Great for camping, RVs, sporting events, home back-up power, job sites, and more, the top-of-the-line DuroMax Elite MX4500 gas-powered generator has a 7.0-horsepower air-cooled, 4-stroke engine with a recoil start that cranks out 3,500 constant running watts of power (and a peak of 4,500 watts; learn more about wattage needs below). This generator is EPA approved with a rating of 69 dBA for quiet operation thanks to its super-quiet muffler, and it's also safe to use in U.S. National Parks thanks to the super quiet exhaust with spark arrestor.
The MX4500 features a heavy duty steel frame roll cage with four-point fully isolated motor mounts for smooth and quiet operation. This generator is also easily portable thanks to the wheel kit with large, all-terrain knobby tires that will never deflate and a flip-up, stow-away handle. You'll get up to 8 hours of run time (at 50 percent) from a 4-gallon tank of fuel.
The fully loaded power panel features the main controls, including RV switch, engine shutoff switch, volt meter, and circuit breaker. It offers two 120-volt, 20-amp, 3-prong outlets and one 120/240-volt, 30-amp twist-lock outlet (all NEMA Certified).
Your Generator Needs
To determine whether a generator is appropriate for your needs, you need to first add up the wattage of tools, appliances, and motors you want to run at the same time. Then select a generator with the running wattage rating to match or exceed the total load.
Keep in mind that tools and appliances with electric motors require additional surge wattage at startup that can be double or triple the normal running wattage requirement. Look at the surge watts required and make sure you choose a generator with enough additional wattage to start them. (And remember that you're typically not starting more than half of the items at the same time.)
Features
- Durable 7.0 HP, Air-Cooled Engine with Low-Oil Shut-Off.
- Output: 4500 Watts Max / 3500 Watts Rated
- Automatic Idle Control
- 2 - 120vAC 20A 3-Prong Outlets / 1 - 120/240vAC 30A Twist Lock / 1 - 12v DC Battery Charging Outlet.
- Non-CARB Compliant/Not For Sale In California
DuroMax Elite series generators are the top of the line. The MX4500 features an E-Z Recoil Start 7 HP DuroMax motor that cranks out 4500 Peak and 3500 Constant watts of Power. This Generator is great for Camping, RVs, Home Back-Up Power, Job Sites and wherever power is needed. The DuroMax Motor is air cooled and also has a low oil shutoff sensor to prevent motor burn out. A new design feature on this unit is the Automatic Idle Control designed to maintain RPMs under varying loads to maximize fuel efficiency while minimizing noise output. The 4 gallon gas tank provides a runtime of 8 hours at a 50% load. These units are EPA approved with a rating of 69 dBA for quiet operation and are also safe to use in U.S. National Parks thanks to the super quiet exhaust with spark arrestor. The main face of the 4500 Elite Series Generator is the fully loaded Power Panel which features the main controls of the generator from the RV switch, engine shutoff switch, volt meter, and circuit breaker. Also on the Power Panel is the (2) 120 Volt 20 Amp 3 Prong Outlets and (1) 120/240 Volt 30 Amp Twist Lock NEMA Certified outlets. Heavy duty steel frame and fully isolated steel roll cage protect the generator from accidental bumps into equipment. 4-Point engine mounts help the generator reduce vibration and allow for smooth and quiet operation. Portability is this generators middle name with flip-up stow away handles and large solid filled knobby style tires that will never deflate and leave you in a rut. DuroMax Elite Series Generators all carry a 1 Year Factory Warranty so if for any reason your generator gives you problems simply let us know and we will do our best to make it right. As always all MaxTool offers it 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee standard on every item we sell.
This review is from: DuroMax Elite MX4500 4,500 Watt 7 HP OHV 4-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator With Wheel Kit
Happy so far, November 29, 2011 By gjet72
My DuroMax was delivered when promised. It was packed very well and was a breeze to assemble. I added the oil and gas and fired her up. This generator is the quietest I've ever run. I haven't had to put it to the test yet but it is comforting to know that I have it waiting in the wings.
Worked perfectly during the Great Snow Storm of October 2011, November 25, 2011 By John Pratt "Human Being" (Wethersfield, CT United States)
(REAL NAME)
I ordered this generator right after Hurricane Irene. It took a few weeks to ship (as listed on the site), but came quickly via UPS once it did ship. It was wheeled right into my garage, where I took it out, assembled the wheels, and filled it with oil. The generator was just light enough for me to lift it and flip it around during assembly. Good thing, because the wheel instructions were horrible. The parts described didn't match what was in the box and the instructions were worse than useless. However, having assembled more than my share of stuff I did better looking at the picture on the box and test fitting everything before tightening all the bolts. The folding handles are very convenient and make it easy to wheel the thing around the yard. I filled it with oil the Friday before the big storm hit - royal pain. Be sure to get a long, curved, thin, flute funnel since the oil fill hole is basically horizontal under the outlets, and use exactly the 20 fluid ounces indicated. I ended up overfilling the oil a bit using a homemade funnel and it blew some extra out the air filter during use. Because of the very poor wheel instructions and badly positioned oil fill hole, I would really give it a 4.5, but it worked so well I didn't feel a 4 was fair.
