This is a fantastic video and explains it all so well. Thank you very much! I just used this generator for 5 days when our power went out in Texas (in late May!) and it's time to give her some TLC for all of her hard work! ;-) Great Generator if anyone is interested.
Incredible. Your generator looks brand new, inside and out. Hard for me to comprehend how nice it looks after 300 hours compared to mine at 30 hours! And ice really tried to take care of it. Well done.
I'm impressed with Harbor Freight tools. I remember the first time i was in their store about 12 years ago they used to sell reconditioned power tools. I've had some problems with them. Today they sell a variety of power tools that really pack a punch. Also at a reasonable price. They also have an excellent warranty on what they sell.One of my favorite big box stores. Thanks Tony.
Harbor Freight has some pro level stuff now at a good price. Most people buy stuff and don't take care of it. Their choices are to blame themselves or blame Harbor Freight. I appreciate your positive feedback. Thank you.
Another nice PM video. Yours is a lot cleaner than mine after several weeks boondocking at CAMPEN and on BLM land over the winter! Time too get busy for me.
The original battery in my Predator 3500 generator didn't last no time! It was weak from the day I got it, but the generator itself is a beast! Would buy another one!!
Great video! I'm sure you know this, but if not. The spark arrestor is a two peace setup. You have the wire mesh that you can see, then there's a wire strainer sitting inside the muffler that you can pull out and clean with a wire brush. Thanks for the video!
thumbs up and subscribed. Well done video....usually 20 min vids are a bit too much but you nailed it on this one. Just good old fashioned common sense.
I just found this video today as I'm researching generators. You mentioned you had used it when you had a power outage. Can you do a video on how you set it up to keep the essentials working in your house, or direct me to a previous video when you showed that. Thanks.
How many hours before the valve clearances need adjusting ? Have you done yours yet ? It looks like it may need considerable manual dexterity to put it politely ! Nice clear concise video thanks for taking the time to put it together. 🇬🇧🇬🇧
The valves should be checked at 300 according to the book. I have ran synthetic oil from the start. I don't hear any need to adjust the valves on mine. I may do it at 400 hours.
Burning oil. Something wrong with the rings or valve guides most likely assuming the fuel is not mixed with something. One guy put his weed eater gas in his generator. It took him a minute to figure out why it started smoking.
..I purchased the Predator 3500 Inverter Generator to hook up to my single wide mobile home. Incase of power outages. My mobile home is a bonded ground and so is the Predator 3500 Inverter Generator . How would I UNBOUND or make Predator 3500 Inverter Generator a floating bond? Love your video's Thanks
Many of the videos show people changing the oil after running a couple hour and do so a couple times to flush metal particles out. Probably a good thing and certainly won't hurt anything. But any motor needs to run hours/ miles to get broke in which is mostly seats the rings to prevent oil burning. Make sure the motor is broke in before using synthetics or fancy oils and oil usage will be minimal. Take the other panel off and you can see that a clear style, paper, in line fuel filter can easily be installed on the outflow side of the gas shut off valve. That will keep moisture and dirt out of the tiny jets in the carb. Don't drill hole or leave oil fill door off as it causes electronics to overheat and fail. All foam air filters require a light oiling to attract dirt passing though filter. THAT is how they work. All service instructions for small engines with foam air filters instruct to wash filter out in gas, squeeze gently to dry, then add a few drops of oil and squeeze excess oil out. Great inverter to safely run gas furnace and other applications for hundreds/ thousand of hours. Great video as well.
