ETQ TG32P12 4,000 Watt 7 HP 207cc 4-Cycle OHV Gas Powered Portable Generator
by Eastern Tools & Equipment
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Our Price: $399.99 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $367.99 (click here) Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of ETQ TG32P12 4,000 Watt 7 HP 207cc 4-Cycle OHV Gas Powered Portable Generator
Customer Review: Great Generator for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
UPDATE 9/21/08: Used it in the aftermath of hurricane ike. Fortunately my power was restored after only 4 days. So I was able to use the generator for a while about 40 hours continuously. It ran flawlessly, powering my 50" plasma TV, DVD player, receiver, refrigerator, and window A/C, plus countless cell phone chargers, several lights and other items. The generator ran continuously (except for a refuel and oil changes changed oil @ 20hrs) and quietly without any problems. This made what could have been a miserable ordeal into merely inconvenient. The generator was also extremely fuel efficient burning about 6 gallons a day running all of the above items (only the fridge continuously). I highly recommend this generator and am very satisfied with my purchase. Refueling was easy, and the gas gauge worked fine. BTW fuel efficiency is nice post disaster as getting gas is hard (I stockpiled 30 gallons)
Original:
I purchased this generator (280) before its recent price increase, and thought it was an exceptional value for a backup generator I live in Houston and wanted it for emergency power. It had the most important features I felt for a crisis in the south. Enough power to run a window a/c and fridge + entertainment devices. Plus its fuel efficient as gasoline is hard to come by in a crisis (storing 20 gallons for 72 hours). What really sold me on the generator is the GFCI outlets. A must have safety feature, that you have to add to the cost of other generators (27.50 for an extension cord with it) Also keep in mind that if you need this for emergency power figure how many gallons you'll need + extension cords. For me I spent another $100 for oil funnel, oil, gas tanks, extension cords.
1st the real specs... This generator has a 6.5HP 196cc and it claims to have a 13hr run time at half load for a full tank. The engine is manufactured by Chongqing AM Pride Power & Machines Co LTD. Mine was model #8CPPS 2071GA. It is also rated at 75db at 21ft. I have a sound level meeter, that I used to verify the sound level. I found that at 21 ft the generator with no load is about 70db. Also the sound level varies greatly depending on what side your facing. The exhaust side being the loudest. Bottom line its quiet enough that I can't hear it from inside my house.
Power output... I load tested the generator, but I did note that out of the box the generator was pumping 122V which is fine, but a little hot at 62.5hz frequency. Should be 60hz, but should be acceptable for any item you want to run and as you load the generater the frequency drops to 60hz, and volts stay good and steady (perfect). I also notice the engine tone changes with load. Also the engine seems well isolated with rubber mounts. I hooked it up to my APC XS 1500LCD to measure its output, and it ran my plasma tv and hometheater just fine. In fact I was able to run an 8000BTU airconditioner, Refrigerator, hometheater (50" plasma with surround sound) all at the same time without issue. In fact the generator would only bog slightly when the A/C would kick on.
Out of the box my generator came shipped fine, no damage. The finish was in perfect shape. It was easy to assemble the wheel kit by setting the generator on top of the packing foam to raise it off the ground to attach the wheels. Like the solid never flat tires, and its easy to maneuver.
Adding oil is tricky, I ended up purchasing a funnel from walmart with a silicone tube hose connected to it to pour oil into the generator. You need one trust me, its not possible to add oil without a funnel. This funnel also had a nice feature of measuring oil ounces. BTW the manual isn't clear but you need to fill the oil level just to the point where it begins to run out the oil port when on level ground.
Starting was fairly easy. The engine started on my third try, not too unusual for a new item. The manual is poorly written but even considering its bad English readable enough for the average person to figure out. the manual seems complete with parts lists, and wiring diagrams. However it does not contain adjustment specs so its not good for a maintenance manual. Generator comes with 1 year warranty from eastern tools.
In terms of maintaining the generator through a power outage, this particular model needs frequent oil changes about every 10-50 hours depending on conditions. The spark plug is readily available at any auto parts place (walmart, nappa, homedepot). The air filter is a cleanable element so you don't have to worry about buying replacements. Overall it should be easy to maintain. Any engine work such as valve adjustment who knows....
Overall I think this is a great purchase for a small fuel efficient emergency generator. I should be ready for the next power outage!
Customer Review: excellent small inexpensive generator
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this generator in late June 2008 while living north of Houston, Texas, just in time to try it out and have it on hand for the hurricane season, and I was so glad I did! I always shopped around very carefully, and this was the least expensive generator for the output, and with several plug options. It has two standard two-prong 110V plugs with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrrupter), a three-prong 110V plug, and also a four-prong 220V plug (I had a heavy duty cord made special with the 220V plug on the generator and used the same style for a new plug I installed to feed directly into my well and house system).
