Generator? Yamaha or Honda. What size?

[1st timer]

Originally Posted by bikendan

1stTimer, why have you decided to get a pair of generators?
Will you be doing a lot of dry camping or some boondocking?
Will you be camping in hot areas without hookups?

I think I'm more or less trying to leave the door open. I have family that owns a apple farm in Massachusetts and may stay up there for a week at a time no power no hook ups. Hoping to do more secluded camping, but that is down the road. I live on the east coast and the heat and humidity can be relentless! Will probably get 1 and hope to get the companion later if needed. Just looking real life experiences. Thank you all!

[dan76]

how about Brigg inverter/generators? anyone have any experiencd?

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by dan76

how about Brigg inverter/generators? anyone have any experiencd?

Are you talking about Briggs & Stratton?
if so, no such thing as a quiet B & S generator.

[kramocker]

Yarome,

Wow. I've just developed a severe case of "Genny Envy".
The only upside seems to be COSTCO's return policy.
The other good news: I'm now a member of this forum and can well benefit from the wisdom and opinions presented herein.

Be well,

Kramer

[Gregg Willow]

I have the (2) Honda 2000's and absolutely love them. I made an extended dual feed fuel tank for them which works great! I saved about $75 making my own over the Bergs system from WiseSales. Each gen is just under a gallon and my extended fuel tank is 5 gallons, so 7 gallons on a pair of 2000's will run a long time, especially in eco mode. I believe it was supposed to work out to 35 hours on 3/4 load. If I know for sure it will be cool temps I'll bring just one and the extended tank. Normally I bring both, connect them and the extended tank during camp setup. I'll run just one in the morning to top off the battery. In the afternoon if I need the AC I'll fire them both up. And draining the carb is a 30 second task.

[Clark Craven]

Everyone buys the Yamaha's or Honda's, but I decided to be a little more conservative. I researched and subsequently purchased a Boliy 3600 inverter Generator. Cost approx. $1400. and is an excellent unit. I used it when we had our Freedom Express 28RLS and never had a problem. We now have a Georgetown Class A and when my onboard generator went down, I used the Boliy for 2 weeks camping, never a problem. Well built, relatively light weight, approx. 75 lbs and problem free.

[HONDAMAN174]

Gregg- do you have a parts list for your extended tank set up?


2014 Stealth Evo 2850 "Woodstock"
2011 Toyota Tundra Rock Crawler TRD 5.7 "Clifford"

[dan76]

oops! yep Briggs. what would the comparison be regards to noise?

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by dan76

oops! yep Briggs. what would the comparison be regards to noise?

You need to do some reading about decibel ratings and how they are logarithmic.
If price is an issue, there are other brands that are quieter and comparable in price.
what B & S model are you talking about?

[Gregg Willow]

Originally Posted by HONDAMAN174

Gregg- do you have a parts list for your extended tank set up?

I'm not sure if I still have my build list but I can take a picture of it when I get home. I basically got a lay-flat tank at my local L&M Supply that has a siphon to the bottom from the dual tee, some fuel hose, hose clamps and quick-connects. The original caps on the Honda's where saved and I bought two caps for the EU1000i. I think I paid about $12 each for them. They are a little different than the 2000's. I removed the vent mechanisms in both, drilled and tapped to accept a quick-connect. Its crucial to do the caps correctly so there is no vacuum leak.

I'll see if a can find my build list and a picture is worth 1,000 words.

[acadianbob]

Originally Posted by bikendan

You need to do some reading about decibel ratings and how they are logarithmic.

Key point. Roughly every increase of 3Db means DOUBLING of sound pressure. So, big difference between 56 Db and 59 Db.

Not linear.

[Gregg Willow]

Hondaman,

I can't find my build list and my extended tank is 6 gallons not 5. Getting your best price on the tank will reflect how much this project costs. I got mine for $40.

