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Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: windtrader on May 04, 2017, 02:49:22 PM

Title: Generator lifespan
Post by: windtrader on May 04, 2017, 02:49:22 PM
Always wondered how long gensets last. Here's one with more hours than any bus conversion will likely see.

"Onan Marquis "Gold" 7000 gasoline generator rated at 7 kilowatts -generator has 35218 hours"

Interesting coach for a conversion too.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/rvs/6117059958.html
Title: Re: Generator lifespan
Post by: luvrbus on May 04, 2017, 03:20:46 PM
That will read 3521.8 a Onan Marquis hr meter will only read 9999.9 then it resets back to 0 fwiw
Title: Re: Generator lifespan
Post by: windtrader on May 04, 2017, 05:40:52 PM
Quote from: luvrbus on May 04, 2017, 03:20:46 PM
That will read 3521.8 a Onan Marquis hr meter will only read 9999.9 then it resets back to 0 fwiw
Ah. Thanks! 30k hours did seem very impressive. LOL
Title: Re: Generator lifespan
Post by: Geoff on May 04, 2017, 06:08:40 PM
That is still a lot of hours for a small gas engine.  I always think of 200 hours as equivalent to 10,000 miles. I got 176,050.0 miles from 3520 hours.  That engine, if it is the original, should be put in a museum.  Or someone left the key on quite often and the hour meter ran without the engine running.  Who knows....

--Geoff
Title: Re: Generator lifespan
Post by: TomC on May 04, 2017, 11:27:14 PM
My first Onan Emerald III 6.5kw gasoline on my truck ran over 12,000 hours before it spun a bearing. The old design of opposed 2 cylinder 1800rpm. Always had a 1,500 watt load on it (block heater) so never had the heads off for de carboning. Still would never have another gasoline generator again. Good Luck, TomC
Title: Re: Generator lifespan
Post by: luvrbus on May 05, 2017, 05:58:17 AM
I see a lot of Onan gas and propane generators with 5 to 7k hrs and never had any problems
Title: Re: Generator lifespan
Post by: somewhereinusa on May 05, 2017, 06:51:02 AM
I've had two Onan quiet diesels that died with less than 1000 hours. Both threw a piece off of the generator rotor. It costs more to fix them than they are worth. >:(