I suppose if you are using a generator for work or all the time, you might buy a more expensive model that MIGHT perform better or last longer, but this generator was perfect for what I needed. Plus, they offered free shipping, and it arrived within five days of ordering. It was really a great deal!
The generator ran perfectly for our needs. I had a new plug installed on our water well and had a heavy duty male-male cord made so I could plug one end into the 220V plug on the generator and one into the 220V electric line to our well. I just kept this generator at our well house, and when the power went off, I could start the generator, plug it in, and cut off the main power breaker at our meter, and the generator would power everything at the well and in the house.
This generator sounded like it was a little rough running when it first started, but we never had a problem. It uses a little oil, as the air filter has an oil drip, but this is common... you just have to have an extra quart or two on hand, and check it once a day if you are running it all the time. Like most generators, it is a little awkward to try to pour into the oil fill hole, and a small funnel is helpful (I added a short piece of clear flexible tubing to a small funnel, and it worked great). I believe it has a low-oil shut-off, so if the oil gets low it will shut down (to prevent running with little or no oil)... at least it did this once, and after I checked and added oil, it ran perfectly.
The 4000W model ran our water well, pressure pump, and everything in the house except the clothes drier or air conditioner. It even ran our computers, wireless modems, and the HughesNet satelite internet system (I also had a small surge-protector & backup power supply that sensitive equipment was plugged into, to prevent any possible surges), so we remained connected to the outside world via the internet, even when all other power, phone and cable land lines (and even cell-phone towers after a few days) went down. When Hurricane Ike went over the top of us and we were without electricity for a week, I would run this generator for two to three hours three or four times a day to keep the refrigerator and freezer cold, did a load of laundry a couple mornings (lucky the weather nice wnough to hang it out to dry) and we would watch a movie during the evening run. Fuel consumption averaged between three and four hours per gallon of gas.
I was very pleased with it. It is light weight, and the wheels and handle made it easy to move. And another thing I like is that the nice people I talked to in Ohio were great to send a new air filter (for a reasonable price) when I lost mine one a year later. It was a great purchase.
-- Nick Sheedy ,
John Day, Oregon
Customer Review: Thank God I bought this via Amazon
Summary: 2 Stars
Budget restraints reduced my purchase options to this product, or similar ones with Chinese manufacturing origins. Based upon Amazon customer reviews the generator was purchased with the sole purpose of powering two pitching machines. The product was delivered via UPS on time, and after being preped the motor started on the 3rd pull. The machine didn't produce any power. Trouble shooting did not provide answers. The reset button did not reset. Previous reviews indicated there was an electrical problem with this machine. A call to the Tech at ETQ did not solve the problem. "There was an electrical problem" in the machine, so hold on while I pass you over to our sales person." The engine had an accumulated 3-4 minutes of running time to this point. ETQ Sales would not advise the location of the authorized repair facility until proof of purchase was e-mailed or faxed. I solved that problem by entering ETQ's web site and found the nearest location to be 57 miles from me. Fortunately a closer repair center was located and after two and one half weeks in the shop the machine was repaired by replacing the stator.
I am not convinced ETQ has any clue how to repair these machines. It was a trial and error process between ETQ and the repair center to discover the source of the problem. I am also convinced that not one Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) was issued on this product. I base this opinion on my previous life with a Manufacturing Automotive OE, my experience with ETQ, product reviews reporting similar problems, and the fact the authorized repair center was not in receipt of any notice from ETQ.
Now the good news. Following a frustating experience dealing with ETQ directy, Amazon customer service was contacted. I was lucky to have Karl on the other end of the line. After hearing my problem two options were offered. He would deduct the charge from my credit card, or a replacement generator would be delivered over night. Since a working machine was required immediately option two was accepted. The replacement was delivered as promised, and worked as one would hope. Amazon did not want the original generator returned because it was preped with gas and oil, not withstanding the engine had less than 4 minutes running time. We now have one generator to run two pitching machines, and another to operate a score board. Thank you Amazon.
Thoughts about the working machine. The engine is relatively quiet because of the large muffler. The paint and e-coat finish on the various parts were pretty good. Utilizing the pull cord is hampered by its location. A right angle pull by the operator is required to start the engine. I foresee the cord eventually failing. Installing the handle and wheels required less than 5 minutes. A funnel with a 1/2" dia filler tube is required to add oil. The engine will take < than a quart of oil so be carefull when filling.
My two star evaluation is somewhat generous, but I base it on product failure, ETQ technical assistance, and ETQ's apparent lack of knowledge of their product. I give Amazon a 5 Star rating. Without budget constraints we would have purchased a product with North Ameican content, manufacturing source, and known distribution and repair centers.
