ETQ TG32P12 4 000 Watt 6 5 HP 210cc 4 Cycle OHV Gas Powered Portable Generator Non CARB Compliant

The Eastern Tools and Equipment 3250-watt portable generator includes a portability kit to make this heavy-duty generator easily mobile. The onboard 7 HP engine delivers up to 13-hours of run time at half load, and it produces a mere 68-decibels at 21-feet, making this generator an ideal choice noise is a consideration. The generator also includes 125-volt 14A ground fault circuit interrupter receptacles and is backed by a 1-year limited warranty.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars ETQ4000 – Buy One, Get One Free!
After some extensive searching I ordered the TG32P12 based on the value/price/review ratios found on AMAZON.

The gen arrived in about 5 days with no damage to the box. I pulled it out of the box and added the handle, wheels, oil, and gas. It started on the first yank, excellent! In my opinion, the oil filler plug and pull cord in their offset positions are not as big a deal as some have mentioned in their reviews. I let it run for a bit… wow, very quiet. The machine itself is satisfyingly styled with a nice blue and black color scheme. I tried to apply power but got nothing. I found that the GFCI would not test/reset. I tried grounding the generator, changing cords, etc., nothing worked. The GFCI was definitely dead and also while searching underneath I found that one of the engine foot mounts was broken. I’ve seen that damage described before in the online reviews. Since it was a Saturday afternoon I knew it would be a day or so before I could get in touch with ETQ or Amazon. I was VERY aggravated but sent off a short note to AMAZON letting them know what my problem was. I clearly stated that the generator ran fine but would not provide power and that a mount was broken. I asked how I could get a replacement or a repair authorized.

The next morning I was surprised to find an email from an AMAZON rep stating that he was sorry for the defective shipment and that a replacement had been ordered and would be shipped immediately (let me mention that in many years of ordering from AMAZON, this is the first item that I had arranged for a return). The email also stated that I had 30 days to return the defective item or I would be charged for it. A link was provided in the email to print a pre-paid shipping label when I was ready to send it back. All this made my Sunday better than had been anticipated.

Four days later the new generator arrived. This time the box was in tatters but after opening it up with the FedEx girl watching, the generator appeared in top shape with no damage noted. I added gas and oil and also swapped the wheels and handle from the first generator. Once again, it started up with the first pull. The GFCI tested good so I plugged in a weed whacker, held my breath and pulled the trigger… she ran like a champ.

Now that I had what I paid for I had to get the defective generator ready to ship back. While draining the oil and gas I sat down at my computer to print out the shipping label. I ran into a dead end when I tried to open the link to the pre-paid label that had been sent by the AMAZON rep. I was informed in writing that returns on this item were not allowed as law prohibited shipment due to the dangerous liquids involved. So now I had two generators, one working and one defective, and in the predicament of being charged for both if I didn’t return one of them (which was prohibited by law) within 30 days. The dangerous liquids in my stomach started to bubble again so I got on the phone and called the fine folks at AMAZON. After explaining the situation to a rep I could sense him rubbing his forehead and I even heard him mutter, “Oh, boy”. He then put me on hold for about 15 minutes to talk with his Big Kahuna. I had an inkling what was coming and sure enough when he came back on he cheerfully told me that I was allowed to keep the first generator free of charge. He said the second one was shipped in error and I should have been authorized a repair instead. He informed me I could junk the broken generator if I wanted to (”yeah, right”).

Wrapping this up. The next day I took both generators and sat them side by side. I’m not an electrician but somewhat mechanically inclined so I took off the front panel and found wires on the non-working model did not match the set-up on the working one. I changed them around but once I fired it up (using rubber gloves to avoid killing myself) she still did not provide power nor would the GFCI test/reset. I then used an electrical wire checker and found that the wire bundle coming from the working generator beeped but the wires from the non-working one did not. I pulled off the air grate from the end of the generators and looked at both of the wirings. Sure enough I found they also did not match up. A cable with a (+) sign on the non-working engine was in a different location then on the working one. I swapped it around and put everything back together. Fired it up with gloves on, and BINGO. She purred like a champ, GFCI tested/reset perfectly and it powered up my weed-whacker like it was meant to be. Last step was to add a block of rubber under the broken engine mount to support it while running.

So now here I sit, with two perfectly working ETQ 4000 generators for which I paid a total amount of $349. I eagerly look forward to waves of summertime black-outs while my gleaming fleet of new generators sit patiently waiting in their backyard shed. Thanks all in part to a lazy Chinese factory worker and the generous folks at AMAZON.com.

