp twist lock plug to match my Coleman generator on one end. On the other end is a 4 prong plug to match the 50 amp outlet on the wall. Some people refer to this as a suicide cord because there are exposed prongs at both ends of the cord. If the cord is ever unplugged, it could be a hazard if the twin 30 amp breakers are on or if the generator is running. Some people will plug their generator into a dryer or arc welder outlet when the lights go out then unplug it and put it away later when the power returns. This is where the shock hazard possibility comes in. In my setup, the 50 amp wall outlet is dedicated to the generator and nothing else. It gets unplugged from the dead outlet on the wall and the non running generator once a year to check for corrosion, plugged back in and that's where it sits completely safe and not exposed to the outside world until the next yearly checkup. When we moved here in 2001, I had already had 5 spine surgeries and was on disability, We had run that Coleman into the house on and off for 11 years including another 9 days straight after an ice storm had ripped out a bunch of power lines around the state. When I came up on my 8th spine surgery, (in total, I've had 11), I knew that I couldn't pull that 10 horsepower starter rope anymore without reinjuring my back so I went and bought a 7,000 watt electric start TroyBilt. Now, instead of having to flip the main breaker to isolate the house from the mains, pull the rope 2 to 6 times depending on the outside temperature, then flipping the two 30 amp breakers on the wall, all I had to do was hit the main breaker, push a button, let the engine warm up for a minute then flip the two 30 amp breakers and let there be light. That Coleman was a dependable old girl. In all it's years, aside from oil changes every 40 running hours, sparkplug and air filter changes when needed, the sparkplug once vibrated loose and blew out of the aluminum cylinder head taking the threads with it. I took the head to a shop where they installed a helicoil, I bought a new head gasket, $13.00 total, and I put it back together. It sat in the garage as a spare / loaner for friends for several years until my father in law passed away and we inherited his 6,000 watt TroyBilt so I sold the Coleman for $100.00 to a guy who wanted to power a cabin on weekends. A fitting semi retirement for a 20 year old unit. My only problem now is that 6,000 watt unit isn't electric start. If my main unit quits for some reason or if I have to shut it down for maintenance, my cord is long enough to unplug it from the 7kw unit and plug into the 6kw unit's twist lock but then, I have to pull the rope on the bigger engine. By the grace of God, my father in law took good care of it and it starts on the first or second pull summer and winter. Either one will run everything we need in the house except for the heat pump. I have propane logs in the fireplace connected to a "T" outside with 2 gas grill regulators on 2) 20 pound tanks. If we wear sweaters and keep this 1836 square foot house at around 70 degrees, 2) 20 pound tanks will keep us warm for around 6 or 7 days depending on the outside temperature. We keep several spares in the garage. Our house is all electric. We have a 40 gallon, 4,500 watt hot water tank. If we use it up and need more hot water, either generator handles it in stride but at a cost. It takes an hour and a gallon of gas just to heat the tank. FUN FACT 1: If you use 20 pound propane tanks for emergencies like we do, instead of spending $30.00 to $40.00 each for new extra tanks and another $18.00 or so to fill them. When you go places, look at propane filling stations for junk expired tanks laying around. Where I get my tanks filled, they are pretty strict about not filling expired tanks. I went for gas one day and there were a dozen old tanks sitting off to the side that were either expired or still had the old style valves on them. I asked the guy what's their story. He said that people come in with expired tanks and when they don't get filled, they leave them there, go into the store or to Walmart and buy new ones. Then this store has to haul them to the dump. I asked if I could take them and he said go for it because now they don't have to bother with them. Over time, I tok 2 or 3 of them at a time to the Blue Rhino stand at Walmart and traded them for new or newer inspected tanks. Blue Rhino only gives you 15 pounds of gas but where else are you going to get a tank that passes inspection and 15 gallons of gas for $18.00? You go buy a new tank for $35.00 then pay another $18.00 to have it filled. Now you have $53.00 invested where it cost me $18.00 and I'm only short 5 pounds of gas but then I get to keep the $35.00 that I didn't spend on a new tank. Now, we have lots of spare emergency heat. FUN FACT 2: If your generator's starter battery dies like mine did after 6 years, I called Lowes and they wanted $100.00 and 10 days to order a new one. The 10 days wasn't so bad as all I have to do was run my jumper cables in through the garage door and jump it off. The hundred dollars struck me as a bit high for a small 18 AH gel cell battery though. I went on Amazon and found a 22 AH battery, physically the same size, that was made to be a starter battery for a jump starter box and it cost me only $44.00 plus it came with FREE NON PRIME DELIVERY on an 8 pound battery. It dropped right in the mount where the other battery came out of. This was 2018, 7 years ago. I hit the crank button every month as a test and it never misses a lick. FUN FACT 3: I never hit the stop switch on my generators. I let my Coleman sit for 6 months once with gas in the carb. It dried into varnish and gummed everything up. I had to have the carb disassembled in a shop, soaked in cleaner and rebuilt. Ever since then, whenever I need to shut down my generator, I ALWAYS shut off the fuel valve under the tank and let the carb run dry. When I need to run it the next time, I turn on the fuel valve, wait 3 seconds then fire it up. Works every time and never another clogged carburetor!
About changing the oil....there is a rubber oval plug underneath the oil drain hose. Put the machine on 2x4's , remove the plug, reorient the drain hose out through the hole. ez peazy! No need to fight draining it into a bottle or whatever and no need to tilt it that much! Keep up the good work !!
My friend put oil in the generator, was he supposed to take the ‘old oil’ out first then put the new one? Anyways he didn’t do that, then tilt the generator to get the oil out, big mess, but now when he turns it on it blows out white smelling smoke? Help on what to do?
The newer ones you don't have a plastic plug on the bottom. It actually has a small hose where the drain bolt used to be. With a plastic cap. Just twist the cap and pull the hose over the edge and drain. Easy peasy. Just did first break in oil change.
I just picked up a used one on marketplace with 300hrs it does not have a drain hose but rather a drain plug that drains down through a small cutout in the bottom. Seems way easier
Nice. I got one on sale for Fathers day (last weekend HF had a parking lot sale) and this generator was at $634. So I got it with a couple extension cords too so that we can run the freezers and fridges as well as charge our phones/tablets when the power goes out. We have two times of year, ice storms in the winter and severe storms in the spring and fall. We had two outages this Spring. 12hours the first week of May and 8 days when we had a near miss from a tornado. Thank you for this video!
Yeah, the plug was welded in mine too. I had to use my automotive spark plug socket and ratchet to get it out ,and I put some anti seize on the threads. The head is aluminum. I have that exact same compressor - it handles it with no problem. I had a little stumble on my first break in runs, but it went away. Always run your generator with a load. Put oil on your air filter and STA BIL in your gas. Run it monthly - especially if your gas has ethanol in it. It's a great generator.
