# Generator



## tb7150 (Aug 1, 2007)

Looking to buy a generator, any suggestions from ya'll would be appreciated!!!!


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Oh no, you've awakened the generator police!

Regards, Glenn


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

GlenninTexas said:


> Oh no, you've awakened the generator police!
> 
> Regards, Glenn


Does that mean this ones going to get interesting?


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## tb7150 (Aug 1, 2007)

Didn't mean to "wake the police"!!!! Just have some ground that is pretty remote and I was thinking about occasionally taking the OB to it, would be nice to have some juice while there........


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## Humpty (Apr 20, 2005)

GlenninTexas said:


> Oh no, you've awakened the generator police!
> 
> Regards, Glenn


I was thinking the same thing. Fortunately, it will not be anything near what you would see on the "Dark Side". It is kind of like asking what is the best Tow vehicle.

I use a Honda EU3000is. Very good, very quiet, but heavy and expensive. I also considered twin 2000 watt Honda's.


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## ussroonie (Aug 6, 2007)

Humpty said:


> Oh no, you've awakened the generator police!
> 
> Regards, Glenn


I was thing the same thing. Fortunately, it will not be anything near what you would see on the 'Dark Side". It is kind of like asking what is the best Tow vehicle.

I use a Honda EU3000is. Very good, very quiet, but heavy and expensive. I also considered twin 2000 watt Honda's.
[/quote]
My brother in law has the eu3000is.
It's so quiet, and really nice generator, but it is heavy.

The 2000 watt Honda's are a bit more portable, probably still pretty quiet, but as I understand it, you would need 2 of them to start up the A/C(you can link them together). (course then you'd have 4000 watts for a couple hundred more $ than the eu3000.)


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## SoCalOutback (Dec 18, 2005)

Tim said:


> Looking to buy a generator, any suggestions from ya'll would be appreciated!!!!


I have the Honda EU2000. It will run everything but the A/C up to 6,000 feet of elevation. Beyond 6,000 feet it will not run the microwave.


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## dharris (Feb 3, 2007)

Love my Yamaha, people can't believe how quite it runs, even with the air conditioner on).


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## phxbrit (Jul 24, 2007)

We have a yamaha EF3000iseb. Tried the 2400, but we just couldn't get it to run the AC (right on the edge). If I did it all over I would get 2 honda 2000 with a parrallel connector. The 3000 is very heavy to haul around just to run a blow dryer - we haven't needed the AC as of yet.


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## beachbum (Nov 27, 2006)

We have 2 eu2000i Honda. We are very happy with them. Paralleled together, they will run everything. If you go that route, get an "extended run tank" . Without it, one tank of gas lasts 4 hours. Not very long!!
david


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## Not Yet (Dec 13, 2004)

I have the twin honda2ks. I love this set up for the following reasons:

One honda is very portable so I take it to the storge lot if I want to do some work that requires power.
One honda is great for other power uses - have run large bank of lights for outdoor picnic plus many other items becasue it is so convenient
One honda is great for 8 months of the year
Two hondas are great for 4 months of hear
Two hondas can be carried apart to reduce weight
Two hondas means that if one goes down (not likely it is a Honda) I still have one for essential power
One or two - still very quiet

Jared


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

We have a single Honda eu2000i...
Haven't needed to use the a/c during a dry camping trip yet.

We love our Honda!


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## old_tidefan (Nov 23, 2005)

beachbum said:


> We have 2 eu2000i Honda. We are very happy with them. Paralleled together, they will run everything. If you go that route, get an "extended run tank" . Without it, one tank of gas lasts 4 hours. Not very long!!
> david


I have the same set up (just got the extended run tank.....the a/c turning off in the middle of the night because of no gas is over) I have been very pleased with this set up.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

skippershe said:


> We have a single Honda eu2000i...
> Haven't needed to use the a/c during a dry camping trip yet.
> 
> We love our Honda!


Didn't know you enjoy dry camping? Thought you was a city slicker....









Get on up here to Oregon and I'll show you some awesome dry camping.


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

If I had lots of money I would buy 2 Honda 2000's and if I had a truck and a ramp I would get a Honda 3000. My Brother in-law has a Honda 3000 and it is such a nice genset but a little heavy. I have a Kipor 3000THI which is now call a Kipor 2800 I think. It was cheap, is quite, Is a inverter generator like a Honda or Yamaha, it only weighs 65 lbs. I in fact used it yesterday to run the AC, charge the batteries and run 2 laptops and we was camping a a lake at 5500 feet. I have had very good luck with the Kipor and really like it. Like anything you have to analyze your needs and make a decision on what meets your needs. Good luck


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Oregon_Camper said:


> We have a single Honda eu2000i...
> Haven't needed to use the a/c during a dry camping trip yet.
> 
> We love our Honda!


