Predator Generator Load Test - Fail?

[@conley822731]

If it has the torch spark plug i would change it out. My 6000 watt generator was misfiring and that was the problem. Put a ngk spark plug in it and over 100 hours later and runs like a champ.

[@The_Happy_Aviation_Enthusiast]

Don’t forget about generator safety as well kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2LNhWZ3g6qBrKs here’s a video about keeping your family safe while using generators. It’s very important. Thank you

[@Ryan96se]

This appears to be more of an engine issue. I would suspect low compression (easily tested) or a weak ignition coil. Also I have seen faulty oil protection circuits kick in and cut the spark under load so may want to try temporary bypassing that switch, trying a new plug. Also make sure the air filter box is not leaking air around gaskets and that all of the air filter components and crankcase recirculation hoses are in place. The carb will lean out under full load without the air resistance of the filter and its foam pad. Hope this helps

[@2005Pilot]

I’m about to load test my freebie 8k gen with Dryer & a couple small heaters 🤞

[@crisprtalk6963]

Now you got me thinking James... I need to test my 9 year old Predator 4000 out. I just plugged the stuff in I wanted and that was that. I never measured the load. I need to go get a couple space heaters from a neighbors house!!

[@jcondon1]

Let me know how yours does.

[@crisprtalk6963]

@@jcondon1 OK I tested it today. My generator is the 3200/4000 watt Predator as I said. The engine just says 212cc engine.. not sure of the hp it puts out. I used no extension cords. I had two space heaters going full , each one rated at 1500 W. I had one Harbor freight oscillating tool rated at 1.6A (not sure of watts used), had one Hitachi drill rated at 680watts (6amps it says). All four were going full on and the generator didn't struggle at all. No stalling. Even though it is 9 years old it really has not been used much at all. So mine took 3680 + the wattage of the oscillating tool.

[@sharedknowledge6640]

Sadly the voltage regulator in many Chinese generators is poorly designed. When you start to approach rated load it goes into a death spiral cranking up the field instead of letting the voltage sag a bit. The higher field puts even more load on the engine causing it to quickly stall. A proper design will reach maximum field current with the engine 5 - 10% under rated speed (governed throttle wide open). This avoids the death spiral and rapid stall observed here. The other part of course is the Chinese love to exaggerate their specs. It’s funny how generators with the same Honda clone engines have crept up in their ratings as they try to out spec each other

[@ewicky]

Agreed. In the spirit of "working with what you've got," I would also suggest simply tuning the voltage down a smidge to really maximize the usefulness of the generator. 125V vs 115V (or 250V vs 230V) will still be enough voltage for your loads, but in the case of resistive loads, will exponentially reduce their amps draw as well. For example, a space heater being fed 125V and set to high will pull 12 amps. That same heater, still set to high, will only pull 11 amps if the voltage is reduced to 115V. This won't actually "make more power." In fact, it makes less power, but that's my point. It maximizes the USEFULNESS of the gen. It allows you to plug in more things, and each of those things will still do their job, but just slightly less power to do so. On a fully loaded gen, that is the difference between it stalling and not stalling. Especially with clone AVRs, more voltage is not more better. Lower voltage is almost always going to be more useful.

[@mikeg3529]

I have experienced this before with no name generators. I had two with identical knock off Honda clone 6.5 engines, both ran flawlessly both had clean carbs, yet one will actually hold a full 3,000 watts and run it all day and the other would bog and stall around the same as this predator, 2,800 watts. I never figured it out, I chalk it up to possible carbon buildup or a small compression loss on the unit that couldn't do the full 3kw. Something that was robbing just a tiny bit of power.

[@tonisam962]

Everyone really needs to watch this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2LNhWZ3g6qBrKs it’s very important

[@mennoregts208]

It sure sounds like a engine issue. If you have a compression tester, use it before spending money. Further those Honda clones tend to have poorly adjusted valve clearance and very low quality spark plugs and lead. The best bet is to buy an original Honda spark plugs lead and a high quality spark plug and check the valve timing. That should not be too expensive and might solve your problem.

