When we evaluated radio properties for potential purchase, the lack of a genset capable of pulling the plant and one capable for the studio was needed. If there were none or a Generac (fondly called junkerac by a lot of my peers in the industry)the price of a genset(s) was part of the evaluation.

--johnny

My 2 cents worth. It kinda comes down to the question, "Are you the kind of
guy who wants to just fix it to get through today, or a Once and it is done
forever guy". Generac runs at 3600 rpm, Onan at 1800 rpm. One is a pot
metal engine, one old school cast iron. One will outlive you, one won't.
Your choice.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon

On Sun, Sep 22, 2019, 8:04 AM tonka6cuda6--- via Gmclist <
gmclist@list.gmcnet.org> wrote:

> Johnny Bridges wrote on Sun, 22 September 2019 10:34
>> When we evaluated radio properties for potential purchase, the lack of a
> genset capable of pulling the plant and one capable for the studio was
>> needed. If there were none or a Generac (fondly called junkerac by a
> lot of my peers in the industry)the price of a genset(s) was part of the
>> evaluation.
>>
>> --johnny
>
> So your basically saying the price is directly proportional to the
> quality?
> --
> Rich Mondor,
>
> Brockville, ON
>
> 77 Hughes 2600
>
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Why put in units that are discontinued,
We can quote very competitive price on Onan.
Plus ski you what to do to install

On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 8:51 AM Johnny Bridges via Gmclist <
gmclist@list.gmcnet.org> wrote:

> We didn't concern ourselves as much about price as about longterm
> reliability. When I retired, one of our plants had a Dear John and one had
> a
> Kohler. They were reliable but cost a bit more in the long run to
> maintain than the Onans we had at the other three plants and studios. Most
> reliable was a 30KW Onan which had a 300 CID Ford truck motor running on
> natural gas with a propane backup system.
>
> --johnny
>
>
> --
> Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
> Braselton, Ga.
> I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me
> in hell
>
>
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--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
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The only onan I would pass on is a used Microlite. They're 3600RPM units, and the first ones had a bit of a problem making moving parts round, which led to early failures. We went through four or five before they got their act together and quit failing commutators/ignition stuff and the like. The last ones we got seemed to be OK. Before I'd buy a used one, I'd find out when it was made and if it's an early one, shine it on. I took one back to Ricky (best Onan tech ever) and he quietly pointed to a pile of them in the corner of the shop. His advice was skip it for a few months, they're supposed to be correcting the problem. I bought a two-bit Ryobi and let the remote kids use it until it croaked about a year in at which point Ricky said the new Onans were solid. They were. Jimmy the K may have a better insight into this, it's merely our experience with them in Georgia heat in the big city running five - six hours at a time, but a couple of dog friends who had them had the same troubles till they got newer ones.

--johnny

wrote on Sun, 22 September 2019 14:08]RickM,
While the Honda's are damned good units, they won't outlive an old school onan, and they cost as much or more than the Onan to fix when they fail.

As I suggested a while back, check Craigslist, Facebook market place, Kijiji etc. In the northern NY areas I frequently see Onan gensets suitable for use in our coaches. I also see the occasional EV series Honda water cooled, but they still sell on the high side, and are getting harder to find in good shape. There are a couple of Onan 4000w RV units for ~$500 currently on FB Marketplace in the New England area. There is also a 2800 microlite unit available.

A road trip is the best way to get them because you get to evaluate the genset before committing.


Les Burt
Montreal
'75 Eleganza 26'


> On Sep 22, 2019, at 12:58 PM, James Hupy via Gmclist wrote:
>
> Back when I still was gainfully employed by the Oregon Department of
> Corrections as a Vocational Instructor in the Small Engine/Power Mechanics
> trade program, I had many occasions to work on projects from other
> government agencies. One of the more common projects were back up
> emergency generators in various sizes, from 10 KW to 30 KW. Various fuels
> powered them, Natural Gas, Propane, Diesel, Gasoline, and Bio-gas, a
> by-product of the sewage treatment process. Far and away, the most popular
> plants were Cummins/Onan running on natural gas or propane from 1000 gallon
> tanks.
> Requirements for emergency back-up equipment required a quick startup
> procedure that was triggered by an interruption of electricity. All of the
> plants had included as part of their maintenance schedules, at least
> monthly testing. Some in sensitive agencies were more frequent. So, I saw
> them fairly often. Frequent oil changes on a calendar timetable, not hours
> of use. Battery maintenance, cables, switch gear all got their fair share.
> I saw very few Generac or Honda plants. Waukesha and Cummings
> predominated the market.
> Should tell you something about reliability.
> Jim Hupy
> Salem, Oregon
>
> On Sun, Sep 22, 2019, 9:28 AM Jim Kanomata via Gmclist gmclist@list.gmcnet.org> wrote:
>
>> Why put in units that are discontinued,
>> We can quote very competitive price on Onan.
>> Plus ski you what to do to install
>>
>> On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 8:51 AM Johnny Bridges via Gmclist > gmclist@list.gmcnet.org> wrote:
>>
>>> We didn't concern ourselves as much about price as about longterm
>>> reliability. When I retired, one of our plants had a Dear John and one
>> had
>>> a
>>> Kohler. They were reliable but cost a bit more in the long run to
>>> maintain than the Onans we had at the other three plants and studios.
>> Most
>>> reliable was a 30KW Onan which had a 300 CID Ford truck motor running on
>>> natural gas with a propane backup system.
>>>
>>> --johnny
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
>>> Braselton, Ga.
>>> I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me
>>> in hell
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> GMCnet mailing list
>>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>>> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>>>
>> --
>> Jim Kanomata
>> Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
>> jimk@appliedairfilters.com
>> http://www.appliedgmc.com
>> 1-800-752-7502
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>>
> _______________________________________________
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