Customer Review: Arrived as advertised, except for one small thing
Summary: 5 Stars
After a nasty ice storm blew through Southwest Oklahoma in early February and caused us to be out of power for a few days, I decided it was time to have a generator handy, since it's safe to say either we or friends would use it. I did some research online and decided on this model as being adequate to power our necessities (other than central heater) in case of a lengthy outage.
The generator arrived intact; mine didn't suffer any of the damage or defects others have reported (broken air filter housing, bad fuel line attachment to the gas tank). I pulled it out the box, attached the wheels and handle with the included tools and added just a hair under a quart of 10-30w oil, a gallon of gasoline. After reviewing that everything was where it should be (choke closed, fuel valve open, switch in the on position), I gave the cord one sharp pull and it fired immediately. I let it warm for a short time, opened the choke, and it settled into a very steady, stable thrum. It is definitely loud, so bear that in mind if you're in a residential neighborhood (like I am), but with the generator outside on my patio and me inside about 10' away, the noise was easily ignored. The oversized muffler definitely dampens the sound admirably. A/C power was provided to all of the outlets and seemed quite steady, the generator's pitch never varied with the load and lights and such attached never flickered, but I wasn't running it anywhere near even 25% load at this point.
The one small thing that was wrong was the engine switch. When I flicked it to the off position to turn off the unit, it kept running quite happily. I shut the fuel valve and it died after a minute or so. I checked the switch and saw that one of the wires had popped off during shipping, or was never attached during assembly. They're they usual spade connections, so it took me 10 seconds to put it back on after I checked the schematic to make sure I was putting it on the right terminal (there are 2 unused ones on that switch.) Once I did that, the kill switch functioned properly- the engine will not start with it in the off position and will shut off if it's operating and you turn the switch to the off position.
One of the reviews mentioned changing the oil after the first 5 hours, then at 10 hours, then again at 20 hours, and then follow the maintenance schedule in the manual. This is VERY SOUND advice and I recommend the same procedure.
The unit is very easy to handle after adding the wheels and handle. As others have mentioned, you'll definitely be wanting a funnel with a long neck, or better, a flexible tube, for filling the oil.
I am extremely satisfied with this generator, and while I hope I don't have to use it in the same situation we just got through, I'll rest easier knowing we have it. Best of all, it's more than portable enough to transport to another location if a friend loses power and we don't need it.
Customer Review: Great and dependable
Summary: 5 Stars
I live in Houston, Texas and purchased this product last September before Hurricane Ike hit. I can't tell you what a life saver this piece of equipment has been. It was easy to assemble and start. The oil nozzle is in an awkward location but really isn't a problem, just use one of those long funnels. Also I didn't think the pull cord's location was too bad and since it always started on the first pull it wasn't an issue. What I do care about is that it ran for 14 days straight without a break and without a single problem. I ran it for that long because that was how long we went without power after Ike hit Houston. It did shut off once because after I filled it with oil the first time, I let it run for four days without checking the oil again and the built in oil sensor shut the generator off. I just had to refill the oil and then it turned right back on. After that I was careful to change the oil every two to three days. It is loud but both of my neighbors had generators and theirs were a lot louder than mine. Also one side is a lot louder than the other (the side with the exhaust) and we positioned that away from the house and with the doors closed it was more of a hum in the background that wasn't too bad. DON'T use this generator inside your house. We never would have done that with the fumes but you wouldn't believe how many people died in Houston during the Ike aftermath because they ran their generator in their house or too close to the door. I think most people did it because there was a generator shortage after the hurricane so the black market for generators was pretty hot and people had generators stolen off their front porch. We put ours in the back.
So what did this little guy do for me? All at the same time I was able to run:
1- My refrigerator with built-in ice maker
2- A 5200 BTU window air conditioner unit
3- My 52" LCD TV
4- My DishNetwork Satellite
5- Several lamps
I would also unplug the TV and Satellite and could use it to vacuum the carpets or run the washing machine. I tried to use it to run our electric dryer but it couldn't put out the juice so we had to hang our cloths up to dry.
As for gasoline consumption, running our window unit and refrigerator 24 hours a day and the others as needed, I calculated that we ran through 7 gallons of gas a day. We had four 5-gallon gas containers and could go three days straight before we needed to start worrying about refilling them.
Finally, after we got power back I went and followed the instructions to drain the gasoline out and change the oil. I then went and stored the generator in my garage through the winter. Just this past weekend, with the start-up of Hurricane season, I got out the generator and filled it with gas. Once again it started up without a problem. I put some anti-gumming stuff in the gas and now I feel confident that if we lose power again, we will be prepared.