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List Price: $1,692.00
Sale Price: $1,378.29
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First, let me make a clear distinction between Amazon and Generac. I purchased this item on 9/15/10. Amazon could not have done better both before and after the sale. Exceptional service. Generac, on the other hand, leaves much to be desired. I have not had an opportunity to use the generator yet. I won't have the necessary electrical work done for another week. But I assume that the generator will deliver as promised because I'm certain other reviewers would have said something by now. If it doesn't, I'll add to this review.
My generator was DOA. It would not turn over with the electric start in spite of charging the battery for two days. Also, it would not even "pop" with the manual starter. Four of us tried. And this is where the problem really begins. Generac's warranty policy states that portable generators must be returned to a factory authorized service center under all circumstances. In my opinion, having wheels doesn't make it portable for warranty purposes. Somehow, getting a 255 pound generator in the back of my 4 door sedan, and driving it 25 miles to the closest service center after paying over $1,200 for something that never even started leaves much to be desired. I spoke to two levels of customer service at Generac, and got the same story from both. Because of the hazardous materials in the generator (oil and gas), it can't just be returned. So you need to deal with Generac and their warranty policy. I could have someone from a authorized service center come out to work on it. But, it will cost me $100 right off the bat because Generac will not pay to have anyone come out. I don't think I should have to do this on brand-new merchandise.
I think another reviewer also found this out the hard way. So before you buy anything from Generac, just be aware of what you may need to go through if the item is defective within the waranty period. If you're one of those people who regularly haul things around in a pick-up truck or with a trailer, fine. If not, think twice.
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Purchased this after I did a lot of research. Bought it because it was made in the USA. Now I know why we are such deep trouble . It was dead on arrival. Would not start even when pulled. I recharged the battery and tried the next day.. Nothing . Took apart the cover and tested all connections to see if there was any juice. Got a pair of jumper cables and jumped the battery . It sparked but nothing else. Took a screw driver and crossed the starter cell. Started up. Bad starter controller. Called customer service and after waiting for 25 minutes , explained the problem, explained I am a handicapped Senior and had no way of getting the machine to a dealer which was 75 miles away. Asked her to send me the part and I could replace it with no problem. Out of the question. Told me to go to a lawn mower shop and buy a part. The choke cable is to short so when the unit is running , it rattles the choke cable on and chokes out the generator. Sorry I got involved with this company. Amazon said it is not returnable and I have only had it 2 day. So much for Made in the USA a real sorry unit with no quality control. They should change the Corp name to Gener=crap Sequel Genracrap vs Irene. Had problems with gas in oil, bad shut off value, after that was fixed and had to use manual choke as cable was bad, it did the job but what a pain in the butt
Best Deals for Generac 5747 XG8000E 8,000 Watt 410cc OHVI Gas Powered Portable
This generator is a truly excellent standby power source. We bought it a couple of months before the Northwest experienced a snow/ice emergency that caused us to lose power for a week. This generator ran continuously for the entire outage without a single issue. This model is worth the higher cost than less sturdy models.
Pros:
Reliable! Worked without any drama for the entire week.
Easy to start: The electric start took a couple of tries, but the battery had plenty of power and once started, the generator kept on going.
Very good fuel economy: Running with a refrigerator, two freezors, some lights, and satellite TV setup, we averaged 10 gallons consumption per day. Higher loads will increase fuel consumption, but we were delighted at the fuel sipping.
Great power splitting cord. The generator comes with a cord that connects to the 30 amp twist lock connector on the generator. It is about 15 feet long. At the other end there are four 110 v. outlets, each with its own circuit breaker. This is truly handy.
Cons:
The battery charger is a little plug-in unit you need to manually attach to the generator. It can not always be connected or the battery will be damaged. A generator this expensive should self-charge when running and regulate the charge level internally. We plugged the charger into the generator for 24 hours, once a month (after testing the generator) to keep the battery charged. When the power failed, we plugged the charger into one on of the AC outlets on the generator and charged for 24 hours. Not convenient but certainly doable.
