Steele Products SP-GD650E 6,500 Watt 4-Cycle Diesel Powered Portable Generator With Electric Start

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Price: $2,000.00   

Product Feature

• 4-cycle diesel powered portable generator
• 6500 peak watts/5000 running watts; 10 horsepower
• 9.5 running hours
• 4 gallon fuel tank
• Non-CARB compliant

Product Description

6500 watt 4-Cycle engine, 10 HP Diesel powered generator. Runs 11 hours, 5 gallon tank @ 70dB. Electric start with mobility kit

Steele Products SP-GD650E 6,500 Watt 4-Cycle Diesel Powered Portable Generator With Electric Start Review

Receive the Steele GD650E Generator yesterday and here are my initial observations. As it accumulates use, I will update this review.

The generator came by truck strapped to a pallet. Be prepared to have some help unloading if you don't have forklift it since it weighs about 400 pounds. I was amazed how dirty the packaging was. It appeared as if it had been sitting in a warehouse for a long time. Breaking open the packaging I found that the unit came with a small tool lit consisting of two wrenches which seem to fit everything for day to day use. Also included was an air cleaner, a funnel and two containers of oil. There was no brand or specifications on the labels other than "summer oil" and "winter oil". I do not plan on using them, but the dates on the packaging seemed to solve the mystery of why the generator appeared to have been in storage so long. The manufacture date was 2008.

There was also some differences between the unit advertised and what was received. Ours had a pre-heater installed to aid on cold day starts. Also included was a fuel primer. Neither is mentioned in the manual, but rather on a xerox sheet included in the literature package and on a sticker at the engine access door.

We also found the battery was dead. Not surprising considering the 2008 manufacture date. A few hours on the charger and it seemed fine, but I suspect it will have a short life due to its age.

Looking over the unit for damage and finding none, the engine was filled with 15W-40 diesel engine oil, the same one we use in our trucks. The tank was filled with diesel, and the fuel primed. The engine started right up with a bit of typical diesel smoke then smoothed right out. The manual says a 20 hour break in is needed before use at full load, so it will be power up a small load for a while.

So far it appears to be a good unit for the price. Will update this review as it accumulates hours.

+++++++

Hello again. Well the generator has about 15 run hours on it and has operated with no problems. What I like about it is the great fuel economy. The claims of 11 hour run times at half load do not appear an exaggeration. A friend pointed out that service parts for this unit are available at Sears. Here is a link.

[...]

There are three items that are not to my liking. The first is the noise. Yes its lots quieter than an open frame generator, but quiet its not. If you expect this unit to chug along quietly and not hear it in the house, forget about it. The manufacturers claim of 70 DB are probably about right, but realize that 70 DB is about the loudness of an alarm clock.

The second is starting. The starter seems a bit under sized. This is why the diesel is equipped with a decompression starting aid. I know this because I have this engine in other applications. However Steele does not bring the lever to the outside of the enclosure making it inaccessible. TO get to it you must unbolt the engine end of the enclosure. I did this just to inspect the unit after break-in. Reaching in, I flipped the lever and tried to start the unit. The engine spun like its supposed to and fired right up with no laboring of the starter. I may figure out a way of creating a hatch on the top of the enclosure to access the lever after the warranty runs out. Minor item, but an obvious design flaw.

The third is the size of the wheels. They are very small. Next time I visit Harbor Freight, I am getting bigger replacements. The small wheels work fine on concrete or pavement, bit are horrible on anything approaching soft.

All in all, I still am very happy despite my three gripes above.

Will continue to update as hours accumulate.

+++

Happy Thanksgiving. Have accumulated about 25 hours with no issues. The first oil change at 20 hours was uneventful but a bit messy. At this point there have been no issues beyond the small items previously mentioned. Oil consumption is zero and fuel economy is rather amazing if you are used to a gasoline generator of similar size.

Previously I mentioned my dissatisfaction with the wheels. Could not find any replacements that were to my liking. Everything was just too small. Still considering my options.

Contacted Steele the manufacturer regarding getting a wiring diagram for the unit. There was none in the supplied documentation and I would like one for future repairs. No reply yet.

Will keep posting as hours accumulate.

++++++++

December 28, 2012
No problems to report yet. Started every time we needed it and ran without a hitch. I expected the battery to give out early because of how long it sat, but it has not. Never did get a wiring diagram from Steele.

++++++++

April 14, 2013
No problems, just oil changes. Running great. If you are thinking about buying this or any generator, please keep in mind that powering a home with CFL light bulbs is a challenge for any generator. We experienced this when powering a load connected through a UPS. When we added some CFL bulbs directly to the generator, the UPS went crazy. Checking the AC sine wave produced with an oscilloscope found it to be VERY distorted with the CFL's connected and fine without. Tried the same with two other generators and had the same experience. It appears generators are only good for half their rated load or less when using CFL's. Google CFL and generator and there are quite a few articles and YouTubes discussing the issue.

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