Greetings my neighbor to the south (Tupper Lake) I ran a HF 2000 off grid, after using Hondas I ran one for 88 days straight (oil/gas) fixed the recoil twice before putting some beeswax on it. Fixed the problem...88 days straight and it gave er up, not bad! Great videos
I love Tupper lake! It's so beautiful! Are you saying the Generator died after 88 days of running? If so HF's extended warranty would have worked out great for ya. No questions asked return for a new product! I know of people who get the two year Warranty and "trade it in " every two years for a brand new machine. But I find that HF Generators are very comparable to Honda, (not as quiet) at half the price! Thanks for watching!
would think so? Just unhooking the gas line from the carb, but honestly I have never stored it as I Live off grid and run my generators at least once a month.
Got 2 of these.. 1 tore after a few months.. i was able to catch it before it as going to get sucked in.. good deal. Tried your idea with the shrink tube.. so far so good 👍.. but number 2 was purchased and I decided to try and just fill the gas while running (I know, I know) to avoid pulling the cord.. after about 10 pulls from changing oil and not catching the gas before it ran out, the pull cord was torn and sucked in. About to attempt to see if I can figure it out.. should have shrink tubed the 2nd one.. kicking myself right now lol
Shes still holding up nicely.. i tried electrical tape at first lol.. it worked for a couple pulls.. but it kept being rolled up and getting stuck.. then I finally found my shrink tube and I was going back and forth between he 2 generators.. but then this newer one got chewed up in no time.. its been over a year.. same shrink tube, some scuffing where it would be chewing thru th cord, but its nothing to remove the old one when its too worn and replace, I check it at least twice a week. Great little generator, but they should do something about that. Such a hassle. Do you know if I need to take off the front panel (unplugging all the electrical harnesses) just to get to the screws of the recoil? Apparently there are screws that go into a nut instead of the engine itself and that just makes it hard to reach 2 wrenches in there to release the recoil.. again, great little generator.. like everything these days, it has its flaws. Luckily, pretty minor if you keep up with everything.
@@ewreck944 I had no problems getting the bolts out without pulling the front pannel off. be very careful though as I hit one of the wires and then couldn't find the problem and had to take it to a mechanic to figure it out.
I believe you may just have to reset the breaker and not put such a big load on it from now on. The overload light means that you tried to draw more electricity than the generator puts out. There should be a breaker button on it somewhere.
In my case, no, It is where the cord exits the recoil itself that we get the rubbing. you may be able to alter the grommet it goes through there, but I am not seeing where, at my skill level I would be able to fix the problem. Thanks for watching!
@@THand141Homestead after reviewing the max out put and my pressure washer for detailing uses 1500 watts I think I am going to buy the 3500 electric start , quite running one..but I will do this to the pull cord, thanks for the heads up on this issue.
I tried this but used cheap shrink rap on my 2000 Honda. So I coated the Rope in the same place with some rubber cement and seems to be holding up good not fraying anymore. Leave the line out and let the rubber cement completely dry before retracting. No need to pull the handle off
There are three bolts on the recoil. be very careful when you take it out. When I did mine I hit something on back of the control panel which loosened a wire and it was a monster to figure out so it would run again. Thanks for watching!
Do it for sure.. i have 2. 1 with and 1 without.. the flaw is there.. my 2nd one was sucked in within 1.5 months and only about 10 pulls. The vibrations are enough to get it sucked in. My second predator seems to have something cutting thru even quicker.. about to get in there to fix the coil and see if something is there tearing thru it like butter. Lol.. but other than that, keep up with oil changes (100 hrs), tune ups and try not to let the gas run out, especially if you have dirty gas. I do.. i just fill it when its at 1/4 - 1/2 full because I did have to keep cleaning the carberator jets due to all the crap in the gas here. But once I figured that out and got some fresh synthetic oil in her, she's been purring non stop. AWESOME generator!
@@ewreck944 I agree whole heartedly! I just changed the oil in mine a few weeks ago and all of the sudden, after running fine it won't start. oil level is fine, but I did let it run out of gass a few times. So you may have just answered whats wrong. I'll check the jets! Thank You! and Thanks for watching!!
