Honda EU2200I (companion)

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Vtec

Makes me laugh, that was me. I bought two of those grills and around the time I was on the second my brother paid big bucks for a Weber, at least twice as much money as my second grill. I thought he was crazy at the time until mine was junk again in 2-3 years. I bit and bought a Weber in 1995, have replaced parts a few times and welded the frame as it rusted and I leave it out all year uncovered, but we both still are using them. I am way ahead and love my old Weber.

Me too. I contacted Weber just before warranty on burners ran out and they delivered a whole new set, gratis. I think they had a 10 year warranty.
Four burners, smoker burner, side burner.

[Vtec]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Me too. I contacted Weber just before warranty on burners ran out and they delivered a whole new set, gratis. I think they had a 10 year warranty.

I have found Weber customer service second to none. I self inflicted breaking a major part, called on a Friday about 3:30pm, they said that shouldn't have happened, overnighted the part free of charge on a holiday weekend, and I was grilling again Saturday night. I was really stupid, they were really great. Would buy again in a heartbeat.

And now you want to know stupid? I laid it in the back of a friends truck box with a plastic bed liner and topper. We had long things so had to leave the tailgate down. He goosed it in an intersection and it slid out the back onto the road and broke a lid hinge. Very stupid!

[J Ron]

I like my Honda, nothing else availablel when I bought but this Honda thing sounds emotional.

[dmad1]

Vtec- You may have seen my post a long time ago on the Airstream forum about a stupid thing I did with the gen. that now has 2000 hrs. on. About 12 yrs. ago, we were camping on a small blacktop area at the sand dunes. I had locked my gen. to the back bumper of my truck, hoping it would still be there the next morning. We did some night riding and decided we need to run to town and refill our fuel cans. Yep, we jumped into my truck and took off. I glanced through the mirror as I was driving off and couldn't see well out the back window. About that time, I remembered locking the gen. to the bumper. All I could see was a cloud of smoke as the little gen. tumbled across the blacktop behind the truck. When I got stopped, the gen. was still running and scraped up. I shut it down and checked the oil and gave it a pull and it never missed a beat.

[Vtec]

Originally Posted by dmad1

Vtec- You may have seen my post a long time ago on the Airstream forum about a stupid thing I did with the gen. that now has 2000 hrs. on. About 12 yrs. ago, we were camping on a small blacktop area at the sand dunes. I had locked my gen. to the back bumper of my truck, hoping it would still be there the next morning. We did some night riding and decided we need to run to town and refill our fuel cans. Yep, we jumped into my truck and took off. I glanced through the mirror as I was driving off and couldn't see well out the back window. About that time, I remembered locking the gen. to the bumper. All I could see was a cloud of smoke as the little gen. tumbled across the blacktop behind the truck. When I got stopped, the gen. was still running and scraped up. I shut it down and checked the oil and gave it a pull and it never missed a beat.

Is there a law for inhumane treatment of a generator as it was scarred for life? lol.

I don't leash anything to my bumper as I would certainly forget. And if anything goes on the roof of the car I leave the garage door remote at home. My cousin took his bikes off cleanly with the garage once. I always have this dumb "Hey who took the garage door remote?" comment before I remember why it's missing.

[Gene36542]

Originally Posted by J Ron

Evidently you have not checked out the other brand inverter generators They are as quite as Hondas.

I looked at the specs today, as listed by HF in their comparison. The Honda is indeed listed as quieter.

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by Vtec

Is there a law for inhumane treatment of a generator as it was scarred for life? lol.

I don't leash anything to my bumper as I would certainly forget. And if anything goes on the roof of the car I leave the garage door remote at home. My cousin took his bikes off cleanly with the garage once. I always have this dumb "Hey who took the garage door remote?" comment before I remember why it's missing.

Off topic, but a funny story none-the-less. My FIL was in the habit of laying his big (city provided) trash can over on the handle hooking it on the trailer ball and pulling it down his longish, somewhat sloped driveway to the street. One day he just kept going and 3 miles later he pulls into a gas station. When he went in to pay the attendant (who knew him) said: "where you going with the trash can Tom?"

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Gene36542

I looked at the specs today, as listed by HF in their comparison. The Honda is indeed listed as quieter.

I wouldn't use a few dB either way as the basis of my decision. The difference is not detectible to the human ear in field conditions. Features, price, reliability, durability, and repairability are much more important, and depending on their relative importance, could tip the scale either way.

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I wouldn't use a few dB either way as the basis of my decision. The difference is not detectible to the human ear in field conditions. Features, price, reliability, durability, and repairability are much more important, and depending on their relative importance, could tip the scale either way.

The biggest for me besides quiet is reliability. Nothing worse than being in a remote campsite and not being able to start it. That's been the number one selling point of the Honda. Change the oil when due, put gas it it, and it just works.

I have a Generac pressure washer that works well, when it works. I've replaced the carb and repaired other parts maybe 5 times to keep it running. Ugh.

[dmad1]

Because one of mine has so many hrs. on it, I run 40 weight oil in it at our lower altitude. A few years ago, we went to Co. and camped at 10k'. First morning I pulled and pulled trying to start it until one arm was longer than the other. Finally gave up and later in the day I began to wonder if a thinner viscosity oil would make a difference. Drove into town and picked up some 5-30 and it cranked right up. I am sure some of you have already found this out also. dm

[k0wtz]

was the weight of the oil changing the compression or what happened in your opinion with the lighter oil?

thanks

bob

[dmad1]

I think the oil was just to thick and was difficult to turn over. My guess is that 40 wt. at 10k' becomes like molasses at below freezing over night. I had actually gone looking for 30 wt. but it is pretty hard to find so ended up with the 5-30 which probably worked out best in the long run. We have been back a couple of times and I changed it before I leave home. That is the only change I made so I guess that was the problem. Honda does offer a leaner carb jet for higher altitude operation but I have never changed it. You do loose a little power at that height but I was not trying to run the a/c. Mainly keeping the batteries charged and running the microwave.

