Sportsman 1000i Generator Unboxing, Setup and Engine Break-in Procedure

Update: 1/8/24 I added a hour-meter near the 20hr run mark so that I could track the usage and maintain the generator. I'm now at over 80hrs of use and completed another oil change and its still running strong and giving us short term electricity when needed. We find that if it's cloudy for 4+ days or if we've are parked in a shady area for an extended period of time and battery top off might be necessary. Original Post: If you are in the market for a small, lightweight and affordable generator take a look at this video and make your own decision. We travel full-time in our self-converted ProMaster Van and after one year on the road we decided that it may be time to invest in a small generator. Our van is self-contained with 640W of solar and 400ah of lithium batteries and over the past year we've only had to plug into shore power/electrical outlet or a portable generator 6 times. There have been times when our battery capacity was hovering around 20% and caused us to cutback on consumption like cooking dinner vs. making sandwiches so we decided that it may be worth buying a generator. The decision was tough as there are a lot of choices in the market that would likely provide us the solution. After considering the Predator, Generac, Honda, Firman and a few other brands I ran across this Sportsman 1000i being sold by Tractor Supply and the price was unbelievable at $159.99 plus a delivery fee of $12.59 and tax. We had this shipped to the closest TS and the shipping only took about 5 days. This was ordered just before Christmas so I set my expectation low on delivery time. It turns out that the company that distributes these were only 10 minutes from our old home in O'Fallon, Missouri. The distributor is Buffalo Corp and I contacted them right after making the video to confirm a few things that came up when reviewing the generator. The manual I received in the box was outdated compared to the PDF I downloaded online. They confirmed the one I downloaded was the current one which had better instructions on the amount of oil to add to the generator before using and also a great engine break-in procedure which may improve the reliability. Time will tell and I hope to provide a follow up video as we begin to get more hours on the engine. So far we've only used it 5 hours which got us up to 100% battery capacity. I added text to the video on a few important items: You must add oil 7.5oz of 10W-30 oil before starting the engine. Run the engine for the first 5 minutes without any load. During the initial 20 hours of use, only place a load up to 50-75%. Change the oil after the first 5 hours of operation. The Spark Plug required for replacement is a CMR6A (common for small engines) Torque Setting for the spark plug when installing is recommended by NGK at 7.2ft-lb to 8.7ft-lb. Buffalo Corp couldn't provide any recommendation when I called but they provided the correct gap of .028-.031 and Ignition Coil Gap of .35 I also asked if the carburetor jet could be replaced if I was attempting to use the generator above 3000ft in elevation and they advised that this wasn't possible. Inquiry was made about adding a hour counter to the unit and they also advised that it was possible. I may attempt these items well after I'm past the warranty period which is 1-year manufacture's, and a 2-year Emission Warranty. This is not a paid endorsement and I am not receiving any benefit from Sportsman, Buffalo Corp, or Tractor Supply. #sportsman1000, #tractorsupply, #vanlifers Please support our channel- Click Here- ➡️ www.barniescoffee.com/?rfsn+61300 CORNDOG15 at checkout to receive 15% off your order. (One-time use) *Disclosure* We engage in affiliate marketing whereby we receive funds through clicks to our Affiliate Program through this website or we receive funds through the sale of goods or services on or through this website. Follow us on social media Website- www.corndogcaravan.net/ Instagram- instagram.com/corndogcaravan/