Honda 2000i or Predator Generators?

[Lance A Lott]

I had two champions hitched together they are 2 something k and sometimes they would run the ac and sometimes  not. It seemed to depend on how the compressor stopped or the altitude or something.  I talked to a man with a Honda 3000 and he found the same thing. My Yamaha 6500 has never had a problem and I can run ac and microwave and it still is only just off idle. When at home I move it to the garage for power outages and I can run the TV, frige and furnace as well as some lights all on the fuel saver mode. It goes out side to run.

I had the Champions about 4 years before I started to have starting problems my parents had there Honda 2000 about 15 before they had any trouble. 

[RV_]

ND,

I had a girl riding behind me on the 305 the year before I got married and the rear tire blew out at 60 mph, although wobbly, I managed to get it stopped without going down. They were the best of the beach music era bikes. Back to topic.

Lance, maybe you might want to call those folks with the soft start system for $300 Roy posted about and sell one of the generators to pay for it once you know it works. https://www.microair.net/collections/easystart-soft-starters

 

Edited February 4, 2019 by RV_

[rynosback]

On 6/26/2018 at 5:24 PM, The Quiet Assassin said:

Remember to budget for some form of anti theft device. High tensile chain and a matching padlock as a minimum.

One of my bosses growing up told me once, “Locks keep honest people honest.  If someone really wants it, they will get it.”  It has stuck with me.

Edited February 7, 2019 by rynosback

[Carlos]

Motorcycle cable locks are a good option for this.  That's what I'm using, because I have one that I never use on the motorcycle.  Someone gave it to me, and I'm simply not at all in fear of my motorcycle being stolen.  So it became a lock for "stuff."  The advantage of this one (and many motorcycle locks) is a built-in motion alarm.  So in any camping area, it would draw attention to a thief.

 

[chirakawa]

1 hour ago, rynosback said:

One of my bosses growing up told me once, “Locks keep honest people honest.  If someone really wants it, they will get it.”  It has stuck with me.

Just because it "stuck" with you, doesn't make it true.  Many thefts, especially from vehicles, are opportunity thefts.  I had a bicycle stolen from beside my RV one night.  It was found in a ditch a couple of miles away and next to a subdivision.  Most likely some kid got tired of walking and saw my bike just sitting there.  I doubt it would have been stolen if I had put a cable and lock around it.

An item like a generator unsecured in the back of a pickup truck is like eye candy to a thief.  Snatch and grab, impulsive, quick in and out.

[Carlos]

Agreed, even the lightest little cable lock is a deterrent to casual theft.  There are different levels of dishonest.  Growing up, I knew a couple of people in my school who literally thought that "if it's not locked, it's not stealing if I take it."  

[rynosback]

30 minutes ago, chirakawa said:

Just because it "stuck" with you, doesn't make it true.  Many thefts, especially from vehicles, are opportunity thefts.  I had a bicycle stolen from beside my RV one night.  It was found in a ditch a couple of miles away and next to a subdivision.  Most likely some kid got tired of walking and saw my bike just sitting there.  I doubt it would have been stolen if I had put a cable and lock around it.

An item like a generator unsecured in the back of a pickup truck is like eye candy to a thief.  Snatch and grab, impulsive, quick in and out.

Let’s just say you had a clear, translucent indestructible box with $1,000,000 of cash in it.  If you did not secure it to a strong fixed point, it would be stolen.  Even an honest person might be tempted to steal your $1,000,000 if it was not secured at all.  If you put a cheap chain on it, it more then likely would be taken.   If you put a HEAVY duty chain on it it would be less likely.  This is the point of the saying, Locks keep honest people honest.  I bet most honest people would be tempted to steal your $1,000,000 cash in a box if they could just walk up and cary it away and get away with it.  

The less effort needed to take something is more likely to be taken.

Edited February 7, 2019 by rynosback

[Carlos]

Wow.  Your definition of "honest" really scares me.  I certainly hope you are not right, and I know know that for my close friends, nothing like that is true.  That theory is much like the hoodlums I mentioned from school.

[chirakawa]

7 minutes ago, rynosback said:

Let’s just say you had a clear, translucent indestructible box with $1,000,000 of cash in it.  If you did not secure it to a strong fixed point, it would be stolen.  Even an honest person might be tempted to steal your $1,000,000 if it was not secured at all.  If you put a cheap chain on it, it more then likely would be taken.   If you put a HEAVY duty chain on it it would be less likely.  This is the point of the saying, Locks keep honest people honest.  I bet most honest people would be tempted to steal your $1,000,000 cash in a box if they could just walk up and cary it away and get away with it.  