[Captain Dave]

VTEC, You seem to do a lot of supposing and suspecting but no facts. I have seen a couple cheap mopeds that wouldn't run too, I fixed them as well! One had a fouled spark plug due to it being a two stroke motor and the owner mixed too much oil, the other was a four stroke that was stored with out adding gas preservative, simple carb cleaning fixed that one. I do agree Honda has a great rep having owned so many but double the price??? NO!

[Vtec]

Originally Posted by Captain Dave

VTEC, You seem to do a lot of supposing and suspecting but no facts. I have seen a couple cheap mopeds that wouldn't run too, I fixed them as well! One had a fouled spark plug due to it being a two stroke motor and the owner mixed too much oil, the other was a four stroke that was stored with out adding gas preservative, simple carb cleaning fixed that one. I do agree Honda has a great rep having owned so many but double the price??? NO!

Supposing and suspecting? Have you attempted to buy parts for an off brand moped? I did and we concluded in both cases that it just wasn't worth repairing and sticking money into something that was that cheap to begin with. They were designed in my opinion to be good for a while and then discarded. And we weren't just talking simple plugs and fuel, the shallow stuff. More like rings/piston/head gasket and electrical system that needed complete replacing. And interesting, you say mixing oil/gas on mopeds? I am not aware of any mopeds being sold that way since the 1980's. And if you are mixing because the injector pump isn't working it's usually(almost always) because the operator ran it out of oil. Fluid pumps pump fluid not air and need to be re-primed.

I guess I should also clarify that a large part of my day job revolves around engines and mechanical stuff so I have been dealing with troubleshooting and repair constantly for well over 30 years. Besides that, I am the go to guy for family and friends for the same. And, my hobby is restoring four stroke, four valve, overhead cam, radial valve, hemispherical head, dual carb, dual sport motorcycles with my son, and currently have 4 of those. And all of these bikes were purchased non-running, are over 30 years old and run like the day they drove out of the dealership. Included are pictures of the latest rebuild of a head that needed valve reconditioning after sitting for 25 years.

My Honda generator is 4 years old. I could put up a craigslist ad tonight for $200 less than I paid for it and easily sell it in a couple of days. $50 bucks a year ain't too bad. I bought a used Honda snow blower, used it for 20 years, and sold it for the same price I originally paid last winter, so I used it for free in a sense. I get my overpriced money back when I am done with them.

There are two divergent schools of thought going on. Buy the cheapest thing you can buy, and many people think that's the best route. Or buy what you may think is the best value overall over the long haul. Do what makes you happy or what you think is right.

[Captain Dave]

Whew, did I touch a nerve? Suppose and suspect, Those were YOUR words! And, I guess what you said about two stroker mopeds not being around since the 80's indicates they last pretty long.

[redbarron55]

I believe that the lack of use is harder on these small generators than the use.
I have written up the differences I have found between the Harbor Freight older Predator (2500 w I think) and the Hondas.
After modifying the air cleaner they were the same dB on the meter at the same distance and power.
I have found that in cranking the instructions call for pulling the generator through 20 times slowly before trying to start (this is to prime the carb with the internal pump). If you do this they start right up.
It is far easier to pull slowly than put the effort into a starting style pull just ot get the gas into the carb...
I think I will go out later this morning as see if I can start my HF unit since it has been a while.
By the way the generators we had at work were started every month and run under load to get them fully warmed up. An emergency generator that won't run is poor planning.
By the way I would not hesitate to buy the new HF generator, but I would also suggest cranking it up, running it easy for a tank of fuel and then hard for a tank changing the oil and using synthetic oil.
We also put the little add on LCD hour meters on so that we knew when to change the oil.

[Joe & Cherie]

Not to take the thread off on a tangent - but if old fuel, non use, and no shutoff is the main issue with a Honda - one could always convert it to propane. I did that. Have not run it much yet except in the driveway but no regrets so far.

[Vtec]

Originally Posted by Captain Dave

Whew, did I touch a nerve? Suppose and suspect, Those were YOUR words! And, I guess what you said about two stroker mopeds not being around since the 80's indicates they last pretty long.

I repeat, there are no modern two stroke mopeds sold that require mixing oil and gas. None, nada. I was trying to be nice with the word suspect. They have been brought to me to repair and my opinion is you get what you pay for.

[k0wtz]

dave I have a mechanic just like you he is never scurrying around with that electronic thingee trying to impress people. he is in his 40s a natural born mechanic there are some as you know.


put you car in tell him what its doing he listens to you and your car within a few mins he has it figured out, most cases calls gets the part and an hour you are on your way!


here is Mo. we have state inspections I have never seen him take advantage of anyone but I know of mechanics who seem to want to do one job a day and loaf the rest you know what I am talking about!


bob

[redbarron55]

To report back on the starting technique of pulling through 20 times easily and slowly and then turning o the ignition I did that and it started up on the first pull with the ignition on!
Sometimes following instructions helps avoid frustrations.
The 2500 watt HF Predator has been sitting for probably more than 6 months.
Of course it had ethanol free fuel with Stabil and that would help any small engine.
I like for my stuff to actually start and run and I don't particularly enjoy cleaning and rebuilding carbs.
I just got an old Mercury (Force) Sport Jet running properly in a Hobie Skiff Jet Fisherman and the carbs and lots more needed attention!
If I could just figure a way to take my boat with the Scamp now!