5 Stars Great and dependable
I live in Houston, Texas and purchased this product last September before Hurricane Ike hit. I can’t tell you what a life saver this piece of equipment has been. It was easy to assemble and start. The oil nozzle is in an awkward location but really isn’t a problem, just use one of those long funnels. Also I didn’t think the pull cord’s location was too bad and since it always started on the first pull it wasn’t an issue. What I do care about is that it ran for 14 days straight without a break and without a single problem. I ran it for that long because that was how long we went without power after Ike hit Houston. It did shut off once because after I filled it with oil the first time, I let it run for four days without checking the oil again and the built in oil sensor shut the generator off. I just had to refill the oil and then it turned right back on. After that I was careful to change the oil every two to three days. It is loud but both of my neighbors had generators and theirs were a lot louder than mine. Also one side is a lot louder than the other (the side with the exhaust) and we positioned that away from the house and with the doors closed it was more of a hum in the background that wasn’t too bad. DON’T use this generator inside your house. We never would have done that with the fumes but you wouldn’t believe how many people died in Houston during the Ike aftermath because they ran their generator in their house or too close to the door. I think most people did it because there was a generator shortage after the hurricane so the black market for generators was pretty hot and people had generators stolen off their front porch. We put ours in the back.

So what did this little guy do for me? All at the same time I was able to run:

1- My refrigerator with built-in ice maker

2- A 5200 BTU window air conditioner unit

3- My 52″ LCD TV

4- My DishNetwork Satellite

5- Several lamps

I would also unplug the TV and Satellite and could use it to vacuum the carpets or run the washing machine. I tried to use it to run our electric dryer but it couldn’t put out the juice so we had to hang our cloths up to dry.

As for gasoline consumption, running our window unit and refrigerator 24 hours a day and the others as needed, I calculated that we ran through 7 gallons of gas a day. We had four 5-gallon gas containers and could go three days straight before we needed to start worrying about refilling them.

Finally, after we got power back I went and followed the instructions to drain the gasoline out and change the oil. I then went and stored the generator in my garage through the winter. Just this past weekend, with the start-up of Hurricane season, I got out the generator and filled it with gas. Once again it started up without a problem. I put some anti-gumming stuff in the gas and now I feel confident that if we lose power again, we will be prepared.

4 Stars Good Value
I acquired one of these a few weeks ago strictly for emergency usage, which will hopefully be rare, if ever used. I expect to power a well pump, furnace fan, lights, TV, fridge, microwave, etc. … but not necessariy all simultaineously. The ETQ TG32P12 has adequate capacity for this use for my circumstances.

The generator was shipped via UPS and recieved within a few days. The shipping box showed some significant wear and tear but no major areas indicating shipping damage. After removing the unit from it’s box, I noticed the generator end had two minor dents to the generator housing and the frame seemed slightly bent. These were both minor cosmetic issues not worth any followup. I am very satisfied with the unit’s overall fit & finish.

Adding gas and oil, the unit started the first pull. It is very quiet! I powered two 1500 watt heaters via the 4 pin locking connector generator outlet (I had to buy a $20 cable to do this) for about 90 minutes. These loads are close to the unit’s maximum rated output. The generator carried the load properly, reacts to load changes quickly and the output voltage was in the neighborhood of 110 volts (using an analog volt meter).

The motor-generator does ‘buck’ around some within the unit’s frame when at this load. I was using it in my yard, so it did not wander around any. But it might if used on a hard surface.

When I switched the generator off, it continued to run! I checked the wiring around the switch and noticed a wire had pulled loose from a connector in the wiring harnass. The generator powered down after I plugged this wire back in.

I would have preferred an additional 120 VAC GFCI outlet instead of the 3 pin L5-30R outlet. This would provide GFCI protection for both of the generator’s 120 VAC output circuits. A built-in volt meter would be useful. The provided wheels are a small diameter and very narrow … fine for a hard surface, but somewhat problematic for grass or softer surfaces. I do have some concern for the observed “bucking” under load. I suspect this is typical for most generators, but we’ll see what portions of the unit, its wiring harness, etc. shakes loose with usage.

I believe the TG32P12 represents a good value for a backup, emergency power role for many home situations. It has adequate power capacity for many items in a typical home. However, it does not have capacity to power things like an electic water heater, electric range, heat pump, central air conditioning, etc.

5 Stars Good buy, works as expected
I purchased this generator a few months ago for use on our off-the-grid property.

First the negatives which are mentioned elsewhere in other reviews:

1) the pull cord is recessed behind the support mounts so that it can not be pulled directly out from its housing but rather at a slight angle. Over time this may result in extra wear on the cord and cause it to break sooner than it would otherwise.

2) the oil fill is located at a difficult to reach location and angle, making it difficult to fill without a funnel, UNLESS, you have a friend tip the unit back about 30 degrees, and then filling is a breeze – just be careful not to OVERFILL.

Now the positives:

1) The unit arrived promptly and in good condition.

2) Assembly was easy.

3) The generator starts easily every time: turn on the switch, turn the fuel valve to the on position, set the choke, pull the cord once or twice and it starts. The only time it wouldn’t start was when I forgot and let the oil run low and the low-oil sensor refused to let me ruin the engine.

4) The generator works in cold (20 deg V AC needs, it senses and immediately adjusts to handle load demands.

5) As generators go, it’s relatively quiet.

Overall, this is good value for the cost.

5 Stars Nice Generator
Arrived in good shape, easy assembly, started 2nd pull. Purchased for camping with our travel trailer. Runs 13500 AC and microwave at same time no problem. Pretty quiet for the money, you can hear the generator running but when you turn on the AC it covers up the generator completely.

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