My trusty Sears/Generac 3500 watt generator worked like a champ in the 12
days I was out of power during one of last year's hurricanes. However it
is too big to fit in my car to take to some other site such as on Field
Day.

When I saw the 3000 watt generators in Walmart, they appeared to be small
enough to fit in the trunk of my car, and looked well made. They are made
in China, and carry the "ETQ" brand from Eastern Tools and Equipment
company, model TG3000. They cost somewhat less than similar Sears, Briggs
& Stratton, et cetera generators.

The generator comes with a manual, a tool kit in a pouch and a small round
screen that may be intended to be installed in the exhaust pipe as a spark
arrestor.

When I went to the ETQ web site (http://easterntools.com/), I noticed that
this generator seems to be a stripped-down version of the one shown
there. It has no volt meter, or 12 and 240 volt outlets. I haven't
checked, but is possible there are two 120 volt windings that are
connected in parallel.

There is also a question about whether the 3000 watts is peak or
continuous power, depending on whether you go by the manual that came with
it (peak) or the manual downloaded from the ETQ web site (continuous).
Either way, I think it would handle my refrigerator and a few lights
following another hurricane, or several Ham rigs at Field Day.

Using a couple of heating elements totaling 1250 watts, I measured the
noise level. According to my Radio Shack sould level meter, the maximum
level at about one meter distance, was 94 dB. The old Sears/Generac 3500
watt generator measured 99 dB SPL with the same load. You wouldn't want
to sleep in a tent next to it, but it wouldn't be bad at the other end of
a 50 foot extension cord. (Going from one meter to sixteen meters,
roughly 50 feet, the level should be down 24 dB, to about 70 dB SPL.)

The most serious negative observation was that routine maintenance items
appear to be proprietary. Part numbers given are ETQ3000TG62 for the
spark plug, and ETQ3000TG76 for the air filter element. Five years from
now when new ones are needed, will the company still be there? I expect
there are commonly available parts that would work, but how can you be
sure you have the right spark plug?

73, Fred, K4DII

In article ,
says...
There is also a question about whether the 3000 watts is peak or
continuous power, depending on whether you go by the manual that came with
it (peak) or the manual downloaded from the ETQ web site (continuous).

The web site seems to indicate 2.5 KW continous, 3 KW maximum.

73,
Bob

--
+----------------------------------------------+
| Bob Schreibmaier K3PH | E-mail: |
| Kresgeville, PA 18333 | http://www.dxis.org |
+----------------------------------------------+

In article , Bob Schreibmaier
wrote:

The web site seems to indicate 2.5 KW continous, 3 KW maximum.

Bob-

The Owner's Manual that came with the generator shows 3000 Watts maximum,
2300 Watts "rated" power. The manual that was downloaded from their web
site says rated output 3.0 KW, maximum output 3.2 KW. The 2300 watt
figure is the one I would rely on, but with such sloppy documentation, it
could be higher.

There were several discrepancies between what I got and what the manual says.

-The manual shows a "dip stick" attached to the oil-fill cover but there
is none on mine.

-The specifications indicate there is a choice between 120 Volts/19.2 Amps
and 240 Volts/9.6 Amps. That does not appear to be correct. There is
only one 120 Volt winding, not two wired in parallel.

-The manual shows a choke rod that is pulled for choke, pushed for run.
In fact there is a lever that is flipped to the right to choke and left to
run.

-In one place the manual shows an air filter that unsnaps for servicing.
In fact the cover has screws attaching it, which is shown correctly in the
mechanical assembly picture.

-The manual suggests that you drain the carbureter before storing the
generator. However, the method it shows does not appear to be possible on
mine.

I believe the manual may have been assembled from parts of other manuals,
not created for this specific machine.

As Justin suggested, I plan to look for an equivalent spark plug. The one
in mine is marked "LD F7TC". I found that the F7TC is made by two Chinese
companies, SG and LD. However, the only source is an importer with a
10,000 plug minimum order! Then there was a discrepancy in the importer's
picture of the plug. Mine has a threaded electrode (even though it uses a
push-on cap), but the picture did not have a threaded electrode unless
there is a piece that unscrews. I found one reference to an NGK BPR7ES as
a possible equivalent, but there was a huge disclaimer message associated
with it.