@@THand141Homestead i wasnt able to get the carb off.. i just removed the air intake and removed the bottom of the cup to get to the bottom jet.. but its probably best if you can get the whole thing off and get both of the jets. I was only able to clean that bottom one, but she's purring nicely.. no surging and stalling anymore. I did spray into the carb from any direction i could.. but its messy lol. If you can get the whol carb off, record it and post it! I still want to be able to clean it if needed. But the cables and all that get me lost!...but thats why alot of people dont let their vehicle tanks get close to empty.. the fill at 1/4 or even 1/2 tank.. alot of mechanics do this too.. hard to avoid dirty gas.. especially when you gotta drive a few miles to the only gas station for miles and then pay over $4 for each gallon of dirty gas?!?! It should be half priced at least 🤣
Good tip ...thanks BUT You never pull the started cord all the way to the end...short strokes is how you should do it..come on you should know that !!!!
That's the only problem with my 2000, I kept cutting it shorter before it broke, until there was no more cord to pull. I ended up using a shrink wrap also!!! Great minds think alike 🤣
@@THand141Homestead Hi, I just watched your video of replacing that cord in the living room last night. I have 2- 3,500 Predators I bought in 2020 and love them. I'm thinking of buying the 2000 but haven't decided yet. Not sure if I want to spend the $600. I can say that is cheap, junk starter rope seeing it all fuzzy and how easily the cut off end fuzzes up. Go buy large dia. starter rope for a chain saw and I think you'll take care of the problem. I bought about 5' off the bulk roll at a Stihl dealer and it was only about $2. That was horrible putting it on my Husqvarna but it does work, Lol.
Oppps, I should mention for everyone to buy the correct dia. rope as some have split the plastic recoil spool or had recoil problems from using the wrong diameter rope.
Hi you mentioned in the video that you deal with pumps and electrical wiring underwater. I have an outdoor extension cord running from my Predator generator and a big part of it is lying in the water (it rains a lot here). I have had this setup for 3 - 4 months and no issues so far. Just wondering if I need to worry. :-) Part of my outdoor extension cord is even submerged in the water.
It depends on the quality of your extension cord. If the outer coating or inner wire insulation cracks or gets compromised it will throw the breaker on your generator. I suggest getting a length of 12/2 romex wire ( the grey is made for outside and underground use) and wire the necessary plugs on either end. If your ground is not rocky I would burry the line 6-8 inches to keep it safe. If the ground is bony I would burry it in conduit. On the submersible pumps we did we used shrink tube to protect the connections that may end up under water. I do not suggest burying an extension cord, and only use 12 gauge extension cords. Hope that helps, let me know if you need anything else.
@@pencilgun4934 I would make sure of a couple things before I buried an extension cord even in pvc pipe. 1. Make sure every pipe junction is water tight sealed, and no water could enter the ends of the pipe. 2. I would use a high quality extension cord, or one made to be buried. And for the cost of that you could probably get the romex exterior wire I mentioned earlier.if possible you could elevate the cord off the ground. My cord from generator to house runs into the rafters of the wood shed to the rafters of the house so it is up and out of the way so I can plow in the winter without it being in the way. I check it for sun damage every so often. Glad I could help. I know the generators and set ups aren't cheap and are very important, and electricity scares me.LOL
@@THand141Homestead Thanks again adding that to my notes. Quick story. Many years ago when I was just a boy and growing up in my parents' house in Cape Town South Africa 2 guys came around one day to fix the wiring in the ceiling of the house. Suddenly we hear loud screaming. First we thought it was outside then it appeared to be coming from the ceiling. One guy went downstairs and he turned the power on without warning his partner. The guy in the ceiling was actually stuck on the wire and screaming to shut it off. Scary. First thing my dad taught me about electricity is that if you are not sure about a wire, always touch it with back of the hand first, never grab it. So if it is a live wire and your muscles contract your hand pulls away from the wire and not grab it.
Other than a few small issues like this, I have had a good experience with the HF Generators. But I understand that not everyone can say that. Thanks for the advise!
Do you have a video of one of these being taken apart to get that retractor out do you have any suggestions on how to modify the retractor to not eat the full cord thank you for making this video
A heat gun when available would work just fine, and even better. I have one on my tools to get list, but Just havent seemed to get to getting one yet. thanks for the input!
I am going to have to get a heat gun. I had the wrong rope on it to begin with, and have since changed it out as it was too big of a diameter. The new rope wasn't effects by the torch. Thanks for the advise I will plan on getting a heat gun. Do you have a preference on brand or btu? I am not familiar with them.
