looking at getting a mep-002a the guy wants 1250 OBO i was thinking if i could get it for 1100 it would be a decent deal. Or do you think i should hold out?
it has 760 hours
libby with m116 trailer.
no ASK kit and no Tarp
Also is a gen without a trailer and cover ok to stay out in the elements? or should it be covered?
Its a heck of a deal in the first place, if it runs and generates. Do you get a title with the trailer? That a REAL BIG thing for me. I'd want it covered, with a tarp, or shedded. You can do that part later though.
I'm not sure about the title. Its not a big deal for me it will not really leave my house. Besides the gauges on the genset. How do i tell if it can produce power? (besides plugging in something small) can my $20 meter measure the amps? sorry for the newb questions, but I'm going to look at it sat morning.
A small portable load like a hair dryer will generally tell you if it is running close to right, ideally you would want to check voltage stability as well as frequency and ability to carry a full amp load. It is hard to say what your $20 meter will do, what kind is it, most likely it will measure volts AC, if it is a Kill-A-Watt you could also use it to measure frequency, for measuring amps you probably need some type of clamp meter. The load would also need to be connected to the service lugs to draw full power from the generator. There are of course other things that should be checked for details other than running, like are the fuel filters all there, do the transfer fuel pumps work, does it smoke, is the battery charging system working, do the glow plugs work, etc.
Ike
p.s. when buying any used diesel engine see it start from being cold, otherwise you will have no idea how hard it is to start as it may have bad glow plugs, low compression, seeing a warm diesel fire up tells you little as you have no idea how many hours the seller may have spent trying to get it started the first time around that day.
take a 1500 watt electric 120 volt heater with you and plug into the out let to test for power thats what i use to load my mep-003 i have two 5000 watt 220 volt heaters that i hook up to the output lugs when running the gen set works good as a load bank hope this helps you
Loads of proper magnitude are in the 1500-3000 watt range. These are reconnectable, meaning multiple voltages. Run it in 120 volts and make a NEMA 5-15R using 12 gauge wire and bare leads on the end. Never EVER run anything over 500 watts from the NEMA 5-15 duplex receptacle called the convenience outlet. It only loads ONE of the SIX windings. Meaning 833 watts total on the 002A. And an unbalanced load at that!
The BEST load would be three 1500 watt heaters, set up for three phase. Either three 208 volt heaters, wired phase to phase or three 120 volt heaters wired phase to neutral. All 1500 watt.
These generators can stand a rain or two but don't store them outdoors because the gauges won't last in rain. That is a $500 repair. Cover with a tarp at the least. The wiring is PVC covered in fiberglass, wrapped in Nylon. The Nylon won't last under constant sun exposure.
looking at getting a mep-002a the guy wants 1250 OBO i was thinking if i could get it for 1100 it would be a decent deal. Or do you think i should hold out?
it has 760 hours
libby with m116 trailer.
no ASK kit and no Tarp
Also is a gen without a trailer and cover ok to stay out in the elements? or should it be covered?
Others have already given you ideas on what to look for and how to evaluate. I just wanted to remark on the pricing. I recently acquired a Depot rebuilt MEP-002A and an M101A2 trailer via separate GL auctions. The gen set cost me $800, an $80 auction fee and a bit over $500 for Old Dominion to pick it up at Letterkenny Depot and deliver it to me in Massachusetts. This was for a generator that I was fairly confident would run properly, but I was gambling. In addition to the $1400 in acquisition costs, I've spent approximately $400 in necessary supplies (pair of batteries, fuel filters, Speddmon's oil filter adapter, etc.). All told, I'm into the gen alone for around $1800 and I am ecstatic. This thing runs like a champ!! Much better than the crap coming out of Home Depot and Lowes these days.
The trailer cost me $453 at auction, a $45 auction fee and $600 to have it professionally transported from Fort Meade to Massachusetts. All told, about $1100 to acquire the trailer that my gen set now sits in.
Based on the above and assuming no problems with the gen set and trailer, I think you are getting a bargain. Just check the gen set out thoroughly. If you pass on this deal, let me know. I have friends who are very envious of my acquisitions at the price I paid, so they would probably commit murder for that kind of pricing.
So I guess it sounds like it's a good deal? The seller seemed like he was a good guy.
If it works properly and comes on a decent trailer, I think it's a steal at the offered price, but that's just my opinion. I'd get over there and do your evaluation quickly before someone else does. The last group of MEP-002A's on trailers (single gens, not dual's) that I tracked at Letterkenny in Pennsylvania went for around $1700, plus auction fees and acquisition costs. Furthermore, they were not Depot rebuilds and were a definite crap shoot.
I've always felt that one of these beasts that could be demonstrated in a properly functioning condition was worthy of a price premium over a GL crap shoot, IMHO.
Mep-002a with trailer questions
