Want to hear any yeas and nays on Kohler generators. Looking at a 7KW powered by Kubota D905-E. I know the Kubota is rock solid, just wonder about the power head. It's a complete operating unit ready to go with all the accessories, radiator, alternator, battery, fuel tank, switch and instrument group and integrated plugs for 120/15amp, 120/20amp, 240/30amp. 180 total hours from new. Anyone care to contribute their opinion? I've had PowerTech and Wrico, never had experience with Kohler.
The generator in my 84 Eagle Entertainer Coach (that was in it when I bought it) was a 12.5 kw Kohler with a Perkins Diesel. It was used constantly while the bus was on the road carrying music groups. The generator head failed at 8,000+ hours, but the engine runs fine. The Kubota engines are very good quality. I have seen them at 20,000 hours in small tractors. At the right price, you should get a lot of use out of it.
Mark ours is that exact one. It is really a good unit. We run both airs refrigerator lights microwave 2 ,3 stage battery chargers it runs it all. I run it once a month when at the ranch and not in use for an hour and turn most things on to put a load on it. No problems. Pretty quiet. We had power go at at ranch for a week when we were changing the electric panel. We ran our house 1000 square feet,with it as well as a second refrigerator in the barn.
Dave
I have the 9000 watt RV Kohler with 132 hours on it. Starts right up, not yet installed in bus but runs my whole house with no problem.
All I will say about Kohler is the following-in a previous life- the company I worked for switched from the ultra reliable yanmar diesel motor in a utlity land vehicle to kohler for cost reasons.
That was a terrible mistake and cost us 100,000s in warranty and Kohler wasn't terribly cooperative and didn't seem to have decent processes and methodical manners to deal with it.
The engine was a Lombardinni engine which they bought the rights to and manufacturer. From excessive oil consumption to windage problems.
To be fair- for a steadystate generator- the life is a lot easier and applying what is essentially a steady state generator engine for a transient application is a bit of a leap- but then again- the yanmar before it had no isses what so ever.
My Onan generator in my bus uses a Kubota motor and I'm very pleased about that
Very popular generator in the higher end Rv's Mark, I have friends that have Kohler units and never had a problem.Doyles is 10kw it has been in the bus for 23 years,only had oil,fuel and a air filter replaced
Yanmare and Kubota are essentially the same engine. Yanmare in my Tractor took a lot of the exact same parts as kubota as well as all filters , oil injectors. The power head is Kohler not the engine. HTH
Yanmar and Kubota are very different companies-in competition with each other. If some parts are the same, it is because they are cooperating on a possible government contract that required such. Good Luck, TomC
if i had a choice, and a bushel of cash, i would choose the Yanmar.
didn't say anything about them being the same company? I said the engines are so simular that they take some of the same parts.... ;D