Next door Neighbor had two of these crap out on her. She's moving and already replaced it with a new one. She ended up giving me both of them, for free. Today I spent a couple of hours going through the first one. She told me she was using it and it just quit running. The air filter looked like I just brought it home from HF. The engine compartment just the same. Finally, I checked the oil, less that 6 oz. in the crank case. I'm guessing the safety shut it down and they never thought to check it. Not sure how long it had been sitting in their storage shed but the battery was dead and would not take a charge, at all. I ordered a new one from Amazon, and put it on the trickle charger. After two hours, I gave up waiting for the charger to show full so I disconnected it and cranked it right up. No problem runs like a top. So here's my questions. Does this machine have a fuel filter? I have been through the manual and there's no indication of one being in the machine. Second, with the other Predator, the fuel tank is so filthy with rust, scale, and who knows what else. I removed 6+ liters of gasoline from the tank, tossed in a couple of paper towels and blew them around with the air hose and then added more gasoline and repeated the blowing. Still filthy. Not sure what to do at this point. I definitely don't want to remove the tank and descale it but am running out of ideas. Thinking of pouring in a few quarts of brake cleaner, 5 pounds of nuts, shake it around and then using the shop vac and a magnet to remove everything. Sorry for the long post but I'm out of ideas other than the above. Any suggestions or help would be appreciated. Also, where can I find the serial number?
Thankyou. Very helpful. Would you cut out any plastic for added airflow ? Also , would it be alright to convert to full synthetic without any kind of flush to the oil system?
I have not modified my generation in any way and I have had great results. There is no need to flush for a synthetic oil change. Years ago, synthetic oils and conventional oils were not compatible. This is not the case today. I hope this helps. Tony
The carbon canister has two hoses on the left side and one port on the right side. What is connected to that port on the right side of the carbon canister? Thank you
Why champion vs predator and why do people put oil stabilizer in spark plug also did you get the warranty I want to but this so much but want more feedback thank you
I did get the warranty, but that time has pasted. It still runs perfect. I use fuel stabilizer and I change the oil at least once each year. We did not use our travel trailer due to covid last year, but I still changed the oil. If you leave normal fuel in the generator without putting a stabilizer in, it will gum up the carburetor and ruin the unit. I always change my fuel out every six months if I am not using it. We will use it more this year. I have no experience with Champion, but I know I can still get parts from Harbor Freight if I need them.
What is the best fuel to use in this generator? I do not want to use regular gas because of the ethanol in it. This is our backup power source; it will not be used unless we lose power. Which does not happen that much in our area. We purchased it for our home. It will be parked in the shed. I plan on starting it once a month. My neighbor uses race care fuel in his generator. He has a Genentech generator. Is it safe to use in any generator
Good Video, Any Ideas on Magnetic Drain Plug ?? Who Has Them ?? Are They the Same as Honda?? Predator Engines are supposed to be Honda Clones...Thanks Greg
Chief, I may have missed you giving this info. How many gallons of fuel and how many run hours do you get per tank? Did it inprove with use or did you loose any run time.
I really don't know on the fuel. It is very good on fuel, but the load determines how long the fuel will last and that changes as the load changes. We had the power out for 20 hours the other day. I ran a few lights the refrigerator and 110v for my gas hot water heater. It probably only used a gallon and a half every 10 hours.
where do you go to find out about real problems with this lots of mant, ones mine shut off under heavy draw now will not start . shop in town says nope do not work on those - hf says have no idea what you do a week after warranty goes out?
I work on my own stuff, but any real small engine shop can work on it. The engine is very simple. He most likely is just to busy this time of year to mess with the unknown. Do me a favor. Mix a few ounces of Lucas Fuel Injector and Carburetor Cleaner a tank of fuel. Change the plug and run the Carburetor cleaner fuel mix almost out. Very likely your problems will be solved. I always store my generator empty of fuel. Gas nowadays will not stay fresh more than a few weeks without a fuel stabilizer in it.
Did your electrical meter set back to zero when you disconnected your battery, my battery has gone dead and my meter is all zeros again I don’t know how many hours are on it.
@@TonysTractorAdventure Iv never had an hr meter go dead after the first Initial charge I tried to send it back they want the whole generator lol for a dead battery
I have a Harbor Freight Predator 3500 generator. I have 17 hours of run time. Only 4 hours under 75% load the rest is exercising. I just started it for the monthly exercising, and it ran rough and I notice the volt meter only registering hours only, no volt or amp output on gauge. I did connect 2, 1800 watt heaters and it seem to run them, but again runs real rough. How to test this generators output? So, I know if it’s the generator or just the gauge? I’ve changed fuel, spark plug, check the oil, charcoal canister, air filter, removed the spark arrester, all looks like new. Help, Thanks
I think if you push the little grey button by the readout, it will change it back to reading volts, amps, etc. It can be cycled through. 3200 watts is to much for the generator. It is made to run 3000 all the time with 500 watts overload pull just for the few seconds it needs to start an electric motor. That should be the only time you go over 3000 watts. I think it is been generous at 3k watts too. I read 2800 watts on my hand held meter. I hope this helps.
