Surplus 003a questions...

[Polycop]

I've been burning up the internet (here and Smokstak) reading about the 003a, which I think will fit my needs just fine. I'm mechanically inclined with a big tool box and a couple of friends way smarter than me. That being said, my use would be to power my barn, which is to far back to run utility power to it and to provide backup via my transfer switch to the house.

I've been watching ebay and they seem to go from $2000 to $3000 depending on the hours and such. Can I really save about half of that by doing the GL auction? Other than buying at scrap price are there any tips on getting one at the GL as they appear to be a crap shoot.

Do they put out clean enough power to run computers and tvs off of them?

Would I be best served by placing the generator halfway between the house and barn and running lines (200' each way) to each to hook up as needed or would I be better to stick it on a trailer and pull it up to the house if need be.

Is it ok to let them sit out or should they be kept inside?

Thanks,

Poly

 

[Speddmon]

Poly,

First off welcome to the site.

now for the questions...

If you can get a MEP-003 from e-pay that has been gone over and running for $2000, I say get it. The way prices have been going on GL lately, you're going to pay 1200 to 1500 for a set that is in totally unknown condition. They are definitely NOT going for scrap prices anymore. If you do decide to buy from GL, try to preview them before hand, to look for missing parts and such. These are very robust machines and run very well, but you can get some from GL that are junk and still look good.

Clean power? in my humble opinion, they put out power almost as clean as your utility. They are a brushless design generator assembly, so the noise factor is very low. The only time you should have an issue is when a very heavy motor load might come on and cause a small "flicker". All of my sensitive electonics have surge suppressor on them anyway, and when my utilities are out, I run the whole house with mine, and do not have to worry about my computers or TV being harmed.

Storage...they are designed to be kept outside for an indefinite period of time. The military doesn't have the luxury of keeping these sets indoors when they are out in the field doing their job. If you can keep if inside, you'll not have the rust/corrosion issues that you might by storing it outside. And you'll probably have an easier time starting it when it's cold due to the fact that even an unheated building provides some sort of insulation, even if it is very minimal.

As to the distance...first off, you're not too far to get utility power to the barn. If you can get cable of the proper size to offset the voltage drop you can run your utility power pretty much anywhere...and they can even put a second drop and meter at the barn if you ask nicely. Where to place the generator? Again, to get the cable big enough to offset the voltage drop is the biggest concern. But, these sets have an adjustable output voltage unlike almost all civilian sets. This allows you to bump up the output voltage to offset the voltage drop in the lines. You could put it anywhere you wanted it, you'll just need to think about what you're doing. And if you're not sure, get an electrician to help you out. Do it safely and the right way so you don't kill yourself.

 

[Carl_in_NH]

Welcome to the site.

Speddmon provides very good advice.

The 003A - and the 002A for smaller applications - are wonderful gensets. Once running, they should provide you with a good long service life. Take care of them with oil changes, clean fuel, and some common sense and you'll have a very long lived unit. Power quality is great for a genset. No worries there.

If it were me, I'd put it on a trailer for the short term, until I figured out exactly what I wanted to do. That will provide you with enough portability to make it useful. I've got a trailer for mine that I need to pick up from another forum member once the Winter weather breaks.

Prices vary widely. I bought mine from GL, and had an injector pump problem. Once parte were located, I still came in under the $2K price point. Even though these are 20+ years old, there's nothing on the civi market for this kind of cash that can come anywhere near them in terms of performance or lifespan. These will easily last another 20 years if cared for.

 

[glcaines]

Ditto for everything stated above. The MEP-003A gensets are great. I got mine at a GL auction at Ft Jackson, mounted on an M116A2 trailer. I did not inspect prior to the auction, but I highly recommend doing so. I got lucky in that my genset runs and performs perfectly and looks almost new. The only extra expense was the purchase of two batteries. The trailer had two new tires and a new top as well. I'm leaving this one on the trailer. for now. I will tow it to the house with a tractor and plug it in. I'm still in the process of wiring in a new Square D 400-amp 4-pole manual transfer switch I got on Ebay. I plan to obtain a second identical MEP-003A, sans trailer. I will use one as a permanent installation and the other one as a mobile power supply to move around on my property. It will also double for spare parts in the future.

 

[Polycop]

The problem with checking them out is that it seems that the auctions are halfway across the country making it impossible to do, thus my conundrum.

As far as getting my utility power to the barn, the house is 600 feet from the road (the guy who built it was too cheep to have them set a transformer at the house) and I've got some line loss. Then if you figure another 375 feet from the house to the barn I've got major line loss/voltage drop. Soooo, I'm planning on going with a decent sized generator for the barn and the 3 phase is a bonus as I'm planning on getting a mill and lathe in the future.

I guess I'm going to keep looking at the GL and Ebay sites hoping that one comes up for sale a little closer to me in Northern Indiana.

 

[Nonotagain]

The problem with checking them out is that it seems that the auctions are halfway across the country making it impossible to do, thus my conundrum.

Soooo, I'm planning on going with a decent sized generator for the barn and the 3 phase is a bonus as I'm planning on getting a mill and lathe in the future.

I guess I'm going to keep looking at the GL and Ebay sites hoping that one comes up for sale a little closer to me in Northern Indiana.

I ran a Mori Seki 20hp milling machine off of a MEP-005 for almost 3 years before the neighbors complaints became too much to deal with. It was quiet, but the diesel fumes bothered them on a cooler night when they had windows open. The local power campany would not run three phsae electric to my house, so I made it myself.