[@larzlarz7005]

How many years had it been stored without fresh fuel, oil and sparkplug before trying this? I have the same generator. I use it as a whole house backup when power goes out. I've tripped circuit breakers on it many times without the engine having a hiccup. They recommend changing the fuel and oil every year, but I only change it every two years. 8 years old and still working flawlessly.

[@jcondon1]

Have since worked on others of the same model and they ran fine.

[@triciaparks128]

Seems to have oil in air filter..help

[@mghattendorf]

I have a Predator inverter genny and it will pop a breaker before the engine bogs down or dies. Did you figure this one out or no?

[@jcondon1]

mghattendorf never did

[@s.pursell8901]

You need new spark plugs. Only buy NGK and make sure they are set to the correct gap. Change your fuel out and run Startron in every tank of fuel. Itll keep the fuel up to 5 years if you dont run it.

[@jonmanuel4597]

I watched this one again after all the others and I am more educated. I am pretty sure you don’t still have it but could anything have been done to improved the wattage output? Or is it just misrepresented on the genie and it’s output is less then advertised ?

[@jcondon1]

I do not have it anymore. Not sure if this was misrepresented. Was hoping others could tell me. Otherwise it was most likely a valve/timing/top end issue. Could be fixed, but not sure predator engine parts are available.

[@warrenporter302]

i have this same genset with the same results im thinkin it was mislabeled at the factory

[@Snailmailtrucker]

First off it says to use the Top plug inlets first...You're also using an extension cord plugged into a bottom Plug..... Each outlet is only rated 13 amps ! but, I Liked your Video and Subscribed because you gave it a good try !

[@bondscalper]

you need a ngk spark plug

[@tonisam962]

Everyone really needs to watch this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2LNhWZ3g6qBrKs there’s an important advice on this video that everyone needs to know. Thank you

[@gv280z]

I know this is old but still relevant. I currently have the same issue with Sportsman 6.5hp 4000 / 3250 giving me right at about 1650 before engine stall, maybe 7 amps total on both outlets, can't run a 13A circular saw with out stall. New carb, fresh oil, new coil with proper gap, new plug, new brushes, making 122 volts. I'm at a loss. Next will be check valve lash and adjust, maybe run some seafom for a tank.

[@jcondon1]

Try it with the choke on partially. If better, then most likely the jetting is too lean. Valves could also do it.

[@ewicky]

The only generators that rival Predator for being the worst is Sportsman.

[@foxwood67]

Hi im not a electrical engineeror generator expert by any means but from what i see some of the problems are that you are supposed to use the upper plug first . Next an extension cord is a big no no on the heater( too much voltage drop). Next get a twist lock pigtail and utilize the locking plug as I don't thing you are balancing the load on generator properly. Plug 1st heater into upper left outlet and 2nd heater into the twistlock . I wouldn't doubt that the predators claimed running watts are a bit inflated anyway. I do know that motor is running fine sounds it anyway. Btw i have a 5500 Running watt predator with about 40 hours on it and its been great although ive never test the actual output. Good luck thanks for posting🙂

[@jcondon1]

Someone else mentioned the top plug thing. Cannot see why that would matter. Might just be their way of keeping it simple. The outlet on the left is one 13A leg and the one on the right is the other 13A leg. As long as you spread the load on either side, top or bottom should not matter. This generator can do 3200 continuous watts (1600 on each leg). I put ~1500 watts on each leg and it stalled. A 6.5 HP engine should do up to 4800 watts before stalling. Was mostly curious if they were over stating the power of the engine or if the issue was just with my generator. Definitely have to be careful with extension cords and heavy loads. I used a short 25' 12 gauge cord rated at 20 amps, so voltage drop should not have been much of an issue. Would not recommend running a space heater on a cord, but if you do would not do anything less gauge wise. The 30 amp L14-30 plug has the same two legs shared by the outlets, so balancing is still necessary either way. Thanks for the feedback. I do like the Predator Generators, was just surprised at the lack of power on this one.

