Vintage Homelite Generator.

[Toepopper]

Last week I ran across a vintage Homelite 4800 watt portable generator powered by a 16 horse Kohler single cylinder engine. This generator had been in a barn on a ranch and was used for a backup power supply when the power went down so it has very few operating hours on it and is in great condition. The unit operates at 1800 RPMs so its quiet and when running it just sits there and idles. It was built in late 1979 or early 1980. Somewhere around 1983 they started building generators with smaller engines that ran at 3600 RPMs to make up for the lack of power and these units were loud and used more fuel to operate under a load. So I did some research on the WWW and went back and bought this generator. There are no circuit boards or electronic components on this generator so it should be able to withstand an EMP and keep on running. The engine and generator housing are solid cast iron with large heavy duty bearings. Parts are still available. It has a 12 volt battery with electric start and a points type ignition system. So now I will have to build a masonry fireproof generator shack into the hillside between my house and shop to position the generator so I may be able to power both the house and the shop when the grid power goes down.