The Best Features:
- 10,000 Watts Surge/8,000 Watts Continuous
- Four 120 volt AC outlets, one 120 volt 30 amp locking outlet
- 7 gallon fuel tank with gauge provides up to 8 hour run time at 1/2 load.
- Non-CARB compliant/Not for sale in California
A Solid Emergency Power Source By Robert C. Bickle
At first the lack of reviews and some issues discussed with other models made me leery of this purchase, but after research on other sites and talking to people here in the Northeast who used their generators after the ice storms heavily, I decided on this generator and I am very pleased. The generator arrived promptly, in excellent condition, was put in my garage for me, and took me all of 15 minutes to go from in the box to running. With the battery start, I know that my wife can start his up and key warm if we loose power in the winter, even if I am at work.
+ Easy set-up. Box to power in less than 15 minutes. Only tools needed is a box knife, socket set, and a box wrench.
+ Quick Start Guide. Really every thing you need to know to put it together and get it running.
+ Easy start. Kicked right over on the first turn of the key and the choke was off within a minute
+ Fuel Gauge. Some sites said it didn't have one, but it does.
+ Low Oil Shutoff. Some sites said it did not have one, but it does
+ Battery. Later I complain about what this unit did not include in the box, but they did include the battery. Some generators do not.
+ Weather Protectors. There are rubber covers over the power connections. Although this unit is not rain-proof, it dies keep moisture at a minimum.
+ Battery Trickle Charger. Plug in your generator to trickle charge the starter battery to keep it at its peak readiness.
+ Large Wheels. In conjunction with he fold down handle, rolls around easily.
+ Looks Good. Okay. it's a generator, but it does look nice.
Neutral - Noise. Although not as quiet as a Honda, this unit is about the same noise level as my lawn tractor. Tolerable, but not great.
Neutral - Oil Fill Location. Instructions say a funnel is optional to fill the oil. I recommend using one if you want to keep oil off the floor.
Minus - What it Does NOT Come With. Many generators include a power cord, fuel stabilizer, a funnel, etc. The only thing you get with this generator is the oil and the starter battery. Is it too much to ask that you get everything you need out of the box and don't need to run about buying the pieces? It is not like these are inexpensive items to begin with. (NOTE - This is not unique to this unit or this company. As you research, you will find that different companies include different things).
Update - In October 2011 the NE suffered a early snow and this caused power to go out at my home for four days. The generator supplied us power for the entire four days and ran without issue. By balancing our load, not use any heavy demand items (oven, stove top, dryer, AC, etc.) and keeping the generator fueled (burned just under a gallon an hour on full load) we lived normally. My only complaint is that the keyed socket for the generator cable appears NOT to be the quality I would have liked and removal of the cable after the power came on was difficult and I could see damage to the socket.
Update #2 - Maybe it is and October event, but the East Coast suffered another serious storm in October 2012 knocking out power in my area for a day. The generator had no real use since October 2011 (although I do run it under load once a month and use fuel stabilizer). The generator started right up and supplied us power for the duration. Again, other than the noise of he generator, you would have not known we were without power. As far as I can see, it looks and runs like brand new. I remain very satisfied with my purchase.Very questionable quality By Renaissance Man
After waiting almost a month for it to come in stock Amazon finally shipped my 30471. No problems with the delivery or the state of packaging. Once opened the box I was surprised to see that manufacturing date was January 2010 which did not give me a warm fuzzy feeling about it. Upon further inspection I have noticed that inside base of the metal fuel tank is already have early indicators of rusting. To top it off, after fueling it up almost to a full, the fuel gauge is not working and sitting at empty. A call to Briggs only added further frustration as the woman answered the phone after 20+ minute hold time (which was suppose to be only 3 minutes as per the automated system) was the nastiest, most unhelpful customer I every had with my entire dealing with any customer support line. I was expecting any minute for for her to curse me for calling the customer support. First she says she can't find anything in English on the unit and then she claims that there is no gas gauge on that model and I must be talking about the gas cap. Upon convincing her that there is a gas gauge she finally finds it. She tells me that she is not sure if they have any fuel gauges available, if they do !!!! she would send me one. I asked if there would be instructions included on how to install the replacement gauge, she started to bark NO, it is just 2 screws holding it and if I am not comfortable doing it I should take it to a service center. So, this is the kind a sub human service you will get from Briggs apparently. Very promising for my future purchases. Briggs if you give the a damn about customer service, you should listen to your customer service call recording.
Anyway, the generator appears to work as it should otherwise and the battery had full change on it and started without issues. With all the rust starting to creep on the metal fuel tank you should make sure to install a fuel filter on the gas line before your engine gets destroyed...Great Generator That Got Us Through the Aftermath of Irene By Kenneth Brown
This generator functioned very well when we needed it. During Hurricane Irene, we lost power. Fortunately, we had installed a generator connection sub-panel. This generator worked perfectly to give us the power we needed until our electricity was restored.
The generator came well-packaged with easy to understand instructions. The wheel kit was the only thing that needed to be assembled. After attaching the negative wire to the battery and adding some oil, the machine was ready to go. After making sure that the fuel feed was in the "on" position, the generator started on the first try with the key-start. Although it is not "quiet," it is probably more quiet than other generators with similar power ratings. For the money, this is a great generator that I do not hesitate to recommend to anyone needing a portable gasoline powered generator with 8,000 watts of running power. The Best-Selling Briggs & Stratton 30471 8,000 Watt 420cc Gas Powered Portable Generator With Wheel Kit then to sell out very fast, if this is a must have product, be sure to order now to avoid disappointment.