I’ve bought 1 of these in 2022. Trying my best to ensure a long life for this Predator 3500. I have 50-60 hrs on it, and have changed the oil 5-6 times. 1st oil change I noticed a metallic shimmer to the oil during break in, hence many oil changes. I use mine to run refrigerators-freezers, router too when the power goes out. Last thing I do after use, I siphon the gas from the tank, and run the engine till all the fuel is used up. Love the quiet operation, I give this Predator 3500 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I've been using this generator for the last 4 years RV camping during the summer. I am well over 1000 hours and change the oil once a year lol. I do keep clean gas, run monthly and keep the spark arrestor clean. I can't recommend this gen enough. Great vid!
I had one of these a while ago and have a few videos on it. When I broke mine in I changed the oil at 1, 2, 5, and 10 hours just to be sure it was clean and I am glad I did. It had an oil shimmer on the oil early and a lot of shavings initially. An oil change on these is easy enough to do and it is better to be safe than sorry so do the break in right and change the oil. You will be glad that you did. Also, always try to use non-ethanol gas in them and check and clean the spark arrestor regularly and you should see years of use from it.
I like mine also. I've had it for 2 years. The only problems I had is the pull start cord broke off at 2500 hrs. and it has never been pull started. It now has 2750 hours on it and i use for powering my RV trailer here in TX. It starts the mach 3 coleman AC with no problems. The AC draws between 400 and 1600 watts. I leave the ESC Throttle on all of the time with no problems.
I've only had mine for 3 days, but I'm stoked with it. It is super quiet. Has not shut off once. It has a honda clone engine. For whatever that's worth. For me it's $1,100, that's how much I saved not buying the Honda equivalent.
Torch brand plug. Chinese brand. I replaced mine right away with an NGK. After break in I filled with Royal Purple. For fuel, I keep 10 gallons 87 Oct at on hand with over dose of Ethanol Shield from HDepot and add a bottle of octane boost. Been using this combo for years now and even my chainsaw gas lasts almost 2 years. John Deere mower starts right up with a lil choke every spring with last year's fuel. My Polaris ranger also has no pop and ping anymore. I use Gum Out octane booster or sometimes Lucas.
@@lorenperry3726user manual says, if you do not add a fuel stabilizer, it voids the warranty. It's literally written all over the gas tank. Do you own one?
@@SoloHiker1think about it this way. You bought yourself an extra problem (ethanol) then you buy a solution to fix the problem you bought (stabilizer) why not for go the extra problem and avoid buying the solution?
Got mine in March 2024 it's August 30 I have 1800 hours running my coach just ordered carb from harbor freight 20 min to change cost 23 dollars love this gen .
I got my two year ago i did it old school I used regular oil for the first 30 hours but I changed it 4 times in the first 30 hours and after that I went to full synthetic i have been using 5w30 the hole time i have 80 hours on it now and no issues with it running great
I have been using this generator for about 4-5 years now and love it. I've had no issues and used it quite a bit. On my generators/small engines, I only use non-ethanol fuel and tend to keep about 20 gallons on hand at any time. Thankfully here in Texas, you can buy non-ethanol fuel in bulk from Buckee's. I fill up my tanks and add some stabilizer to that, this has typically been my key to having small engines that start the first time, everytime.
@@1RoadGarage I've been just using the run of the mill Stabil. It worked really well for non-ethanol fuel for me and have had no issues. In general, I've never been able to get typical fuel with ethanol to keep any amount of time without building moisture whether it has ethanol purpose type Stabil in it or not. No matter if I started and ran something every month like clockwork or not, I always ended up getting a gummed up carb. I always kept a spare carb for generators just in case because they always seemed to not work that one time you actually need it, regardless if you got it to run a week or two before. hahaha.
I agree ever since I've started to use non ethanol fuel several years along with stabil I've had no issues with my gas powered equipment and like you mine starts on the first or second pull every time.
Very good tutorial. I learned alot. I'm in Florida and have gone through the same Tornadoes and hurricanes. I bought some ecoflow delta pros now I want a small gas generator to keep the batteries charged in addition to having solar panels. I'm just starting to learn about the inverter generators, and you have been very helpful. Thanks
Excellent video. I appreciate the honest review on the 3500. I've been watching a few reviews on this and yours definitely convinced me to buy this one. Despite some minor issues, in my opinion. I just bought a smaller travel trailer and should fill my needs without a problem. Thank you!
I was able to use my friends 3500 last week camping with my camper and it was great for what I needed. Definitely going to get one here in the near future.
James Condon has a RUclips channel and he works on generators. Contact him about the misfiring. He is really good at fixing your kind of problem . Good video
I have one myself and use it quite often, A little stubborn to start in the cold so keep cold start handy.. Also the 12v DC output can charge batteries to run other smaller dc inverters.. A few hudred watts extra! just don't overtax it.. good quiet little generator..
Thanks Jimmy. That is a GREAT Tutorial, don't think I have any questions. Although I run ethanol free gas in my PREDATOR 3500 91 OCTANE, and have 185 hrs operating hrs, with absolutely no problems. Also don't worry about draining my carburetor bowl.
I have an Onan on board generator on my Nash trailer which is very loud and shakes the whole trailer. So I decided to buy the predator 5000 and give it a try and absolutely love this. It’s a quarter of the noise with more power five stars
Nice review! I have the first generation of this generator and am very happy with it. These machines ran rich from the factory and would cause carbon build up in the spark arrester, leading to hard starting and engine shut downs. Judging from the looks of your spark plug they have resolved this problem. I replaced the main jet in mine with a #68 and solved that issue. As far as mods, I've done them all, except for drilling holes in the case, and have undone all but the ignition toggel switch. That is the only mod I would recommend. I too have chased the elusive misfire to no avail, deciding to just live with it. Enjoy your generator!!
Yep, thats exactly what it is. They wont tell u this anywhere but thats what it is. I just bought a 3500 but ive bought 4 or 5 predator motors for Go Karts and mini bikes, before i modded them they all banged off the rev limiter just like my 3500. Its just full throttle at the start position.@paultamdoo5533
That Honda plug is an NGK plug, you can get NGK plugs at auto parts stores. Honda re-brands it in their own package. You could have widened the gap on the original to eliminate the miss, (auto boat and small engine mech. for 40 years here). There are 2 conditions for a spark plug , it either works or it doesnt. Widening the gap gives a bigger spark. Wear on spark plugs comes from the electrodes burning away over a long period of time. 2 other ways they fail is from fouling from overly rich mixture or carbon from burning oil or coolant contamination, (if its coolant you have other problems, but that is air cooled) and cracked insulator shorting to ground, (no spark in cyl.). Another good spark plug for small engines is Denso, (formerly Nippon-Denso).