73, Fred, K4DII

Try this link, it show that the Bosch W7 BC plug as a cross reference
to the F7TC plug...

http://www.trantek.com/file/plugs.htm

Once you know the Bosch, you should be able to cross reference it to the
US plug makers....


Bob N9LVU

Fred McKenzie wrote:
In article , Bob Schreibmaier
wrote:


The web site seems to indicate 2.5 KW continous, 3 KW maximum.


Bob-

The Owner's Manual that came with the generator shows 3000 Watts maximum,
2300 Watts "rated" power. The manual that was downloaded from their web
site says rated output 3.0 KW, maximum output 3.2 KW. The 2300 watt
figure is the one I would rely on, but with such sloppy documentation, it
could be higher.

There were several discrepancies between what I got and what the manual says.

-The manual shows a "dip stick" attached to the oil-fill cover but there
is none on mine.

-The specifications indicate there is a choice between 120 Volts/19.2 Amps
and 240 Volts/9.6 Amps. That does not appear to be correct. There is
only one 120 Volt winding, not two wired in parallel.

-The manual shows a choke rod that is pulled for choke, pushed for run.
In fact there is a lever that is flipped to the right to choke and left to
run.

-In one place the manual shows an air filter that unsnaps for servicing.
In fact the cover has screws attaching it, which is shown correctly in the
mechanical assembly picture.

-The manual suggests that you drain the carbureter before storing the
generator. However, the method it shows does not appear to be possible on
mine.

I believe the manual may have been assembled from parts of other manuals,
not created for this specific machine.

As Justin suggested, I plan to look for an equivalent spark plug. The one
in mine is marked "LD F7TC". I found that the F7TC is made by two Chinese
companies, SG and LD. However, the only source is an importer with a
10,000 plug minimum order! Then there was a discrepancy in the importer's
picture of the plug. Mine has a threaded electrode (even though it uses a
push-on cap), but the picture did not have a threaded electrode unless
there is a piece that unscrews. I found one reference to an NGK BPR7ES as
a possible equivalent, but there was a huge disclaimer message associated
with it.

73, Fred, K4DII

As a further note, check these cross references..

http://moped2.org/aspforum/display_message.asp?mid=753

motorcraft: ae32
bosch: w7bc
champion: l87yc
ngk: bp6hs


Bob N9LVU

Robert Kubichek wrote:
Try this link, it show that the Bosch W7 BC plug as a cross reference
to the F7TC plug...

http://www.trantek.com/file/plugs.htm

Once you know the Bosch, you should be able to cross reference it to the
US plug makers....


Bob N9LVU

Fred McKenzie wrote:

In article , Bob Schreibmaier
wrote:


The web site seems to indicate 2.5 KW continous, 3 KW maximum.



Bob-

The Owner's Manual that came with the generator shows 3000 Watts maximum,
2300 Watts "rated" power. The manual that was downloaded from their web
site says rated output 3.0 KW, maximum output 3.2 KW. The 2300 watt
figure is the one I would rely on, but with such sloppy documentation, it
could be higher.

There were several discrepancies between what I got and what the
manual says.
-The manual shows a "dip stick" attached to the oil-fill cover but
there
is none on mine.

-The specifications indicate there is a choice between 120 Volts/19.2
Amps
and 240 Volts/9.6 Amps. That does not appear to be correct. There is
only one 120 Volt winding, not two wired in parallel.

-The manual shows a choke rod that is pulled for choke, pushed for
run. In fact there is a lever that is flipped to the right to choke
and left to
run.

-In one place the manual shows an air filter that unsnaps for
servicing. In fact the cover has screws attaching it, which is shown
correctly in the
mechanical assembly picture.

-The manual suggests that you drain the carbureter before storing the
generator. However, the method it shows does not appear to be
possible on
mine.

I believe the manual may have been assembled from parts of other manuals,
not created for this specific machine.

As Justin suggested, I plan to look for an equivalent spark plug. The
one
in mine is marked "LD F7TC". I found that the F7TC is made by two
Chinese
companies, SG and LD. However, the only source is an importer with a
10,000 plug minimum order! Then there was a discrepancy in the
importer's
picture of the plug. Mine has a threaded electrode (even though it
uses a
push-on cap), but the picture did not have a threaded electrode unless
there is a piece that unscrews. I found one reference to an NGK
BPR7ES as
a possible equivalent, but there was a huge disclaimer message associated
with it.