[@foxwood67]

@@jcondon1 Yep some helpful info for me here. I like the predator line as well. I also have a way old HF Chicago electric 2800 peak with a Robins Subaru 6hp motor. I've had it close to 20 years and it still runs awesome. 👍

[@karirautio]

If the extension cord drops voltage there is more resistance and then the load is SMALLER and easier for generator.

[@GeorgiaRidgerunner]

You said in the video ..the generator is running slow....idle the engine up it has to run at it's Max rpm ...it should be listed in your owners manual ...

[@jcondon1]

I have another video on this generator where I go through the carb and set the engine speed. Originally it was running at 3850 rpm. Had to bring it down closer to 3600 at no load.

[@jacpost5923]

Hello James. Its been a while since you posted this video and wondered if you ever came up with a possible explanation for this issue. I have a small 1100Watt John Deere (Robin/Subaru) portable generator that produces around 600 watts with no issues. It immediately stalls when I try to get it to generate 700W. The generator is designed for 900running watts and 1100 Watts at peak so it should be able to do it. Let me know if you or anyone else have any thoughts on this ...Thanks again for the excellent content. cheers from Ontario Canada

[@jcondon1]

I never figured this one out. Would bet though it was running lean. Try adding a little choke and see if you can get to 700 or 900 watts. If you can, then the carburetor is running lean. Cleaning it might help, otherwise might need to drill a jet. Just worked on a 1400 watt generator recently that would stall at 750 watts. Tried a new carb, no change. Ended up drilling both the main jet and the pilot jet to solve the problem. If choking the engine does not help, then would look at the valve clearance next, followed by a leak down test to see if compression is leaking excessively from somewhere.

[@jacpost5923]

@@jcondon1 Hello James and Thanks for the info. Here are the results. I tried again while giving it choke to no avail. A compression test produced 90 psi which seemed strange to me since it has a decompression mechanism. After adjusting the valves the compression result was 60 psi. While I had the cowlings off I inspected the generator side and it all looked good. I cleaned the slip rings and put it back together. I followed the same incremental loading procedure and when I got to 700 watts it kept running. I was shocked. After scrambling for 1/2 hr. finding appliances that would get me to 900 watts I plugged them in and VOILA ...just shy of 900W and still going. However, It immediately stalled while trying to add a 50 watt load. The only thing left for me to try is to clean the carb in an u/s cleaner or drill out the jets which at this point I don't want to risk . I am very satisfied with the results. Not sure if adjusting the valves did it or cleaning the brushes maybe or both???. (The leak down test read 20%). Many thanks Sir

[@rg1599]

Use high quality extension cords that are as short as possible. There is a lot of resistance from long cords that are small gauge wire.

[@jcondon1]

rg1599 yes, that yellow cord was a 12 gauge 25’ cord. Should have handled 15 amps without issue.

[@tonisam962]

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[@karirautio]

If the extension cord drops voltage then there is more resistance and the load is SMALLER and easier for generator.

[@justsayin7937]

@Kari Rautio no sir. A voltage drop is indeed part of the load.

[@hjooy]

Don't think it makes a huge difference but you should measure the power at the gen-set outlet instead of at the heater. Don't know what gauge cables you using but there could be quite some resistance which will added to the power demand the gen-set measures.

[@jcondon1]

I agree. The cord was 12 gauge so voltage drop would be minimal, but was really just looking to see the hertz.

[@karirautio]

When there is more resistance then the load is SMALLER and you need less power, not more.

[@nicks.carter574]

LOW OIL? WON'T RUN AT ALL ! "SAFETY SWITCH"

[@tonisam962]

Everyone really needs to watch this video about generator safety kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2LNhWZ3g6qBrKs please watch it.

[@GeorgiaRidgerunner]

Looks like you could be overloading that generator I'm sure both of those heaters are 15 amp ...but the fuses are 13 amp

[@jcondon1]

They were 15 amps each on full. Would have been satisfied if the fuse had blown. That generator has a 6.5 horse power engine. That should be able to make 4500 watts (assuming the alternator is capable). Was not expecting it to stall at around 2900 watts. .

