What kind of generator...

[jakenjulie]

Hey guys, what kind of generator do you use? We are full-timers with a 39 foot Sierra Tree House and have decided with winter coming on we need to invest in a generator. We know we need at least 30 amps and something quiet and small enough to fit in the back of the pickup.

Thanks for any suggestions

Jake

[NWJeeper]

Honda or Yamaha are our choices. I am continuously amazed at how Honda can figure out how to make their generators run longer on a tank of gas and get quieter every year. In many cases the savings in fuel alone over a multi year time frame can justify the higher cost of a Honda over a "cheapo" brand.

We were recently camped at one of our favorite lakes when a guy about 5 spaces away pulled out one of those old construction generators, I said to my wife "oh boy here we go" He fired that thing up and we could hardly hear our own TV. Later the guy right behind us pulled out a Honda and fired it up. It sounded like something was running on the other side of the park, I could barely hear it, he was sitting right next to it reading his magazine and enjoying a drink after a hard day of fishing.

[EdJunior]

I have a Kipor and have not had any problems with it. It was running 24 hours a day for nearly a week after Hurricane Ike paid us a visit. What a trooper!

[camprat]

Hi There! I have the Honda EU200i & EU2000i companion. IF run the AC 15k btu. I parallel & run both or just one for most everything. WE dry camp a lot & you get about 10-12 hr/gal, AC about 5-7 hr/2gal. Good solid generator. you get what you pay for with generators. I would go with the honda, yamaha

[BigRed]

Go with Yamaha! Just as good as Honda and a little cheaper. Go with 2- 2000 watt Yamaha's for the same reason that Camrat noted above !! He's right you get what you pay for and your fellow campers won't run you out of the park because of the noise !! I have the 4500 watt Yamaha w/remote start. Its 185 lbs. though and you dont need all that power. If I was to do over I'd go with 2-2000 watt Yamaha's and run in Parallel as needed for AC.

[NWJeeper]

Originally Posted by BigRed

Go with Yamaha! Just as good as Honda and a little cheaper. Go with 2- 2000 watt Yamaha's for the same reason that Camrat noted above !! He's right you get what you pay for and your fellow campers won't run you out of the park because of the noise !! I have the 4500 watt Yamaha w/remote start. Its 185 lbs. though and you dont need all that power. If I was to do over I'd go with 2-2000 watt Yamaha's and run in Parallel as needed for AC.

Check Cabela's right now, they are having a special on the Yamahas if you buy with a Cabela's Visa card you get up to 20% of the price in Cabela's points in credit on your card depending on the unit you buy. Or something like that....

[MightyMike]

Hey, Big red, do you know the dimensions of that Yamaha? I had them remove the genset when I bought my TH, as we would never use it. Since I'm looking at selling the TH, have to consider what it would cost to, put a genny in if someone wants it. Have the front compartment and all the wires. Figure a Yamaha is gonna be a bit cheaper than the Onan.

[BigRed]

I have the EF4500iSE. The dimensions are (Length-width-height) 31"x24.5"x27.2". The weight is 192 lbs. , Tank holds 5-gal. and run time at full load is just over 7 hours. 1/4 to 1/2 load is around 15hrs. I know it can run everything in our camper (15,000 btu.) AC all night long. Used the TV, wife had her computer running (really-lol). The gen. is super quiet for a unit that big. Friend nexts to us camping thought it was a little one (didnt see the unit). Came over and asked us how it was running that big AC unit. I showed him and he was like wow...that things quiet for a 4500 ! I said you get what you pay for !!

[revrnd]

Jakenjulie, I'm assuming your tow vehicle is the GMT800 or previous model of GM pickup. The EU3000 Handi is just slightly taller than the boxsides. It may not fit under a hard tri-fold cover. The newest style of GM pickups (GMT900) has boxsides that are 2" taller.

Other than that, I'm happy w/ my Honda.

[jakenjulie]

Thanks guys for the replies. Yeah, we found out the 3000 won't fit in the truck with a cover so we decided on the 2 Honda 2000's. Haven't bought them yet and will only buy one right now and wait until Spring to buy the second. We are near Glacier NP right now so don't need AC. We found a great deal at a ranch supply in MT and they can ship anywhwere plus no sales tax in MT

[BigRed]

[CountryGirl2]

We bought the Yamaha 3000 and love it it has a boost feature so it can start up the air conditioner as well. We have no problem running toaster, and coffee pot and the microwave each seperately if I'm remembering correctly.