Didn't know you enjoy dry camping? Thought you was a city slicker....









Get on up here to Oregon and I'll show you some awesome dry camping.
[/quote]
We prefer dry camping! No city slickers here mister!
It's just a nice surprise when we do get hookups at the beach









We may be taking you up on your offer about Oregon camping...DH wants to make a trip up there next summer


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Hmm a generator... I think I need one of those ( or 2 Honda 2000's). Oh buy, the DW really going to think iv gone crazy. Anyone find that money tree yet?


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## Humpty (Apr 20, 2005)

It is heavy, but I can get my 3000 Honda in and out of the truck by myself. I have a dolly to roll it around on. We ALWAYS use A/C when we need a generator, plus I like the large fuel tank on the 3000. I haven't run out of gas at night yet, but my son or the dogs usually get us up early. I know you can get an extended tank for twin 2000's, but i didn't want to mess with that.

When I find the money tree. I will get a second A/C and another 3000 watt honda, twin those for 50 amp service









We bought our generator 1 week before we took delivery of our first camper. Maiden voyage was dry camping at Darlington.


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## Rollrs45 (May 7, 2007)

Ok, here it goes....................... I'm striking out on my own.

When I began looking at generators I found the Hondas and Yamahas to be out of my price range. I couldn't see spendiing 3K for a generator. If I dry camped frequently it might be worth spending the money.

Depending on where, how many other campers you will be around and your price budget, you may want to look at the Champion line. They make a generator specifically for RVs.... Check out the link.

Champion

The prices range from 350 - 575..... substantially cheaper than the Hondas or Yamis. The db rating is a little higher, but if your not around other people when camping this may not be a concern of yours. Most of the time this topic is heavily debated due to the noise levels generators can produce. Many feel consideration for other campers (pertaining to the noise levels) should be the number one priority when choosing a genny. To others, their own needs and budget dictate their choice. Either way, each viewpoint carries it's own merit.

OK........... Opposers may begin the assault.









Mike


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## bradnbecca (Feb 12, 2007)

Rollrs45 said:


> Ok, here it goes....................... I'm striking out on my own.
> 
> When I began looking at generators I found the Hondas and Yamahas to be out of my price range. I couldn't see spendiing 3K for a generator. If I dry camped frequently it might be worth spending the money.
> 
> ...


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## bentpixel (Sep 2, 2006)

GlenninTexas said:


> Oh no, you've awakened the generator police!


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## dharris (Feb 3, 2007)

Rollrs45 said:


> Ok, here it goes....................... I'm striking out on my own.
> 
> When I began looking at generators I found the Hondas and Yamahas to be out of my price range. I couldn't see spendiing 3K for a generator. If I dry camped frequently it might be worth spending the money.
> 
> ...


Not against your decision at all, but not only am I concerned about my neighbor boon dockers, I as well like the quite of the lower db generators.


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## 4ME (Sep 11, 2006)

X2 for the champion!
I have not used mine yet camping but the db rating is only 15% higher than the yamaha and it produces
more power. With the price difference you could afford to buy your camp neighbor one if he gets grumpy.


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Maybe not the gen police









So far, so good. Explain your facts and the reason for them. There is no reason to 'invite' a opposition.









John


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

We have the Champion. They are nice lil gens for the money.. Might just be where we have camped, but the Champion is by far quieter than the majority of the gens in the campgrounds we have been in.. At our last outing, I counted 2 Honda's, 5 Champions, and 15 contractor gens. So the majority use the contractor types from what we have learned. The champion will be in the top 25% for gen quietness..

Only problem for us, is all our camping is in the 7-10000 feet range.. The Champion cannot fire up the A/C at these altitudes.. But its rare we need A/C at these altitudes anyway.. It is cooler up there.

We live at 5200 feet and the Champion will start the A/C here, but it struggles till it gets going..

Our Champion is permantly mounted on the back of our Outback.. In my view it would be crazy to mount a couple thousand dollar gen to the Outback permantly for anyone to grab with lil work. I have a big contractor gen for use at my home, so i have no need for the Champion except for the camper.

Mo. has low mountains.. I bet it would work everything just fine there..

You just cant beat the Champion for the money.. They are only just slightly louder than the Honda's and Yami's.

