Portable Generator FAQs
OK, this is directly from Generac's site under the PORTABLE Generator FAQ section...... does anyone actually believe this?
I'm not sure if they are playing fast and loose with the term "manufactured" or whether they seriously meant that the engines are designed, cast, assembled and produced in Wisconsin, USA at one of the Generac factories.
There is sure a lot of web confusion about Generac small aircooled engines....I personally have owned and run a 1995 GN220 engine with excellent results, but even back then this motor was desiged by Generac but produced in Japan. AKA known as the "Nagano" engine or Generac 7.8HP. This engine was also used on 90's Craftsman generators. Generac also produced Caterpillar portable generators until they had a falling out.
So then, moving on...Generac portable products division was sold to a private equity group who sold it to B&S in 1998...B&S folded the GPP into it's own portable products division.
In 2006 The rest of Generac was bought by CCMP of NY and upon the expiration of the former non-compete agreement in 2007, started again producing Portable power Generators and Pressure washers and other products.
In 2010 Generac goes public.
Here's a brief description of events from the PW FAQ
ENGINE
Manufacturer
Generac
Displacement (in³/cc)
12.9/212 -
18.4/302 -
25.6/420-
Hmm 212cc? 420CC? Are these not clone sizes? Does importing a bunch of clone parts and assembling them in Wisconsin constitute "Manufactured in the USA"? Or, are these motors truly designed by Generac and built in the USA, like they imply?
I use the old 1990's 220cc engine on one of my blowers, Lots of power, very quiet, low vibration, pressurized oil, low oil shutdown, screw on oil filtration. It is built like a mini Vanguard engine and is NOT a Honda clone. Clone parts will not bolt onto it.
Interesting thread from 2011...
Generac engines
If anyone else has any experience with these newer Generac engines please chime in.
- Where is the engine made?–
The engines used on the Generac XP and XG Series of portables are manufactured at our Generac Power Systems,Inc. factory in Whitewater, WI. Generac engines are industrial grade engines designed to provide the ultra-quiet, longer-lasting performance required of portable generators. They also run 30-50 degrees cooler, are 5% more fuel-efficient and reduce oil consumption by 25%.
OK, this is directly from Generac's site under the PORTABLE Generator FAQ section...... does anyone actually believe this?
I'm not sure if they are playing fast and loose with the term "manufactured" or whether they seriously meant that the engines are designed, cast, assembled and produced in Wisconsin, USA at one of the Generac factories.
There is sure a lot of web confusion about Generac small aircooled engines....I personally have owned and run a 1995 GN220 engine with excellent results, but even back then this motor was desiged by Generac but produced in Japan. AKA known as the "Nagano" engine or Generac 7.8HP. This engine was also used on 90's Craftsman generators. Generac also produced Caterpillar portable generators until they had a falling out.
So then, moving on...Generac portable products division was sold to a private equity group who sold it to B&S in 1998...B&S folded the GPP into it's own portable products division.
In 2006 The rest of Generac was bought by CCMP of NY and upon the expiration of the former non-compete agreement in 2007, started again producing Portable power Generators and Pressure washers and other products.
In 2010 Generac goes public.
Here's a brief description of events from the PW FAQ
- Why Generac power washers? Isn’t Generac a generator company?–
You’re right—Generac’s primary focus has been designing and manufacturing generators for residential, commercial and industrial applications.
Nonetheless, back in the early 1990s, we applied our knowledge of air-cooled engines and portable product design to power washers—it was a natural evolution. And for the first time power washers were readily available to consumers at a price they could afford. Along the way, we were granted several patents that have since changed the industry. We also managed to capture about half the US market for power washers.
About ten years ago, we sold our portable products business—which included power washers—so we could focus our resources on developing Generac home standby generators. It was a strategic decision that yielded fantastic results; we’ve grown to be the world’s largest provider of home standby generators. It’s an achievement we earned in no small measure by addressing the needs of our customers. Now we’ve applied those same listening skills to an entirely redesigned family of power washers—products specifically designed to meet your needs. - So forward to now. They mount an engine on some of these generators and PW's that they call the Generac's OHVI® engine
ENGINE
Manufacturer
Generac
Displacement (in³/cc)
12.9/212 -
18.4/302 -
25.6/420-
Hmm 212cc? 420CC? Are these not clone sizes? Does importing a bunch of clone parts and assembling them in Wisconsin constitute "Manufactured in the USA"? Or, are these motors truly designed by Generac and built in the USA, like they imply?
I use the old 1990's 220cc engine on one of my blowers, Lots of power, very quiet, low vibration, pressurized oil, low oil shutdown, screw on oil filtration. It is built like a mini Vanguard engine and is NOT a Honda clone. Clone parts will not bolt onto it.
Interesting thread from 2011...
Generac engines
If anyone else has any experience with these newer Generac engines please chime in.