Regarding the ability of the generator to start up a heavy load such as the compressor, my first guess would be that they've put a large capacitor into the DC part of the energy path so that it can supply the start-up current for a heavy load while the engine has time to get up to speed to keep supplying the load.
Bought one in May. 90 days returned it because not firing. Done the break in period as recommended. Never plugged a load into it. They replaced it with a new one. Got my fingers crossed on this new one. Hope it works out.
The 5W-30 burns quicker than I'd like in mine. In the SE Texas heat I ended up moving to 10W-40 for the summer, anyway. Seems to be the sweet spot. This occasional misfire is normal on these without a load, mine does the same and other I know get that, as well. The unit is a beast, overall.
It depends on the clearance of the rod and main journals. If it's machined for 5w-30 and you run 10w 40 the oil flow of the journals slows down, which can cause higher heat. Faster flowing oil will carry away heat faster.
I plan on investing in 1 of these soon. Was already planning on running ethanol free fuel. But what weight oil and size plug do you recommend i want to protect my investment
Is there a opening in the bottom of the pan to open and run the oil drain tube out before that tube it just drained out a port in the floor that removed.
this is the newer version 3500 in the video - You can tell bc battery and oil access are on opposite sides of older gen. Why does this matter? The new units have the Co2 cutoff sensor that will cause some problems when running. The sensor although sounds like it makes sense, it really doesn't. You shouldn't be running this thing indoors. There are videos on YT on how to disable the sensor. Other mods that make sense are adding a magnetic oil dip stick (you will see lots of metal shavings from the engine when doing the break in period oil changes), adding battery maintainer, pvc "drag" handle, wheel mods (the wheels on the 3500 suck) and fuel cutoff so gas runs out of the carb. The best mod of all tho, is dual or tri fuel mod by grenergy. This is a kit that will allow you to run the 3500 on propane or nat gas. They (grenergy) sell a 3500 package which includes the dual/tri fuel mod, the fuel cutoff and light bar. Well worth it.
I have a Firman WO 3386 with 3650 starting watts and 3300 running it also has remote start/stop which is nice , and the oil drain is out the bottom of the generator , this Predator is a very nice unit except for the oil drain hose (they should rethink that) , and adding remote start would be nice also , i do like the fuel guage on the Predator as my Firman doesnt have one and basically you wait for it to run dry or add fuel when you think you need to . I am in Canada and i am not to sure that you can buy Predator generators here in The Great White North , but it would be on my list !
Hi Jimmy. I also have a predator 3500 from 2020 and my drain plug is complete different. Mine is a 8mm (I believe) built that drains through a hole in the bottom of a machine. Just have to put the wheels in some blocks to slide the oil pan under. It’s weird they changed the design
Between me and family we have 2 of these gens. Mine is same as the video. The other one has a 10mm drain plug with a ramp for oil and a tethered rubber plug on the bottom of the machine. I much prefer the simple plug and ramp. Maybe the "newer design" is for a tool less (only a flatblade screwdriver) oil change. Personally I'm a little scared of the yellow cap vibrating loose.
My 3500 is mainly for back up power to my home via suicide cable... But I use it to power an RV a couple times a year while on the road as to not run up hours on the provided gen (I rent RVs...) Do your maintenance, I do oil 1x a year....
@1RoadGarage I sprung for the magnetic dipstick, (not necessary...) I've had a few hickups with mine but Facebook has some good support groups that got me running again... Spark arrester... Charcoal canister... The pages I'm on gave me heads up and got me back in action on the side of the road a couple times...
would only go like 1 hr then change oil,, go 2 hrs than change oil.. then 5 hrs and change oil.. by then you have gotten most of the break in oil and material out of the engine.. I would then go 10-15 hrs and change again then go to normal change schedule. on the drain cap,,I would twist the hose to stand up right behind the cover so the end is higher than the level.. more security to prevent oil drain.
The 4550 gets the same run time as the 3500. It is also thirty pounds lighter. Only four or five decibels louder, and that's imperceptible. Being $200 cheaper. When on sale, there's also a plus. You can get them crazy. Cheap from Harbor freight. When you buy a used one.
That's not really a misfire, it's surging cause it's running a little lean with no load. Nothing to worry about though. Using a non ethanol type gas could help
Hmm, I always change my oils on a hot engine so the fines don’t settle out , never more to flow out at the bottom in the cold oil! As well, the oil showed running rich with the nano fine carbon particles in suspension. One way to lessen this effect would be to keep your hand on the choke dial. Let the engine just turn a few a few times and then flip to run to start likely in not cold weather it will then start without further ado . Running for a bit super rich will really load things up with soot. Still getting the dark oil especially at some altitude may indicate changing main jet and of course running rich could be the cause for misfire too.
I only use conventional oil in small engines. I used to run synthetic in my lawn mower & it runs better, doesn’t get as dark & cooler with regular old Castrol GTX 10w30. High amounts of additives in synthetic could be the reason? But I’m no pro. Also, I only use shell or BP 93 octane in those small engines, they run better. You should try that.
The 93 makes no difference if you educate yourself on octane... and you are using sales jargon words "better", "as dark", "cooler". All which have zero factual advantage. Break the motor in with dino oil and switch to a full synthetic on the 3rd change. I like a 15-50 myself. Peace.
cleaner power ok lol my thoughts at the end of the day the nice dirty unstable power is fine on SMP we use theses day think about it loads of them can run from 85 volts to 240 volt 50/60 .at the wide end but will be fine just keep gen-set rpm dialed in with you meter so ill never buy one but i can do that for the non techy type i guess it makes seance to get inverter
I’ve got an older 2017 model. I added Suzuki foam air filter oil to the dry foam air filter. Almost all other manufacturers use motor oil or filter oil in the foam air filter. I wonder what type of filter your newer predator uses. I’ve used a 90* pick to spread out the sound defuser disk that is mounted inside the holder of spark arrester screen. So that it doesn’t clog with carbon buildup as easily. Still seems to sound the same.
Only downside I noticed is that outlets were not GFCI. I plan on using this with my skoolie but I'm worried about those outlets. They don't have covers either so could I store my generator on my trailer safely?
Generators are floating ground. Unless the generator is connected to a ground rod, the earth ground is isolated from the circuit. Our power grid should have been designed with floating ground. Electrocutions would barely even exist. Lightning wouldn't be attracted to the power grid either. The only way you can get shocked is if you touch both wires at the same time.
Fuel capacity? What is the real life run time on a full gas tank? I have the Champion 3500 which is a dual fuel generator and it doesn't have some of the features of the predator such as the hour meter and the other gauge which shows power draw. I almost bought the Predator but wanted the ability to run it on propane.
The oil will be dark at the first change due to being contaminated with assembly grease used during assembly at the factory to keep the internals lubricated during shipping and storage.