If you do replace the whole rope, be careful of the wiring on the front panel of the generator, I had somehow loosened a connection on one while pulling the recoil and it prevented the engine from adjusting correctly when the draw increased. What a pain to find.
I haven't been able to figure out how to check the oil level with dipstick because it seems you have to tilt it on its side when you take the dipstick out and what is the point then? The dipstick wont give accurate reading. Also after you add new oil and had it titled on its side it smokes like hell for 30 min or so.
you fill the oil up to the threads of the dipstick when the generator is level. the oil should always show up on the dipstick when the unit is level. use a funnel to put the oil in when putting oil in. its smoking because you are turning it on its side and oil is running into the cylinder. it's a pain to fill, but i use a small funnel and keep the generator level.
Great tip and great outro. I grew up watching Red Green.
Glad you enjoyed it
Brilliant top tip.
Thanks for watching!
Greetings my neighbor to the south (Tupper Lake)
I ran a HF 2000 off grid, after using Hondas
I ran one for 88 days straight (oil/gas) fixed the recoil twice before putting some beeswax on it. Fixed the problem...88 days straight and it gave er up, not bad!
Great videos
I love Tupper lake! It's so beautiful! Are you saying the Generator died after 88 days of running? If so HF's extended warranty would have worked out great for ya. No questions asked return for a new product! I know of people who get the two year Warranty and "trade it in " every two years for a brand new machine. But I find that HF Generators are very comparable to Honda, (not as quiet) at half the price! Thanks for watching!
Thanks. Just got one.
Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!
Good to know! Thanks!
Glad you liked it, Thanks for watching.
I was thinking about getting one of these. After all the fuel has been used out of the carburetor...is the fuel tank pretty easy to drain for storage?
would think so? Just unhooking the gas line from the carb, but honestly I have never stored it as I Live off grid and run my generators at least once a month.
Looks like another beautiful day at the office.
Got 2 of these.. 1 tore after a few months.. i was able to catch it before it as going to get sucked in.. good deal. Tried your idea with the shrink tube.. so far so good 👍.. but number 2 was purchased and I decided to try and just fill the gas while running (I know, I know) to avoid pulling the cord.. after about 10 pulls from changing oil and not catching the gas before it ran out, the pull cord was torn and sucked in. About to attempt to see if I can figure it out.. should have shrink tubed the 2nd one.. kicking myself right now lol
We all live and learn. How is your shrink tubed one holding up? Just trying to get a brauder picture of the hacks usefulness. Thanks for watching!
Shes still holding up nicely.. i tried electrical tape at first lol.. it worked for a couple pulls.. but it kept being rolled up and getting stuck.. then I finally found my shrink tube and I was going back and forth between he 2 generators.. but then this newer one got chewed up in no time.. its been over a year.. same shrink tube, some scuffing where it would be chewing thru th cord, but its nothing to remove the old one when its too worn and replace, I check it at least twice a week. Great little generator, but they should do something about that. Such a hassle. Do you know if I need to take off the front panel (unplugging all the electrical harnesses) just to get to the screws of the recoil? Apparently there are screws that go into a nut instead of the engine itself and that just makes it hard to reach 2 wrenches in there to release the recoil.. again, great little generator.. like everything these days, it has its flaws. Luckily, pretty minor if you keep up with everything.
@@ewreck944 I had no problems getting the bolts out without pulling the front pannel off. be very careful though as I hit one of the wires and then couldn't find the problem and had to take it to a mechanic to figure it out.
Hello, my Predator generator has the overload light on, does it can be repaired ?
I believe you may just have to reset the breaker and not put such a big load on it from now on. The overload light means that you tried to draw more electricity than the generator puts out.
There should be a breaker button on it somewhere.
what if you remove that metal side panel piece. Will that stop the rubbing?
In my case, no, It is where the cord exits the recoil itself that we get the rubbing. you may be able to alter the grommet it goes through there, but I am not seeing where, at my skill level I would be able to fix the problem. Thanks for watching!
@@THand141Homestead after reviewing the max out put and my pressure washer for detailing uses 1500 watts I think I am going to buy the 3500 electric start , quite running one..but I will do this to the pull cord, thanks for the heads up on this issue.
I tried this but used cheap shrink rap on my 2000 Honda. So I coated the Rope in the same place with some rubber cement and seems to be holding up good not fraying anymore. Leave the line out and let the rubber cement completely dry before retracting. No need to pull the handle off
That is a very good idea! Thank you! and Thanks for watching!
