Customer Reviews

Porter-Cable T550-W 5,500 Watt Generator with 10 HP Engine and Wheel Kit

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

 

 

Devilbiss generators are now Porter-Cables, and I bought the Devilbiss version at a closeout price. This piece of equipment really puts out the power, but unfortunately also puts out the decibels! I intend to put an enclosure, allowing air flow of course, around mine to make it tolerable. Also, the filler cap/dipstick is plastic and in my case, was crossthreaded when I bought it, and absolutely insisted on crossthreading every time it is removed. The crosshatch pattern on the stick catches oil on the case if it isn't put in straight, and then leads you to think it's full when it isn't. Get it going, though, and if you can stand the noise, it'll run a bunch of equipment.

Reading the reviews, I see I'm not the only to have warranty problems with Tecumseh Engines. I bought this and it worked great. But it is way to loud. We had a power outage and it would not start. It was still under warranty so I thought no problem. WRONG!... I had a carb problem. Repair center said this would be a disputed repair. Because there was a possiblity I might have put gas in it that had some debris in it. Isn't that what the gas filter is for? Anything big enough to clog the carb would have gotten caught in the gas filter and stopped the flow of gas right there. Anyway I called Tecumseh and talked to someone named JEFF in there customer service dept. Jeff was suppose to be the first customer service reps supervisor who I got nowhere with. Jeff said he'd call me back He never did. I called agian a week later and left him a message and he never called back. I called again and left messages with the girl that answers the phone for anyone from their customer service dept. to call me back and explain why this isn't under warranty or why they won't fix it. And I'm still waiting 6 months later. Then I find out that Tecusmseh had consistant carb problems with several of their engines, this being one of them. The carb was defective according to the repair center, but Tecumseh would not pay to fix it.

Live and learn I guess. Don't get me wrong, this unit is powerful and the electric ran smooth. But there is no reason this thing should be so loud. I have to put plywood in front of it to deflect the sound. Tecumseh could have put a better and bigger muffler on this engine. They tested this motor when they made it, so they didn't realize it was so loud. Or did they decide to save a few bucks by installing an undersized ineffective muffler? As a builder, I start early and have many complaints from neighbors calling village halls about the noise. I even tried calling Tecumseh to see if this thing could be modified to make it quieter. Plus there is no excuse for the cheap plastic oil stick that come with this. The plummer I use has a Coleman Powermate with the same 10 hp Tecumseh motor with the cheap plastic oil stick. Same noise problem. So I can't blame Porter Cable other than their poor choice of using the Tecusmeh engine in this generator.

I bought the DeVilbiss version before PC bought them out (...). If you can isolate the unit from where it is going to be used, it is a very powerful unit, easily starting motors with minimal draw. Power appears to be clean with very little voltage fluctuation. Don't know how long the engine will last but as a back-up power supply, it has all the guts you need if you can stand the noise!

I am completely dissatisfied with this product. Before purchasing, I phoned PorterCable and specifically asked if this generator would run both my compressor( rated by the manufacturer at 3,200 surge watts(2,475)and my circular saw.I did this on more than one occassion, knowing how frequently unknowledgeable staff give false answers. I was assured it would. No such luck once I owned it. It won't run the compressor, even with the valve open, under no pressure. No help from PorterCable. I have since tried friends' and co-workers generators rated at less than this model's 5000 watts and/or 6875 surge and they will run the compressor all day. PorterCable now tells me only half, yes only half of the wattage is available to 120 volts, the full load to 240 volts. And I'm stuck with it.

Reading the other reviews...this motor is LOUD. Buy a set of ear plugs and hope the neighbors don't call the cops for to much noice. The oil stick is cheap plastic that can easily break. Mine worked fine the first three times I used it. Then it wouldn't start. It was still under warranty. But I had to call Tecumseh about the warranty. No toll free number for customer service either. I was told to take it into an authorized service center who told me Tecumseh might not pay for the repair even though it was under warranty. WHAT? The service center had to get an authorization from someone at Tecumseh. He called twice and was told someone would call him back. They never did. I called Tecumseh three times and was told a service manager or someone on that order had to authorize the repair. They never called me back. I got the service manager's name and called him five times. Of course I got his voice mail. I left a message each time. No call back. This went on for a month. Finally I gave up. It was obvious if they had any intentions of paying for the repair, they'd have called back. So I paid the $126 dollars for the repair myself.

Live and learn I guess. Don't get me wrong, this unit is powerful and the electric ran smooth. But there is no reason this thing should be so loud. I have to put plywood in front of it to deflect the sound. Tecumseh could have put a better and bigger muffler on this engine. They tested this motor when they made it, so they didn't realize it was so loud. Or did they decide to save a few bucks by installing an undersized ineffective muffler? As a builder, I start early and have many complaints from neighbors calling village halls about the noise. I even tried calling Tecumseh to see if this thing could be modified to make it quieter. Plus there is no excuse for the cheap plastic oil stick that come with this. The plummer I use has a Coleman Powermate with the same 10 hp Tecumseh motor with the cheap plastic oil stick. Same noise problem. So I can't blame Porter Cable other than their poor choice of using the Tecusmeh engine in this generator.