I have the same gen. Batt won't hold charge well even using a batt tender. batt is really cheap so I went to AutoZone and bought an AGM batt for it and I hook up a batt tender to it when not using it keeps batt charged. AGM batt is way better quality than what comes in it.
Manuel says 20 oz why not find a 20 oz bottle and put fresh oil in the 20 oz bottle to refill the crankcase then you'll know you have 20 oz just a thought
I love the E-3 plugs. Great spark and reliable. Also if used outside, I tape up the carbon monoxide sensor with Gorilla tape. Wind direction change will shut it off.
I must be the unlucky guy that got the lemon. Mine ran great from the start. Did the NGK spark plug mod and the charcoal filter delete. Removed the spark arrestor disc from the exhaust and left the screen in. Ran even better but slightly louder. Ran the unit for 20+ minutes every 2 months for the next 6 months. Then we had a blackout. Pulled it out, filled it with fresh gas and was ready to go. Pushed the start button and the motor didn’t even turnover once. Dead battery. No problem. One pull on the cord and it fired right up. Hooked up a 25ft. extension cord to my fridge and lamp and waited for the power to come back on. After just one hour(3 hours total on the unit) the unit stopped making power while still running fine. It would make power on and off for the next 15 minutes until I shut it down to avoid damage to my fridge. After calling tech support and explaining the problem they said they couldn’t help me and connected my to HF corporate. I was able to replicate the problem the following day and get it on video. I sent the video to HF and after a week they finally did respond. Even though the unit was well out of the 90 day warranty, they agreed to send me a new inverter board $397 for free. I will have to install it myself but I’m totally capable of handling that. I hope that’s the end of my problem. I still have a dead battery but I’m fine with using the pull cord.
Assembly lube came out in your initial oil change. You seem to have installed the “lock” washers. It is common belief that they work to keep your fasteners tight. This is incorrect. They work to prematurely loosen fasteners in vibrating applications. Immediately remove and discard them.
I hope you purchased the extended warranty and after researching I could not find an authorized service center. These units have a high failure rate. Why are you using synthetic oil on a new machine? Synthetic does not allow the rings to seat properly.
Did the same thing after a ice storm last year just fill my freezer with meat also lol this is a work horse and my friend has one same misfire and not a problem yet and I beleave brake in is at 30hr with no heavy load
@@1RoadGarage if u payed for there warranty i would not worry about it and exchange it right before its up it might just take a bit to brake in and go away like it says 30hr brake in
This is so weird. I just bought one (and love it) but it is not the same layout as this one. My oil access door requires no screwdriver to opn and does not have the tube coming off the oil drain. And the tool kit is different.
The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) for this Predator model is greater than >3%. THD >3% indicates a significant distortion that can lead to overheating, reduced efficiency, and wear on equipment. Ignorance is not bliss and now you know!
I have this generator. It cuts off too much because of the C0 sensor. I've had it out open on the beach or where ever I'm fishing at and it cuts off all the time.
I of one three years ago an mine still runs it runs great an doesn't burn any oil either. An ill never buy nothing but there problems diesel rother s own part of Iran help design them
I bought the exact same generator and followed the directions- Oil, gas and battery connections, When I started it, gas starting pouring out of the carb overflow tube. There was a puddle of gas under the machine. Of course, I turned it off and moved it away from the puddle> cat litter to clean up the gas. I let the area ventilate to avoid any fumes. From the factory, the carb drain screw was very loose causing the leak. Once I tightened the drain screw, the thing ran like a clock. Very Happy I did not have a fire. But, all in all, I am glad it happened to teach me what could go wrong. Glad I bought it. No more lost refrigerators of food when the power goes out.
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When we moved to West Virginia from Florida 24 years ago, We brought with us a 5,000 watt Coleman generator. We bought it new in 1999, 2 years before we moved, and never used it.
Our new double wide was placed just a month before and it took us 3 weeks to get power connected, for various reasons, so we ran that Coleman 24/7 in July to run the fridge and a window A/C unit in the bedroom for those 3 weeks and cooked on a Coleman propane stove under the stove hood in the kitchen. The wife, myself and our 2 then young kids camped out in the master bedroom for those 3 weeks. Gas was only 69c a gallon at the time. Oh, and I got real tired, real quick of tripping over the extension cords to the fridge, lights, A/C, and lights in the bathroom. I took care of that problem next.
After we had our unconnected steel garage built, I wired lights, a garage door opener and outlets around the garage through an 8 circuit, breaker box. The main wire cable from the garage breaker box to the main breaker under the meter box is 8 gauge. Kind of heavy for simple lights, outlets and a garage door opener but the last 2 circuits in the box were reserved for a special twin set of 30 amp breakers. I wired these breakers to a 4 prong 50 amp outlet on the wall next to where my generator sets 3 feet from the walk in side door. When we need power, I open the side door, start the generator then open the big door about a foot to provide flow through to vent the exhaust. There is no carbon monoxide issue as the garage isn't connected to the house. Anyway, I made an 8 foot long, 8 gauge cord with a 50 amp twist lock plug to match my Coleman generator on one end. On the other end is a 4 prong plug to match the 50 amp outlet on the wall.
Some people refer to this as a suicide cord because there are exposed prongs at both ends of the cord. If the cord is ever unplugged, it could be a hazard if the twin 30 amp breakers are on or if the generator is running. Some people will plug their generator into a dryer or arc welder outlet when the lights go out then unplug it and put it away later when the power returns. This is where the shock hazard possibility comes in. In my setup, the 50 amp wall outlet is dedicated to the generator and nothing else. It gets unplugged from the dead outlet on the wall and the non running generator once a year to check for corrosion, plugged back in and that's where it sits completely safe and not exposed to the outside world until the next yearly checkup.
When we moved here in 2001, I had already had 5 spine surgeries and was on disability, We had run that Coleman into the house on and off for 11 years including another 9 days straight after an ice storm had ripped out a bunch of power lines around the state.
When I came up on my 8th spine surgery, (in total, I've had 11), I knew that I couldn't pull that 10 horsepower starter rope anymore without reinjuring my back so I went and bought a 7,000 watt electric start TroyBilt. Now, instead of having to flip the main breaker to isolate the house from the mains, pull the rope 2 to 6 times depending on the outside temperature, then flipping the two 30 amp breakers on the wall, all I had to do was hit the main breaker, push a button, let the engine warm up for a minute then flip the two 30 amp breakers and let there be light.
That Coleman was a dependable old girl. In all it's years, aside from oil changes every 40 running hours, sparkplug and air filter changes when needed, the sparkplug once vibrated loose and blew out of the aluminum cylinder head taking the threads with it. I took the head to a shop where they installed a helicoil, I bought a new head gasket, $13.00 total, and I put it back together. It sat in the garage as a spare / loaner for friends for several years until my father in law passed away and we inherited his 6,000 watt TroyBilt so I sold the Coleman for $100.00 to a guy who wanted to power a cabin on weekends. A fitting semi retirement for a 20 year old unit.
