I know this is very off-topic, but I thought some of you motorheads might have some experience here. I have been seeking a trailer-mounted diesel generator to use for home backup. I wanted a fairly big one so I could run my well, heat pump, refrigerators, etc. My plan was to have an electrician mount a transfer switch and an additional panel, and connect the generator with a big power cord.

I found a likely candidate for sale on Ebay: link This MQ Whisperwatt is just what I was looking for, but it has 9,300 hours on the Isuzu 4BG1 engine. Is that a lot? Can I expect to get 20,000 hours out of it with proper maintenance? I'm guessing that a new generator like this one must cost over $15K.If I can get it for less than $3,000 it seems like a good deal, as long as it has several years of life left. What do you guys think?

 

Run it before you buy it. Not sure on gensets, but most of the older worn out isuzu's I've dealt with have a rough idle and smoke. If it runs smooth with no smoke, I say go for it. Better than shelling out the cash for a new one. The only gensets I've had experience with are onan's (cummins) and have't had any problems with them.

 

having a back up generator makes life so nice. We don't have one that runs on diesel but the tractor that the PTO on it hooks up to is diesel. just plug it in to the box and let it rip and we have power. Which is nice i'd say we lose power about one day a month where I live due to it's wooded area and when the storms hit trees fall.

 

almost 10,000 hours isn't very reassuring to me. Also a 26KW @108 amps is going to be pushing it trying to run everything you want too. Your heat pump alone probably draws 50 to 60 amps and maybe even 90A. the well another 30A. To run that and more you really need to be looking at a 40 to 45KW generator.

Just so you know, I'm an electrical contractor and do many gen installs. You're right about the price but, wanting another 20k in hours is asking a LOT !!