Generators

i know they have been talked about alot in the past but does anyone have any experience with the powerhorse generators? northern
tool has a deal going on right now if you spend $500 you get a $50 gift card or spend $1000 and get $100. this would be used for my fish house and occasional use at home. i already have a 3500 watt champion generator but that thing is way too loud to listen to on the ice. i cant find alot of info good/bad on this one.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200788692_200788692

No experience with the Powerhorse, but my Predator from Harbor Freight was flawless all last winter. No complaints at all for the price.

i was looking at them also but the powerhouse has a 3 year warranty compared to the predator unless you pay for the extended warranty

Haven’t tried the HF generators. This past weekend I pulled my little Honda generator out and ran it for an hour getting it ready for winter. I love that little Honda, talk about quit it’s awesome. Picked it up for cheap during the Gander Mtn sell out.

I’ve got a bigger Generac that has a propane kit on it. But, I’ve never been able to get it to run reliably with propane. Runs fine on gas. I hate to admit that I may have to take it to a small engine shop to figure out.

$500 is the normal price for the Predator 2000 at Harbor Freight. Find a coupon in a magazine like Hunting mag and get 20% off that. Way better deal.

I’ll absolutely be buying a Predator generator when I need to upgrade from the one I’ve got. I have a Predator gas water pump with over 100 hours on it and another Predator engine, Harbor Freight has solid power equipment products. Read the reviews and look on YouTube.

Grouse

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

$500 is the normal price for the Predator 2000 at Harbor Freight. Find a coupon in a magazine like Hunting mag and get 20% off that. Way better deal.

I’ll absolutely be buying a Predator generator when I need to upgrade from the one I’ve got. I have a Predator gas water pump with over 100 hours on it and another Predator engine, Harbor Freight has solid power equipment products. Read the reviews and look on YouTube.

Grouse

the 20% off coupons do not work with predator products if you read the fine print.

Check the fine print on the HF coupons. I don’t think they are supposed apply coupons to Predator brand items. My local HF is very fussy about that. I’ve never been able to apply a HF coupon to anything I actually need.

Oops, you beat me to it.

The 20% off coupons don’t work, but they go on sale for $450 pretty regularly.

Coletrain27 wrote:

the 20% off coupons do not work with predator products if you read the fine print.

OK, that’s something new because I used one on a Predator water pump last year.

To the OP, I’ve got a current coupon for the Predator 2000 generator for $449. Coupon expires 12/4.

I’d be glad to drop it in the mail to you.

Grouse

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Coletrain27 wrote:</div>
the 20% off coupons do not work with predator products if you read the fine print.

OK, that’s something new because I used one on a Predator water pump last year.

To the OP, I’ve got a current coupon for the Predator 2000 generator for $449. Coupon expires 12/4.

I’d be glad to drop it in the mail to you.

Grouse

I have one of them already actually that came in a flyer the other day. Thank you very much for the offer though

I bought 1 a year ago at NT and bought the extended warranty. for 4 years it is completely covered except for gas issues I used it plenty with no issues so far

No personal experience with powerhorse but my good friend had one as his first generator. The next year he bought a Honda.

I dont know what his issues were but he’s had the Honda now for a few years with no complaints.

I have heard a lot of good things about the predators. I would look hard at those if you want a cheaper option then a Honda

As far as the Powerhorse motor goes have one on my splitter going on 10 years and at least 100 cords thru it and never a hicup, come to think about I have never even changed the spark plug. They are a knockoff of the hondas. I have a Honda on my pressure washer at least as old, the only difference I do see is the Powerhorse takes an extra pull or two to get it started after it has sit a long time.

Tom P. wrote:

They are a knockoff of the hondas. I have a Honda on my pressure washer at least as old, the only difference I do see is the Powerhorse takes an extra pull or two to get it started after it has sit a long time.

Yes, I call them Chondas, they are a GX series clone made in China of course.

If you want the easier starting like the old Hondas, check the main jet. I susect to meet California’s emissions BS, a lot of these clone engines now ship with a very lean main jet installed. I’ve switched up to a richer jet and cold starting improves and no need to choke every time.

Grouse

We went into northern tool 5 years ago to get a Honda generator. The salesman had us talk to a service tech before we bought anything. Service tech told us the power horse was the same thing as the Honda. Only difference was if it needed any service work done, they had to contact Honda before doing anything. Power horse they had authority to just fix it, so he told us if he was buying one for mainly ice fishing, he would get the Powerhorse. In the 5 years we have not had 1 issue with it. I have a neighbor at our campground that bought same thing and his first weekend out, his Power horse wouldn’t run at night. He took it back and bought a Honda. Probably doesn’t help your decision, huh?

