Briggs & Stratton has been around since… well.. they are a part of Americana. The ProSeries is a terrific job site generator packed with a 16 HP Briggs & Stratton Vanguard V-Twin OHV Engine, Electric push button start, a PowerSurge Alternator, Automatic Idle Control, Automatic Voltage Regulation, full GFCI protection (OSHA Compliant), Super Lo-Tone Muffler with a US Forestry approved Spark Arrest, and a rugged Four Wheel Design complete with locking break.
Going down the list of features:
Vanguard V-Twin OHV Engine:
This overhead valve design is great it runs cooler, cleaner and more efficiently than a number of other engines on the market. You get more HP output with less displacement and less carbon build-up. Overall it’s a top-notch engine design that will give you longer valve life and improved fuel economy.
Electric Push Button Start:
Hey nothing sucks more than starting out on the job site at 7am and having to put your coffee down to start-up the generator so your guys can get at it. LOL, but seriously… yanking away at a pull start isn’t high on my list of things to do. You might be different, but I’ll pick a generator that has a push button start over a pull cord any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
PowerSurge Alternator:
This is what it looks like when it comes in on the pallet.
What this does is produce the power you need so you can start multiple tools and appliances at the same time. It’s a trademark owned by Briggs & Stratton to let you the customer know that the alternator you are getting is different, and capable of producing 25% more surge wattage to start your gear than other alternators.
Automatic Idle Control:
With this simple control the generator can tell whether you are actually using it or not and reduce the idle reactively based on your need. This helps you save fuel and reduces the noise the generator is making when you aren’t using it.
Automatic Voltage Regulation:
This is likely one of the MOST IMPORTANT features you want in a generator. I wouldn’t even THINK about buying a generator that didn’t have this feature. When you fire up anything that has electronic components inside of it (and what doesn’t these days, I have a toilet paper dispenser that needs batteries!) you will want an automatic voltage regulator if you are using a generator to give it power. Electronic components get damaged when they get MORE power than they need and ALSO when they get LESS power then they need. This fluctuation is actually really bad for them because most electronic devices are designed with the assumption that you are going to have steady household power.
When you are at your house you have 110 volts controlled coming to your devices. When you have a generator what you have is completely different story. When your engine idles or revs up you get surging. That surging is actually dumping more juice into your tool/electronic device or taking it away. (I’m putting this in layman’s terms here so all the fellow nerds out there can relax! LOL!) The automatic voltage regulator handles that by keeping that power nice and even so it doesn’t blow something out and wreck your device whatever it may be.
Command Central Control panel w/Full GFCI protection:
Not much to talk about here, it’s OSHA compliant, it does what you need, and you know what GFCI is. Everything in the control panel is very straight forward and easy to use. Just what you want, complication is NOT part of this equation and it shouldn’t be.
Super Lo-Tone Muffler w/US Forestry Approved Spark Arrest:
If you plan on working in areas where they have forest fires you can get MASSIVE fines, penalties and even be subject to criminal prosecution if you aren’t setup with an Approved Spark Arrest. The Super Lo-Tone muffler keeps the muffler sound at a dull roar which makes you more popular to the surrounding environment. This is just a win/win.
Brakes on the wheels, puncture resistant tires, easily moved around, not too heavy (285 pounds two guys or one big guy can take it on and off a truck easily enough). (I threw it around like a sack of potatoes myself, I didn’t need any help )
The warranty on this unit is pretty good, you get a 2 year limited warranty in a commercial environment which is kinda ballsy because Briggs & Stratton know you are going to pound the bajeeekers out of it on the Job Site. It takes 7 Gallons of gas and will run about 7 hours with a 50% load on it, so you’ll want to keep a can of gas in the truck to fill it up if you are running a good load on it.
All in all we had a blast reviewing these Generators. We literally kicked the crap out of them and they just kept on plugging. Briggs & Stratton really has something here. I’ve heard a lot of guys talking about B&S and saying ahh “they used to…”, I can’t speak to that. I can only speak to what I’ve seen here with my own eyes, ears, hands and jobsite. I’d buy one of these bad babies in a heartbeat and rely on it for years. End of story. I’m giving it 5 out of 5 stars. It’s an excellent generator and I’m nominating it for The Jobsite Generator of the Year award.
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