Just an idea i did and didn't see anyone in 30 videos i saw do. Lol Buy harbor freight roll cart with handle that fits perfect with predator. Make a rectangle hole where oil would fall through for oil changes. Then put predator on top with 2 ratchet straps. Lock wheels. Put 2 small brackets to keep predator in place. Alot easier to roll over any surface. Elevating predator keeps air filter way cleaner. You'll never have to take off predator off the roll cart. On sale costs 21 bucks. Trust me a lot easier mobility and to work on. Your welcome lol jk
@@TonysTractorAdventurethanks, looking to make a purchase but seems like now a days customer service is out the window once u make the purchase. Hard to find good customer service anywhere now a days. Thanks for the replies love your videos.
I find the corporate structure of TYM tractor to be a trust worthy organization. They are growing fast, and learning as they go. They have a good product and really good upper management.
![ละลาย (LALALYE) - DAOU PITTAYA ต้าห์อู๋ พิทยา [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wo6r9TgausI/mqdefault.jpg)
This is a fantastic video and explains it all so well. Thank you very much! I just used this generator for 5 days when our power went out in Texas (in late May!) and it's time to give her some TLC for all of her hard work! ;-) Great Generator if anyone is interested.
Glad it helped!
Incredible. Your generator looks brand new, inside and out. Hard for me to comprehend how nice it looks after 300 hours compared to mine at 30 hours! And ice really tried to take care of it. Well done.
I may be a little OCD! That is why I was a good Army Maintenance Warrant Officer LOL
I believe it. Thanks for your content, and for your service, Chief!
I'm impressed with Harbor Freight tools. I remember the first time i was in their store about 12 years ago they used to sell reconditioned power tools. I've had some problems with them.
Today they sell a variety of power tools that really pack a punch. Also at a reasonable price. They also have an excellent warranty on what they sell.One of my favorite big box stores. Thanks Tony.
They seem to be offering some really good quality stuff now. I am impressed too.
YOUNG MAN
WAS VERY GREAT REVEIW / MOST PEOPLE CUT DOWN HARBOR FREIGHT 75 % OF THE TIME !
Harbor Freight has some pro level stuff now at a good price. Most people buy stuff and don't take care of it. Their choices are to blame themselves or blame Harbor Freight. I appreciate your positive feedback. Thank you.
Another nice PM video. Yours is a lot cleaner than mine after several weeks boondocking at CAMPEN and on BLM land over the winter! Time too get busy for me.
We are going to go set up our travel trailer at our new property soon. We are look forward to it. It will be straight generator time.
Great video lots of details and a service job well done sir!
Thank you
The original battery in my Predator 3500 generator didn't last no time! It was weak from the day I got it, but the generator itself is a beast! Would buy another one!!
Funny, my first battery lasted almost 2 years. The new ones last a few months.
@@TonysTractorAdventure i got my generator june of last year, so it pretty new. Maybe just got a dud.
Great video! I'm sure you know this, but if not. The spark arrestor is a two peace setup. You have the wire mesh that you can see, then there's a wire strainer sitting inside the muffler that you can pull out and clean with a wire brush.
Thanks for the video!
Thank you. Mine is one of the first, so I didn't see anything inside. I will re check
thumbs up and subscribed. Well done video....usually 20 min vids are a bit too much but you nailed it on this one. Just good old fashioned common sense.
Thank you
Nice, clear explanation. Great!
Thank you
Good evening Sir, Great maintenance video, you went trough everything Sir !!!👍Keep up the good work👌Cheers !!!
Thanks 👍 I appreciate you!
@@TonysTractorAdventure 👌
I bought one lo ast year and it don't skip a beat
They are a big bang for the buck.
