Your last generator Maintenance Run

[3930dave]

I had better luck on my last two from Interstate Batteries than all the ones I bought from Walmart. Walmarts lasted about 2 years on my Toro mower. The Interstates lasted 3 or 4. Do not know if they are in Canada but its a chain in the States and they discount if you set up a business account. No minimum purchase requirements so far.

Never dealt with Interstate, but I see their trucks on the road here often. Can't say I've heard anything bad about them....

The only thing I have close to U1 size is the original battery that came with my Briggs 7kw. It lives on the OE supplied charger, and has been doing well so far. Briggs did a really good job designing the pull start on that engine - pulls really easy; actually easier than the pull-start on my 2kw Briggs.

Last battery sets I've bought for road vehicles were from Costo, Kirkland. Doing well, including the 2 I have in my 7.3.

Rgds, D.

 

[ultrarunner]

For many years we were a jobber for Interstate... great service and fresh batteries.

Back in High School I was the guy to go for car batteries...

In 2000, Interstate reorganized the territory... the guy with the local warehouse and truck had his territory cut in half... he said they paid him 6 months of projected income but that was that.

He put his heart and soul into the business... and it hit him hard... also said his overhead hardly went down but his territory was half...

Within a year he closed... so the guy that got half his territory now had all of it... a lot of the old time customers were not happy and switched to the AC Delco jobber... as we did.

I've seen it happen many times... the people in corp forget the people aspect of business.... our jobber could be called anytime and didn't mind... you could leave him a message on a Sunday and Monday he would deliver that special battery...

My last Interstate batteries were for the Hospital Generators... one had a bad cell and learned I had no warranty because I had bought "Wholesale"

 

[3930dave]

ur - As I've taken to saying "I work for an Accounting firm, that just happens to have a few ________ lying around".

Many corporations don't operate with any more vision than that.

Rgds, D.

 

[ultrarunner]

Did the "MBA" hurt of help American Industry is the real question?

My thought is there isn't anything that cannot be made cheaper... but at what point does the product no longer become viable?

Honda has proven customers are willing to pay for a superior product and this came after 50 years of earning a reputation that is known the world over and serving specifically the consumer market...

The daughter of a friend married a Harvard MBA... he was suppose to be quite the catch and we had a few holiday conversations... he was President or CEO of several companies anyone here would recognize.

Shareholders would hire him and give him a free hand to reorganize the company... his employment contracts had all the perks plus a buyout provision... if at anytime the board didn't like his methods they had the option to "Buy" his contract...

He was ruthless, in my opinion and proud of closing factories and was always on the lookout for the next "Cash Cow"

I understand business but moving production to China to save a few pennies per item on a company that is profitable just didn't make sense when your customers are not Chinese.

Last I heard he was living the high life in Geneva Switzerland... by the way... his marriage didn't last but had all the perks at the time... like driver, Au-pair that traveled Internationally with the family, club memberships, etc...

For me it was rare glimpse into another world... one where everything is reduced to a number on a balance sheet...

At the divorce he told his wife to accept the offer because he could bury her with legal bills if she wanted to fight... half a million in legal fees she capitulated... some lessons come hard.

 

[daugen]

Ultrarunner, I was number two guy at a highly successful public records company in NJ and they hired one of your MBA types to come in
and allegedly add some talent. He didn't know half of what I knew, but he did know how to sell off a company for the most money. Which happened ten years later
and the top three left with tons of money in their pockets.

I left, after a first and only bad review by this moron, who several years later apologized to me, after I quit on him, just plain refused to work for him, and said
he wished he had done things differently. He got a huge amount of negative flack about my leaving, I had about 160 people in a variety of divisions, basically everything other than IT.
Was told I was a good boss, got the most out of folks, told that by the owner repeatedly. And yet he hired this guy and there wasn't room for the two of us.
Our approach to life and management style were just too different. And our company was already outstandingly successful. Had all the market share...
Bet he got a big payday. All about the money and the payday, not about caring about anyone.

ok, back to generators. This is the magnetic heater I used as a stopgap solution.
Amazon.com: Kat's 116 3-Watt Magnum Handi-Heat Magnetic Heater: Automotive
I also use it on the oil pan of my little Massey, the Iseki one, which has a cold, cold heart. Even with 45 seconds of glowplugs running. Good Florida tractor...

