64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice generator, but it has some problems, January 6, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Generac Portable Products 9777 4000 Watt Extended Life Premium Generator with Wheel Kit and Storage Cover (Lawn & Patio)
I run a small house building company in Wisconsin (myself and two other guys) that needs portable power occasionally when starting a house that hasn't had power hooked up yet. So far this generator has met the task beautifully. I am able to use handtools such as saws and drills while keeping a 2hp compressor for the nail guns running at all times. If I needed the generator more often I would have probably gotten a bigger generac, but for the few weeks out of the year that I need one I am very pleased. I do a few complaints however that prevented my review from being higher than a 3.
First, the tire's on this unit are inflated with air versus solid rubber. This makes for a real nice tire, until you happen to come accross a misplaced nail. I have had one flat tire so far but I have to believe that won't be my last one.
Secondly, this very small and [poorly made] looking leg they put on the front of this machine has to go. The first time I hauled this unit I tied it down on both sides, but it still tipped on its side around the first corner I took. I just don't understand why they didn't put two strong legs on the front. After a few trips, I finally had a friend of mine weld up some strong supports that are actually wider than the unit. I no longer have to worry about it tipping over and busting the windows out of my pickup cap.
Like I said earlier though, this is a real nice unit that works well for what I need it for. It starts every time, even in the WI cold and the power it generates has been very reliable.
Updated 05/01/2003 - As we get more use out of this generator I felt the need to report two more problems.
1. The fuel gauge hasn't worked since the 2nd week of use. It is stuck on full all the time. Not a huge deal, but irritating none the less.
2. As you pull the handle up to move the generator, the handle uses a weld as a stop, allowing the force to pick up the front of the generator. Again, after about two weeks of using the generator, this weld broke right off. So the handle becomes basically useless. We fixed this by drilling a hole in the handle and inserting a strong bolt that replaces the weld, but like the fuel gauge, this was another irritating problem.
I am still happy with the performance of this generator, but I really would have expected it to be more durable than it has been. The problems I have been experiencing have not been with the power or the engine, but the exterior features. I guess Generac felt the need to cheapen some of these features to get into the lower price bracket. Proving once again that you get what you pay for!
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52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best portable generators I have ever used., September 3, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Generac Portable Products 9777 4000 Watt Extended Life Premium Generator with Wheel Kit and Storage Cover (Lawn & Patio)
This little 4000 watt may be small in size, but it certainly packs a lot of power. It is not only light weight, but quite and very durable in any situation. I have used it on work sights, for camping, and on my boat. I was really inpressed with the Generac brand engine and plan on buying one for my father this Christmas. I highly recommend it to anyone in the market for some back up power.
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35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Generator (update), September 8, 2004
This review is from: Generac Portable Products 9777 4000 Watt Extended Life Premium Generator with Wheel Kit and Storage Cover (Lawn & Patio)
During the hurricane Charley power outage my neighbor was kind enough to run an extension cord from his generator over to my house and saved all my food. The day we got power back I ordered the 9777 from Amazon with super saver shipping and $25 off promotion. Four days after I received it Hurricane Frances slammed the Florida East coast HARD. This little generator saved our bacon for three days while we were without power. The best thing I can say about it, and the reason I bought this item, is the fantastic fuel economy. I was getting between 3 and 5 hours per gallon while powering a freezer, refrigerator, fans, lights, television, coffee pot and using the built in 12 volt charging function. This compares to my neighbor with his gallon per hour usage. It started up every time with one or two pulls, has pressurized lubrication, an idle function switch and a built in 12 volt charger. I do agree with others that the little foot on the front of the unit could be beefier but still give it 5 stars because of the miserly fuel consumption. Do not underestimate this fact when looking for generators since gas was not available down here in Florida for several days after the hurricane passed.
After this was written Hurricane Jeanne hit us several weeks later. Again, this little generator ran flawlessly for several days powering all of the above plus the window air conditioner (Panasonic, see separate review) that I had purchased for just such an occasion. Fuel consumption was the same and all my neighbors with thier 5500 Watt overkill units were sure jealous of that. I still heartily recommend this generator.
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