[@bellyacre1]

@@jcondon1 Yes, I just bought a new one. When hooked to 15 amp air compressor. The generator shakes violently before blowing breakers. The motor does not stall. I have hooked to 2 box heaters similar to yours. Mine are 12.5 amp. And 1300 watt on low. I have not tried on high yet. Anything over 13 amp would blow the breaker on mine.

[@jcondon1]

bellyacre1 the compressor is an inductive load and probably draws close to 30+ amps to start up. I assume it is a 120 volt compressor so you will be limited to half the amps the generator is rated for since it splits the power over two 120 volt legs to get 240v. You probably need a larger generator or one that delivers all the power on 120 volts instead of 2 120 volt legs.

[@jcondon1]

Breakers and 120/240 aside, a 6.5 HP engine should be able to start a 40 amp surge. The issue I had is that the engine was stalling at around 25 amps. Sounds like your engine might not be deliving the 6.5 HP as advertised.

[@nicks.carter574]

REGULATOR IS BEHIND THE AIR INDUCTION COVER, IT REGULATES THE CURRENT FLOW, THE BRUSHES ARE THERE ALSO ! 4375. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 NO CURRENT ? REPLACE ONE, OR BOTH...

[@nelsonsandoval7406]

you have to read the manual the two connections have to be connected both sides not in a single outlet

[@The_Happy_Aviation_Enthusiast]

Hope you stay safe and carefully use your portable generator kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2LNhWZ3g6qBrKs here’s a video about keeping your family safe while using generators especially children should be safe as well. Just hoping everyone stays safe especially during power outages. Thank you

[@alanchatfield5533]

Could have low voltage safety protection cut out for spark, as you say engine speed isn't high enough at max idle anyway, that's your first problem, you need to see 240v without load for first test, you can adjust voltage at idle with adjustment of the idle screw on the carb for engine speed. 240 to 250v is safe, I would say your biggest problem here tho is that you engine governor isn't adding fuel when load is applied, check to see if it's moving freely, also don't be to upset to not see it doing the full current output so long as the voltage drop isn't to high, 2500 watts at 240v is safe, 3500 watts at 200v is a big no no

[@owenglenn4298]

Is it just me of is he running it with the fuel valve closed and then opening it when he shuts it down?

[@miker3454]

I guess James has gotten rid of the genny anyway, but the first thing that occurred to me wasn't voltage, but amperage. Heaters draw a lot of amps and that might be exceeding the 13A per circuit - even though he's below the max voltage - and killing the engine.

[@chuckbennett8993]

My dad would have flipped his lid. You are literally heating the whole outdoors.

[@The_Happy_Aviation_Enthusiast]

Please be careful using portable generators kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2LNhWZ3g6qBrKs here’s an advice about keeping your family safe while using generators. Thank you

[@hjooy]

Remove the air intake filter. Put high octane fuel. Increase running speed adjuster.

[@victorharris5745]

Heater has a starting wattage so when it cycles on and off that total plus the combination of the other devices surge pass the total wattage

[@hjooy]

Don't thing so. These heaters tend to have cos phi of 1.

[@karirautio]

No, heater is resistive load, no extra current at start. Only the small fan is inductive and takes a little more at start.

[@илгамганиев]

+

[@nunyabiznaz1810]

If you want to get the max out of these generators get a AC WORKS L14-30 30Amp 4-Prong Locking Generator Distribution Cord (1.5FT L14-30 to Four 15/20A Household) from amazon. I can run my fridge, deep freezer, 5k btu window a/c and 32 inch flat screen at the same time on this exact generator and handles it like a champ

[@The_Happy_Aviation_Enthusiast]

Be careful using portable generators kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2LNhWZ3g6qBrKs here’s an advice about generator safety and keeping your family safe while using generators. Especially children should be safe as well. Thank you

[@you166mhz]

that's what I'm talking about ... I did buy a 3prong outlet adapter like yours and I don't have a problem ... good call ..

[@wvj78]

Buy a honda.