Customer Reviews

All Power America APG3535CN 3,500 Watt 6.5 HP OHV Propane Powered Generator

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I only wish that it was made somewhere other than China, but it's my own fault for being cheap. . . The unit works well, but remember to turn on the propane SLOWLY or the inner hose valve will shut off the flow and stall the generator after a few seconds. The other reviewer correctly observes that packaging is poor (my upper shroud was bent) and that there is no wheel kit. All that said, the 3500 watt unit powers my big RV satisfactorily. Propane is advantageous for units like this that are used relatively rarely--no gasoline to go stale. It's also reasonably quiet. How about manufacturing something in the USA or Canada? Each item on Amazon should be labelled for "country of origin".

I purchased this generator and received it on July 11th from Heartland America. It was drop shipped to me from All Power. The unit was damaged somewhat in delivery and I could not get the unit to run. After several calls to All Power for help they finally agreed I need to take it to an authorized repair center of their choosing on July 25th. After weeks of hearing nothing from them and after returning from a camping trip I originally bought this for, I called the repair shop. This was August 18th and they still had not repaired the unit but assured me they should have it by the end of the week. I then called Heartland America to get my money back and they told me I would have to go through All Power. All Power told me they could not do anything until they heard what was wrong with the unit from the repair shop. So I tried the repair shop again on September 11th. On this occasion I was told they are very close to figuring it out and would let me know after the weekend. So I call back on September 16th, and the shop is closed for some reason. I then call All Power and am told to give them one more day to get this worked out. They still have my money and will not accept return on this unit it is now October 6th and it is still unresolved and I still do not have a generator.

My review isn't about the generator, it's about the non existent packaging. It ships in it's original cardboard box which is all the protection it has. There is no styrofoam enclosure or crate to protect it, the generator is simply sitting in a cardboard box slightly bigger than the generator itself.

Naturally UPS trashed it, and when I opened the box, it was in pieces. The top shroud was caved in and the control panel on the front was smashed, even though there wasn't any physical damage on the outside of the box other than a few creases which generally isn't an issue with a properly packaged item.

The generator itself looked well enough made, I just wish I could have tried it out which is why I am saying to pick one up locally rather than have it shipped from Amazon.

Also, Amazons description says it comes with a wheel kit. Mine didn't...

EDIT: Amazon has dropped the wheel kit from the description on the web site...

AD SAID THIS GENERATOR WOULD RUN FOR 20 HOURS AT HALF LOAD ON ONE TANK OF PROPANE. WHEN IT ARRIVED THE LITERATURE SAID IT WOULD ONLY RUN FOR 10 HOURS. WHEN I SAID I WANTED A TO RETURN IT FOR A REFUND THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO TALK TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER SAID TO SEND IN A LETTER WITH MY NAME AND COMPLAINT ALONG WITH MY RECEIPT AND GENERATOR INFORMATION AND THEY WOULD SUBMIT IT TO THEIR CORPORATE OFFICE FOR CONSIDERATION. IF THEY REFUSE I STILL ONLY HAVE 30 DAYS TO TRY TO GET A REFUND EVEN THOUGH I ALREADY NOTIFIED AMAZON.COM OF MY PROBLEM. SO I GUESS IF THE MANUFACTURER DRAGS ITS FEET I WILL BE SOL EVEN THOUGH AMAZON.COM LIED IN THEIR AD. I WONDER HOW THEY WOULD FEEL IF I TOLD THEM TO CALL MY BANK AND TRY TO TALK THEM OUT OF PAYMENT FOR THE ORDER.

I rec'd the unit and it looked fine. I diligently followed the instructions in the owner's manual on what to do before you start it for the 1st time. Excpet for one brief 20 second run, I have been unable to start this generator. I'm not a little man and I've pulled the starter cord until my arm/shoulders ache. But, still no luck in starting. As for the manufacturer's customer service, forget about that. Do yourself a favor and choose a product from a different manufacturer (I wish that I did).

This generator was a Christmas gift. What an ideal item to have in case of a power outage and as an additional source for electricity in our garden. We set it up and initially had problems getting it started. After a little troubleshooting we discovered there were some settings regarding the temperature. We made the proper adjustments and voila it started right up. We like the idea that it runs on propane. We are of the opinion gasoline can loose its stability and get unspent gasoline in the engine may get gummy. This generator does not require a battery. It uses a pull string like a lawn mower. If you want to have a reliable item in case of an emergency...consider this product.

Bought my generator after hurricane Irene. Found it to be difficult to start. Lost power again after the freak Halloween snow storm here in the NE. Again had difficulty starting it but it ran well and it was able to power everything I needed by alternating the load. I called the service department listed in manual and explained the starting problem but they weren't very helpful. I then checked on line for "hard starting problem with propane engines". I found out that over priming or purging was one of the most common problems for hard starting. The article said "If the propane make up is more than 10% of the air charge, the spark plug will not ignite the mixture. It also said propane requires 50% to 100% higher temperature to ignite the charge as compared to gasoline and suggested a spark plug gap around .025". I replaced the Chinese spark plug NHSP LD-F7TC with equivalent NGK-BP6ES found at local auto parts store and set the gap at the manufacturers recommended .028". I am not sure if the spark plug was a problem but changed it anyway. The manufacturer recommends when starting to hold the gas purge button for 3 seconds. I found this was too long, putting too much propane in the engine. Found the ideal length of time to hold the purge button is 1 second. I can now start the engine consistently in 2 or 3 pulls with varying ouside temperature, where before it would take 20 or 30 pulls. To start it: make sure the switch is on, close the choke all the way, press the purge button for 1 second and pull. When started open the choke about 1/2 way for a few second then open it all the way. I feel this is a good product and ideal for emergency power needs.

I'm certainly glad That I didn't Read these reviews Before I purchased this generator . It was shipped to me on 10/01/2011 And here it is a month later and I lost power for five straight days . I honestly have nothing negative to say about this generator Packing was OK no dents or dings of any kind It started after three or four pulls Every time I change the tank or shut down to change the oil. I just Put the red button on run, Opened the tank valve ,Push the red purge button on top of the machine for a few seconds Make sure that the breaker on the front of the machine was in the off position , pushed the choke lever On the bottom back of the left side of the machine All the way away from me, Pulled it once Then pulled the choke lever Toward the front of the machine To the middle position And pulled it again , Once again pulled the lever All the way forward Pulled again And it started pretty much every time then I just turn the breaker on To start feeding power to my house. I live in a duplex and this generator ran pretty much everything Refrigerator , Television , Lights and furnace I even ran an extension cord to my neighbor's house so the kids could at least watch television . I did have to shut my breakers of to the furnace and refrigerator so that I could turn on my electric hot water heater But only for a couple of hours then I could shut it off and have hot water for a couple of days without doing it again.I bought a 40 pound propane tank and I was getting about 24 hours of runtime out of it .I'm glad I went with propane Because there was only a few gas stations Pumping gas in my area In the lines were incredibly long . Ace hardware At the end of my street Was pumping propane The whole week With no waiting . All in all this generator is a bear and I would recommend it to anyone. Just make sure every 50 hours to change the oil it gets really black