There are some really great generator boxes that have been posted on this forum -- but as far as I can tell, they are all permanent units. Assemble it once, and that's it.My idea (and I don't know if it is possible) is to have something that disassembles for transportation. A box has six sides -- so this would be six sound-deadening panels that snap together. I think it would take up a lot less room in the cargo bed of a truck than a permanent box would. And cargo space is at a premium.The other advantage of this idea is that the box could be slightly oversize when assembled -- put it together, and drop the generator into place, and put on the top.It would have to have air baffles for intake and exhaust. Ideally, it would be weatherproof. And as long as I am dreaming, let's make it lightweight, strong, and inexpensive -- why not?Thanks in advance for your suggestions!!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/GenTent-GT10KB00GB-GreySkies-Rain-Wet-Stormbracer-Canopy-for-Portable-Generator/527958908?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1383&adid=22222222227073599653&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=s&wl2=c&wl3=186802302690&wl4=pla-295199113412&wl5=9010555&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112562608&wl11=online&wl12=527958908&wl13=&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQiAurjgBRCqARIsAD09sg-rdnUf0_TVbfGhUQTk5nQQLiExOHQ_2C37g7o2Hg7n8kE3MUfsmN0aAuvAEALw_wcB

Problem is if you want to run the generator under it...you have conflicting desires of getting it good airflow and sound deadening.If you just want a cover, we have a fixed one out of 1/2 inch plywood (sealed with epoxy) that takes up no extra space, is light and a simple solution...but you can't run the generator.Anything you can run the generator under needs waterproofing and good airflow both for engine intake and cooling. Piecing something together is likely going to blow your sound deadening idea.

Here's an idea, Utube.Lots of videos on generator sound damping.

lawrosa, that tent gives me another idea -- there must be flexible sound deadening fabric. Now imagine putting up a simple frame and tossing a big sound blanket over the frame. Assuming we can figure out the intake and exhaust issues, that would be a lot easier than assembling hard-sided panels.Keep the ideas coming!

Sorry, that GenTent is a joke - effective for keeping rain off but noise deadening of any measure? :S As one who has built a really effective genset noise reduction system your request IMO just isn't practical. A well designed box absorbs some of the noise, blocks some of it, draws intake air in preferably with fan assist, exhausts both hot cooling air and hot exhaust gases out through multi chamber ports, AND while doing all this further reduces noise transmission by having all joints tightly sealed. It's a tall order and one that most of those so-called "genset noise reduction boxes" on YouTube don't come anywhere near close to meeting. Merely surrounding a running genset with a few panels will offer even worse results ... better than nothing at all for sure but nowhere near close to being truly effective.

"Take-apart-able" portable generator box -- suggestions?

bob213
Explorer
Dec 11, 2018
In the product description for the Supergenproducts tent the Azdel Superlight caught my eye. New trailers are being made with azdel sidewalls. Looks like it might be a good material to build a box out of since it has sound deadening properties. Look here:
azdel panels
old_guy
Explorer
Dec 11, 2018
why don't you just buy a quiet on in the first place and eliminate the box entirely. by the time you cut hole in the box so the gen set can breath you are right back to being with out a box
SoundGuy
Explorer
Dec 11, 2018
old guy wrote:
why don't you just buy a quiet on in the first place and eliminate the box entirely.

No such thing as a "quiet" generator, just "quieter" that some others. They ALL make too much racket when other people are around. :M

old guy wrote:
by the time you cut hole in the box so the gen set can breath you are right back to being with out a box

With a properly designed genset noise reduction box that's simply not true - at all.
SoundGuy
Explorer
Dec 11, 2018
schlep1967 wrote:
The Supergenproducts tent above drops the sound 9 whole decibels. Hardly worth the time to put it on.

Correction - UP TO 9 db. And that's not insignificant IF it were actually true. :W
profdant139
Explorer II
Dec 11, 2018
For what it's worth, I have a Honda 2000, supposedly the quietest generator. It is pretty good, but it is far from silent. Any decibel reduction is a win, as far as I am concerned.

We have gone several years without ever having to run the generator while camping -- I run it once a month at home to keep the carb clean, and we have solar. But there will come a time when we will need the generator for real, and I want to minimize its impact on me and on my neighbors, if any. (We usually boondock, far from other folks.)

I think that the heat buildup under a sound blanket would be a real problem.
Boomerweps
Explorer
Dec 11, 2018
SoundGuy wrote:
schlep1967 wrote:
The Supergenproducts tent above drops the sound 9 whole decibels. Hardly worth the time to put it on.

Correction - UP TO 9 db. And that's not insignificant IF it were actually true. :W

Yup. A 10db change is what an average person perceives as a half level change in sound. So 9db would be cutting the sound level almost in half. Them logarithmic math scales can be tricky. Now add in what are called psycho-acoustics, or perceived changes greatly affected by various frequency bands.
GordonThree
Explorer
Dec 11, 2018
Not to mention the location itself. A generator running in an open desert miles from any paved roads will sound a lot louder than one running at a truck stop with the express way running nearby.
PamfromVA
Explorer
Dec 11, 2018
We have the Supergenproducts tent for our honda 3000 and use it when the generator is out of the truck. Main reason is not to advertise what generator we have sitting around the campsite. It does lower the sound but we usually camp with a couple who have two no name "honda" generators that when running in parallel sound like a plane taking off. You cannot hear our generator when their's is running...
LenSatic
Explorer
Dec 13, 2018
People make fun of our Casita's "rat fur" carpet wallcovering, but it, combined with the fiberglass shell, makes the trailer pretty soundproof on it's own. Besides, my tinnitus is much louder than the Honda gennie.
profdant139
Explorer II
Dec 13, 2018
We carry a small battery powered "white noise" machine, to drown out noisy neighbors in campgrounds. Maybe I should try it to drown out my own generator?? ;)