Briggs & Stratton

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Energy-Miser

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Location
Maryland
Not sure if forum is an appropriate place to discuss brand name qualities, but if it is, let me ask what everyone thinks of the Briggs and Stratton generators. I am thinking about recommending and purchasing them for our customers, but before getting involved with it, would like to know what your experiences have been with this gen set. If we cannot discuss such things, I am sure somone will let me know. Thanks, e/m
 

mdshunk

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I've put them in for resi backup already, with no bad results. I wouldn't put one in for a commercial install, optional standby or otherwise. They're certainly a familiar enough brand that pretty much anyone can work on, and homeowners ascribe a certain value, due to brand recognition mainly, to the Briggs and Stratton name. Just make sure it's the "I/C" variant that you're getting.
 

Energy-Miser

Senior Member
Location
Maryland
mdshunk said:
I've put them in for resi backup already, with no bad results. I wouldn't put one in for a commercial install, optional standby or otherwise. They're certainly a familiar enough brand that pretty much anyone can work on, and homeowners ascribe a certain value, due to brand recognition mainly, to the Briggs and Stratton name. Just make sure it's the "I/C" variant that you're getting.
Thanks Marc. I was just thinking of residential for now. What is I/C variant? Also, what would you use for commercial? e/m
 

rkrieger

Member
I/C definetion

I/C definetion

Pending Marc's response, Briggs/Stratton uses the I/C terminology to indicate that the materials and design of a motor with these letters are made for "industrial/commercial" applications. What does that mean? I would guess something to do with bearings, materials, systems, etc.. A visit to their website would clear that up.

RLK
 
Myself I don't have much issue with the Briggs and Stratton gas motors at all. they are very common gas motor on that size.

as far for I/C destaion symobol it mean Industrail/Commercal usage it useally mean it kinda beefed up version of the comuster grade motor and i really suggest go to this http://www.briggsandstratton.com/ [website ]

they have super hevey duty verison but it will be in seprated website aka vanagaurd verison [ you will find it on lower left screen when you scroll down]

anyway back to the topic for a min there are few diffrent verison of I/C Briggs engine some are light duty and some are hevey duty.

most of the Briggs and Stations engine useally are run at 3600 RPM expect very few can run much lower speed.

Merci, Marc
 

mdshunk

Senior Member
Location
Right here.
You got it. The I/C is just a heavier duty version of the disposable engines that otherwise come on lawn mowers. Among other things, it has sleeves in the cylinders, sorta like diesel engines, that can be pressed out and new one's pressed in if the cylinders become worn. Briggs and Stratton engines are noted for being among the noisier and among fuel hungriest.
 

mdshunk

Senior Member
Location
Right here.
Energy-Miser said:
Also, what would you use for commercial?
Depends on the size. Onan, Kohler, Katolight, and CAT are my top choices, with no special preference to any one of them. A local servicing dealer is very important with the larger gensets, in my opinion.
 

Energy-Miser

Senior Member
Location
Maryland
mdshunk said:
Depends on the size. Onan, Kohler, Katolight, and CAT are my top choices, with no special preference to any one of them. A local servicing dealer is very important with the larger gensets, in my opinion.
Thanks Marc and Frenchelectrician and rkrieger for your responses. I will make sure I price for the industrial commercial type engine. Good point about local service for larger gens. e/m
 

Energy-Miser

Senior Member
Location
Maryland
frenchelectrican said:
Myself I don't have much issue with the Briggs and Stratton gas motors at all. they are very common gas motor on that size.

as far for I/C destaion symobol it mean Industrail/Commercal usage it useally mean it kinda beefed up version of the comuster grade motor and i really suggest go to this http://www.briggsandstratton.com/ [website ]

they have super hevey duty verison but it will be in seprated website aka vanagaurd verison [ you will find it on lower left screen when you scroll down]

anyway back to the topic for a min there are few diffrent verison of I/C Briggs engine some are light duty and some are hevey duty.

most of the Briggs and Stations engine useally are run at 3600 RPM expect very few can run much lower speed.

Merci, Marc
Ok, had a chance to look at their website, looks like they go with the categories called "Elite Series", "Serious Duty" and "Pro Series", which are probably just market appealing names for what we are talking about, in the order of durability of the eingine. Thanks again, this is helpful to me, as I exaplain customer choices to them. e/m
 

mdshunk

Senior Member
Location
Right here.
Most of the generator manufacturers who are using the Briggs engines are using the better one's, but I'd seen a fair share of imported gensets that have some of the real crappy Briggs engines as the prime mover. I see a lot of the smaller one's with Robin (Subaru) engines on them too. I feel bad for people that own those. I have yet to see a service company for those in my area.
 

Energy-Miser

Senior Member
Location
Maryland
hardworkingstiff said:
The decibel rating of the unit will become important if it needs to be run for a while. Those B&S engines are pretty loud.
Will need to warn customers of that. Frankly some of the people considering buying a generator, tell me that power rarely goes out in their area. Not sure why they would want a gen. But for these types of customers noise should not be a big consideration, as their generator will rarely be put to use. The weekly exercise however might be bothersome, but I guess all makes and models run them at a lower RPM / Noise level? e/m
 

mdshunk

Senior Member
Location
Right here.
Energy-Miser said:
The weekly exercise however might be bothersome, but I guess all makes and models run them at a lower RPM / Noise level? e/m
Not really. It's only normally the better models that run at 1800 rpm. That said, even the 3600 RPM "disposable generators" as I call them, come in pretty good sound enclosures.
 

Energy-Miser

Senior Member
Location
Maryland
mdshunk said:
Not really. It's only normally the better models that run at 1800 rpm. That said, even the 3600 RPM "disposable generators" as I call them, come in pretty good sound enclosures.
Yes, that and the no load condition of excerise probably makes for a tolerable weekly event. Actually I have not heard any complaints yet about noise, but we have been only using generacs, and I have no experience yet with the B&S (my last and only proposal for this brand has not come back yet). e/m
 
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