Customer Reviews

ETQ TG52T42 6,000 Watt 11 HP 389cc 4-Cycle OHV Gas Powered Portable Generator

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

 

 

I recently purchased the TG52T42 online at [...]. I felt the price was good for the size of the generator. I haven't had a chance to put it to the test yet, but here's my feedback so far.

I did a site-to-store purchase which means the generator was delivered to my local Walmart for free, so I saved on shipping costs. When I went to Walmart to pick it up I could see it in the back room from where I stood. It was resting on a shelf on its side, which seemed like bad practice to me. When the generator was brought out I could see the box was in bad shape. It had tears all over it, and it was missing one of the plastic straps that help keep the box together. I accepted the generator as is because most of the damage seemed superficial.

I easily assembled the generator wheels and handle which make it a cinch to move around. The generator appeared clean and well built. I filled it with oil and put just enough gasoline in it to test it for a short while. It didn't start on the first pull. In fact, it always takes 3 strong pulls to start. Once I got it started the engine started "hunting" which means it wasn't idling smooth -- it would surge between low and high rpms. This calmed down after a few minutes of running, but then started up again. Once I added more gasoline the hunting problem seemed to go away for good -- so maybe I simply didn't put enough gasoline in the first time around and the engine was starving for fuel.

The spec on the Walmart web site says engine noise is 70db, the spec on the ETQ web site says 80db, and the spec in the TG52T42 operator's manual says 70db. I phoned ETQ directly and they said it was 70db. So, my assumption was that the noise level was actually 70db and that there was an error on the ETQ web site. The noise level was important to me because prior to this generator I had a Coleman Powermate with a Tecumseh engine which was noisier than world war 3. I heard the Coleman was rated at 83db, so I was looking forward to using a much quieter ETQ at 70db. But it wasn't as quiet as I had hoped. After all, it's still a generator. That said, at least it won't blast my neighbors like the Coleman.

I tested all the 120V outlets. This is important because if the outlets are not wired properly it can cause injury or damage electrical equipment. I used both a voltmeter and a 3-pronged outlet tester. The voltage was fine on all outlets - a steady 120V. However, the neutral and hot lines on the L5-30R outlet were reversed. The contact on the receptacle immediately clockwise of the grounded contact should be neutral, but instead it was hot. Some will say the characteristics of AC power make this a non-issue, but don't listen to them. Neutral is neutral and hot is hot for a reason. Test all your outlets before you using them -- don't risk injury or equipment damage.

Besides the generator, I had to buy oil, a 5 gallon portable plastic gas tank, and a stubby extension cord that converts the 120V twist lock outlet to standard duplex-style receptacle. They also suggest grounding the generator which I agree with. I didn't buy anything fancy for this. I just made a grounding rod out of a short piece of copper pipe and some spare wire, nuts and bolts. So, all in all I spent about $20 on additional parts. If you don't have one spend an extra few bucks on an outlet tester for piece of mind.

Avoid this piece of crap at all costs. Living on the Jersey shore, I felt that buying a generator would be a prudent move. However, relying on some of the high praise given to this machine on the Amazon web site has proved to be a BIG mistake! I ran the set about ten times, to keep it lubricated and in working order, since it arrived last year and had no problems until the last time I ran it. After shutting it down, I discovered that it had developed a very bad fuel leak. The set has only been run for a total of 1.5 hours, as indicated by the hour meter. I tried to see what was causing the leak, and even replaced the gaskets on the carburetor, thinking that they could be the cause, all with NO success. This failure left me in the dark over the past weekend in hurricane Irene!
Trying to have their "customer service" advise me as to what might be the cause for this failure proved to be a complete fools errand, since they have completely ignored my messages. When I used their "customer service" direct e-mail link on their web page, the message was returned as undeliverable! I then sent another e-mail to their "support" e-mail address by regular e-mail, but it was never returned nor was there any reply from the jerks who make this piece of crap! Do yourself a real big favor and RUN away from this garbage. Spend a little more money on a generator that is manufactured by a reputable organization, certainly not this cheapo outfit!

