Are Briggs and Stratton generators any good?

G'Day
Briggs and Stratton make good sea anchors. . . . . . just like GME radios make good wheel chocks, mind you this is just my experience with them both!
If you buy cheap, expect cheap.
Cheers
A.J

Funny you should say that AJ cos B&S are not usually all that cheap. I spent a number of years on the land and got to use several B&S motors on anything from water pumps to augers and concrete mixers as well as the mower i have now. Most people i have met swear by their reliability. What IS your experience with them?

Hi Brew
My experience with B&S engines was on a ride on mower, 16hp engine that ran for about 15 hours then died, (broken push rod) had it rebuilt, ran for maybe 20 hours and died, (broken push rod) had a brand new motor fitted, and all it did was burn valves. It was not used in "extreme conditions" and it also had it's 8 hour oil change at the dealer I purchased it from on both occasions. I spose at this point I should say it was a four stroke, but it was still a B&S engine. As far as GME go, I got sick of blowing fuses with the TX 3400 I had, and before you jump on me, I know they aren't really big enough to actually be a wheel chock, but you get the idea.

AJ I had a similar experience with one too but the reason was no delivery procedure so no oil. Conrod through the block. I have never seen any other but a 4 stroke B&S. Can hardly count the number of B&S motors I have had around as Brew says, augers, generators, fire pumps and mowers. I would rather have some other brands like Honda and Kawasaki stationary motors but they have been ok

GME radios have been good as far as I am concerned. The only one troubling has been the less than $100 handheld that is a puzzle. Not sure how many 3200s we have and a 4400 that have all been very reliable. You just got unlucky

Seller must of only set up his account recently. I think you will find he is a regular on the Overlander forums and is legit.

Leroy

Thanks Leroy,
That's handy to know,

Geoff.

I know the seller personally, he's legit and its all good. He owns the big mower shop
(Western mowers & chainsaws) just near Toongabbi railway station in Sydney.

My experience is exactly the opposite. Victas have given me so much grief and my trusty B&S has only ever not started first pull once in 6 years.

Here we go. . . . . Holden v Ford. . . . . God forbid, Nissan v Toyota. . . . .LMFAO

OK, found it on e-bay and some specs here:

Site Link

It's a bit heavy and a bit noisey and it only produces 750W continuous but it's not a bad price at $500 for a quality engine 4 stroke gen (_if_ it sells for that!?). Personally I would either go GMC cheapie or spend another $200 and buy the Kipor.

Mike Harding

Mike,
The EBay advertisement he references says the following,

"INDUSTRY RATED AT 0.94KW WITH REAL POWER OF 0.75KW MAKING THEM PERFECT TO RUN LIGHTS, FRIDGES, TV'S ETC."

"Starting bid AU $500.00"

"THIS UNIT RETAILS FOR $988.00"

I'm not to sure what the difference between "Industry Rated at 0.94kw" and "Real Power of 0.75kw" is. Beyond the fact they are probably infering this 1kva generator is good for 750 watts continuous and/or inductive load.

Geoff.

Google knows all,
They have a Mitsubishi donk, BSQ1000

Geoff.

The 940W is a surge rating for motor starting and that kind of thing for a short period of time - a few seconds maybe?

The gen is rated to supply 750W continuous into a load with a power factor close to 1, ie. a lamp or a heater etc.

It is a nasty little marketing habit of late to specify these small gens by their peak (surge) power and not their continuous rating.

Mike Harding

I agree, it's a marketing ploy that relies on the purchaser having nil electrical knowledge.
True, the 750watts would be at a Power Factor of 1.

Nearly got me, I read the weight and saw 25. Then remembered it was pounds son, pounds. Therefore on par with the Honda's and Kipor's.

Geoff.

Yikes, I gave the B&S the benefit of the doubt, they are crackin heavy for 1kva. According to Mikes link they really are 25kg's.

See, Honda EU10i is only 12kg's from their 1kva!!

Geoff.

All it says is 25....is that pounds or kgs?

Hi Brew,
The link I posted just said 25, the link Mike posted actually says 25kg.

Not sure but I hope it's 25lb's not 25kg's!!

Geoff.

Had No Experience with there generators, But Have had bridge&stratton engines on three mowers, Heaps of Crap don" last , Alloy bores slightest contamination and there stuffed.

Cheers Axle

I noted the B&S was 63 and Honda was 52 Db the Db Kipor 54~59 Db all at 7 M

as Db is a logarithmic scale it is masively louder

Sure has been rebadged on the engine front at least.
Follow this link, BSQ1000 and you'll find the engine is actually a Mitsubishi.
No mention of the source for the electrics.

Geoff.

agree Rusty,, best when you provide evidence as you have done so well above.

Cheers Barry