Generator brands

[CJONE]

The eu3000 can be bought out of KY for 1900 look up rvpartscountry.com. I have a 2000 withcounless hours on it. It runs my camping trailer in summer and the cabin in Canada in the winter. It runs a 60 amp charger that charges a bank of batteries and a 4000 watt inverter that powers the cabin and trailer. The Honda rarely comes off of idle so it is very quiet, most don't realise there is even a generator running until I tell them. If you don't have the money for the Honda or Yammie the Generac is the only other one I have experience with. Get a quiet unit or your neighbors will not appreciate it. CJ

 

[3930dave]

Wow, I posted this and this is my first visit back. Thanks for a ton of feedback. So from what I am reading, the Honda is still hands down the best for reliability and quiet, but champion ranks in there pretty close for reliability.

This WILL be used mostly for camping, and noise IS a big concern. I too, have had others crank theirs on and blast you out and have no desire to be him. We have single AC unit on our trailer and I am planning a 3KW generator minimum. I want to be able to use the AC should I have to. I know most "campgrounds" have a 9 or 10pm rule, so I guess if it's that hot, I only stop where elec hook ups are available.

The Yamaha inverter 3KW model I looked at, had elec start and some special surge circuits, and it's price was $2500. Man this is going to be a tough call.

Cost wise, I'd have a look at, and do deeper research on the Champion inverter gens. They are at least 10 dbA quieter than their traditional gens. The 2kw inverter ones are listed as parallel capable - personally, for the type of application you are looking at, I'd take a serious look at buying two of the 2kw inverter units. You'd have 4kw when you needed it (AC headroom), but only have to run one for lighter loads.

2 units will give you a redundant backup, and the convenience of being able to alternate fuel tanks when running lighter loads - if one ran out in the middle of cooking a meal, you just pull-start the other. One time I object to handling gasoline is when I'm handling food - I'm a gear-head, but prefer to keep fuel and food separate.

About the only spec on those that I'd like to see different is a larger fuel tank.

I hear good things about Yamaha gens; I just don't see many of them as they haven't been widely distributed as long as the Hondas have been.

Have fun shopping around, and let us know what you settle on.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

The eu3000 can be bought out of KY for 1900 look up rvpartscountry.com. I have a 2000 withcounless hours on it. It runs my camping trailer in summer and the cabin in Canada in the winter. It runs a 60 amp charger that charges a bank of batteries and a 4000 watt inverter that powers the cabin and trailer. The Honda rarely comes off of idle so it is very quiet, most don't realise there is even a generator running until I tell them. If you don't have the money for the Honda or Yammie the Generac is the only other one I have experience with. Get a quiet unit or your neighbors will not appreciate it. CJ

My buddy has one of those 3000s - it's a great generator, and I only hear good things about the smaller ones. If it fits your budget, they are great choices.

Rgds, D.

 

[nirion]

Has anyone used the Ryobi inverter generators they sell at Home Depot? A couple hundred watts more running power and they can be run in parallel. 4.5 stars from reviews on the web site and only $599 each.

Ryobi 2200-Watt Gasoline Powered Digital Inverter Generator-RYI2200 at The Home Depot

 

[Diamondpilot]

Wow, I posted this and this is my first visit back. Thanks for a ton of feedback. So from what I am reading, the Honda is still hands down the best for reliability and quiet, but champion ranks in there pretty close for reliability.

This WILL be used mostly for camping, and noise IS a big concern. I too, have had others crank theirs on and blast you out and have no desire to be him. We have single AC unit on our trailer and I am planning a 3KW generator minimum. I want to be able to use the AC should I have to. I know most "campgrounds" have a 9 or 10pm rule, so I guess if it's that hot, I only stop where elec hook ups are available.

The Yamaha inverter 3KW model I looked at, had elec start and some special surge circuits, and it's price was $2500. Man this is going to be a tough call.

I actually built a slide in rack under a 5th wheel camper for one of my customers to house a Champion 3500 watt unit. He and his family has since spent better than 50 nights using it since 2009. It just works out to a steady hum that can't hardly be heard in the camper above the ac unit itself.

Chris

 

[Travelover]

Has anyone used the Ryobi inverter generators they sell at Home Depot? A couple hundred watts more running power and they can be run in parallel. 4.5 stars from reviews on the web site and only $599 each.

Ryobi 2200-Watt Gasoline Powered Digital Inverter Generator-RYI2200 at The Home Depot

The reviews on the HD site are surprisingly good. It seems logical that someone could make a generator as good or nearly as good as the Honda for less money.

 

[handirifle]

Looking at the Champion web site they do NOT list an RV AC unit as something it will power. I wonder why that is?

 

[3930dave]

Looking at the Champion web site they do NOT list an RV AC unit as something it will power. I wonder why that is?

Not sure which model you are looking at. In terms of an official factory rating, 3kw units are somewhat light for all of today's RV ACs - many of them are not small.

That's part of why I suggested dual 2kw units - there is an example of one guy using them on his RV in these reviews - see the Jan 12 review.

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Champion Power Equipment 73536i 2,000 Watt 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator (CARB Compliant)

Rgds, D.

 

[sparc]

Has anyone used the Ryobi 2000w inverter generator?
Wondering how it stacks up to the Honda or other models.

I have a big Generac for the house. Been thinking about something more portable
That could run a power tool in the field and would also be friendly to computers and other electronics by creating clean power.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Honda isn't a brand that I hold in such high regard that I would pay that much of a premium just for the name.

I basically agree, but until recently, Honda has been pretty much the only game in town if you wanted an inverter that wasn't a cheap-o Chinese knock-off. Yamaha has been coming up fast, but they're priced comparably to Honda. Maybe Champion is going to finally break the glass ceiling. A 2800 Watt continuous inverter genny for $900 is a heck of a deal.