No Powerhorse generator but my Powerhorse log splitter is a beast.

I bought a used powerhorse from a buddy for $150 a year ago. I wasn’t aware they were Honda knockoffs but it makes sense since the only generator I’d say is quieter would be a Honda. Mine wasn’t what I’d call “lightly used” either but it still runs great. It starts on the first or second pull every time, seems to sip gas compared to other generators I’ve used, and is well built in terms of being able to beat it up.

There a couple things I would keep in mind when buying a generator, since your gonna be using it for ice fishing your gonna want the quietest since it’s cold and sound travels, what kind of load on generator? There not all equal, some are better at load management, weight and size. I haven’t used a norther tool one, or small inverter champion which looks nice. I picked up the new Honda 2200, for me the weight and sound where what I was going for. What I have found is some of the generators actually have a different tone which makes it louder. Hope that helps?

thanks for all the input guys. im going to northern tool today after work and gonna talk to them and see how many of them come back for warranty work. otherwise im gonna bit the bullet and get a honda and be done with it. the harbor frieght ones are excellent price and actually now they have a black friday coupon for %15 off anything in the store. the killer for me is they dont have any warranty compared to honda and powerhorse 3 year warranty

The #1 issue with ANY generator is going to be owner error in leaving fuel set in the generator and having it go bad or having evaporation gum up the carb. Even the almighty Honda isn’t immune to this.

The problem with vague reports of people “having issues” with Brand X or Brand Y is that their self-diagnosis of the actual cause seldom includes “owner is a dumb@ss and left gas tank half full while machine sat on the shelf in a shed for a year.”

Run good fuel, use the shutoff if it has one, run the engine dry, drain ALL unused gas if the machine is to be stored for more than a month without use.

Grouse

i hear ya, between me and my father we have probally 30 small engine machines for lawn care/fencing work. they all get non oxy gas and seafoam mixture when stored

If you go Honda 2200 see if they have the newest model, has Bluetooth, which allows you to manage it via a app that tracks hours, and maintenance schedule. And gives you the option to remotely It shut down about 75’ away. New model has a co detecter built in and no 12volt charging circuit. But the remote shut down is nice.

Yea I ended up going with Honda 2200 with Bluetooth. Shows you the current load on your phone, total hours, oil change hours and some other things. I have it running right now breaking it in. Got a $100 northern tool gift card with it.

Sweet! I bought mine at runnings and last minute 2 weeks ago full price… it’s fun watching the load it’s actually pretty darn accurate.

It is pretty neat to plug different things in and see how much draw they have

Way off topic, but I’m transitioning into electric tools replacing my small engine arsenal. Electric chain saw, weed wacker, ice auger, blower, hedge clipper, ect.

Now only if they made a lithium ion powered generator…something seems wrong with that though. I just can’t put my finger on it…

castle-rock-clown wrote:

Now only if they made a lithium ion powered generator…something seems wrong with that though. I just can’t put my finger on it…

Wouldn’t a lithium ion battery wired to an inverter accomplish that?

castle-rock-clown wrote:

Way off topic, but I’m transitioning into electric tools replacing my small engine arsenal. Electric chain saw, weed wacker, ice auger, blower, hedge clipper, ect.

Now only if they made a lithium ion powered generator…something seems wrong with that though. I just can’t put my finger on it…

Guys way underestimate what can be run on a single good battery and inverter.

I stay at a cabin in the Canadian sub arctic every summer. One 12 volt battery (solar charging) gives the cabin running water including a flush toilet, lights everywhere, fans, and device power for iPads, phones, sat radio and the TV.

You forget that you’re not on the grid.

Grouse

I’m switching my tune a bit. With a larger generator at home used to power the house, sheds, etc…it may make more sense to just go the inverter route for a few remote trips a year?

Is it reasonable to think a guy could buy a clamp on inverter and take a couple deep cycle batteries with him on a 3 day/3night trip to power a few lights, charge a couple flashers, charge phones, etc? If so, does anyone have something relatively cheap and easy that they’d recommend? (It’d be awesome if it could also plug into a 12v cigarette outlet in the truck for lower wattage items while traveling)

I’ve been real happy this summer camping with my new Briggs & Stratton P2000. Will try it on the ice later. Running 1700 watts and surge 2200. Real quiet at idle and not much noise opened up.Priced $549 or less. Inverter type so cleaner electricity.