I had a TQ generator that I ran for 3 days during a 5 day power outage. No problems up until the third day when the engine quit and actually threw a piston rod through the engine casing and was unrepairable. I paid over $500 just to get about 50 hours of usage out of this generator, in the future I'd rather pay a bit more and get something that is built better.
take a close look at the engine and components in the pictures, while this device looks nice and appears to be put together well, it has a cast aluminum engine casing with no iron components or even a detachable cylinder sleeve. After the failure I took the engine apart to see what happened and found the piston rod that broke into several pieces before going through the side of the motor was also cast aluminum which is unheard of in small engines to use such a soft metal for internal parts. Please go to your local Menards and take a look at the engine on this before shelling out your hard earned money. I wasted some of my hard-earned money and hope I can prevent someone else from making the same mistake.

This product performs as advertised. for the cost it exceeded my expectations. It is louder than the honda and yamaha units but not unbearable. Starts on the first or second pull, and runs fine. I let it run for 3 hours under load to test and it ate a little oil and shook a copuple screws loose. I am pleased with this purchase

I will not repeat the other reviews. I received the generator today and put the wheels and handle on, easy! Then I filled the oil and gas and it started on the second pull, sweet! Pluged a drill in the 110/120 outlet with no probems and checked the other two outlets with multimeter, all's great. Next I'll order a transfer switch for $259 here on amazon, all inclusive, cord, plug, box and breakers. So for $787 good luck doing it cheaper.

Works well I've load tested the generator and no complaints. Delivery was one week with free shipping. I recommend getting the transfer switch, makes it much easier to hook up in an emergency. I installed the switch myself all connections in the panel are on the load side, easy to install as long as you are comfortable and careful not to touch the wrong thing.
Only thing wrong was the ad said it was 11 horsepower motor but the one I received the generator I found it was 13 horsepower, I'm not complaining.
I completed a load test with the generator and the 100 foot 8/4 cable I made up and it purred like a kitten. I will be able to run most of my home in an outage. I hooked it all up to 120 v circuits skipping the 240 circuits for the hot water and stove. My thought is hot water will be a luxury in an outage I can always jump it over to heat water if desperate. If you plan on making up a cable to fit your needs I recommend shopping around online. The best price I found for the 100 8/4 was $211 with shipping. The connectors ran me $50 with shipping. I could have probably saved on the L-14 connectors but didn't feel like spending time shopping for them so I went with what I found quickly At 100 feet from the house the sound is no more than a distant neighbor mowing the lawn.

Happy customer

I bought this generator a year ago and used it only a couple times over last winter, I would start it up and let it run a couple times a month as the directions noted.

Each time I started it, it would take more pulls and now it won't pull at all. The spring broke so the cord will not retract. Now I can only hope the company will help me out in replacing the part. I'm certainly not going to buy another one.. actually, I'm thinking about buying a few solar panels instead.

I finally got around to ordering a back-up generator for my home and by chance it was scheduled to arrive on the 1st of November. A few days later we were hit with 12" of snow and a week without power. Due to the storm I was informed that the shipment would be delayed and I would remain without my generator. A few days in I received a call at 8:30 in the evening from Amazon's contracted shipping firm. The guy actually offered to drop the generator off on his way out of town and delivered this thing at 10:30 p.m. EXCELLENT SERVICE!!!

The generator itself was easy to put together and within 45 minutes I had lights and heat. The unit is built well and is a bit loud, but I don't think unreasonably so. A full tank of fuel made it through about 9 1/2 hours with a low load. I suspect it should have done better, but I'll take it. Well worth the money.

ETQ TG52T42 6,000 Watt 11 HP 389cc 4-Cycle OHV Gas Powered Portable Generator (Non-CARB Compliant):
it arrived on time, easy to assemble, and cheaper than every where else I shopped including local stores, it works great in fact much better than expected.

I live in north country and decided that since I heat with an oil burner as well as a wood pellet stove that I should have a standby generator.

After reading the many reviews on Amazon as well as other sites, I decided that the product offered by Amazon was exactly to my needs.

I placed the order, received confirmation, and was given an estimated delivery date of less than seven working days. A few days before the scheduled delivery date the shipper called and confirmed the date and TIME.

On the date and at the TIME! the shipper arrived. We offloaded the generator onto my trailer and within a half hour I was test running the generator. It started and ran exactly as advertised.

I run the generator every week for about a half hour to help ensure that it will start and run should an emergency arise.

Amazon has again proven themselves to be honest and reliable and I won't hesitate to continue purshasing items from them.