On Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:15:55 -0700, "Richard W." wrote:

Wow, thanks very much for the specific information. I'm on craig's list
now
and they seem to start out at about $400.

FYI, my home standby generator is a 70's- era Onan 4CCK that once was a
standby generator for a traffic signal. They are pretty simple to work
on,
parts and information are still generally available, and the gang at the
Onan board at Smokstak.com (including Bruce) gives amazing support.

Vaughn

I'm not up on the Onan model numbers, but if anyone is talking about
the old opposed-twin flat heads for a backup generator, I wouldn't
think those would be a great choice except for low-use applications.
My neighbor was fond of them because he could get them for peanuts,
which was a good thing because he seemed to have gone through quite a
few. They didn't seem especially reliable, quiet, or fuel efficient.
I'd think that the fuel inefficiency alone of flat-heads makes them
uneconomical for extended use. I'm not even sure that the 1800 RPM is
any great advantage. Better 3600 RPM engines last a long time if
properly cared for, and one can throttle most engines down to a lower
speed if planned for.


Seeing as we're talking about generators I have a question. I've read, from a few places' that small
generators should be "exercised" at least once a month. I'm assuming that means run with a load on
the generator. Why is that ??? Will the generator screw up if it isn't used frequently ???

Thanks
Brian