generator

the ol farm boy · August 28, 2017

I have had several RV's, all came with a generator, 4000w. Now I have a 5th wheel with NO generator. What do I look for in a portable? I have a 13,500 AC. How many decibels is reasonable? Is an inverted as good as a generator? I know folks talk about Hondas, but how about the ones we can by from Harbor Frieight, $300.00 verses $2,000

just an ol farm boy.

NTPA Announcer · August 28, 2017

If your mounting it in the front lower cavity , I'd recommend a Onan. Our Honda is on a special made rack on the back. It works very well but it's rope start and you ve got to run the cord every time. It's a 7000 and runs everything we can throw at it.

Chad Heiser · August 28, 2017

1 hour ago, russ buchanan said:

I have had several RV's, all came with a generator, 4000w. Now I have a 5th wheel with NO generator. What do I look for in a portable? I have a 13,500 AC. How many decibels is reasonable? Is an inverted as good as a generator? I know folks talk about Hondas, but how about the ones we can by from Harbor Frieight, $300.00 verses $2,000

just an ol farm boy.

A built in Onan is the best choice for convenience, but they are expensive. Next in line for me would be a pair of Honda EU2000's (or the equivalent Yamahas). They will handle your air conditioner power needs and can be run independently when power requirements are low. They are also very quiet (similar to the built in Onan) and are small and light for easy storage and travel. They will be slightly cheaper than an Onan, but still not inexpensive. You can also add a Microair easy start module to your AC and should be able to run it off of just one of the EU2000 generators. This could reduce your overall cash outlay.

There are a lot of other generator choices out there, but none of them are as quiet as the Onan/Honda/Yamaha generators. There are some other inverter type generators similar to the Honda and Yamahas, but again not as quiet. People do use them and recommend them because they are cheaper. For me, I would rather pay a little more to keep the noise down as much as possible.

There are also a lot of generators that will work, but they are very loud and will make you very unpopular with your neighbors when they are in use. These are the cheap harbor freight and similar contractor style generators. While I understand the desire to keep costs down, these generators are extremely loud and I would not recommend them in RV use (unless you are all by yourself somewhere with no one else around within earshot and even then they are so loud they may just drive you crazy.)

Hot Rod · August 31, 2017

X2 on Chad's observations.

In a portable, anything but a Honda or Yamaha will make you crazy and the neighbors crazier. That Home Depot unit doesn't seen so bad on a jobsite running your power saw, but in a quiet environment you can hear it blocks away.

I've never used the Honda EU2000, but I have an EU1000 and an EU3000. I can't even imagine how many hours the EU1000 has on it, we ran it for 60-70 hours a weekend at events for YEARS. Still starts on one pull and never spent a dime on it except for gas, oil, and air filters. That one is fine for running lights, tv, battery charger (we had a small one), etc. and would run the entire weekend on a 5 gallon aux. tank without a refill.

When it was time to move up to something that would run the AC the natural choice was the EU3000, as long as you are willing to drop the $2k price tag. And I didn't want to fool around with two units, extra cables and all that, and noise of two. That one is the quietest on the market, far quieter than the the 1000 or 2000 (or worse, a pair of them) even when the AC is running. You can stand directly over it and have a conversation in a normal voice. That conversation is usually with a neighbor, and usually goes something like "that thing is running the AC right now? and that is all the louder it is?" If it is behind the camper you literally cannot hear it. It is beefy. You need one really big guy or two normal adults to carry it around. But they do have a wheel kit available, and lots of folks figure out a way to mount it permanently on the outside somewhere.

The newest camper has a permanent Onan, which is best of course but big money, and a bigger pain to install by the time you do fuel tanks, lines, controls, etc,. assuming there is a compartment set up for it already. I still carry the EU1000 in a cupboard in in the toyhauler for emergencies, plus it uses WAY WAY less fuel than the onan if only running a light load.

My experiences put me firmly in the Honda camp.

the ol farm boy · August 31, 2017

Thanks for the info. I think that I can mount it semi permanently on the back using the trailer hitch. Jayco says that we can handle 300#. I have decided to delay the decision till spring. WE have two trips planded that all with hookups. In the spring I hope to go west and I will need a generator.