My only problem now is that 6,000 watt unit isn't electric start. If my main unit quits for some reason or if I have to shut it down for maintenance, my cord is long enough to unplug it from the 7kw unit and plug into the 6kw unit's twist lock but then, I have to pull the rope on the bigger engine. By the grace of God, my father in law took good care of it and it starts on the first or second pull summer and winter.
Either one will run everything we need in the house except for the heat pump. I have propane logs in the fireplace connected to a "T" outside with 2 gas grill regulators on 2) 20 pound tanks. If we wear sweaters and keep this 1836 square foot house at around 70 degrees, 2) 20 pound tanks will keep us warm for around 6 or 7 days depending on the outside temperature. We keep several spares in the garage. Our house is all electric. We have a 40 gallon, 4,500 watt hot water tank. If we use it up and need more hot water, either generator handles it in stride but at a cost. It takes an hour and a gallon of gas just to heat the tank.
FUN FACT 1:
If you use 20 pound propane tanks for emergencies like we do, instead of spending $30.00 to $40.00 each for new extra tanks and another $18.00 or so to fill them. When you go places, look at propane filling stations for junk expired tanks laying around.
Where I get my tanks filled, they are pretty strict about not filling expired tanks. I went for gas one day and there were a dozen old tanks sitting off to the side that were either expired or still had the old style valves on them. I asked the guy what's their story. He said that people come in with expired tanks and when they don't get filled, they leave them there, go into the store or to Walmart and buy new ones. Then this store has to haul them to the dump.
I asked if I could take them and he said go for it because now they don't have to bother with them. Over time, I tok 2 or 3 of them at a time to the Blue Rhino stand at Walmart and traded them for new or newer inspected tanks. Blue Rhino only gives you 15 pounds of gas but where else are you going to get a tank that passes inspection and 15 gallons of gas for $18.00? You go buy a new tank for $35.00 then pay another $18.00 to have it filled. Now you have $53.00 invested where it cost me $18.00 and I'm only short 5 pounds of gas but then I get to keep the $35.00 that I didn't spend on a new tank. Now, we have lots of spare emergency heat.
FUN FACT 2:
If your generator's starter battery dies like mine did after 6 years, I called Lowes and they wanted $100.00 and 10 days to order a new one. The 10 days wasn't so bad as all I have to do was run my jumper cables in through the garage door and jump it off. The hundred dollars struck me as a bit high for a small 18 AH gel cell battery though. I went on Amazon and found a 22 AH battery, physically the same size, that was made to be a starter battery for a jump starter box and it cost me only $44.00 plus it came with FREE NON PRIME DELIVERY on an 8 pound battery. It dropped right in the mount where the other battery came out of. This was 2018, 7 years ago. I hit the crank button every month as a test and it never misses a lick.
FUN FACT 3:
I never hit the stop switch on my generators. I let my Coleman sit for 6 months once with gas in the carb. It dried into varnish and gummed everything up. I had to have the carb disassembled in a shop, soaked in cleaner and rebuilt. Ever since then, whenever I need to shut down my generator, I ALWAYS shut off the fuel valve under the tank and let the carb run dry. When I need to run it the next time, I turn on the fuel valve, wait 3 seconds then fire it up. Works every time and never another clogged carburetor!
About changing the oil....there is a rubber oval plug underneath the oil drain hose. Put the machine on 2x4's , remove the plug, reorient the drain hose out through the hole. ez peazy! No need to fight draining it into a bottle or whatever and no need to tilt it that much! Keep up the good work !!
I noticed that also. I will give this a try. Just nervous about eventually making a hole in the hose from constant bending.
My friend put oil in the generator, was he supposed to take the ‘old oil’ out first then put the new one? Anyways he didn’t do that, then tilt the generator to get the oil out, big mess, but now when he turns it on it blows out white smelling smoke? Help on what to do?
The newer ones you don't have a plastic plug on the bottom. It actually has a small hose where the drain bolt used to be. With a plastic cap. Just twist the cap and pull the hose over the edge and drain. Easy peasy. Just did first break in oil change.
I just picked up a used one on marketplace with 300hrs it does not have a drain hose but rather a drain plug that drains down through a small cutout in the bottom. Seems way easier
We need more people with this kind of mindset and knowledge around… thanks for the video!
Nice. I got one on sale for Fathers day (last weekend HF had a parking lot sale) and this generator was at $634. So I got it with a couple extension cords too so that we can run the freezers and fridges as well as charge our phones/tablets when the power goes out. We have two times of year, ice storms in the winter and severe storms in the spring and fall. We had two outages this Spring. 12hours the first week of May and 8 days when we had a near miss from a tornado. Thank you for this video!
Yeah, the plug was welded in mine too. I had to use my automotive spark plug socket and ratchet to get it out ,and I put some anti seize on the threads. The head is aluminum. I have that exact same compressor - it handles it with no problem. I had a little stumble on my first break in runs, but it went away. Always run your generator with a load. Put oil on your air filter and STA BIL in your gas. Run it monthly - especially if your gas has ethanol in it. It's a great generator.
I’ve bought 1 of these in 2022. Trying my best to ensure a long life for this Predator 3500. I have 50-60 hrs on it, and have changed the oil 5-6 times. 1st oil change I noticed a metallic shimmer to the oil during break in, hence many oil changes. I use mine to run refrigerators-freezers, router too when the power goes out. Last thing I do after use, I siphon the gas from the tank, and run the engine till all the fuel is used up. Love the quiet operation, I give this Predator 3500 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
good info.. oil changes are a cheap way to insure long life..
I have this inverter for 4 years and 1500 hours. Only changed the oil and kept clean fuel in it. No problems.
I've been using this generator for the last 4 years RV camping during the summer. I am well over 1000 hours and change the oil once a year lol. I do keep clean gas, run monthly and keep the spark arrestor clean. I can't recommend this gen enough. Great vid!
I had one of these a while ago and have a few videos on it. When I broke mine in I changed the oil at 1, 2, 5, and 10 hours just to be sure it was clean and I am glad I did. It had an oil shimmer on the oil early and a lot of shavings initially. An oil change on these is easy enough to do and it is better to be safe than sorry so do the break in right and change the oil. You will be glad that you did. Also, always try to use non-ethanol gas in them and check and clean the spark arrestor regularly and you should see years of use from it.
I like mine also. I've had it for 2 years. The only problems I had is the pull start cord broke off at 2500 hrs. and it has never been pull started. It now has 2750 hours on it and i use for powering my RV trailer here in TX. It starts the mach 3 coleman AC with no problems. The AC draws between 400 and 1600 watts. I leave the ESC Throttle on all of the time with no problems.
