| Author |
Message |
Joe (Frtnkr)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 1:49 pm: | |
I am dead set on getting a diesel genset for my bus, but I am still looking for one that I can afford. Right now I would like to spend about $1500 or less, but I have found that limits me to the rare used ebay genset or one of these...
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-EVERLAST-6000-WATT-SILENT-DIESEL-GENERATOR-6-KW_W0QQitemZ762813850 7QQcategoryZ106437QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
or
http://cgi.ebay.com/Commercial-Diesel-Generator-DEK6000SL-5500-watt_W0QQitemZ7627417954QQc ategoryZ106437QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
There are always a few of them for sale and they are always about the same price. I know nothing about these manufacturers, I am assuming that the are Chinese fly-by-night types, but maybe you all can set me straight.
Everyone seems to think water cooled is the way to go. My onan gas genset is aircooled, old, and not my friend. However, I will put up with a little extra noise to save a few beans but a water cooled engine would help with my veggie oil conversion that I plan to do on the genset.
I should ask, is anyone using these kind of gensets for there conversions and how have they worked out, and more importnatly, did you have to do many modifications to make it a good RV genset? Are the indeed Chinese colnes that will be hard to find parts for?
I am also looking at an Onan 6kw genset (6kw will work just fine for me.) This is the info I found on the tag, the photo was hard to read so some numbers may be a little off...
Model and spec # 600JB-363/838840
Serial # 036030679
AC Volts 120/240
Ph 1
kW 6
Amps 25
Hz 60
This genset looks super clean and they say it runs great. They want $2500 for it. Is it worth that much and is it worth 1K more than the units I posted above.
Maybe I am way off on all of these units, but maybe you all could help find me a better deal...
I also thought this looked like an interesting gneset...
http://www.generatorsales.com/order/yanmar_4kw.asp?page=yanmar_4kw
What to do, What to do???? |
truthhunter@shaw.ca
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 2:23 pm: | |
I think that often what you save now you will likely spend later as the amount of hours you get out of these is not going to match a 1800 rpm liquid cooled 4 pole generator. If your careful you may get what you pay for. The dependability may not be the same either , but is it priced accordingly may be the bigger question. For more effort and expense you can always recoup some of the waist heat from an air cooled engine. |
David (Davidinwilmnc)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 2:59 pm: | |
Joe,
I was also in the market for an inexpensive diesel genset. I found a used Kubota 6.5kw, 3 cylinder, 1800 rpm water cooled unit that a guy was going to sell me for $800. I told him I'd take it, but 11 hours later he sold to somebody else for $2,000.
The point I'm trying to make is that a good diesel generator isn't cheap. I settled on a used 6.5kw Onan gasoline generator. It'll work fine until the budget allows for a diesel. At that point, I'll convert the gas genset to nat. gas and use it as a standby generator for the house. You should be able to find a nice gasoline generator for about half the price of those cheapo generators. |
David Hartley (Drdave)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 3:02 pm: | |
Don't waste your money with an air-cooled diesel generator. You could never get it quiet enough or vibrationless enough to actually use in a conversion. The biggest problem is that if you have enough opeining to let enough air in to cool it you also let the noise out. Most of all of those 10 h.p. diesel one bangers are short lived either by cheapness or poor design.
One rule... If you can't get 2,000 hours run time out of it don't buy it.
Look around for a used unit at places that salvage trucks and motorhomes. I bought an Onan 10Kw unit from a burned motorhome for $2,500 with less than 200 hours on the clock.
When most of the Class A motorhomes burn it is only from the floor UP and most of the stuff below the floor is usually still in good condition. Even the ones that have had engine fires ( rear engines ) the generators are on the other end ( front behind the bumper ) and usually only very minor fix up like some new hoses and wires are needed.
Now you know "The Secret".... |
Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 4:02 pm: | |
I wanted to make a "cheap" genset too. I bought for $400 a very low time 4 cyl Kubota powered 9kw set, with the generator totally toast. A new 9kw head was delivered for $1450 and I bolted it together. Had a nearly new genset for less than 2k. |
Joe (Frtnkr)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 4:21 pm: | |
Will these air cooled models put out more niose and vibration than the Onan 6.5 Gas genset I have on my RV right now? |
Bob Wies (Ncbob)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 4:31 pm: | |
Joe, let me give you some sincere advice. I'm a retired Onan dealer.
First let me tell you something about the 6KW Onan you're looking at:
First, the tag should read 6.0JB-3CR (that would mean it's 120/240 full power)/838840.
The Serial # tells me that it was built (03) March, and (60) 1960.
Now, m'friend, do you really wish to spend this kind on money on a 46 year old generator?
It's gasoline (or Propane) fueled and is probably
"pressure cooled" which means that it would do fine standing outside of your bus but would overheat in an enclosed compartment.
If it were "vacu-flow" cooled, like RV generators it could and would draw air from the outside of the compartment for cooling and discharge the heated air down through the floor of the compartment.
My personal advice? Forget it...it's an old dog that would do a good job for someone in New Orleans for the next hurricane.
FWIW
NCbob |
Ross Carlisle (Rrc62)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 6:44 pm: | |
A guy down the road imported a bunch of those cheap chinese diesels about 2 years ago. They are LOUD and they rattle and vibrate so bad that you can feel it in the ground 20 feet away. He bought 20 of them and hasn't been able to give them away. |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 6:53 pm: | |
Read the post above about electrical wiring.
Richard |
Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 7:21 pm: | |
My first bus genset was a two cylinder Lombardini air cooled diesel, 12.5kw. Boy was THAT ever a big mistake! Sounded just like an old two cylinder John Deere diesel pulling a maximam load. Nice sound, but did not care for that in a bus. |
Joe (Frtnkr)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 8:11 pm: | |
Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge. Richard, what post are you referencing? |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 9:05 pm: | |
http://www.busnut.com/bbs/messages/11/13845.html?1150238155
He discusses some of the problems with the chinese diesel. If you doa search of the archives you will find lots of information regarding them, none of it good.
Richard |
FAST FRED
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 6:04 am: | |
Unless you live where 24/7 air cond is required , you might find the low cost and size of the 6KW Honda RV propane unit a better by.
At well under 3 grand and only used for a few hundred hours a year will give as good a service life as the tiny diesels , with far less maint and is really quiet!
Just a thought,why a diesel?
FAST FRED |
Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 9:57 pm: | |
Joe,
I have one of these JB Series Onans and it does a great job. They are good gen but that one is awfully old and it is hard to get parts.
However, yours is a 3600 rpm model. I think your tag actually reads "6.0JB-36R". Mine is "7.5JB-18R" and is an 1800rpm Model. The 3600rpm Models are VERY noisy, mine is bad enough and it shakes the whole bus even though it is mounted on huge rubber shocks..
I kept mine only because it came with the bus. I would never install one of these in a bus. I'm waiting for it to die and will install a good water cooled diesel even if it does cost a fortune, life is too short.. |
pat young
Unregistered guest
Posted From: 70.137.196.56
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 29, 2006 - 1:21 pm: | |
High quality small diesel generators? Get a Lister. The little guys are probably about 7 grand new (4-7 hp verson) and look like a little Briggs. The are not quiet, but can be mufled, and are a True Diesel, rebuildable, usually have both pull and electric start, and run 1800 rpms. They're built by the Bloody Brits, and are a hell of a good machne, and I've gotten them for 500 bucks on Ebay.
Patrick in Fresno |