Brand guide
Diesel Generator Brands
An engine brand tells you how a set will behave over the next ten thousand hours, who can service it, and how long you will wait for a water pump. It does not tell you what is inside a particular machine, because used sets are re-badged and re-canopied as they move between owners and markets. This page lists the brand lines we hold, the number of sets in each, and what the badge does and does not settle.
Comparison
The brand lines we hold, side by side
| Brand | Sets in stock | Rating range | What it is chosen for | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cummins | 275 | 31-1875 kVA | Parts and service reach across Southeast Asia; the easiest used machine to keep running | Cummins |
| Volvo | 39 | 62-625 kVA | Reliability at a rating, with a documented service history, in the premium tier | Volvo |
| Deutz | 16 | 25-625 kVA | Air-cooled engines for dusty sites where a radiator would clog | Deutz |
| Perkins | 14 | 37-750 kVA | Widely stocked parts, and a common engine across many assemblers | Perkins |
| Daewoo | 8 | 500-1500 kVA | Straightforward large sets where a premium badge is not the priority | Daewoo |
| Benz | 5 | 312-850 kVA | European-built machines bought for a long service life | Benz |
Stock counts move as sets are sold, so the table is a guide to the shape of the inventory rather than a live list. Each brand page carries the individual sets, each with its own photographs and parameter table.
Quoted to order
Chinese engine lines we quote against a requirement
These three lines are not held as used stock. They are quoted as new builds configured for the destination, which is why the voltage and the frequency are settled before the order rather than converted after it.
| Brand | Position in the range | Rating range we quote | What it is chosen for | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weichai | Cost-competitive prime and standby | 30-800 kVA | The usual answer where the budget is set by a tender and the duty is well understood | Weichai |
| Yuchai | Cost-competitive, with the widest local parts chain | 30-800 kVA | Philippine and Indonesian projects where filters and injectors should be a local purchase | Yuchai |
| 上柴 | Cost-competitive and mechanically straightforward | 30-800 kVA | Tender-driven projects where the workshop on site has seen the series before | 上柴 |
A quoted-to-order set is wound and set for one frequency: 60 Hz at 220/440 V for the Philippines, 50 Hz at 380/220 V for Indonesia and Vietnam. The two are not interchangeable.
Pages by brand
Choose a brand line
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Cummins
The largest line we hold: B, C, L, N and K families from 31 kVA to 1875 kVA.
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Volvo
Volvo Penta industrial TAD and TWD engines in silent and container builds.
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Deutz
Air-cooled 912 and 913 families, and the liquid-cooled 1013 and 2012.
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Perkins
1000, 1100 and 4000 series engines across commercial and industrial ratings.
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Daewoo
Large Korean-built sets in the 500 kVA class and above.
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Benz
Mercedes-Benz and MTU engines in European-built sets.
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Weichai
WD and WP series industrial diesels, quoted as a new build for a tender-driven project.
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Yuchai
YC4 and YC6 engines, with the dealer chain that makes parts a local purchase in the Philippines.
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上柴
D series and 12V135 engines from Shanghai, quoted against a requirement.
Questions
Questions about engine brands
Does the brand on the canopy tell me what engine is inside?
Not reliably. Used sets are re-canopied, re-badged and re-painted as they move between owners and markets, so a machine carrying one name may hold an engine from another maker, a different alternator and a control panel from a third. The plate on the engine block and the alternator nameplate are what a quotation is built on, and we read both before a set is listed.
Which brand is easiest to keep running in Southeast Asia?
On parts and service reach, Cummins is the widest, with distributors in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore. Perkins is close behind for the 1000 and 1100 series. Volvo, Deutz and Mercedes-Benz are well supported in the major cities but thinner outside them. On a remote site the practical question is not which brand is best, but which brand your nearest service team already knows.
Do you supply Chinese engine brands?
Yes. Weichai, Yuchai and 上柴 are quoted against a requirement rather than held as stock, because we hold used machines and these lines are built to order. Each has its own page, and each is configured for the destination before it is built. Send the requirement and we will quote the engine line that fits.
What decides the price of a used set more than the brand?
The rating, the hours, the condition of the engine and alternator, and the documentation. Between two machines of the same brand and rating, the one that has a load test sheet, a service history and an hour meter that agrees with both is worth more than the one that has none. Brand sets the ceiling on price; condition and paperwork set where inside that ceiling a particular machine sits.
Is a higher-kVA set from a lesser brand better than a lower-kVA set from a premium brand?
Only if the load actually needs the larger machine. A set running below about 40% of its rating for long periods glazes its bores, wets its exhaust and burns more fuel per kWh than a correctly sized machine. Buy the rating the load needs, then spend the difference on the brand and the condition within that rating.
Related
Related pages
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All power ranges
Every rating class from 100 kVA to 2000 kVA, with its specification envelope.
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Silent sets
Acoustic canopy builds for sites with a noise limit.
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Containerized sets
ISO container packages for remote, unattended and export sites.
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kVA calculator
Enter the load list and get a recommended rating before you write the form.
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Certifications and testing
The standards the ratings on a datasheet come from.
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Request a quote
Send the brand, the rating and the destination port.
Looking for a particular engine?
Send the brand, the rating, the duty and the destination port, and we will come back with the machines in stock that fit.