I've only had mine for 3 days, but I'm stoked with it. It is super quiet. Has not shut off once. It has a honda clone engine. For whatever that's worth. For me it's $1,100, that's how much I saved not buying the Honda equivalent.
Torch brand plug. Chinese brand. I replaced mine right away with an NGK. After break in I filled with Royal Purple. For fuel, I keep 10 gallons 87 Oct at on hand with over dose of Ethanol Shield from HDepot and add a bottle of octane boost. Been using this combo for years now and even my chainsaw gas lasts almost 2 years. John Deere mower starts right up with a lil choke every spring with last year's fuel. My Polaris ranger also has no pop and ping anymore. I use Gum Out octane booster or sometimes Lucas.
Good to know, thanks!
I buy ethanol free fuel from the gas station. Works perfectly and no reason to add all that extra stuff.
@@lorenperry3726user manual says, if you do not add a fuel stabilizer, it voids the warranty. It's literally written all over the gas tank. Do you own one?
@@SoloHiker1you add stabilizer to mitigate the effects of ethanol. If you buy ethanol free fuel why would you add stabilizer?
@@SoloHiker1think about it this way. You bought yourself an extra problem (ethanol) then you buy a solution to fix the problem you bought (stabilizer) why not for go the extra problem and avoid buying the solution?
Got mine in March 2024 it's August 30 I have 1800 hours running my coach just ordered carb from harbor freight 20 min to change cost 23 dollars love this gen .
what means carb? Thanks!
@@MySpam-v1t carburetor?
I got my two year ago i did it old school I used regular oil for the first 30 hours but I changed it 4 times in the first 30 hours and after that I went to full synthetic i have been using 5w30 the hole time i have 80 hours on it now and no issues with it running great
I have been using this generator for about 4-5 years now and love it. I've had no issues and used it quite a bit.
On my generators/small engines, I only use non-ethanol fuel and tend to keep about 20 gallons on hand at any time. Thankfully here in Texas, you can buy non-ethanol fuel in bulk from Buckee's. I fill up my tanks and add some stabilizer to that, this has typically been my key to having small engines that start the first time, everytime.
Which stabilizer?
@@1RoadGarage I've been just using the run of the mill Stabil. It worked really well for non-ethanol fuel for me and have had no issues.
In general, I've never been able to get typical fuel with ethanol to keep any amount of time without building moisture whether it has ethanol purpose type Stabil in it or not. No matter if I started and ran something every month like clockwork or not, I always ended up getting a gummed up carb. I always kept a spare carb for generators just in case because they always seemed to not work that one time you actually need it, regardless if you got it to run a week or two before. hahaha.
I agree ever since I've started to use non ethanol fuel several years along with stabil I've had no issues with my gas powered equipment and like you mine starts on the first or second pull every time.
Very good tutorial. I learned alot. I'm in Florida and have gone through the same Tornadoes and hurricanes. I bought some ecoflow delta pros now I want a small gas generator to keep the batteries charged in addition to having solar panels. I'm just starting to learn about the inverter generators, and you have been very helpful. Thanks
I’ve got one that’s 5 years old over 1000 hours on it changed oil regularly no complaints
Excellent video. I appreciate the honest review on the 3500. I've been watching a few reviews on this and yours definitely convinced me to buy this one. Despite some minor issues, in my opinion. I just bought a smaller travel trailer and should fill my needs without a problem. Thank you!
I was able to use my friends 3500 last week camping with my camper and it was great for what I needed. Definitely going to get one here in the near future.
James Condon has a RUclips channel and he works on generators. Contact him about the misfiring. He is really good at fixing your kind of problem . Good video
I have one myself and use it quite often, A little stubborn to start in the cold so keep cold start handy.. Also the 12v DC output can charge batteries to run other smaller dc inverters.. A few hudred watts extra! just don't overtax it.. good quiet little generator..
Thanks Jimmy. That is a GREAT Tutorial, don't think I have any questions. Although I run ethanol free gas in my PREDATOR 3500 91 OCTANE, and have 185 hrs operating hrs, with absolutely no problems. Also don't worry about draining my carburetor bowl.
I have an Onan on board generator on my Nash trailer which is very loud and shakes the whole trailer. So I decided to buy the predator 5000 and give it a try and absolutely love this. It’s a quarter of the noise with more power five stars
Nice review! I have the first generation of this generator and am very happy with it. These machines ran rich from the factory and would cause carbon build up in the spark arrester, leading to hard starting and engine shut downs. Judging from the looks of your spark plug they have resolved this problem. I replaced the main jet in mine with a #68 and solved that issue. As far as mods, I've done them all, except for drilling holes in the case, and have undone all but the ignition toggel switch. That is the only mod I would recommend. I too have chased the elusive misfire to no avail, deciding to just live with it. Enjoy your generator!!
Could the misfire be a rev limiter?
@@paultamdoo5533 To my knowledge there is no rev limiter.
Yep, thats exactly what it is. They wont tell u this anywhere but thats what it is. I just bought a 3500 but ive bought 4 or 5 predator motors for Go Karts and mini bikes, before i modded them they all banged off the rev limiter just like my 3500. Its just full throttle at the start position.@paultamdoo5533
They updated it since I bought mine. I also bought the 5,000 watt and it’s as portable as the 3500
That Honda plug is an NGK plug, you can get NGK plugs at auto parts stores. Honda re-brands it in their own package. You could have widened the gap on the original to eliminate the miss, (auto boat and small engine mech. for 40 years here). There are 2 conditions for a spark plug , it either works or it doesnt. Widening the gap gives a bigger spark. Wear on spark plugs comes from the electrodes burning away over a long period of time. 2 other ways they fail is from fouling from overly rich mixture or carbon from burning oil or coolant contamination, (if its coolant you have other problems, but that is air cooled) and cracked insulator shorting to ground, (no spark in cyl.). Another good spark plug for small engines is Denso, (formerly Nippon-Denso).
Regarding the ability of the generator to start up a heavy load such as the compressor, my first guess would be that they've put a large capacitor into the DC part of the energy path so that it can supply the start-up current for a heavy load while the engine has time to get up to speed to keep supplying the load.
Bought one in May. 90 days returned it because not firing. Done the break in period as recommended. Never plugged a load into it. They replaced it with a new one. Got my fingers crossed on this new one. Hope it works out.
The 5W-30 burns quicker than I'd like in mine. In the SE Texas heat I ended up moving to 10W-40 for the summer, anyway. Seems to be the sweet spot. This occasional misfire is normal on these without a load, mine does the same and other I know get that, as well. The unit is a beast, overall.
After break in Mobil1 15-50. It will stand up to the high engine temps best.