The quick-connects you can get where you get your outboard motor supplies. A 1/4 NPT fitting at the tank. 8' of 3/8 ID fuel line. Take 3.5" of line for tank to tee. Divide the remaining line in half to use from the tee to the gens. Brass Tee to fit lines. 6 hose clamps. There is a YouTube video on how to do the caps. I used different connects than the video.

http://youtu.be/RDkL593Wbt0







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[cpd1343]

Originally Posted by 71349

Gens running for long periods on propane use a lot of propane....if dry camping and propane availability could be an issue....

A 20 pound tank equals 5 gallons of gas. Either way it is a lot of fuel.

[1st timer]

Originally Posted by Gregg Willow

Hondaman,

I can't find my build list and my extended tank is 6 gallons not 5. Getting your best price on the tank will reflect how much this project costs. I got mine for $40.

The quick-connects you can get where you get your outboard motor supplies. A 1/4 NPT fitting at the tank. 8' of 3/8 ID fuel line. Take 3.5" of line for tank to tee. Divide the remaining line in half to use from the tee to the gens. Brass Tee to fit lines. 6 hose clamps. There is a YouTube video on how to do the caps. I used different connects than the video.

http://youtu.be/RDkL593Wbt0

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That's a nice set up, definitely changes the game! That's an awesome $40 upgrade.

[ryand]

I have the Yamaha 2400IHC and it runs my entire 30A rig even the air. However you do need to stager what you want to use to make all that happen. Its light enough to load with one person and is still relativly small. I have been very happy and it sipps gas. Mainly use it when at the race track and a little for work. If I were to do it over again, I would look hard at the 2000 watt hondas and Yamahas. Although the pair would have been more than 1k more than I spent on the 2400, they would be more usefull as they are a bit more versatile. The one thing i do not like about the 2400 is the lack of a actual RV style Outlet (Typ 30A Cord end).

[Gregg Willow]

Originally Posted by 1st timer

That's a nice set up, definitely changes the game! That's an awesome $40 upgrade.

It was more than $40. That was just for the tank. The whole setup was around $90.


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[HONDAMAN174]

Originally Posted by Gregg Willow

It was more than $40. That was just for the tank. The whole setup was around $90.


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Thanks for the info.
Just getting ideas of hardware needed as I want to just use my own 5 gal can.


2014 Stealth Evo 2850 "Woodstock"
2011 Toyota Tundra Rock Crawler TRD 5.7 "Clifford"

[deartruc]

I was going to purchase the Yamaha 2400is and Camping World..etc said it would run a 13.5k ac unit like I have. I know it was border line so I called the Yamaha customer service which said they do not advertise it will so there was no guarantee. They recommended stepping up to the 3000. I looked at the 3000 specs and the ETQ 3500is. The ETQ was 1/3rd the price but 5db more noisy. The ETQ has the 30 amp camper receptacle. Also, the ETQ doesn't have wheels, but it is smaller and lighter. We dry camp one week out of the year (it also serves as a backup at home too, so not a waste of investment). That was 5 years ago and still going strong. We used to run it all day to charge the battery, run ac, etc. It never seemed to fully charge the batteries. But thanks to this forum, I learned that plugging the camper in only trickle charges the battery. So, this year I'm going to try plugging in a battery charger.

[BamaBob]

Originally Posted by cpd1343

Here is something else to think about. The Yamaha can be modified to run on propane and not effect the warranty, the Honda you can't. It will void their warranty. I run my Gen on propane...cleaner burning, much less smell, gen will last longer, bigger fuel supply, and you have propane with you anyway.

Could you post this Mod

Another issue for the group:

We want to dry camp in Wally Worlds in the summer in the south - can we run ONE of these puppies to power the 13KW A/C in our bedroom for a overnight? Can we do this on propane? HOW?

Will the genny noise be too much?

[JWHybrid2B]

I was considering in buying two Honda EU2000 inverters and paralleling them to run the13,500 AC unit on my TT. Do I need to buy the companion ($100 more) or can I parallel the two standard EU2000? Only reason why I would want to buy the two and not the companion is that way I can separate them for different uses if need be. The companion doesn't have all the standard 30amp outlet receptacles.