Fuel turn-on, turn-off control. There is a control on the front that allows the fuel supply to be turned on or off. This control is extremely difficult to turn on our generator. We needed to use pliers to actual open and close the fuel supply. If you use this generator for standby power, it is important to make sure no fuel is in the carborator or it could gum up and stop the engine from working. When we no longer need the generator, we do not turn it off (there is an off/on/start switch), instead we close the fuel supply valve and let the generator burn all the fuel in the fuel line. This takes up to 5 minutes. By doing this you assure that residue from old fuel won't prevent starting.
Summary:
This generator is really great. With proper care (oil changes at the right intervals, clean air filter, always keeping fuel line empty) it should last a very long time and run flawlessly day after day.Be sure to remember to add fuel preservative to the gas in the tank and your reserve supply.
One other thing. The listing here says it has a 10 gallon fuel tank. Ours has a 7.5 gallon tank and it is exactly the same model number. I believe the Amazon listing is incorrect.
Honest reviews on Generac 5747 XG8000E 8,000 Watt 410cc OHVI Gas Powered Portable
After research I settled on this unit based on name brand, made in USA and quality. Many generators on the market today are shiny and fancy looking but made out of the country. Right now in our shop at work sits two generators that need partsname brands mind you but they were made in China and the parts cannot be purchased-all we have are motors!.
This is a very well made unit with a unique engine design for generators. Many generators use general purpose engines not well suited for this application. For those who have trouble starting remember a couple of itemsit is shipped without gas and oil_ once added you want to crank a few short times to splash the oil on the cylinder. Make sure the fuel shutoff valve is open. You may have to crank several times to get the fuel in the systemif you over choke you will need to crank as if flooded or let it sit a few minutes and crank again. This is normal for any engine that has been shipped dry of fluids. Once started let it run for 15 minutes.
This is an excellent unit but could have a couple of redesigns. First, put some real wheels on this heavy babyevery generator I looked at had plastic wheels. Second the handle bar mechanism needs a minor change, If you pick up too quickly or in a bind situation the bars may slip out of the snap mechanism. A simple pin to lock it out would solve the problemI will retrofit mine.other negatives? Can't find any.
The quality build is exceptional compared to competitors. Commercial design and parts set this apart from most generators. A generator needs to be well built, well designed and is not meant to be a thing of beautydon't be fooled by the glitzy looking imposters that use old brand names but are now built out of the country
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I absolutely love this generator I have put over 100 hours on this unit since I purchased it last year at about this time. Combined with a Reliance transfer switch I had everything hooked up to 6 circuits in my house in about an hour. The generator started right up out of the box and has started reliably every since even when I use the manual pull start it fires right up.
I am powering everything from a 220 well pump to my dishwasher to my oil fired boiler/airhandler to my lights...oh, and of course my fridge,freezers and flat screen tv...with plenty of power to spare. And yes, having a dishwasher on my generator might be considered a bit excessive, but 8 days into an outage its looking pretty nice. I guess if I had to do it again though, I would go as far as adding my wash machine because around day 10 our clothes are starting to ripen a bit.
Some things about the generator:
Its loud...
Its very heavy...
It burns about 5 gallons at 1/3 load for 6-8 hours of use
Did I mention its loud?
You can use a Fram PH4967 oil filter in a pinch to substitute for the Generac filter.
I run the generator religiously once every 2-3 weeks for about 10 minutes
I change the oil/filter after every lengthy use regardless of what the hour meter says
During an outage I run it for about 8 hours a day, never over night
In fact, I am running the generator now as I write this on my laptop...I know a lot of people are shopping for generators now after Sandy so I want to make sure Generac gets a fair shake, despite some of the negative reviews...So 5 stars from me for this excellent product and here's to hoping I never have to use my generator again!