It depends on the clearance of the rod and main journals. If it's machined for 5w-30 and you run 10w 40 the oil flow of the journals slows down, which can cause higher heat. Faster flowing oil will carry away heat faster.
@@Bryan-Hensley Right, that is a concern but I bet the tolerances aren't that close. Ha!
I plan on investing in 1 of these soon. Was already planning on running ethanol free fuel. But what weight oil and size plug do you recommend i want to protect my investment
Is there a opening in the bottom of the pan to open and run the oil drain tube out before that tube it just drained out a port in the floor that removed.
Glad you picked synthetic, easier to start in cold weather or small periods where it’s stored.
Tip....
Extra spark plug, air filter, and carb kit.
Nothing left to chance. Don't let harma bite you.
Just bought mine. Helpful vid.
this is the newer version 3500 in the video - You can tell bc battery and oil access are on opposite sides of older gen. Why does this matter? The new units have the Co2 cutoff sensor that will cause some problems when running. The sensor although sounds like it makes sense, it really doesn't. You shouldn't be running this thing indoors. There are videos on YT on how to disable the sensor. Other mods that make sense are adding a magnetic oil dip stick (you will see lots of metal shavings from the engine when doing the break in period oil changes), adding battery maintainer, pvc "drag" handle, wheel mods (the wheels on the 3500 suck) and fuel cutoff so gas runs out of the carb. The best mod of all tho, is dual or tri fuel mod by grenergy. This is a kit that will allow you to run the 3500 on propane or nat gas. They (grenergy) sell a 3500 package which includes the dual/tri fuel mod, the fuel cutoff and light bar. Well worth it.
Buy yourself a cheap water bottle an measure out 20oz. For the oil. No quessing an easy transportation for extra oil if needed.
I have a Firman WO 3386 with 3650 starting watts and 3300 running it also has remote start/stop which is nice , and the oil drain is out the bottom of the generator , this Predator is a very nice unit except for the oil drain hose (they should rethink that) , and adding remote start would be nice also , i do like the fuel guage on the Predator as my Firman doesnt have one and basically you wait for it to run dry or add fuel when you think you need to . I am in Canada and i am not to sure that you can buy Predator generators here in The Great White North , but it would be on my list !
Thank you really good information. I’m have been considering to get one , this month. Great demo. T
Hi Jimmy. I also have a predator 3500 from 2020 and my drain plug is complete different. Mine is a 8mm (I believe) built that drains through a hole in the bottom of a machine. Just have to put the wheels in some blocks to slide the oil pan under. It’s weird they changed the design
That sounds better.
Between me and family we have 2 of these gens. Mine is same as the video. The other one has a 10mm drain plug with a ramp for oil and a tethered rubber plug on the bottom of the machine. I much prefer the simple plug and ramp.
Maybe the "newer design" is for a tool less (only a flatblade screwdriver) oil change. Personally I'm a little scared of the yellow cap vibrating loose.
There is a version 1 and version 2. Battery on the left is version 2, battery on the right is version 1.
@@Pablo-cp9nc , oil doors on the opposite side as well
My 3500 is mainly for back up power to my home via suicide cable... But I use it to power an RV a couple times a year while on the road as to not run up hours on the provided gen (I rent RVs...)
Do your maintenance, I do oil 1x a year....
Oil is key. Especially with no filter.
@1RoadGarage
I sprung for the magnetic dipstick, (not necessary...)
I've had a few hickups with mine but Facebook has some good support groups that got me running again...
Spark arrester...
Charcoal canister...
The pages I'm on gave me heads up and got me back in action on the side of the road a couple times...
hello jimmy, what made you choose that particular spark plug?
Great vid!! Answered a lot of my questions.
Thanks a lot bro , for the all information about this generator is really help ful for me bro thanks a lot .
I run two freezers and. Cooking I run a cord put a window unit an we was good I never shut down there great
would only go like 1 hr then change oil,, go 2 hrs than change oil.. then 5 hrs and change oil.. by then you have gotten most of the break in oil and material out of the engine.. I would then go 10-15 hrs and change again then go to normal change schedule.
on the drain cap,,I would twist the hose to stand up right behind the cover so the end is higher than the level.. more security to prevent oil drain.
The 4550 gets the same run time as the 3500. It is also thirty pounds lighter. Only four or five decibels louder, and that's imperceptible. Being $200 cheaper. When on sale, there's also a plus. You can get them crazy. Cheap from Harbor freight. When you buy a used one.
3db increase is TWICE as LOUD. Keep that in mind.
Also, when you do your oil change. Pull the plug and lightly brush it with a brass brush.
That's not really a misfire, it's surging cause it's running a little lean with no load. Nothing to worry about though. Using a non ethanol type gas could help
Hmm, I always change my oils on a hot engine so the fines don’t settle out , never more to flow out at the bottom in the cold oil! As well, the oil showed running rich with the nano fine carbon particles in suspension. One way to lessen this effect would be to keep your hand on the choke dial. Let the engine just turn a few a few times and then flip to run to start likely in not cold weather it will then start without further ado . Running for a bit super rich will really load things up with soot. Still getting the dark oil especially at some altitude may indicate changing main jet and of course running rich could be the cause for misfire too.
Didnt trust the sparkplug but trusted battery charge
Non ethanol fuel is best in small engines,if you can find it. I use it in all of my small engines and have a lot less problems with carburetors!
I only use conventional oil in small engines. I used to run synthetic in my lawn mower & it runs better, doesn’t get as dark & cooler with regular old Castrol GTX 10w30. High amounts of additives in synthetic could be the reason? But I’m no pro. Also, I only use shell or BP 93 octane in those small engines, they run better. You should try that.
The 93 makes no difference if you educate yourself on octane... and you are using sales jargon words "better", "as dark", "cooler". All which have zero factual advantage. Break the motor in with dino oil and switch to a full synthetic on the 3rd change. I like a 15-50 myself. Peace.
my open frame generator runs 3 computers modem wifi fans furnace fridge and all lights inside and out with no problem..3250 watts
will this power a 14,000 btu window ac and a large fridge at the same time?
I'm going to buy a Nissan LEAF and pull a small trailer with that generator on it to charge the car.
What do ya think?
Might work
LOL! There’s a funny picture of an EV with a generator hanging off the bumper.
What about oiling the air filter?
Great info 👍
cleaner power ok lol my thoughts at the end of the day the nice dirty unstable power is fine on SMP we use theses day think about it loads of them can run from 85 volts to 240 volt 50/60 .at the wide end but will be fine just keep gen-set rpm dialed in with you meter so ill never buy one but i can do that for the non techy type i guess it makes seance to get inverter
Can't really judge oil by the color, but it's only 20 ounces so changing it for no reason isn't exactly expensive.
