XG4000 Watt Portable,49-State
2.9
5
7
7
Great generator. MADE IN THE USA!
Great generator. Very well built, good looking, and relatively quiet. Muffler is very large. Governor responds quickly. I was able to put it together in a few minutes. Oil changes are simple. LED lights and power meter on front panel are very cool. Gas fill port is large for easy fills. Also has a fuel shut off valve on front panel. I read the instructions, did what they said, and it started in a few pulls. Best of all it is made in the USA... all of it. Not just assembled in the USA, Made In The USA.
For all the complaints about the power output by others... it is beyond me why they expect it to do more than it was made to do.
January 16, 2012
Poor Quality
Purchased for use as portable power for construction sites. First is I just found out that the power output rating is not what they claimed in their sales information (should have read the reviews first! The unit is light for its size BUT...
The wheels on the cage are too close together and it falls over all the time.
The engine is extremely hard to start from day one. So much so that we've gone through two start cords and a recoil starter in less than a year! Once running it's fine but it is now and always has been hard to start.
I'll be buying Honda power from now on.
January 11, 2012
XG4000 had some quality issues
I purchased an XG4000 and it had the following issues:
The on/off switch did not work because it was not wired and the wires that were dangling were not long enough to connect to the switch.
The output voltage at the 120VAC outlet was only 108VAC as measured with a voltmeter.
The unit was advertised as 4000W continuous and 5000W max. It is actually 3600/4000.
December 24, 2011
Beware - 3600 Watt, not 4000/ 5000 peak
I ordered the XG4000, 4000 Watt / 5000 Watt Peak generator on October 31, 2011. It was back ordered, and I just received it today. All over the box it now says 3600 Watt / 4500 Watt Peak. 4000 Watt was the very minimum I wanted, needing 4600 to handle the anticipated loads. I went on-line to the Generac website and their spec sheet changed December 6, 2011, apparently to down-rate the product capacity.
Not sure yet if I'll return it, start shopping again for a replacement, and then wait another month and a half for another generator. Generac should have advised that they had down-rated their product before shipping. This is like the old-fashioned bait-and-switch. I wonder if they will down-rate the price and give me a refund?
December 13, 2011
This is a 3600 Watt generator, not 4000
The specifications changed recently. As you can see on this site, on the comparison chart it says it's a 4000 continuous watt generator, but the spec sheet says 3600. Just a few weeks ago, when both said 400 watts, I ordered it, and received the 3600 watt model.
Apparently this is Generac's fault, not the place I ordered it from. I'm working on returning it, I'm afraid the vendor will have to deal with the issue.
December 10, 2011
Great entry level machine, and then some.
I got into the generator market after several prolonged power outages in CT. I researched many different options and brands and ended up with the XG4000.
My power needs are basic as we have public water and sewer and oil heat. My minimum needs were two refrigerators, oil burner for heat and hot water, lights in the basement and some convenience plugs for a TV and charging cell phones. I figured I would need to turn off the refrigerators temporarily to run a microwave or toaster oven in the event of an outage.
I got the generator a few days ago and am very satisfied with the appearance and quality. Setup took an hour or so and it started up after a few pulls to get get some gas in the system.
It is more quiet than I expected and it is very easy to hold a conversation when running and standing a few feet away from the unit.
My manual transfer switch is on order so I broke out the extension coords to run some tests. I concurrently powered a 10,000 BTU air conditioner on Max cool, a freezer, wine fridge, dehumidifier and a hedge trimmer. Then I added a toaster oven to see what would happen. The generator did well at these loads which are much more intense than I anticipate for normal power outage usage. The unit would hesitate for a second or two when the ac compressor kicked on at full load, but recovered nicely an kept on going without sounding labored. I was expecting the unit to turn off at these loads. I ran these loads for about an hour and it worked well (I would turn toaster on and off intermittently).
We will see how it performs during extended usage and how it starts over time, but so far I am extremely pleased.
December 4, 2011
Excellent product, very high quality.
After a 20 hour power outage, I realized that I needed a power backup system. I reviewed a lot of blogs on the internet to get an idea of what people were doing to provide back up power. I used a borrowed stand-alone generator, but didn't like running extension cords up and down the stairs and leaving a window open. I discovered that a quality generator and a manual transfer switch was a great solution. I looked at a lot of generators and discovered that the better Generac, the XG series, provided a very reliable and easy to use generator. This one has a wheel kit and I like the weight and the features like the large gas tank, and guages for power use and gasoline level. I coupled it with a Generac manual switch, had an electrician help me connect it to some breakers in the main panel and I was up and running in a few hours. I power the refridgerator, kitchen lights and outlets and the bedroom lights and ceiling fan. This is more than enough for a day or two outage and fits the limits of a 4000 watt generator, I have the XG4000. I looked at the XG8000, but it appeared to be overkill for my needs. I start it once a month and test everything, and it starts with one pull nearly every time. If not one, then two pulls always start it; smooth and quiet running compared to similar size generators, I highly recommend this machine.
November 23, 2011