How many screws hold in the starter recoil? Just had my cord break on me.
There are three bolts on the recoil. be very careful when you take it out. When I did mine I hit something on back of the control panel which loosened a wire and it was a monster to figure out so it would run again. Thanks for watching!
Do you find after a few months this fix is still effective? Just picked up one of these generators and I am considering your advice.
Yes I do, when the shrink tube does begin to wear off you could just redo it. Thanks for watching!
Do it for sure.. i have 2. 1 with and 1 without.. the flaw is there.. my 2nd one was sucked in within 1.5 months and only about 10 pulls. The vibrations are enough to get it sucked in. My second predator seems to have something cutting thru even quicker.. about to get in there to fix the coil and see if something is there tearing thru it like butter. Lol.. but other than that, keep up with oil changes (100 hrs), tune ups and try not to let the gas run out, especially if you have dirty gas. I do.. i just fill it when its at 1/4 - 1/2 full because I did have to keep cleaning the carberator jets due to all the crap in the gas here. But once I figured that out and got some fresh synthetic oil in her, she's been purring non stop. AWESOME generator!
@@ewreck944 I agree whole heartedly! I just changed the oil in mine a few weeks ago and all of the sudden, after running fine it won't start. oil level is fine, but I did let it run out of gass a few times. So you may have just answered whats wrong. I'll check the jets! Thank You! and Thanks for watching!!
@@THand141Homestead i wasnt able to get the carb off.. i just removed the air intake and removed the bottom of the cup to get to the bottom jet.. but its probably best if you can get the whole thing off and get both of the jets. I was only able to clean that bottom one, but she's purring nicely.. no surging and stalling anymore. I did spray into the carb from any direction i could.. but its messy lol. If you can get the whol carb off, record it and post it! I still want to be able to clean it if needed. But the cables and all that get me lost!...but thats why alot of people dont let their vehicle tanks get close to empty.. the fill at 1/4 or even 1/2 tank.. alot of mechanics do this too.. hard to avoid dirty gas.. especially when you gotta drive a few miles to the only gas station for miles and then pay over $4 for each gallon of dirty gas?!?! It should be half priced at least 🤣
I wonder if there is a way to stop the fraying at the recoil hub as well. I'll have to take a look at mine. Thanks for the heads-up
There has to be, You would think the factory would have fixed this already. Glad to be of help, Thanks for watching!
Good tip ...thanks BUT You never pull the started cord all the way to the end...short strokes is how you should do it..come on you should know that !!!!
Great point! Thanks you.
That's the only problem with my 2000, I kept cutting it shorter before it broke, until there was no more cord to pull. I ended up using a shrink wrap also!!! Great minds think alike 🤣
I also switch out the stock pull cord with smaller diameter heavy duty cord and it seems to help. Thanks for Watching!
@@THand141Homestead Hi, I just watched your video of replacing that cord in the living room last night. I have 2- 3,500 Predators I bought in 2020 and love them. I'm thinking of buying the 2000 but haven't decided yet. Not sure if I want to spend the $600. I can say that is cheap, junk starter rope seeing it all fuzzy and how easily the cut off end fuzzes up. Go buy large dia. starter rope for a chain saw and I think you'll take care of the problem. I bought about 5' off the bulk roll at a Stihl dealer and it was only about $2. That was horrible putting it on my Husqvarna but it does work, Lol.
@@jefffrayer8238 That's a great idea! Thanks!
Oppps, I should mention for everyone to buy the correct dia. rope as some have split the plastic recoil spool or had recoil problems from using the wrong diameter rope.
@@jefffrayer8238 Absolutely!
Heat gun
It was this video that made me purchase a heat gun. It works 10x better! Thanks for watching!
@@THand141Homestead I'm a PRO & that's what we use. I wire MERIKA. 😎👍
Red green is my dude
I love Red Green! Thanks For watching and remember I'm pulling for ya! LOL
Keep your stick on the ice
Hi you mentioned in the video that you deal with pumps and electrical wiring underwater.
I have an outdoor extension cord running from my Predator generator and a big part of it is lying in the water (it rains a lot here). I have had this setup for 3 - 4 months and no issues so far. Just wondering if I need to worry. :-)
Part of my outdoor extension cord is even submerged in the water.