FYI: Hook the batteries strap on the base pad that the battery sits on not the bottom of the battery. Outside of that, it’s good video.
I’ve got an older 2017 model. I added Suzuki foam air filter oil to the dry foam air filter. Almost all other manufacturers use motor oil or filter oil in the foam air filter. I wonder what type of filter your newer predator uses.
I’ve used a 90* pick to spread out the sound defuser disk that is mounted inside the holder of spark arrester screen. So that it doesn’t clog with carbon buildup as easily. Still seems to sound the same.
Only downside I noticed is that outlets were not GFCI. I plan on using this with my skoolie but I'm worried about those outlets. They don't have covers either so could I store my generator on my trailer safely?
Generators are floating ground. Unless the generator is connected to a ground rod, the earth ground is isolated from the circuit. Our power grid should have been designed with floating ground. Electrocutions would barely even exist. Lightning wouldn't be attracted to the power grid either. The only way you can get shocked is if you touch both wires at the same time.
Fuel capacity? What is the real life run time on a full gas tank? I have the Champion
3500 which is a dual fuel generator and it doesn't have some of the features of the
predator such as the hour meter and the other gauge which shows power draw.
I almost bought the Predator but wanted the ability to run it on propane.
2.3gal 11hrs @ 25% load. I’m finding it’s very fuel efficient.
My husband opend the gas lid while running and it spit the gas everywhere and stalled the generator. Now it won't start. Any tips on what to do?
The oil will be dark at the first change due to being contaminated with assembly grease used during assembly at the factory to keep the internals lubricated during shipping and storage.
How much run time on tank of fuel ?? Nice video !!
I have the same gen. Batt won't hold charge well even using a batt tender. batt is really cheap so I went to AutoZone and bought an
AGM batt for it and I hook up a batt tender to it when not using it keeps batt charged.
AGM batt is way better quality than what comes in it.
Could this run 2 fridges?
Love the hell out of mine..
Manuel says 20 oz why not find a 20 oz bottle and put fresh oil in the 20 oz bottle to refill the crankcase then you'll know you have 20 oz just a thought
I love the E-3 plugs. Great spark and reliable. Also if used outside, I tape up the carbon monoxide sensor with Gorilla tape. Wind direction change will shut it off.
I must be the unlucky guy that got the lemon. Mine ran great from the start. Did the NGK spark plug mod and the charcoal filter delete. Removed the spark arrestor disc from the exhaust and left the screen in. Ran even better but slightly louder. Ran the unit for 20+ minutes every 2 months for the next 6 months. Then we had a blackout. Pulled it out, filled it with fresh gas and was ready to go. Pushed the start button and the motor didn’t even turnover once. Dead battery. No problem. One pull on the cord and it fired right up. Hooked up a 25ft. extension cord to my fridge and lamp and waited for the power to come back on. After just one hour(3 hours total on the unit) the unit stopped making power while still running fine. It would make power on and off for the next 15 minutes until I shut it down to avoid damage to my fridge. After calling tech support and explaining the problem they said they couldn’t help me and connected my to HF corporate. I was able to replicate the problem the following day and get it on video. I sent the video to HF and after a week they finally did respond. Even though the unit was well out of the 90 day warranty, they agreed to send me a new inverter board $397 for free. I will have to install it myself but I’m totally capable of handling that. I hope that’s the end of my problem. I still have a dead battery but I’m fine with using the pull cord.
@@Chainsnsprockets402 thanks for that info!
My starter stopped running ,still runs with the pull cord but no starter , any ideas ?
Bat Tree
Starter solenoid can go bad on those. May have to call HF for the part.
@@sweetdaddy77 i bought the 200 dallor extra plan when i bought it so i should be able to take it in and just get another for it right ?
Yes. They’ll probably replace the whole unit
Assembly lube came out in your initial oil change. You seem to have installed the “lock” washers. It is common belief that they work to keep your fasteners tight. This is incorrect. They work to prematurely loosen fasteners in vibrating applications. Immediately remove and discard them.
use a magnitic dip stick which I use.
Tennesse is the place to be!!
It doesn’t mention synthetic oil,so I would use regular oil,right?
Hmm. 🤔 I don’t think I will ever use non-synthetic oil in anything. Ever. That’s just me though. 100% synthetic all the way.
And I would of bounced a quart of 10W30 conventional oil.
Bought?
Top tier ethanol free fuel
you might check the jetting on the carb those clone engines tend to be jetted lean
I hope you purchased the extended warranty and after researching I could not find an authorized service center. These units have a high failure rate. Why are you using synthetic oil on a new machine? Synthetic does not allow the rings to seat properly.
Honestly the 5000 is a better option
depends. The 5000 weighs a lot more and is harder to transport.
@@bansheerider619 8 lbs isn't a whole lot more.
Did the same thing after a ice storm last year just fill my freezer with meat also lol this is a work horse and my friend has one same misfire and not a problem yet and I beleave brake in is at 30hr with no heavy load
You and your friend both have the same machine and only his has the same misfire? Interesting. I’m starting to wonder if I should swap it out.
@@1RoadGarage if u payed for there warranty i would not worry about it and exchange it right before its up it might just take a bit to brake in and go away like it says 30hr brake in
This is so weird. I just bought one (and love it) but it is not the same layout as this one. My oil access door requires no screwdriver to opn and does not have the tube coming off the oil drain. And the tool kit is different.
I’ve seen the same model and slightly different designs. May just be made in a different factory. 🤷♂️
Ran mine 6hrs wont start. Been sitting now for 3yrz. Feel like it was a waste.
Excellent and detailed video. Is there a chance to collaborate with you?
Congrats you made a review of a generator released 5+ years ago
You should run non ethanol fuel in small engines
There is no ethanol free gas where I live in NJ.
@@lindaguarracino6378 that sucks
The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) for this Predator model is greater than >3%. THD >3% indicates a significant distortion that can lead to overheating, reduced efficiency, and wear on equipment. Ignorance is not bliss and now you know!
🙄
Set it up on a bench to drain the oil
Champion manual said change the oil after the first 5 hours. Then the next one is after 50 hours.
exelent video but nobody exolain the gasoline how to mixe
Actually I would change the oil after two hours max., on a brand new engine.
The mis fire is. Probly caused smallish carburetor
Using fuel misally
I have this generator. It cuts off too much because of the C0 sensor. I've had it out open on the beach or where ever I'm fishing at and it cuts off all the time.
A more pure power , check THD % in spec’s
Don't leave the battery connected, it will die. Super easy pull start though
Try to get a manuel or parts! Good luck
👍
Inverter? I barely know her! 😂
(sorry)
I of one three years ago an mine still runs it runs great an doesn't burn any oil either. An ill never buy nothing but there problems diesel rother s own part of Iran help design them
I would change it after looking at that oil at 50 hours