Having a MEP-003 mounted on a trailer like the M116 make sence so that you can move it to the needed area.

As for generator sales locations, a couple of years ago, GL had most of the MEP-002, 003, 004 and 005 gensets being sold out of Chamberburg PA. Letterkenny Army Depot located there refurbishes them, so that's why most of the sales were taking place in PA.

As of late, the number of generators being sold in different areas has increased. Just keep your eyes open as sales run in cycles. All military gensets require an EUC which takes time. If a lot of items being sold on GL require the EUC, they get flooded and can't keep up with the paperwork nor can the government.

Some very clean low hour units have been auctioned of recent with most having fresh rebuilds of both the engine and genset head.

Keep looking around as one will turn up close to your location, then you have to decide if the generator is worth that much to you.

 

[Carl_in_NH]

You might be able to get someone to do a recon of some sets - always worth keeping in mind. Paying someone for time and trouble to take a quick look could end up saving you a lot in the long run. Otherwise, it's a gamble - not only for the genset itself, but fees, taxes, and trucking. It adds up quickly.

3 Phase is wonderful to have for the shop - and these sets power motor loads without trouble. That will save the costs associated with changing any 3 phase tools over to VFDs or changing the motors. I'm an old industrial tool collector as well - and everything is powered by 3 phase, typically with really nice motors; it would be a shame to replace them just because 3 phase wasn't at the farm. I use my 'small' 5 KW MEP-017A as a 'portable' 3 phase set for powering old machine tools for test runs before giving them a home. At 500 pounds, it's a lot easier to move around and test tools with.

Let us know when you go shopping for a lathe and mill - lots of good resources out there to help you decide if the ones you locate are ones you'll really want; if you've not purchased them before, or don't have a lot of machining experence it can be pretty daunting.

 

[orren]

GL bait and switch

Be careful. GL pulled a bait and switch on me when I got a MEP 003a. For some reason I wondered why they don't identify this equipment with the serial number; know I think I know.

If you pick it up they want to stick you with it even it you can prove they did not give you the one you bid on. There was no way I could tell until I got home and happened to check the pictures on their web site. This happened at Eglin AFB, FL.

I am trying to approach investigative authorities to look into this. I wonder who got the one I bid for and won?

Good luck. You'll need it dealing with GL.

 

[Polycop]

On the machine tools and such, one of my 'smart friends' is a millwright and is always running across 'deals' on them from the various tear out jobs he's on.

 

[glcaines]

If you pick it up they want to stick you with it even it you can prove they did not give you the one you bid on. There was no way I could tell until I got home and happened to check the pictures on their web site. .

No matter what I'm bidding on, I always print out the complete GL ad, including all photos. I have never had a problem, but I have been present a couple of times when others were having arguments with the GL rep about what they were being told was their lot.

 

[mkcoen]

The last batch of MEP0003As that I was watching (some at Ft. Polk, LA and other in Michigan) went for well over 2k. Both sets were recent rebuilds with less than 10 hours but only 1 was mounted on a trailer. I would trust buying something from GL more so than eBay. I've had far better luck and more honesty with GL.

As to problems picking up items, some of the bait and switch is due to some less than honest buyer that swaps out Auction/Lot tags to get something better than they paid for. I've heard stories from folks in the know that there was even one individual swapping out data plates on deuces so they could drive off with a nicer w/w model instead of the w/o they had actually bought. Still, I agree with taking all the documentation you have with you. If you can prove the item you bought isn't the one you're picking up you should be okay. Coming back after you've gotten it home and saying something isn't right is going to be tough to prove.

 

[Speddmon]

The problem with checking them out is that it seems that the auctions are halfway across the country making it impossible to do, thus my conundrum.

As far as getting my utility power to the barn, the house is 600 feet from the road (the guy who built it was too cheep to have them set a transformer at the house) and I've got some line loss. Then if you figure another 375 feet from the house to the barn I've got major line loss/voltage drop. Soooo, I'm planning on going with a decent sized generator for the barn and the 3 phase is a bonus as I'm planning on getting a mill and lathe in the future.

I guess I'm going to keep looking at the GL and Ebay sites hoping that one comes up for sale a little closer to me in Northern Indiana.

If you want to go the GL route, they do sell some out of GL Dayton (Wright Patterson AFB), OH pretty often, and GL Columbus (Creekside) quite a bit too. Neither of those is terribly far from you...at least better than half way across the country. And yet, it seems that if you want to go the GL route, you may have to travel to get one, and might even end up buying it sight unseen.

I got pretty lucky, both of mine were bought without preview and the one fired right up with nothing more than fluid changes. The other was missing one part from the engine, nothing major...right after I found the missing part, they had a parts set come up on GL that I was able to get for a song.

From the distances you are describing from your barn to your house, you may be better off financially to do as some of the others said and mount it to a trailer, or even build a set of dolly wheels for it and tow it to the house when you need to run it for back-up power. The proper size cable to run that distance, and rated for the amperage output of your generator if it was running full load would be a killer as far as money is concerned. To keep the voltage drop within the recommended range of 5% or less for the 375 foot run you would be looking at a #1 awg aluminum cable or you would be pushing it using a #4 awg copper cable. And a heavy motor load such as your AC could still pull it down to 25% or more for the short time that the unit is starting.