I just found this video today as I'm researching generators. You mentioned you had used it when you had a power outage. Can you do a video on how you set it up to keep the essentials working in your house, or direct me to a previous video when you showed that. Thanks.
It was no big deal. I just ran really long cords in the house and one to the freezer. All 10ga cords.
Great video, just what I needed. thanks
Thank you
Good video👍
Thanks 👍
Great video TYM Tony.
I like that! I appreciate you my friend. TYM Tony!👍
Your 3 year old generator is cleaner than the display model at my location cal HF
Keeping it clean makes it last longer. Mine gets dirty, but I clean it after I use it. It could stand another cleaning now that you brought it up.
Looks good for 3yrs old Tony
It has a few scratches, but it is pretty tough. Thanks
How many hours before the valve clearances need adjusting ? Have you done yours yet ? It looks like it may need considerable manual dexterity to put it politely ! Nice clear concise video thanks for taking the time to put it together. 🇬🇧🇬🇧
The valves should be checked at 300 according to the book. I have ran synthetic oil from the start. I don't hear any need to adjust the valves on mine. I may do it at 400 hours.
Great question, I would do it for sure at 300 hrs.
I understand.
Hi Tony. Liked your video. I have the same generator and it produces alot of white smoke from the exhaust. Any idea what that could be? Thx
Burning oil. Something wrong with the rings or valve guides most likely assuming the fuel is not mixed with something. One guy put his weed eater gas in his generator. It took him a minute to figure out why it started smoking.
..I purchased the Predator 3500 Inverter Generator to hook up to my single wide mobile home. Incase of power outages. My mobile home is a bonded ground and so is the Predator 3500 Inverter Generator . How would I UNBOUND or make Predator 3500 Inverter Generator a floating bond? Love your video's Thanks
Honestly, I have no idea.
Great video. I see you didn't do any mods like drilling holes , removing things it looks all stock and no problems.
No problems. Some people like to mod. It just works.
I just bought one this weekend and works awesome , ran it 30 min with lite load and changed the oil already, very important.
I just purchased one of these today and was wondering if you did a break in oil change and if so, how long did you run it? Very nice vid.
I ran it about 10 hours of use under different loads. I changed the oil then, but found nothing remarkable in the oil. It has been running strong.
Many of the videos show people changing the oil after running a couple hour and do so a couple times to flush metal particles out. Probably a good thing and certainly won't hurt anything. But any motor needs to run hours/ miles to get broke in which is mostly seats the rings to prevent oil burning. Make sure the motor is broke in before using synthetics or fancy oils and oil usage will be minimal. Take the other panel off and you can see that a clear style, paper, in line fuel filter can easily be installed on the outflow side of the gas shut off valve. That will keep moisture and dirt out of the tiny jets in the carb. Don't drill hole or leave oil fill door off as it causes electronics to overheat and fail. All foam air filters require a light oiling to attract dirt passing though filter. THAT is how they work. All service instructions for small engines with foam air filters instruct to wash filter out in gas, squeeze gently to dry, then add a few drops of oil and squeeze excess oil out. Great inverter to safely run gas furnace and other applications for hundreds/ thousand of hours. Great video as well.
Excellent 👍🏿
Thank you
Next door Neighbor had two of these crap out on her. She's moving and already replaced it with a new one. She ended up giving me both of them, for free. Today I spent a couple of hours going through the first one. She told me she was using it and it just quit running. The air filter looked like I just brought it home from HF. The engine compartment just the same. Finally, I checked the oil, less that 6 oz. in the crank case. I'm guessing the safety shut it down and they never thought to check it. Not sure how long it had been sitting in their storage shed but the battery was dead and would not take a charge, at all. I ordered a new one from Amazon, and put it on the trickle charger. After two hours, I gave up waiting for the charger to show full so I disconnected it and cranked it right up. No problem runs like a top.
