Generators

[mstell2]

The champion is a good generator, mine has ran over 10 hours on 4 gal gas running two heaters in my camper. Also have ran the a/c and the electric water heater with no problem. You not going to find many bad reviews on them either. The price is not bad either, I can buy 6 or 7 of these before I pay for one Honda.

[hotshott]

I own a Grand Villa 40 FLFB. I use a portable JOHN DEERE 11,500 K 50 amp. EASILY runs 2 rooftop ac units, although both have never been on at the same time. Furnace, fireplace, Full size fridge, Lights ect. My camper is in a seasonal spot and does not move. It may be overkill but on holiday weekends when the campground is full, Power draw is a concern and my voltage drops down as low as 90. I pull out the old JD, fill the tank and can run for up to 20 hours on a tank full.

[meandmylabs]

I own both. Yamaha 2400is and a Champion 4000. Even though both supply portable electricity, they have distinct differences and noise will become somewhat of a factor for both you and your camping neighbors.

The Yamaha, like most inverter type generators, will automatically adjust the engine RPMs to match output need. When requiring a very small draw, such as refrig on electric, it will simply idle very quietly. When the electrical draw increases, the engine speed also increases along with the noise. This is the reason inverter style generators give a range of decibel readings because they are dependent on output requirements.

The Champion is not an inverter style generator and it must run at a relatively constant RPM consistently to generate power at the proper frequency. When it is listed at 68 db it will be about that noise rating continuously and will not vary greatly dependent on load requirement. Even though the Champion is relatively quiet compared to other contractor style generators, it is still pretty loud to place it next to a occupied camper. If its is yours and you are running the AC inside you might think it is ok but step outside and you might understand what your camping neighbors would be thinking.

My Yamaha, when load requirements are high such as with the AC, is also pretty loud because it is ramped up the the maximum governed engine speed. This would also be too loud to be right next to your neighbors.

Solution: When possible, place the appropriate generator at least 50 ft away from your camper and insulate with a 3 sided shelter if possible. We use this technique at my hunting property and it is very quiet but not always possible when boondocking in a campground.

With generators, you get what you pay for but if money is the priority, the Champion is hard to beat. One must just be understanding and courteous of its limitations.

[RickV]

I bought these:
2 73538i Champion 2000W Inverter Generator Manufacturer Refurbished | eBay
I did a lot of reading on em and felt comfortable buying them. Here is a long thread on them Woodalls Open Roads Forum: Tech Issues: The Official unofficial CPE 2000i Generator Thread they work great and are quiet.

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

16 amps?
When battery is low the converter runs 8 amps.
Plus fridge
Plus water heater
Plus co detector
Plus lights
1600 watt is marginal.
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...aws-17300.html

Come on turbs, you're trying to leverage them towards a larger genny.

Run the water heater on LP NOT electric!!
Run the fridge on LP NOT electric.
Don't use the microwave or roof AC
Don't let the batteries get too low between charges.
A 1000 watt genny will work just fine boondocking if you follow that plan!

You can find the 1000 watt Champion online incl shipping for just a few
bucks over $400

Also have a look at this thread where this was discussed recently
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ing-39079.html

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by KyDan

Come on turbs, you're trying to leverage them towards a larger genny.

Run the water heater on LP NOT electric!!
Run the fridge on LP NOT electric.
Don't use the microwave or roof AC
Don't let the batteries get too low between charges.
A 1000 watt genny will work just fine boondocking if you follow that plan!

You can find the 1000 watt Champion online incl shipping for just a few
bucks over $400

Also have a look at this thread where this was discussed recently
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ing-39079.html

Well in reality that 1600 listed is only 13 amps.

I was meaning fridge and water heater should be on 12 v which keeps converter at max output with battery charging which leaves the op around 5 amps after that.
That 1600 watt would never run fridge and water heater on 110 plus converter.
Not saying it won't work I said it would be marginal at best.

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

I was meaning fridge and water heater should be on 12 v which keeps converter at max output with battery charging which leaves the op around 5 amps after that.

5 amps left over is huge. What else are you going to need??
The RV battery will take over during large loads such as running the slides
or the water pump.
Sure you can turn on all the lights and get overloaded for a 1 KW genny but
why would you?

Admit it, a 1000 watt genny is not necessarily "marginal" for occasional
boondocking if the user is the least bit careful.
Shoot, we can get by 5 nights on 2 regular old 12v/deep cycle/crank
marine batteries without a charge at all! That includes 30 min of TV each
nite to check weather, and maxxair fan on low several hours a night and
most of a tank of water pumped via the onboard pump.
Add a 1000 watt genny to that mix and I can go many days without electric hookup. In that case MY limiting factor is full gray tanks and empty
fresh water tank.