The less effort needed to take something is more likely to be taken.

We're not talking about $1,000,000, we're talking about a generator.  An honest person wouldn't steal your generator if you accidentally put it in their campsite.  A thief will steal it out of your campsite, unless you put a cable and lock around it.  So, you don't need a lock to keep an honest person from stealing your generator, but you might need one to keep a thief from taking it.

Edited February 7, 2019 by chirakawa

[Carlos]

And for thieves, you just need to have a lesser opportunity/reward ratio than the rest of the campground.  My friend with a junky open-frame generator doesn't have to worry about theft if he puts a string on it and there are unlocked good generators.

[rynosback]

9 minutes ago, chirakawa said:

We're not talking about $1,000,000, we're talking about a generator.  An honest person wouldn't steal your generator if you accidentally put it in their campsite.  A thief will steal it out of your campsite, unless you put a cable and lock around it.  So, you don't need a lock to keep an honest person from stealing your generator, but you might need one to keep a thief from taking it.

I never said that your neighbor would steal it.  It is OK if we agree to disagree.  Some people get the saying and some don’t.  It just stuck with me.  Just like the pen is mightier then a sword. No need to comment on that one.

[rynosback]

14 minutes ago, Carlos said:

And for thieves, you just need to have a lesser opportunity/reward ratio than the rest of the campground.  My friend with a junky open-frame generator doesn't have to worry about theft if he puts a string on it and there are unlocked good generators.

Thanks, you get it.  

[Kirk W]

14 minutes ago, rynosback said:

Thanks, you get it.  

Sadly, you are probably right, but it is not a good commentary on our world. To me, honesty is the person in Tyler who got home with a container that he bought cheap from Goodwill and then discovered a large amount of money inside($500+). It made the local news as he then went to great lengths to trace who had donated the item and returned the money. I do believe that most people are pretty honest, but few are absolutely so. 

[chirakawa]

3 hours ago, rynosback said:

I never said that your neighbor would steal it.  It is OK if we agree to disagree.  Some people get the saying and some don’t.  It just stuck with me.  Just like the pen is mightier then a sword. No need to comment on that one.

I get it fine, it's just doesn't happen to be true.

[rynosback]

1 hour ago, chirakawa said:

I get it fine, it's just doesn't happen to be true.

Again, we can agree to disagree.  Safe travels.

[hemsteadc]

People often mention the  availability of Honda parts.  It's extremely unlikely you'll ever need them.  And the comparative word is "than", not "then."

[Ray,IN]

On 2/7/2019 at 3:19 PM, Kirk W said:

Sadly, you are probably right, but it is not a good commentary on our world. To me, honesty is the person in Tyler who got home with a container that he bought cheap from Goodwill and then discovered a large amount of money inside($500+). It made the local news as he then went to great lengths to trace who had donated the item and returned the money. I do believe that most people are pretty honest, but few are absolutely so. 

I believe you are right in your assessment of modern society.  Most thefts are a crime of opportunity IMO, I think there is a very small percentage of dedicated thieves.

When we carried our Boliy genset in the truckbed, the main reason I had it secured with a 3/16" cable was to keep it from bouncing into, and getting damaged by the 5er hitch; anti-theft was a side-effect. How much security would it insure when the handles are plastic?

 I once saw a man had  his genset chained to the trailer bumper with a 3/8" chain -shiny and strong looking, the padlock looked like it came from a dollar store;  still the genset had plastic handle supports, guess there was logic somewhere.

Edited February 10, 2019 by Ray,IN

[rbertalotto]

RV_

Thanks for the kind works on the projects posted on my web site....

Yes.."Birds of a feather...." It always amazes me on how many hobbies us RV folks share......Seems RVs, Firearms, Motorcycles.....Are shared by a majority of RV folks.....Add hunting, fishing and RC planes......And you got just about all hobby bases covered!

Thanks again!

 

 

[sandsys]

2 hours ago, rbertalotto said:

It always amazes me on how many hobbies us RV folks share......Seems RVs, Firearms, Motorcycles.....Are shared by a majority of RV folks.....Add hunting, fishing and RC planes......And you got just about all hobby bases covered!

Add trains to your list. Lots of rail fans on here. Both model trains and full size ones.

Our first rented motorhome trip was following the BN tracks along Hwy 2 from Minnesota to the east coast then back along UP tracks along Hwy 30.

And we built many model railroads over the years. https://www.sandsys.org/modelrr/modelbuilt/

And my Dave still participates in operating model railroads as if they were full sized railroads several times a month.

