Good information about product sourcing is hard to find.
The most convenient place I have found is
https://generatorbible.com/blog/top-brands/
26 BEST BRANDS OF PORTABLE GENERATORS
It's the best source of info I've been able to find,
but it's still pretty incomplete.
It has a paragraph about each of the 26 brands listed.
Most of the companies are based in the USA,
but have their products manufactured in China or other places.
It looks like the most reliable brand to provide American made generators is Generac.
Their products are larger, more expensive, standby generators
that automatically turn on in case of an outage.
When shopping for a generator, other factors to consider are
how noisy is the unit,
what outputs the unit provides,
if it's gasoline only or multi fuel,
whether it's an inverter or traditional type generator, etc.
(Inverter generators produce smoother power,
better suited for powering electronic devices.)
I would avoid Briggs & Stratton because
their engines are designed to have a very limited life.
Below is a listing of the 26 brands,
and where each one is manufactured, according to the article.
Some brands of generators are manufactured by another company on the list.
For example, Predator (sold by Harbor Freight) is made by Lifan.
A-iPower China
Briggs & Stratton global
Caterpillar Inc., China
Champion Power Equipment ?
Cummins ?
Dewalt ?
DuroMax overseas
DuroStar China
Echo USA
Energizer overseas
Firman Power Equipment China
Ford Asia
Generac USA
Honda Asia
Kohler USA, China
Lifan China
Powerhorse China
Powermate USA ?
Predator China
Pulsar Asia
Rainier ?
Ryobi global
Sportsman Series ?
Wen Asia
Westinghouse China
Yamaha China, Japan
If you want to connect a generator to your house electric system,
you should first turn off the main breaker switch
(or pull out the main fuses, if your system is that old)
to disconnect your house from the power line.
You will also need to rig an "extension cord"
with plugs at BOTH ends
to plug the generator into a house socket.
(A standard "plug to socket" cord will not do.)
The parts to do that can be found at any hardware store.
It's always good to have some three to two prong adapters around.
There's a good chance you'll need a couple of them
to connect a generator to your house wiring.
And of course, DO NOT run a gasoline engine indoors!
The carbon monoxide will kill you!
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:
headache, nausea.
Good list...
Kohler is a good gas gen. But Onan/Cummins makes a great cheap diesel for RV's but it's quiet enough to have a conversation next to it without yelling.
Two things. One, Generac makes a great engine, but they have serious issues with their control boards, have for the last decade (made in Chiner). Secondly, if you are only looking for a standby genset, go with propane only, gas today does not hold up all that well, even when you add Stabil.
Neighbors Generac just went out when the power failed, and since it usually doesn't just go off.
His went off, then came back on twice, and the third time was so fast that it fried his board and he had nothing for two weeks.
But most importantly, go with a diesel, it will last 10 times that of a gas engine.
I highly recommend Kubota Lowboy 7000, made in Japan, extremely reliable, remote start and quieter than any gas engine out there.
I bought mine almost 20 years ago, rolled the 10.000 hr meter over and have another 5 thousand on that, and it still runs like new.
Loved it so much, I bought another just for backup.
Thing is, this will probably be the only genset you'll ever buy, so why waste money replacing crap.
Oh, and red dye diesel is cheaper than gas.
Believe me, this is what I did for a living.
Kubota GL7000 – 7000 Watt Lowboy II Series Industrial Diesel Generator
(https://kubotageneratorsdirect.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/GL7000-Lowboy-2-150x150.jpg)
$6,149.00
Quote from: je_freedom on January 11, 2022, 04:30:51 PMGood information about product sourcing is hard to find.
The most convenient place I have found is
https://generatorbible.com/blog/top-brands/
26 BEST BRANDS OF PORTABLE GENERATORS
It's the best source of info I've been able to find,
but it's still pretty incomplete.
It has a paragraph about each of the 26 brands listed.
Most of the companies are based in the USA,
but have their products manufactured in China or other places.
It looks like the most reliable brand to provide American made generators is Generac.
Their products are larger, more expensive, standby generators
that automatically turn on in case of an outage.
When shopping for a generator, other factors to consider are
how noisy is the unit,
what outputs the unit provides,
if it's gasoline only or multi fuel,
whether it's an inverter or traditional type generator, etc.
(Inverter generators produce smoother power,
better suited for powering electronic devices.)
I would avoid Briggs & Stratton because
their engines are designed to have a very limited life.
Below is a listing of the 26 brands,
and where each one is manufactured, according to the article.
Some brands of generators are manufactured by another company on the list.
For example, Predator (sold by Harbor Freight) is made by Lifan.
A-iPower China
Briggs & Stratton global
Caterpillar Inc., China
Champion Power Equipment ?
Cummins ?
Dewalt ?
DuroMax overseas
DuroStar China
Echo USA
Energizer overseas
Firman Power Equipment China
Ford Asia
Generac USA
Honda Asia
Kohler USA, China
Lifan China
Powerhorse China
Powermate USA ?
Predator China
Pulsar Asia
Rainier ?
Ryobi global
Sportsman Series ?
Wen Asia
Westinghouse China
Yamaha China, Japan
If you want to connect a generator to your house electric system,
you should first turn off the main breaker switch
(or pull out the main fuses, if your system is that old)
to disconnect your house from the power line.
You will also need to rig an "extension cord"
with plugs at BOTH ends
to plug the generator into a house socket.
(A standard "plug to socket" cord will not do.)
The parts to do that can be found at any hardware store.
It's always good to have some three to two prong adapters around.
There's a good chance you'll need a couple of them
to connect a generator to your house wiring.
And of course, DO NOT run a gasoline engine indoors!
The carbon monoxide will kill you!
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:
headache, nausea.
I'm surprised to see that Echo is made in USA. Last I checked, that's a Japanese company. Used to be Kioritz, I believe, and now it's Yamabiko.
Quote from: TboneAgain on January 11, 2022, 07:15:36 PMI'm surprised to see that Echo is made in USA. Last I checked, that's a Japanese company. Used to be Kioritz, I believe, and now it's Yamabiko.
All I did was compile what I found on that webpage.
I cannot guarantee that their information is accurate.
It certainly is not very complete.
They themselves admit that.
Quote from: je_freedom on January 12, 2022, 06:29:29 AMAll I did was compile what I found on that webpage.
I cannot guarantee that their information is accurate.
It certainly is not very complete.
They themselves admit that.
I'm not saying the list is necessarily wrong. IIRC, Kioritz/Yamabiko had a plant in Illinois at one time, as well as one in China, so who knows?
Back in the 1970s, Kioritz, using the Echo name, made some of the finest small to mid-size gas-powered chainsaws in the world. They were good enough to be selected to make chainsaws for John Deere back then. I'm still trying to find a vintage CS-315 to replace the one I unwisely gave my stepson a few years ago.