During the storm, we lost power for 4 full days. My test run of the generator was day one, and it ran perfectly all 4 days. I decided to wheel it to my front porch (really covered steps) and run the two cords under the storm door (which closed fully) and into the house (the main door had a .5 inch gap which we covered with a blanket due to the cold as well as any exhaust issues). The exhaust port between the folding handles was pointed away from the house and we had no issues with the exhaust. When starting it, I flipped all the switches and levers, one pull on the starter cord, and brrroooom! Couldn't be easier. For noise, it was only slightly louder than normal speech, which matches the specs of 69 db. Much quieter than the neighbors' generators. I bought a 100 foot 12 gauge heavy duty contractor cord to run all the way to the basement for the furnace/sump pump. Well worth the $90. I used a 50 foot 14 gauge extension cord for the upstairs appliances and devices.
The gas filler is fairly wide which helped prevent spilling but it is low relative to a full gas can's spout so I made a mess the first time. Keep paper towels tucked under the cage rails on top. The fuel level gauge on top of the tank is great and was easily visible from inside the house through the door sidelites (very convenient at 10 PM and freezing cold). I used 2 gallons per day running around 8 hours per day. I did not use fuel stabilizer until after the storm when I added it to the tank, drained the gas out, and ran it dry. The little cap you remove to drain the gas is better then unclipping a fuel line but much slower to drain.
I selected this wattage due to a desire to balance capacity with fuel use. Given the gas station lines and occassional nastiness of people, it was a wise decision. A larger generator would not have provided enough juice to run our electric stove or dryer on top of everything else, but we still had everything important including the furnace for heat (gas with 3 electric zone pumps - I switched the furnace hardline for an outlet after Irene), sump pump (not needed this time but also with an outlet right next to the furnace), refrigerator, chargers for phones/devices and my 18 volt tool batteries (gotta love big bright flashlights in a blackout), and our home theater with big HDTV!!! We watched movies every night in style! For cooking, we swapped the fridge line for the microwave, broiler oven, or pancake griddle as needed. I also have the disposal and dishwasher wired with plugs, so we could run them as needed, too (some neighbors had rotting food in the disposal - yuck). The fridge compressor and pancake griddle caused the most load on the generator, so expect a well pump to behave the same (we have pressure fed city water). The only thing we need to buy for next time is a two-burner counter top electric stove for boiling water.
The generator is now tucked away in my shed for next time. I used the box as a cover, so I can stack light things on top of it. Two people can easily carry it if the wheels are unusable - i.e. snowblow a path to the shed and carry it out. Now that I am finishing the basement I don't want the sump to overflow because the pump can't run, so this purchase was really an investment that is better than insurance since you can use it to *prevent* problems. It really is piece of mind.
Good generator, misleading description, November 20, 2011 By Steve B. (Brooklyn, NY)
This review is from: DuroMax Elite MX4500 4,500 Watt 7 HP OHV 4-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator With Wheel Kit
I purchased this generator during a week long power outage so that we'd be prepared for the next one. Amazon was backordered for 1-3 months but it showed up on my doorstep in 2 days so I got to use it for 3 full days during the outage. I Love Amazon!
It's decent generator but the description is very misleading. At the time of purchase it was advertised to have Automatic Idle Control which typically means that the generator will idle itself down to conserve gas if there's no load. This feature is typically only available on high end generators so I was super excited to have it on this one. DuroMax does NOT have AIC, if you read their long description on the MaxTool site this will become obvious. According to MaxTool the only differences between the MX4500 and more common XP4400 are: color (red vs. blue), an extra 100 peak watts (useless), new frame design, and new packaging. Basically, they're identical so buy whichever is cheaper at the time.
The generator arrived in good condition and it took me about 1 hour to read the instructions, put on the wheel kit, add oil (600ml), add gas, and fire it up. There was the usual confusion regarding the choke -- open/close on the generator vs. on/off in the manual. Choke should ON for start up then moved to OFF.
The generator ran wonderfully for 72 straight hours. I changed the oil once after 5 hours then every 20-25 hours after that. I was able to run the furnace fan (600W), sump pump (500w), fridge (150W), deep freezer (50W), lights (100W), aquarium equipment (200W), neighbor's space heater (1300W) and a plasma TV (200W) for a short while...all at the same time! The generator rarely showed any signs of strain although some appliances did. Make sure you have high quality (read: low guage) extension cords and you balance the load equally.
Voltage was 120-125V and 61-63 Hz depending on load...I'm not happy about the Hertz being above 60. I'm not sure if there's an idle screw that can be adjusted. I emailed tech support but received no response. I do not recommend running any electronics off this generator. My UPS, TV, and Computer were not happy with the power cleanliness.
Noise was about average compared to the dozens of other generators running in my neighborhood. There's some annoying rattling from the pins that hold wheels and handles, but I can live with that.
If you want this generator to last make sure to follow the aggressive maintenance schedule that's outlined in manual. Some competitors claim you can go 50-100 hours per oil change, I wouldn't do it on a cheap engine like this without an oil filter.
To summarize, this generator is far from perfect. I would've liked cleaner power, more 120V outlets, and less messy oil changes. It's plenty powerful to run all necessities during an emergency and the price is hard to beat. You'll need to spend 3-5x to get comparable power out of a Briggs or a Honda. I'd give it 5 stars but must ding 1 star for the false advertising.
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