Commuter Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I was about to put this in the off topic area, but that is suppose to be non-Subaru. Hmmm... So excuse the nature of this thread. A co-worker is shopping for small power generator (~5000 W). He has come across a Subaru - Cole (Coleman?) unit that is less money than the Honda's and Briggs and Stratton units. Anyone know about these? I didn't even know that Subaru supplied engines for this kind of stuff. Commuter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I was about to put this in the off topic area, but that is suppose to be non-Subaru. Hmmm... So excuse the nature of this thread. A co-worker is shopping for small power generator (~5000 W). He has come across a Subaru - Cole (Coleman?) unit that is less money than the Honda's and Briggs and Statton units. Anyone know about these? I didn't even know that Subaru supplied engines for this kind of stuff. Commuter i don't know anything about the quality or operation of these generators, but i will occasionally see one on craigslist.org as "subaru - robin" engine. i've also seen this name on other gas powered equipment, soil compacters and concrete finishers. apparently there is a branch of subaru the makes small engines. they probably bought a comapny named robin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 What is he going to use it for? If hes going to use it alot, i would go with Briggs and Strtaton every time. If he is goin gto use it as an emergency back-up generatorild go with honda. Keep in mind how engines are tested. Ther are designed to run 300hrs at full load. For a car this is not a problem, as full load means wide open throttle and full weight (rare to see this). On a generator if its not sized right, you can be running at full load constanty. The trick is to go around the house and and add up all the power demands of what he wants to run. I have a 5000 watt Briggs and straton Gen set on a 3000 watt house (wasnt that much more to go bigger). Its a bit of a bear to start, but once its going i have a fully powered house. Mine is also hard wired into the house. So the first few questions are what is he going to use it for, what is he running, and how is he going to connect things to it. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I bought a brand new one 2 months ago works fine used it 3 days so far happy with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Subaru1 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 When adding up the power requirements the generator will have to provide, also look at the amperage needed, and check the peak and normal running amperages as well. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reveeen Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Welcome to Subaru Robin! http://www.robinamerica.com/index.lasso Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ampsucker Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Welcome to Subaru Robin! http://www.robinamerica.com/index.lasso as in the link above, here is the parent company of both outfits: Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. Group, Saitama, Japan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I have not been around much lately, as I have been working on a very off topic project. I was given a 30 foot motorhome to live in. This motorhome came with a genset that is non-operational at the moment. I saw one of the Coleman badged Subaru powered generators in Home depot wile lookign for other parts to repair the motorhome. Now, I have a 92 Legacy Wagon with 215,000 miles on it that says that I can probably pretty well depend on a Subaru Powered Genset. I'll be looking for one of these in the future, if my needs grow to the point that the cash outlay is justified. At this point I'm not using the genset at all, so I cannot justify the $1200 that the set that meets my needs would cost. And yes, I would buy a Subaru powered unit over a Honda powered unit, or a B&S powered unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86subaru Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 go with honda, i know people that use generators all the time , [ amish, contruction company's , , the new briggs are junk,, not sure about subaru, i have a small generators to run my furnace ,frig, and it is a HONDA,neighbor had a brand new briggs during our ice storm [ drove 200 miles to get it] after 3 hours of use it quit working, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Harbor Freight would be the place to get a generator with the Robin Subaru engine. They also have just the engines. Who knows if the generator head itself is the same quality as the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I would buy a Subaru powered unit over a Honda powered unit, or a B&S powered unit. Anything but a Briggs or similar noisy air cooled engine. My generators: http://home.comcast.net/~davidtief/gen.html The small one purrs - can hardly hear it inside. The big one is about the same as a big american car on fast idle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esteban32696 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 http://www.generatorsales.com/calculator_GOOGLE.ASP?gclid=CIPc6-jN54kCFRZNUAodgUX9HQ Is a wattage calculator to determine your needs. When using gen power, LIMIT your power usage as much as possible !!!! It is nothing for a gas generator to use 3 gallons PER HOUR !! I have set up several homes here in the hurricane state [ Fl. ] on gensets. I recommend an enclosed " living area." A closed bedroom, with small lamp w/compact flourescent bulbs [ should be in ALL your lites ] radio, small fan, small TV, small window a/c, or small oil filled radiator type electric heaters, are great choices. Run power to inside with heavy duty extension cords. NOT TO OUTLETS,, OR POWER METER !!! You can unplug the heater/ a/c,, plug in microwave to cook a meal, or plug in fridge to run a few minutes to keep food cold. Same with freezer. This is all easily done with a 2KW [ 2000 watt ] generator !! I have many, many years of experience with gens.Really, you get what you pay for . A cheaper one [ B & S engines, etc] will run at hi rpms, so noisy, & VERY short life. I have seen several of them blow up after 2-3 days of use, after hurricanes, here in Fl. Robin-Subaru, Honda, Kawasaki, are all good brands,, BUT, THEIR line of gensets, not just " Honda powered", etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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