73, Fred, K4DII

In article , Robert Kubichek
wrote:

Try this link, it show that the Bosch W7 BC plug as a cross reference
to the F7TC plug...

http://www.trantek.com/file/plugs.htm

Once you know the Bosch, you should be able to cross reference it to the
US plug makers....

Bob-

Thanks for the tip. You were apparently more successful than I at finding
data on the F7TC.

Using the Bosch W7BC number with a search engine, I found the Enker web
site, that had a cross reference between several companies. Their list
also includes some dimensional data. Unfortunately the W7BC plug has only
a 1/2 inch threaded "reach". The F7TC has a 3/4 inch thread, if I
understand what they mean by reach. (The Bosch W7CC and NKG B7ES are
plugs that fall in this category.)

The plug is gapped at 0.030". Thread diameter appears to be 13.7 mm, but
I think it is within tolerance of the common 14mm. The top electrode
appears to match a 36 tpi thread guage. An 8-32 nut doesn't quite fit. I
think it is a metric thread, 3.5 mm OD with a pitch of 1.4 or 1.5 mm.

I measured the DC resistance between the top electrode and where it comes
out the bottom. The reading was around 2 Ohms, but that could be the
result of contact resistance. I assume it is not a resistance-type plug.

73, Fred, K4DII

In article ,
(Fred McKenzie) wrote:

The F7TC has a 3/4 inch thread, if I
understand what they mean by reach. (The Bosch W7CC and NKG B7ES are
plugs that fall in this category.)

I took the original plug down to an auto parts store. Between their
cross-referencing and what we did prefiously here, the closest plug seems
to be the NGK BP7ES. Physically it appears to be identical, and the top
electrode unscrews to reveal a thread like the F7TC electrode.

I bought one with the idea of saving the original and using the
replacement. However, when I tried to start the generator with the new
plug, the recoil starter mechanism broke!

It seems that the spring assembly was spot welded in four places to the
housing cover. I suspect three out of four welds were completely
defective, and the fourth didn't last long. It may have been the fourth
or fifth time I tried to start the generator.

I didn't want to go to the trouble of shipping a heavy generator to some
repair depot, so I took it back to Walmart for a refund. I will miss
having a generator that is just small enough to fit into the trunk of a
Toyota Corolla, yet is capable of supplying a modest amount of power.
However, another copy of the same generator, or a new recoil starter
mechanism, is likely to fail again for the same reason. I certainly can't
recommend getting one after this experience.

73, Fred, K4DII

How big a guy are you anyway? Are you a former football player with a 300 lb
pull and maybe you're just too rough on the machine?

"Fred McKenzie" wrote in message
...
I bought one with the idea of saving the original and using the
replacement. However, when I tried to start the generator with the new
plug, the recoil starter mechanism broke!

It seems that the spring assembly was spot welded in four places to the
housing cover. I suspect three out of four welds were completely
defective, and the fourth didn't last long. It may have been the fourth
or fifth time I tried to start the generator.

I didn't want to go to the trouble of shipping a heavy generator to some
repair depot, so I took it back to Walmart for a refund. I will miss
having a generator that is just small enough to fit into the trunk of a
Toyota Corolla, yet is capable of supplying a modest amount of power.
However, another copy of the same generator, or a new recoil starter
mechanism, is likely to fail again for the same reason. I certainly can't
recommend getting one after this experience.

73, Fred, K4DII

In article , "John N9JG"
wrote:

How big a guy are you anyway? Are you a former football player with a 300 lb
pull and maybe you're just too rough on the machine?

John-

Perhaps I don't know my own strength, but it was all I could do to lift
the generator to put it back in the box. I've been starting machines with
recoil starters for 50 years, and this the first time one broke!

The spots that should have been welded were clean. There was no sign of
metal deformation either from being welded or from being torn. The
question is, what held it together for the first few starts?

73, Fred, K4DII

Spit and chewing gum?

"Fred McKenzie" wrote in message
...
The spots that should have been welded were clean. There was no sign of
metal deformation either from being welded or from being torn. The
question is, what held it together for the first few starts?

73, Fred, K4DII