Isaac-1
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I started looking around last night using google to find advice on buying military surplus generators and was shocked to see so much bad advice and misinformation out there on a variety of message boards ranging from the wacko survivalist boards, gun owner boards, to home owner groups. (this is not to claim all survivalist are wackos, just that some members of the group can be a bit off the deep end and not living in the real world). Some of this advice may be considered a matter of opinion, you don't want a big heavy generator, and others are just plain wrong like, the small 3KW diesel powered military generators have rope pull starters and Onan built engines that you can't find parts for. The later obviously confusing the difference between the MEP-016 family members (a,b,c,d, &e).
So anyway here are a few random tidbits of questionable advice I found:
...militray equipment are designed to meet specifications when manufactured. Seldom is efficency and cost effective anywhere int he same unverse. So a civilian generator that cost $X a killowat to operate over its life, may see a 10 times $X for a comparable military surplus generator.
Militray never consideres the amount of cost of fuel in equioment as they bet what they want when they want - no questions asked. So those comparable civilian generators may all come in around 3 gallons an hour to operate while that military one may need 10 gallons.
The older Military Generators were designed to keep lighting and essential equipment running. At that time, there was not a lot of computer use like there is today. The Generators were not real stable for power. If you hook one of those up to your house, today, don't use anything computerized. Refridgerator, Stove, if computerized. Computer, TV, Sterio, etc, not going to run on that power, or worse yet, you'll ruin them
The real problem with military gensets is that the military beats them to death before getting rid of them.
Maybe if you bought twenty of them used them for parts to keep one running....
If it looks new, quite possibly it was used in power generation classes, and I would avoid like the plague. But one that looks like its done a days work was probably maintained according to schedule.
It SEEMS to be general government policy that good condition, serviceable equipment that is turned into the DRMO is to be left outside in the elements until it turns into an absolute pile of ****, and THEN it is sold at auction.
Anyway just thought I would share while I wait on my PAID invoice to show on on the GL site for the MEP-003a I won yesterday
Ike
So anyway here are a few random tidbits of questionable advice I found:
...militray equipment are designed to meet specifications when manufactured. Seldom is efficency and cost effective anywhere int he same unverse. So a civilian generator that cost $X a killowat to operate over its life, may see a 10 times $X for a comparable military surplus generator.
Militray never consideres the amount of cost of fuel in equioment as they bet what they want when they want - no questions asked. So those comparable civilian generators may all come in around 3 gallons an hour to operate while that military one may need 10 gallons.
The older Military Generators were designed to keep lighting and essential equipment running. At that time, there was not a lot of computer use like there is today. The Generators were not real stable for power. If you hook one of those up to your house, today, don't use anything computerized. Refridgerator, Stove, if computerized. Computer, TV, Sterio, etc, not going to run on that power, or worse yet, you'll ruin them
The real problem with military gensets is that the military beats them to death before getting rid of them.
Maybe if you bought twenty of them used them for parts to keep one running....
If it looks new, quite possibly it was used in power generation classes, and I would avoid like the plague. But one that looks like its done a days work was probably maintained according to schedule.
It SEEMS to be general government policy that good condition, serviceable equipment that is turned into the DRMO is to be left outside in the elements until it turns into an absolute pile of ****, and THEN it is sold at auction.
Anyway just thought I would share while I wait on my PAID invoice to show on on the GL site for the MEP-003a I won yesterday
Ike