A good hobby with lots of aspects to it.

Linda Sand

[Kirk W]

4 hours ago, rbertalotto said:

..." It always amazes me on how many hobbies us RV folks share......Seems RVs, Firearms, Motorcycles.....Are shared by a majority of RV folks.....Add hunting, fishing and RC planes......And you got just about all hobby bases covered!

I doubt that a majority of us have all of those but I'd suspect that a clear majority have at least one or two from that list. Another that is pretty common is photography, as long as you include we pure amateurs in the group. I believe a lot of us fish at least some but haven't come across too many who hunt although many of us did so at one time. If you live in an RV it is problematic what to do with the meat from any of the larger game animals. I haven't ever done the RV planes but see a lot of photo buffs adding a drone to the hoppy equipment. 

[rynosback]

On 5/31/2018 at 6:06 AM, Yarome said:

Exact case in point! 2008's run monthly, parrallel kit and 30hrs on em (barely up for their first oil change)... $1200 was "extremely" fair pricing. 😉

 

I would not think that many years on the same oil is not healthy.  

[RV_]

Roy,

YW! I try to check out member websites and have really enjoyed them and yours was up there with the other good ones.

[TXiceman]

Personally, I'd go with the Honda EU series of any others due to the wide availability of service for them if you ever need service.  Yes you pay more, but you get peace of mind.

Ken

[Carlos]

I went with one that had nearly as many service centers as Honda.  I paid less, got peace of mind, a more powerful generator, and it weighs less.

 

[RacingVenture]

On 5/29/2018 at 12:06 AM, steelpony5555 said:

We have had 2 of the Predators for over a year now with the piggy back wiring.  They start on the 2 pull almost every time.  We have run them all day long with out a hiccup.  They are just as or maybe even quieter then the Hondas...  If you only need lights and TV you can run one and it is barely noticeable.  When running like that it uses very little gas and runs over night.  Not sure why folks get all hung up on Hondas other then it must be a status symbol.  I use to run one of the those dreaded yellow gens ....used it for years and it too was fairly quiet to the point that people I camped with out in Quartzite didn't even know it was running behind my trailer...  Only switched  because the 2  2000 watter's are easier to throw up into the truck....Just make sure you change the oil when necessary and they will last a long time.....

 

I have two of these generators (so I can parallel two of them) and they are incredible generators! They are a copy of the Yamaha EF2000IS, and a "Red" version of the "wen 56200i". The engine is a clone of the Yamaha EF200Is's MZ80 engine (80cc). It has a cast iron liner, forged rocker arms, and does NOT use a fuel pump like Honda's EU2000I. One less failure point. A well designed and long lasting engine.

It also has a fuel gauge like the Yamaha (i know you know this), and you CAN shut off the fuel to the carburetor and run the carburetor dry by putting the "Off, Run, Start" switch right between the "Off " and 'Run" positions. That way you never have to worry about having fuel sit in the carb and get old. This information is in the "Wen 56200I" manual. Just put it between the two positions, run it dry , and then turn it to "OFF".You can't do this with the Honda (unfortunately).
The stator is also copper wound and a quality unit. I would recommend getting a aluminum magnetic dipstick/drain tube kit for it, and an hour meter (easily installed). These are the same parts that the Yamaha EF2000IS uses.
This generator does produce a "Clean Sine Wave", and is safe for all your sensitive electronics.

One last thing... the box states 66 decibels of noise which is incorrect. It has to be a typo. Its much less than that. This predator generator is VERY,VERY quiet. I've tested it with a basic sound meter and multiple apps downloaded on a galaxy 7s. There are no industry standards that I know of for generator decibel tests, but I believe that most tests are taken in the middle of an open field with no wind at 25 feet and ambient noise level of about 30-40 decibels. When I tested mine, I was getting 53-57 decibels 3 feet in front of the unit (esc switch on), 30-40 decibels at 25 feet away from the side of the unit (ESC switch on), and 53-57 decibels about 3 feet from the back (exhaust) side. When I would go back to the front of the unit and turn OFF the ESC switch and stand 3 feet away I would get about 62 decibels.
Obviously the more load on it the more noise produced. these readings are with the ESC ON, which is equivalent to about a quarter load (up to 400 watts) I'll update after another test at a higher load... say around 1200 watts.
I use to own a Honda EU2000IS, and they are awesome, just not $1000 awesome. $2 a watt is ridiculous. This predator is VERY quiet, extremely durable, produces clean power, and won't break your wallet. I get just under 14 hours of run time on a tank of fuel with a 300 watt load.