those Generac cold kits are awfully expensive for what you get. An oil filter heater and a battery heater. I don't need the battery heater in this climate, plus I put a smart charger on it twice a year to make sure it's been anti sulphated or whatever they do. Buzz it with ray beams... But heating the synthetic oil? I do like that idea, just think they could sell this kit for half of what they are charging. The components of that oil filter heater are dirt cheap, nothing exotic here. If I plugged this temporary heater into a thermostatically controlled outlet, same functionality.
This cold wave, particularly this weekend, is pretty unusual here. Northerners usually keep this nasty stuff up there...in fact I moved here to get away from it.
Key West is sounding pretty good right now.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Costo kirkland batteries are interstate, at least they are here.

 

[Wakey]

This reminds me of the plot line of the film Pretty Woman, Richard Gere's character.

Daugen, thanks for the link. I'll see how my genny starts tomorrow morning in the cold, to see if that unit might be needed.

Perhaps I missed it but is there a simpler solution to heat things up if my generator (Generac 22KW) decides not to start when needed on a cold day?

 

[daugen]

This reminds me of the plot line of the film Pretty Woman, Richard Gere's character.

Daugen, thanks for the link. I'll see how my genny starts tomorrow morning in the cold, to see if that unit might be needed.

Perhaps I missed it but is there a simpler solution to heat things up if my generator (Generac 22KW) decides not to start when needed on a cold day?

interesting, my thought was to grab starting fluid but yours is likely propane.
Or go the Siberian way, build a wood fire under it.
That ought to heat things up in a hurry.

 

[3930dave]

Did the "MBA" hurt of help American Industry is the real question?

My thought is there isn't anything that cannot be made cheaper... but at what point does the product no longer become viable?

Honda has proven customers are willing to pay for a superior product and this came after 50 years of earning a reputation that is known the world over and serving specifically the consumer market...

The daughter of a friend married a Harvard MBA... he was suppose to be quite the catch and we had a few holiday conversations... he was President or CEO of several companies anyone here would recognize.

Shareholders would hire him and give him a free hand to reorganize the company... his employment contracts had all the perks plus a buyout provision... if at anytime the board didn't like his methods they had the option to "Buy" his contract...

He was ruthless, in my opinion and proud of closing factories and was always on the lookout for the next "Cash Cow"

I understand business but moving production to China to save a few pennies per item on a company that is profitable just didn't make sense when your customers are not Chinese.

Last I heard he was living the high life in Geneva Switzerland... by the way... his marriage didn't last but had all the perks at the time... like driver, Au-pair that traveled Internationally with the family, club memberships, etc...

For me it was rare glimpse into another world... one where everything is reduced to a number on a balance sheet...

At the divorce he told his wife to accept the offer because he could bury her with legal bills if she wanted to fight... half a million in legal fees she capitulated... some lessons come hard.

Wise to never forget who is typically running the show today. Narcissistic Sociopath is the minimum ante for that game.

IMO, this environment is some of the reason direct-funded action (crowdfunding) has become popular..... many people are not happy with the status quo.....

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

those Generac cold kits are awfully expensive for what you get. An oil filter heater and a battery heater. I don't need the battery heater in this climate, plus I put a smart charger on it twice a year to make sure it's been anti sulphated or whatever they do. Buzz it with ray beams... But heating the synthetic oil? I do like that idea, just think they could sell this kit for half of what they are charging. The components of that oil filter heater are dirt cheap, nothing exotic here. If I plugged this temporary heater into a thermostatically controlled outlet, same functionality.
This cold wave, particularly this weekend, is pretty unusual here. Northerners usually keep this nasty stuff up there...in fact I moved here to get away from it.
Key West is sounding pretty good right now.

Bespoke items are often pricey. I'm familiar with generic Temro Philips silicone-pad heaters; they come in various sizes, and might be a lower cost option with a bit of fiddling.

OTOH, sometimes (OK, fairly often, on my budget :laughing I have to remind myself to quit breaking down component cost of a Should I Buy It ? item, and re-focus on the immediate functionality it delivers....



Rgds, D.