It depends on the quality of your extension cord. If the outer coating or inner wire insulation cracks or gets compromised it will throw the breaker on your generator. I suggest getting a length of 12/2 romex wire ( the grey is made for outside and underground use) and wire the necessary plugs on either end. If your ground is not rocky I would burry the line 6-8 inches to keep it safe. If the ground is bony I would burry it in conduit. On the submersible pumps we did we used shrink tube to protect the connections that may end up under water. I do not suggest burying an extension cord, and only use 12 gauge extension cords. Hope that helps, let me know if you need anything else.
@@THand141Homestead Thanks for the detailed answer :-)
@@THand141Homestead I was thinking at one point to run the extension cord through a PVC pipe and then bury that.
@@pencilgun4934 I would make sure of a couple things before I buried an extension cord even in pvc pipe. 1. Make sure every pipe junction is water tight sealed, and no water could enter the ends of the pipe. 2. I would use a high quality extension cord, or one made to be buried. And for the cost of that you could probably get the romex exterior wire I mentioned earlier.if possible you could elevate the cord off the ground. My cord from generator to house runs into the rafters of the wood shed to the rafters of the house so it is up and out of the way so I can plow in the winter without it being in the way. I check it for sun damage every so often. Glad I could help. I know the generators and set ups aren't cheap and are very important, and electricity scares me.LOL
@@THand141Homestead Thanks again adding that to my notes. Quick story. Many years ago when I was just a boy and growing up in my parents' house in Cape Town South Africa 2 guys came around one day to fix the wiring in the ceiling of the house. Suddenly we hear loud screaming. First we thought it was outside then it appeared to be coming from the ceiling. One guy went downstairs and he turned the power on without warning his partner. The guy in the ceiling was actually stuck on the wire and screaming to shut it off. Scary. First thing my dad taught me about electricity is that if you are not sure about a wire, always touch it with back of the hand first, never grab it. So if it is a live wire and your muscles contract your hand pulls away from the wire and not grab it.
First thing you should do is return the POS Harbor Freight junk generator and buy better quality... (in my opinion).
Other than a few small issues like this, I have had a good experience with the HF Generators. But I understand that not everyone can say that. Thanks for the advise!
Do you have a video of one of these being taken apart to get that retractor out do you have any suggestions on how to modify the retractor to not eat the full cord thank you for making this video
I am not sure if the video I have shows that, but it may, It is one of my earlier videos. here's the link. th-cam.com/video/gStCCkHnx1c/w-d-xo.html
Last step I;m thinking need to be shrink tub shrinking with heat Gun to make it easier.
A heat gun when available would work just fine, and even better. I have one on my tools to get list, but Just havent seemed to get to getting one yet. thanks for the input!
I just got given this generator it was a runner but the pull cord broke
ya can't beat FREE!! thanks for watching!
Terrible repair. Use a heat gun so you don't burn up the cord like you did.
I am going to have to get a heat gun. I had the wrong rope on it to begin with, and have since changed it out as it was too big of a diameter. The new rope wasn't effects by the torch. Thanks for the advise I will plan on getting a heat gun. Do you have a preference on brand or btu? I am not familiar with them.
You didn’t show the finished work?
sorry about that. i am planning on doing a remake at some point if the shrink tube wears too much. again, i am sorry about that. thanks for watching.
Replace the whole rope
If you do replace the whole rope, be careful of the wiring on the front panel of the generator, I had somehow loosened a connection on one while pulling the recoil and it prevented the engine from adjusting correctly when the draw increased. What a pain to find.
Bet you could slice and melt without having the remove the handle. Maybe?
That may work! I have never tried to slice a shrink tube. But you may have something there!
I haven't been able to figure out how to check the oil level with dipstick because it seems you have to tilt it on its side when you take the dipstick out and what is the point then? The dipstick wont give accurate reading. Also after you add new oil and had it titled on its side it smokes like hell for 30 min or so.
you fill the oil up to the threads of the dipstick when the generator is level. the oil should always show up on the dipstick when the unit is level. use a funnel to put the oil in when putting oil in. its smoking because you are turning it on its side and oil is running into the cylinder. it's a pain to fill, but i use a small funnel and keep the generator level.
@@THand141Homestead O.k. thanks.
@@pencilgun4934 I will be making another oil change video this week to release on monday. hope i helped.
@@THand141Homestead Great I subbed :-)