Customer Reviews

Briggs & Stratton Elite Series 8,550 Watt 10 HP OHV Gas Powered Portable Generator #030241

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After a 28 hour winter power outage, I decided to get a generator to keep our housing essentials alive... like heat, refrigerator, microwave, etc. I bought this generator because it had a good price and ratings that would handle my needs, plus extra starting power for motors. The listing said it could take 10 days to arrive, but it only took three days. I did some wiring to allow me to connect the generator to our electric dryer outlet. Then I took it outside on a cool day, poured in a little bit of gas, turned off the main house breaker, and plugged it in. It started on the first pull, and then we turned on the furnace and then let everything else in the house just work naturally until it ran out of gas about an hour later. This generator powered it all with no problems. Some people were without power here for 7 days. I highly recommend this unit.

My brother-in-law went 10 days without electic after a freak ice storm 2 years ago. That same year I bought this same generator at Sears. Runs great a little load but starts on the first pull. I would suggest buying a transfer switch. I have mine wired to power our fridge, freezer, sump pump, basement lights and electric, pluse our furnace. The generator took everything I threw at it and more. I even ran the sweeper and it hardly hiccuped! I also suggest using synthetic oil, runs smoother, quiter and protects the engine during winter use.

This came within 4 days of purchase and ready to go after approx 10 mins of installing the handle,wheels and the rubber vibration feet. Started after about half a pull and runs perfect. I bought it mainly for use in my travel trailer when we go camping and it fits throught the door with wheels on, perfectly with room to spare. For a generator that puts out this much power under a load of a circular saw and powering my travel trailer, with the A/C on it is surprisingly quiter than I would have thought. Actually much quiter than alot of other generators I've heard. Buy it and you'll be happy.

The generator did sustain some shipping damage (cracked cover for bearing carrier). We bought this through Amazon directly and was shipped by ABF. The unit took a little longer to get here as it was routed to Detroit instead of Florida where we live. The broken cover did not affect operation. Amazon has said it will order and ship a new part. They do not accept returns of generators (or other gas powered products) even when they have not been used, so be sure you want it before you buy it.

After installing the wheel kit and handle (in less than 15 minutes), I filled the oil and gas and started the unit with 1 easy pull. The generator is loud, but no more than others this size. It has a large, easy to fill gas tank on top with an easy to read gas gauge. The oil fill opening is rather small and close to the ground, but a small funnel helped prevent spills.

The only other negatives is that it does not have a throttle control (only one setting "run") and no oil dip stick. You just have to fill the oil fill spout up to the top till almost overflowing.

We bought this for potential power outages after hurricanes. Hopefully, we will not need to use it too much!

This generaotor is a great buy for the money and free shipping too. For the occasional use by the home owner during power outage to run the bare minimum appliances and lighting, it is perfect. I was worried about the loudness of the muffler based on other reviews, but I did not find it too loud. I have so far only test started it and ran it with some load and it did fine. Wish it came with a twist-on special plug for the 220 V outlet.
Couple of tips I'd like to pass on: 1) buy the same size steel rim pneumatic tires from Harborfrieght ($5.00 each) and get rid of the plastic ones....they will crack in time with vibration. 2) cut the fuel line and install an in-line fuel filter using plastic tie-wraps to attach the filter (I use a filter with ceramic type element that has clear housing which you can see the fuel coming through - I buy them from my ATV dealer and I put them on every gas powered equipment I buy). This will keep trash out of the carburator in the long haul.

Didn't actually get this exact same model but got one with very similar specs. Briggs and Stratton (wheelhouse)from Home Depot 5550 WheelHouse (#1646)5550 running and 8550 starting. I will be using the generator for light construction and home use. The first thing I noticed was the generator has a no fuss one pull start. I'm sure this could change over time depending on how well it is maintained, but for now it's very dependable. The oversized wheels and the cart like handle make moving the generator a very simple one person task even in tight spaces. To test the generators output, I hooked up the following tools and turned everything on:

Bosch 7 1/4 Worm drive circular saw: 1600-1800 watts
Hitachi 2hp compressor used with framing nailer: 1600-1800 watts
Ryobi 10" miter saw: 1500-1600 watts
Radio: 100-200 watts

The generator powered everything for the short while that I tested it. However, I read somewhere in the owners manual that for every 1000' in elevation 1% of actual output is reduced so if you are living in higher altitudes you might need more HP. If needing to power sensitive equipment (tv, pc, etc) this unit might need a surge protector. If there was one thing I could change about this generator it would be the super silencer muffler. This thing is LOUD.

According to consumer reports, this one (at least the wheelhouse model) was rated a best buy and other reviewers particularly in the gulf coast regions were saying lots of positives.

6/2/2009 UPDATE-Still working perfectly after 2+ years. I even leave gas in it over the winter so it is always ready. Make sure you use a fuel stabilizer if you plan on leaving gas in it for an extended period of time. While my power hasn't gone out for more than a day since I purchased it so far when it has the generator has worked fine. The efficiency of the unit also surprised me as it doesn't use as much gas as I thought it would.

I bought this as our power has been down 2 times this winter for more than 3 days each time. It has more than enough power to run my "essential" household circuits. I did put in a transfer switch which has made it much easier to run the house. The important aspects of this generator are:
1. Watts-I want to run 2 refridgerators, furnace fan, microwave, septic and various lights.
2. Start up power (some generators have as much watts but not as much start up power) This is important because when your furnace, fridge or other appliances start they require more watts to get going.
3. Fuel tank size-I wanted it to run as long as possible without having to refill the tank.
4. Quite-come on it is load no matter what you buy however an Overhead Valve engine is less loud.

Had an ice storm go through the area, and used this generator for 10 days straight. Ran very well, and is very fuel efficient! Runs every bit as long as the advertised run time. Several other brands in the area when this storm went through didn't run as well. From what I have heard, beats about everyone when it came to fuel consumption. This gets a thumbs up!

What do you want to do? If you are thinking of power your whole house; move on. If you want to run the important stuff when the power is out get on this one now. I ordered this on a Tuesday night and the following Monday it was here. Opened the box, put the wheels on it, put the oil in it, added some gas and with one pull it was up and running. Twenty five minutes tops and I had power. I went to Lowes and bought a 220 Yellow Jacket 25 foot extension cord for a 100 bucks and hooked it up to my transfer switch and I have my refrigerator, deep freeze, TiVo, TV, computer, DSL, and several lights all on with no issues. If I shut down a few things I could run the AC.

It is only 5500 watts so keep a close eye on the amount of power you ask from this one. If you stay within the range of the output it just sets there and hums along. A little louder than other but the peak power rating is more than worth it. I would high recommend that if you want to run things inside that you invest in a transfer switch like the owners manual says. You do not want the fumes in the house and you do not want to burn the house down. Do the right things with this one and it blows the other away for $699.99.

The generator had shipping damage. The control panel mounting studs were sheared off. Briggs & Stratton asked me to take it to the local warranty dealer and have it repaired. I opted to drill the studs out and replace them with stainless machine screws. This was done with agreement with Briggs and would not negate the 2 year warranty. The generator performs great. Voltage is correct and steady. The missing bolt mentioned by the previous reviewer is really a mounting bolt for the generator that has to be removed and reused for the leg.
The packing carton should be made sturdier to prevent damage.