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Been looking at maybe getting Military Surplus MEP004a 4 cylinder NA Gernerator know they have alot of hours on them but one thing about Surplus Military I know is they are quite Loud but atleast it is 30-40% less than wahrt people are looking to sell a decent used 15Kw Onan.
Thought about them but was deterred since it's I've heard it's hard (if almost impossible) to get parts for them. From what I understand, if ANYTHING goes bad, you're screwed.
Thought about them but was deterred since it's I've heard it's hard (if almost impossible) to get parts for them. From what I understand, if ANYTHING goes bad, you're screwed.
Yup, I've heard that too. They are older models with outdated parts that are hard to find. Maybe if you buy TWO of them!
I've been thinking about power generation lately and researching ideas. There are many ways to get it, depending on how/where/how much/what fuel you have. The good old briggs and straton is an easy fix being that there are so many, but you gotta rely on gasoline. If you have a permanent place you plan on living, and a good water source, hydroelectric is a very good option. You can get a Pelton wheel for a couple of hundred dollars cast in aluminum or bronze that will crank out enough power to power a home. With a constant water source there is no interruption. I love the idea because it is the most simple generator you can get. The engine itself is a solid metal wheel connected to the generator's shaft. Even with a smaller wheel, adding up to 4 water nozzles adds a lot more output. I wish I had some land with a source because I would definitely experiment with this. They even make tiny ones to output 12V DC.
Been looking at maybe getting Military Surplus MEP004a 4 cylinder NA Gernerator know they have alot of hours on them but one thing about Surplus Military I know is they are quite Loud but atleast it is 30-40% less than wahrt people are looking to sell a decent used 15Kw Onan.
Military equipment often, as in always, have parts in them that make the equipment ready for war. These special parts can make it a nightmare to repair them !!!
Yup, I've heard that too. They are older models with outdated parts that are hard to find. Maybe if you buy TWO of them!
I'm kind of sad to hear this because, like the OP, I've noticed old military equipment is often one of the cheapest options. I guess there is a reason it's cheap though.
Many manufactures of militray equipment, take to heart the specifications and tweek them enough to make common parts unusable on the equipment. The public explaintion to Congress was to ensure the highest quality part was used and to deter the ability for enemies who obtain them from using them. Truth is, it ensures a long-term parts order and money after money, afterall its taxpayers money, not theirs. So you can find cheap equipemtn but replacement parts may not be available and commopn everyday parts will just not fit.
Second, is that militray equipment are designed to meet specifications when manufactured. Seldom is efficency and cost effective anywhere int he same unverse. So a civilian generator that cost $X a killowat to operate over its life, may see a 10 times $X for a comparable military surplus generator.
Militray never consideres the amount of cost of fuel in equioment as they bet what they want when they want - no questions asked. So those comparable civilian generators may all come in around 3 gallons an hour to operate while that military one may need 10 gallons.
An Archimedes hydro screw looks really cool. Yeah, it would be more expensive to set up as you have to build a weir but they're the most efficient design for most small to medium sized creeks without a whole lot of head (the height difference from the top to bottom). Plus they don't get jammed by debris, they don't harm fish, and best of all they produce large amounts of constant power. I've seen videos of some in the 100kw to 300kw range even on very modest sized creeks (some of them even include geo-gradient heating and cooling using the catchment water) but such a set would be more expensive and require more work to set up. Still, once one is set up several company guarantee it will work for 40 years with almost no maintenance.
The older Military Generators were designed to keep lighting and essential equipment running. At that time, there was not a lot of computer use like there is today. The Generators were not real stable for power. If you hook one of those up to your house, today, don't use anything computerized. Refridgerator, Stove, if computerized. Computer, TV, Sterio, etc, not going to run on that power, or worse yet, you'll ruin them.
If you are a rancher and you want to light up the barn for milking, that is a different story.
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