If folks want "--MORE POWER" said in my best Tim the Toolman voice,
then they should buy and haul and lug as big a generator as they can.

The OP to this thread was asking about generators in the $400 range
and I am confident they can do it with just a little planning.

Add a few LED bulbs in the trailer or LED portable lantern and they can
go even more days on battery power alone.

[TURBS]

Diligence would be the key .
Lol I still have not said it wouldn't work ;

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by QCCowboy

Just bought a Champion 3500/4000 generator with an RV plug last week. Runs my AC with no problems. Wasn't to worried about noise and it is not that loud (but I am sure louder than an inverter genny). For my purpose it works great.

Plus it was on sale for $249

http://www.farmandfleet.com/products...l#.UZLC2lYo7qA

I had the opportunity to compare the 3500/4000 Champion noise level against that of my Yamaha EF2400is a couple of weekend ago.

I ran my generator to charge my battery, so it was not at a high rpm. The Yami was in my truck bed. I walked ~35 foot away towards the back of my trailer, with the exhaust still in sight. There was Trailmanor ~75-100 yards away, with the Champion behind the trailer where I could not even see it at that time. The Champion sound level drowned out my Yamaha. Again, the Champion was not in sight, and approximately 10 times the distance of my Yamaha with the exhaust in sight.

I felt sorry for the poor souls that had to camp beside that Champion.

[KyDan]

Chap I believe you!!

There is a huge difference between brands but even more between
inverter vs regular generators.

An inverter genny can run at low speed during low load situations and
still produce 120 V 60 cycle AC current.

A non-inverter genny MUST run at full speed all the time in order to produce
that 60 cycle AC current. It runs at full RPM even with no load.

I'd love to hear the comparison between the little cheaper champion
1000 inverter vs a honda 1000. By hear I mean I'd like to stand
there beside both while they are running much as you did with
the ones you mention.

[BarryD0706]

A little side-question if I may: Do these Inverter-Generators produce pure sine-wave, or is it square-wave (aka "modified" sine-wave)?

[garbonz]

Isn't it funny that we will spend 50K or more on our rolling houses and yet many then penny pinch on everything else for it. Not saying that the champion generator is not a fine unit. Hopefully the longevity is there to. I'd personally would rather throw away one honda after ten or fifteen years than 10 POS's

My honda 2000i is over 10 years old and still runs fine and handles all the load I need it to. I'm thinking of a turbokool for the front AC spot so that we can cool the bedroom to. Out here in the dry west ya know..

[garbonz]

Originally Posted by BarryD0706

A little side-question if I may: Do these Inverter-Generators produce pure sine-wave, or is it square-wave (aka "modified" sine-wave)?

I think the honda's and yammerhas do, but donno about the newer ones.

[garbonz]

I looked at a few and they all claim to produce a pure sine wave.

The champion 3100 inverter specifically does.

[recon33alpha]

Originally Posted by garbonz

Isn't it funny that we will spend 50K or more on our rolling houses and yet many then penny pinch on everything else for it. Not saying that the champion generator is not a fine unit. Hopefully the longevity is there to. I'd personally would rather throw away one honda after ten or fifteen years than 10 POS's

My honda 2000i is over 10 years old and still runs fine and handles all the load I need it to. I'm thinking of a turbokool for the front AC spot so that we can cool the bedroom to. Out here in the dry west ya know..

I went cheap because I won't use it very often, maybe a couple times a year

[KyDan]

I'm quite confident that even the cheapest one you can find won't have
a 10 to 1 lifespan disadvantage with a honda or any other brand.

Remember the OP was asking about a $400 option. I think a champion
1kw inverter will fit there. My only concern would be noise and the jury
is out on that one. I haven't looked for specs re: db noise rating on this one.

[TURBS]

maybe the op is camping where noise isnt an issue ?

[QCCowboy]

Originally Posted by garbonz

Isn't it funny that we will spend 50K or more on our rolling houses and yet many then penny pinch on everything else for it. Not saying that the champion generator is not a fine unit.

If I used my generator for every trip and boondocked often where others were around I would agree with buying a different one, and I don't view myself as penny pinching here but instead using logical sense for my situation. Where I use it nobody else is around that cares about sound and this one fits my needs (and I didn't have to spend high $$ to get it.) It is a win-win for me and could be the same for others.

[TURBS]

I have a 6875 watt gennis on 4 wheels and takes 2 to lift in the truck for 648.00.
we use it three times a year on private property with a dozen others whom also have loud gennies.
when the air is on you hardly hear it .
my thought was I always have it at home for power failure in an ice storm "commen in midwest" and I can run everything " not all at once" but the well pump and water heater .
mainly furnace and fridges.

[fonzie]

I still stand by my post #6 for what the op ask for......let him check things out (with all the good and the bad) and hopefully he will come back and give us feedback what he think he will buy.