bentwings

I need something to run the block heater when I can’t plug it in. I live in an appartment and we don’t have outlets out side.
I’ve had various generators in the past that served the purpose. I could keep this in my storage cabinate and just carry it out to the truck. Set it in the bed and let it run. My other generators were just to heavy to lift easily so I wheeled them out and had just parked them in front of the truck.

Here is a HF item it’s on sale for about $89 it only has 700 watts running. I’m not sure what the block heaters need. Anybody know?

https://www.harborfreight.com/900-Ma...BnbWFpbC5jb20=

johnh

just start it cold ! i do at 20 below

bentwings

Yeah, it started a couple days ago at -15 but today it kicked the starter out and wouldn’t go. I’m to blame....I should have put new batteries in. They are three years old. Top of the line batts but three years is all any of them last.

Busboy

700 watts might just do it, I know that the employee parking at the airport I worked at had 7.5 amp individual CB,s at each parking stall, I never blew one.

bentwings

Thanks. That’s about what I thought. This little gen is a two stroke. It would be working pretty hard pulling it’s rated output for several hours.

It going to be well below zero way into next week. Then we have another two months of potential very cold weather. I’ve had at least four small gens over the years but I keep selling them off.LOL With exception of the one that got stolen I’ve sold them for more than I had in them. The larger ones weigh more and I really am getting too old to be boosting over 100 pounds up into the back of the truck especially when it’s slippery. These gens are harder to start when it’s below zero than the truck so I keep them in my underground garage storage cubicle. I just two wheeler it out to the truck then bring it back inside.

My truck is too big to fit in a garage stall or I would have it inside.

I’m going to go look at a couple 2000 watt gens tonight. I’ll have to take my classic el Camino out but I can wash it when I come back easy enough. It’s pretty well undercoated and rust proofed so I’m not too worried about it. It’s funny taking a carbureted car out in the cold. As long as it doesn’t sit too long it starts very well but an 8 hour soak would be challenging. I can remember many sub zero days of dealing with carbs and chokes in northern Minn.

Byron

Lary Ellis (Top)

750 watts is what my feeble mind seems to recall.

AlpineRAM

I think my neighbours would kill me if I used a generator for hours to warm up the truck..

johnh

just my opinion, but you can buy new batterys that are a lot more dependable than a generator, a good generator costs 500 dollars or more
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Generac-GP-...ine/1000241493

Honda EU2000i Model Info | Super Quiet 2000 Watt Inverter Generator | Honda Generators

bentwings

I park at the outer row of our appartment lot. Then put the gen in the bed of the truck. I have a tonneau cover so I just roll the back corners up a little. Even the 3500 watt gens don’t make too much noise. Being in the bed deflects a lot of the noise. These new ones are pretty quiet. I’d get a small Honda but I can’t justify $1000 for one just for this purpose. Northern tool has what I need on sale for $160...plus tax and 5 gal of used oil. LOL

I have a 12,000 watt gen that I use to drive my TIG welder but that one is pretty noisy. I used it one winter at a shop I worked at that didn’t have plug ins. It was second shift so I just let it run all 10 hour shift. It was -20 that year. It’s electric start so it is easy to start.

Busboy

I looked at the Honda 2000 generator and was put off by the price so I bought one of those Generac ones on sale for about half the price. I took it home put expensive synthetic oil into it filled up the gas and couldn't get it started. I drained the gas and returned it where I bought it then went to the Honda store and bought the 2000 inverter one that can be used in parallel, amazingly quiet and start right away. very "stealable" though.

1320Fastback

Inverter generators are very quiet but yes very expensive.

I have two Yamaha 2ks that just sip gas and are easily 60-70% queter than non inverter generators.

If I were OP and I had to plug the block heater in I think a generator locked in the bed is the way to go. The small two stroke would be super loud though and now you have to mix gas also.

Busboy

Diesel guys up here that are out in the wilderness mostly use webasto heaters that can be got for around $900, not only do they work very well they heat the coolant up and circulate it so the inside of the cab stays warm.

bentwings

Yeah, I know the Wabasto heaters are 5he way to go. If I were to get a newer truck I’d put one on before any other item. It’s got to be hard on these trucks to start them when i5 is this cold.

I did go and get the Northern Tool gen. It’s an Ironton....never heard of them. The motor looks like a Honda knockoff. Th3 thing 9nly weighs 56 pounds so I can boost it up to the bed easily. I filled it with gas and oil per instructions and i5 lit right off on the first pull. I ran it abou5 15 minutes in the underground garage the shut it off and loaded it into my grocery wagon and hauled out side. It was -12 deg. I hooked up the extension cord and lifted the corners of the tonneau cover for ventilation. I boosted it up into the bed and one pull and it was running. I plugged in the cord and you could tell it was working by the change in sound. It doesn’t make too much noise. Once I closed the tail gate you could hardly hear it 20 feet away. I don’t think the neighbors will complain.

Update. After 5 hours of running the truck started just fine. I let it run about half hour but it didn’t get warm at all on the temp gage. Never does idling.

The brake connector tha5 hooks the release handle to the ratchet broke Fri morning. It left the ebrake on one or two clicks. Enough to slightly drag the brakes. Sure makes stopping in the snow tricky. Anyway while it was idling I managed to release the ebrake all the way. It looks like the little orange clip broke in half. I’ll have to stop at the Ram *********** tomorrow on the way home and see if they have one.

I’m going to let the gen run until about 9:00pm then shut it off. I’ll go out at 4:00 am and start it again so it will be ready to go to work at 7:00 am. 50 years ago it was nothing to go out and start cars every 5 hours or so but now it’s a real drag. LOL

I sure appreciate the comments.

Byron