12_Guy

If one of you guys can get it to Portland's May swap meet, I could pick it up and bring to RPRU.

What is the pump HP? Your small generator may run it if it's not too big, provided it will make 240V as discussed earlier. If it's over 1HP, and that may be pushing things, it ain't gonna happen.

Some smaller generators, while they only have a 120V duplex outlet, actually produce 240V power. The duplex has the jumper ear broken off and one leg of the 240 powers each receptacle. You can check this by measuring the voltage between the two hot pins. These may have two circuit breakers next to the duplex. You would have to do some funny wiring and it would not be up to code but could be useable. The other problem is weather the smaller genny will start the pump. We don't know the pump HP.

Kohler. I'd love to have one. Simple and durable.

Find a local dealer who you know or who seems trustworthy. Ask for references if you don't know. Being able to get service when you need it is way more important than the brand name. They all have a warranty. I've seen just about every brand some I liked more than others. They all have pluses and minuses. I usually get involved with other brands because their owners cannot get anyone to work on them. Usually bought through a big box and then the installer is gone. The owner is left hanging because the installer is never coming back. I installed a 20kw Briggs a few years back for a customer of ours. We did some HVAC work for him but he didn't really know what else we did. He bought the Briggs online thinking it was a do it yourself project. He found out quite quickly that he was in way over his head. One of the HVAC tech's was there and he was telling his tale of woe. Our tech told him that we did generator work as well and that we could help him. We now do all of his work plumbing, HVAC, electrical and genny's. I can't really say anything bad about the Briggs. I haven't ever worked on their smaller vertical unit but like Seth said, if you need tools just to get inside to check the oil, that's not good.

Hydraulic pump shaft seal leak?? You did say engine oil but just thought someone should ask.

Great pics. Thanks for taking us along. Your little has a good start on becoming a great helper. Look like a good time. Sorry to hear about your mil. Helping parents as they age can be exhausting.

On Kohler's vertical unit, the alternator cooling air is discharged at the engine/ alternator junction. One would think that any oil leaks should blow oil all around that area. I can't say I've ever seen anything on any of my units. We've installed dozens of them. Kohler has been building generators for around a hundred years. Pretty sure they were building generators long before they built lawn mower engines. Back then they were called light plants. They were the first to build an automatic starting generator. Briggs, Winco, Generac, and others are relative Johnny come latelys to the generator market. And yes, Kohler also builds engines. Pretty decent ones from what I know. Good enough to take full engine horsepower from either end of the crankshaft. Not sure if other engine manufacturers can say that. As Seth said, find a dealer who will stand behind you and their product. That's way more important than brand name. Service after the sale is what will keep it running when you need it most.

Yep, lots of ZTR mowers use them.

First off, most all of these air cooled engines have other uses such as lawnmowers. Winco used to use Briggs engines as did Generac years ago. As far as I know, Kohler has always used their own air cooled engines. Briggs and Kohler engines have of course been built for mowers, pumps etc. I believe Generac has also sold engines to OEM's for mowers and such. Second, vertical crankshaft engines have been built for decades. At first, I have to admit, I was sceptical of hanging an alternator on the bottom of one. The vertical crank does allow for a much smaller footprint of the generator. Also, considering the relatively low hours these engines normally get, it's not likely that a seal will wear out any time soon. Even if the seal does leak, with regular maintenance, the leak should be noticed and repaired before it could ever cause any serious damage. Kohler has been building their smaller, air cooled, vertical generators for several years now and I have installed a bunch of them with no issues. I'm pretty sure that the larger Briggs generators are horizontal shaft.

Such a terrible thing. Looks like several things went wrong here. If the driver survived the accident they are going to have a heavy burden to carry.

Some AHJ's require the generator to be able to provide enough power to handle the full load of the site. They do not make any allowances for a generator's ability to shed loads. Load shedding allows you to make use of a smaller generator instead of having a large unit running lightly loaded most of the time. This of course is a cost saving measure not necessarily the best practice. In my opinion it's a balancing act of sorts.

McMaster-Carr has bandsaw tires. Rubber tires are glued on. They also polyurethane tires that are supposed to last longer. I think they are heated up and stretched onto the wheel.

Yeah that's gonna leave a mark. Warranty work always sux. I agree that JB would probably be a good fix especially if it was yours or possibly out of warranty.

The story I heard was that the plant in Mexico that made the wiring harnesses was using peanut oil to lubricate the wire as they slid them into the plastic wire loom. Must be like candy for the rodents. This was two different Ford pickups that I have owned.