So here's my questions. Does this machine have a fuel filter? I have been through the manual and there's no indication of one being in the machine. Second, with the other Predator, the fuel tank is so filthy with rust, scale, and who knows what else. I removed 6+ liters of gasoline from the tank, tossed in a couple of paper towels and blew them around with the air hose and then added more gasoline and repeated the blowing. Still filthy. Not sure what to do at this point. I definitely don't want to remove the tank and descale it but am running out of ideas. Thinking of pouring in a few quarts of brake cleaner, 5 pounds of nuts, shake it around and then using the shop vac and a magnet to remove everything. Sorry for the long post but I'm out of ideas other than the above.
Any suggestions or help would be appreciated. Also, where can I find the serial number?
Thankyou. Very helpful. Would you cut out any plastic for added airflow ? Also , would it be alright to convert to full synthetic without any kind of flush to the oil system?
I have not modified my generation in any way and I have had great results. There is no need to flush for a synthetic oil change. Years ago, synthetic oils and conventional oils were not compatible. This is not the case today. I hope this helps. Tony
Tony's Tractor Adventure Thanks Tony!
Great job!!!
Thank you!!
what are your suggestions to do if the gen is working fine at your home but misfires when taking to mountains?
Put a high altitude kit on it.
Saw another guy on TH-cam that said when you start it put it on run. Start is just a choke.
The carbon canister has two hoses on the left side and one port on the right side. What is connected to that port on the right side of the carbon canister? Thank you
I think to the fuel tank.
Good video. thanks
Glad you liked it!
Thanks for the Video very helpful , , Where did you find the battery? can you post a link. Thanks again
I just bought it at at AutoZone. They have a wide selection of small batteries now. I don't remember the number, but it was on the shelf. Tony
@@TonysTractorAdventure Very appreciated ! Thanks
Why champion vs predator and why do people put oil stabilizer in spark plug also did you get the warranty I want to but this so much but want more feedback thank you
I did get the warranty, but that time has pasted. It still runs perfect. I use fuel stabilizer and I change the oil at least once each year. We did not use our travel trailer due to covid last year, but I still changed the oil. If you leave normal fuel in the generator without putting a stabilizer in, it will gum up the carburetor and ruin the unit. I always change my fuel out every six months if I am not using it. We will use it more this year. I have no experience with Champion, but I know I can still get parts from Harbor Freight if I need them.
Perfecto
Thank you
Tractor question will you be getting a backhoe for your tractor are you a little lost without one thanks for the videos
I mostly likely will. I had to use a shovel the other day. That sucked.
What is the best fuel to use in this generator? I do not want to use regular gas because of the ethanol in it. This is our backup power source; it will not be used unless we lose power. Which does not happen that much in our area. We purchased it for our home. It will be parked in the shed. I plan on starting it once a month. My neighbor uses race care fuel in his generator. He has a Genentech generator. Is it safe to use in any generator
I use none ethanol gas with a fuel stabilizer in it.
Good Video, Any Ideas on Magnetic Drain Plug ?? Who Has Them ?? Are They the Same as Honda?? Predator Engines are supposed to be Honda Clones...Thanks Greg
I don't I change my oil so much it does not matter for me. Just run it a bit to get it warm, and drain it out. Great little generator. Tony
Chief, I may have missed you giving this info. How many gallons of fuel and how many run hours do you get per tank? Did it inprove with use or did you loose any run time.
I really don't know on the fuel. It is very good on fuel, but the load determines how long the fuel will last and that changes as the load changes. We had the power out for 20 hours the other day. I ran a few lights the refrigerator and 110v for my gas hot water heater. It probably only used a gallon and a half every 10 hours.
It greatly varies run time based on how much power you are drawing.
I am not sure how I missed this post, but the run time depends on the load. It will run 8 or 9 hours under light loads.
where do you go to find out about real problems with this lots of mant, ones mine shut off under heavy draw now will not start . shop in town says nope do not work on those - hf says have no idea what you do a week after warranty goes out?
I work on my own stuff, but any real small engine shop can work on it. The engine is very simple. He most likely is just to busy this time of year to mess with the unknown. Do me a favor. Mix a few ounces of Lucas Fuel Injector and Carburetor Cleaner a tank of fuel. Change the plug and run the Carburetor cleaner fuel mix almost out. Very likely your problems will be solved. I always store my generator empty of fuel. Gas nowadays will not stay fresh more than a few weeks without a fuel stabilizer in it.