I read somewhere they will soon be offering a Champion that has the idle feature just like the honda's.. You might contact them and see how long it will be.. Seems like I remember they are gonna be out this fall.

Carey


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Rollrs45 said:


> Ok, here it goes....................... I'm striking out on my own.
> 
> When I began looking at generators I found the Hondas and Yamahas to be out of my price range. I couldn't see spendiing 3K for a generator. If I dry camped frequently it might be worth spending the money.
> 
> ...


We bought ours at Checker Auto Parts for 300 bucks last fall.. They have specials on em every so often.


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## beachbum (Nov 27, 2006)

We found that the Hondas were not really that quiet if you set them close to your camper. the UPS man that delivered them said there weren't really that light, either. Setting up camp in 95 heat with 85% humidity and those little Honda's sitting between the camper and the truck, running to cool the trailer were quite annoying







. Later I learned that if you place the generators closer to someone else's site







, they are much quieter. But they are still not that light though. I'm thinking about a wagon.
david


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## 4ME (Sep 11, 2006)

Someone on the site made a insulated box with vents to quiet theirs down. What a great idea for everyones sake. 
Generators are noisy in general and i think the box might take the level down to something more like the class A built-in Onan's.
If I wind up using ours a lot i will probably do something like that.


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

3ME said:


> Someone on the site made a insulated box with vents to quiet theirs down. What a great idea for everyones sake.
> Generators are noisy in general and i think the box might take the level down to something more like the class A built-in Onan's.
> If I wind up using ours a lot i will probably do something like that.


I was just thinking the same thing - some pink rigid foam insulation panels (2" or so) would cut down the noise a LOT! However, the heat buildup would have to be addressed because that same insulation will keep it pretty warm in the box. I guess if I were to do it I'd make the box so it could be disassembled for storage too. Interesting idea.


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

We went with the Kipor 3500 - it's a little heavy, but a lot less than one (or two Honda's) and is a lot quieter than the Champions. It is also the invertor style generator so we can run those "sensative" peices of equipment that the DH carries around with him! (Mr IT man never leaves home without his stuff) We have yet to camp somewhere with hook-ups (do they have hook-ups in Oregon????) and use ours quite a bit! We can run the microwave and the air conditioner, but not at the same time.


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## tripphammer (Oct 3, 2006)

You might want to check out some other links which also will let you know some of the facts regarding the various generators/inverters. Some questions that should be considered include:

1. What is truly the difference in decibel ratings. For example 60db is 100times louder than 40db. Here's a link to a site that explains this with a bit of accuracy: http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/Phys...und/u11l2b.html

2. You will find a lot of differing views when someone either cares or doesn't care about neighbors, the environment or other variables. I can't remember the number of times that I have heard "Oh, I will only be using out in the country where "no one else" will be around; then they find themselves in and undeveloped campground next to 5 other camping neighbors. Sure, a box can be built but as found by some of the more factual studies, they don't dampen as much as would or could have been done by a better muffler system or a quiter generator.

3. Be cautious and check the type of generation or inverter of the unit. Many do not support the sophisticated electronics of the new televisions, DVD/VHS recorders, HVAC units and the like. Although these are quite the technical links (http://powerelectronics.com/power_semicond...ewave_inverter/ ) More simply put: motors run most efficiently on sine waves. Square waves cause motors to run warmer (does this shorten their life?) and use more energy.

4. Think about all the options and situations for which you want to use your power source. Besides the old addage of proximity to others, you may want to consider things such as remote operation capabilities, home back-up capabilites (many of the power companies won't let some of the cheaper varieties of generators to be connected to a home grid without a complete disconnect from the public utility power source. Some others include your physical capabilites now and in the future... just what options are there for that "heavy monster".

5. Here are links to many of the other recent discussions on this topic:
http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...mp;hl=generator
http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...mp;hl=generator
http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...mp;hl=generator
http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...mp;hl=generator
http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...mp;hl=generator
http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...mp;hl=generator

and this can go on forever.

So, no matter what each of us have to tell you about their particular generator/inverter, the generator/inverter wars will go on ad nausem. Ok, "Mr. Generator Police" take this and chew it up and spit it out.

Take Care,
Tripp


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

3ME said:


> X2 for the champion!
> I have not used mine yet camping but the db rating is only 15% higher than the yamaha and it produces
> more power. With the price difference you could afford to buy your camp neighbor one if he gets grumpy.


I think I will be camping next to you on your next trip so go ahead and pick up that extra one, I will be glad to get it and that should keep me from getting grumpy.


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