Shared the knowledge tonight

FarmingSmallKubota · Aug 10, 2022

I started selling military Generators not that long ago as hobby. April of 2021 was my first generator and i knew nothing about them. tonight i got a call from a guy responding to my sale post. turns out he lives 5 miles down the road and says he has one like mine for sale but smaller? He said he bought it 3 years ago put batteries in it and could not get it started and it has set ever since. Tonight i went and looked at it and sure enough it was an 802 12/2009 with 34 original hours. covered in barn dust and small signs of critters. I had him charge the batteries before i came out. had all my tools in the truck but decided to wait until i did an inspection. everything was in order. noticed he had a fuel leak, but at least i knew the pump worked. checked everything else went through the start up procedure and it fired right up, made power on all legs. all the gauges work. So i guess i am in the Generator mobile repair business now as i will be going out to replace the fuel hoses and i told him while we are at it we need to mouse proof this thing as well. Something interesting i guess. sometimes its easy i guess. Thanks to everyone on here who has helped me along my journey of knowledge. from knowing nothing to now

nextalcupfan · Aug 10, 2022

What was the look on his face when it fired right up?

FarmingSmallKubota · Aug 10, 2022

just dumb founded and instantly said what did you do to it. LOL

Ray70 · Aug 10, 2022

I assume the asking price has now gone up substantially from what he was asking before!

FarmingSmallKubota · Aug 10, 2022

He was not selling it. He responded to my sale ad on face book. I had to ask him how much he paid for it and he said 1500 dollars 3 years ago. Pretty good for a pretty much new machine i thought. Although i do not know what they were bringing back then.

nextalcupfan · Aug 10, 2022

FarmingSmallKubota said:
He was not selling it. He responded to my sale ad on face book. I had to ask him how much he paid for it and he said 1500 dollars 3 years ago. Pretty good for a pretty much new machine i thought. Although i do not know what they were bringing back then.

I hope its still running the break-in oil. I've seen a few posts on here where they change it out too soon and after a couple hundred hours the engine has no compression.

FarmingSmallKubota · Aug 10, 2022

nextalcupfan said:
I hope its still running the break-in oil. I've seen a few posts on here where they change it out too soon and after a couple hundred hours the engine has no compression.

I would be afraid to ask. Him and his wife live on a farm probably in their 50s but after asking questions about power needs aka air conditioner size "well about usual size" and simple things like 10 minutes to explain what wire mesh/hardware cloth was for mouse proofing, i am not sure of his abilities. Not judging but guessing the farm is a new thing or a family estate.

Mullaney · Aug 10, 2022

FarmingSmallKubota said:
I started selling military Generators not that long ago as hobby. April of 2021 was my first generator and i knew nothing about them. tonight i got a call from a guy responding to my sale post. turns out he lives 5 miles down the road and says he has one like mine for sale but smaller? He said he bought it 3 years ago put batteries in it and could not get it started and it has set ever since. Tonight i went and looked at it and sure enough it was an 802 12/2009 with 34 original hours. covered in barn dust and small signs of critters. I had him charge the batteries before i came out. had all my tools in the truck but decided to wait until i did an inspection. everything was in order. noticed he had a fuel leak, but at least i knew the pump worked. checked everything else went through the start up procedure and it fired right up, made power on all legs. all the gauges work. So i guess i am in the Generator mobile repair business now as i will be going out to replace the fuel hoses and i told him while we are at it we need to mouse proof this thing as well. Something interesting i guess. sometimes its easy i guess. Thanks to everyone on here who has helped me along my journey of knowledge. from knowing nothing to now

.
That really is the magic of places like Steel Soldiers - where there are folks who "really know their stuff" and are willing to share.

Light in the Dark · Aug 11, 2022

FarmingSmallKubota said:
He was not selling it. He responded to my sale ad on face book. I had to ask him how much he paid for it and he said 1500 dollars 3 years ago. Pretty good for a pretty much new machine i thought. Although i do not know what they were bringing back then.

That was not an uncommon price three years ago. Still about double what it was six years ago...

Light in the Dark · Aug 11, 2022

nextalcupfan said:
I hope its still running the break-in oil. I've seen a few posts on here where they change it out too soon and after a couple hundred hours the engine has no compression.

I've been told directly by someone at Fermont that in NEW engines delivered to them, they drained whatever came in them factory fresh and replaced with standard 15w-40 and sent out the door. The only time break-in was used was on reset engines, or used prior to arriving in CT. Something to consider, good or bad.

Light in the Dark · Aug 11, 2022

Oh and ain't it fun to see someone's face light up when you perform 'magic' to fix a problem?

Light in the Dark · Aug 11, 2022

FarmingSmallKubota said:
I would be afraid to ask. Him and his wife live on a farm probably in their 50s but after asking questions about power needs aka air conditioner size "well about usual size" and simple things like 10 minutes to explain what wire mesh/hardware cloth was for mouse proofing, i am not sure of his abilities. Not judging but guessing the farm is a new thing or a family estate.

Boy will he be surprised when he finally gets through the barn to find all the garden hoes from the house listing aren't attractive farm help...

FarmingSmallKubota · Oct 22, 2022

So the generator that i got going, a while back. he called and wanted me to fix it for him as the fuel line was leaking which i new about when i got it going. So he finally dropped it off at my house last week. today i took the top off and replaced all the fuel lines and the upper well nut, mouse proofed the unit, changed the fuel filter and water seperator, I must have gotten lucky tonight by the filter gods, i did have the top and side off, water/fuel separator came right off with a rubber strap wrench. It was original 2009 unit with only 34 hours. fuel filter came off easy as well, but did not get the gasket on correct first time and made a mess. Used grease the second time to keep it in place. took a 3 foot pipe on my 3/8 wrench to get the oil drain plug out. oil filter was easy. found a mouse nest in the top of the unit luckily no damage. Still have to hook up the rest of the gauges so the lights come on, and load bank the unit, but it wasn't a bad day. No i am not working on it for free just to put that out there.

FarmingSmallKubota · Oct 23, 2022

Generator is done, washed out the bottom this morning, mouse proofed the bottom hole, hooked up the lights and load banked. very smooth good running unit. owner should be happy for many years.

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