Love mine,but the battery doesn’t hold charge ,but starts on first pull
I have not had that problem. It is still kicking along!
Can you show valve adjustment and carburetor adjustment next time? Thanks.
I sure will.
I have that same generator. Yes, I would buy it again if it 💩 out. I don’t see that happening any time soon.
I am still loving mine. Cranking on the first pull was not staged. I can do that all day long. Have a great week my friend.
No adjustable wrench used? Hank would be so disappointed lol
You are so right! I love my adjustable wrench though. 😋
I do the same thing with my 2000 Pedator . Will the 3500 fit under a tonneau cover F150 bed?
I would think it would fit just fine.
Why did the older units have weather resistant buttons and the newer production models don't?
I have no idea.
does the generator charge the battery while its runnin? or what charges the battery?
It should charge the battery while running. I have heard many people say that theirs stopped charging.
Did your electrical meter set back to zero when you disconnected your battery, my battery has gone dead and my meter is all zeros again I don’t know how many hours are on it.
Mine seems to be fine, but I keep it on a battery tender during non use times.
@@TonysTractorAdventure Iv never had an hr meter go dead after the first Initial charge I tried to send it back they want the whole generator lol for a dead battery
I have a Harbor Freight Predator 3500 generator. I have 17 hours of run time. Only 4 hours under 75% load the rest is exercising. I just started it for the monthly exercising, and it ran rough and I notice the volt meter only registering hours only, no volt or amp output on gauge. I did connect 2, 1800 watt heaters and it seem to run them, but again runs real rough. How to test this generators output? So, I know if it’s the generator or just the gauge? I’ve changed fuel, spark plug, check the oil, charcoal canister, air filter, removed the spark arrester, all looks like new. Help, Thanks
I think if you push the little grey button by the readout, it will change it back to reading volts, amps, etc. It can be cycled through. 3200 watts is to much for the generator. It is made to run 3000 all the time with 500 watts overload pull just for the few seconds it needs to start an electric motor. That should be the only time you go over 3000 watts. I think it is been generous at 3k watts too. I read 2800 watts on my hand held meter. I hope this helps.
@@TonysTractorAdventure I've done that, I get NO reading except for hours, No volt or amp readings
I just don't know after that. Everything is internal after that. I will look at mine when I get a chance.
@@TonysTractorAdventure Thanks a bunch
Di mana beli genzet predator ?
Kami membelinya di Harbour Freight Company di AS. Mereka dijual dengan nama berbeda di seluruh dunia.
Don't forget to put filter oil in your air filter after cleaning it or it will not work properly. You will dust your engine and blow it up.
It was plenty oily after ragging it off. There was too much oil in it from the last service. I should have pointed that out.
Just an idea i did and didn't see anyone in 30 videos i saw do. Lol
Buy harbor freight roll cart with handle that fits perfect with predator. Make a rectangle hole where oil would fall through for oil changes. Then put predator on top with 2 ratchet straps. Lock wheels. Put 2 small brackets to keep predator in place. Alot easier to roll over any surface. Elevating predator keeps air filter way cleaner. You'll never have to take off predator off the roll cart. On sale costs 21 bucks. Trust me a lot easier mobility and to work on. Your welcome lol jk
I did see someone modify their generator with larger wheels. Thank you for watching 🙂
@@TonysTractorAdventure yeah but what im saying its cheaper and way more convenient without modifications. But thanks for your video!
Just wondering are u done with Ls tractors?
Yes we are.
@@TonysTractorAdventure Did u have problems with the LS?.
Not with the tractors. The tractors are fine.
@@TonysTractorAdventurethanks, looking to make a purchase but seems like now a days customer service is out the window once u make the purchase. Hard to find good customer service anywhere now a days. Thanks for the replies love your videos.
I find the corporate structure of TYM tractor to be a trust worthy organization. They are growing fast, and learning as they go. They have a good product and really good upper management.
Tilt the generator after taking the plug out otherwise you still have 25% of old oil inside.
Thank you for the input.