I just purchased a new Champion 2000 watt generator for $420. I was at a football game this weekend dry camping. I ran the generator for 42 hours straight. At this point my cost per hour is $10 per hour. If I do the same in two weeks my cost per hour will be down to $5 per hour. How low do I need this to go to consider it a good investment?Obviously if I had purchased a Honda after the weekend my cost per hour would be much higher. This is not a debate about which one will last longer. I’m more interested in what others think in terms of how hours you think I need to get for this to be a good investment. In my mind, 940 hours or $.50 per hour would be a good deal.Let me know what you think.Dave

Glad I wasn’t camped next to you during those 42 hours is what I think. Consider a solar system...adequate panels, controller and batteries.

What about factoring gas, oil and spark plugs, plus any other possible maintenance/repair items in?

If you had a diesel powered standby genset like I have, your cost would be much, much higher. I don't look at per hour cost. I look at convenience.

And the loss of income on the purchase price. Generators are the MOST expensive way to acquire power.

Does it really matter? You got what you wanted for a reasonable price. Do you do this with other things too?B.O.

Generator Cost Per Hour | Good Sam Community

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Oct 04, 2018
Some questions are a waste of time...

Women

Politics

Booze

Brand of auto or RV

Next week's forecast

Unless of course you wish to hear noise.

To have someone other than a close friend qualify and justify a purchase is less than worthless. Because those whom disagree will simply be ignored.
JaxDad
Explorer III
Oct 04, 2018
If $420 means enough to worry about it this much, maybe tailgating in an RV is the discussion you should be having.

It costs, for an average RV getting 9 mpg on $2.25 / gallon gas, about $0.25 / mile just to put gas in the tank.
Big_Katuna
Explorer II
Oct 05, 2018
JaxDad wrote:
RedLionCookie wrote:
I was at a football game this weekend dry camping.

I just purchased a new Champion 2000 watt generator for $420.

I ran the generator for 42 hours straight.

Let me know what you think.

Dave

Personally?

I’m still trying to figure out why you would need to run a generator (seemingly) non stop for the entire weekend?

How about 500-600 RVs running their gensets from Friday afternoon until Sunday noon when they leave. And then all the way home. Every weekend down south, 2-3 tvs on at every RV.

Genturis required on every RV. Everybody sleeping like babies all night long.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Oct 05, 2018
The whooshing noise of their Level V CO filtering machines lull them to sleep.

Come on down to my place.

And see if they can withstand the turbocharged lungs of Foghorn Leghorn.

The ********* obviously waits to see if movement is detected inside the structure. If not, he flaps up near a window and repeats until he hears Marine drill instructor grade obscenities about threats of impending chicken tacos.

The worst sleeping I ever had was when I was about 200 meters from a battery of 105 mm howitzers. I cannot complain about generators today because I am clinically deaf.
Atlee
Explorer II
Oct 05, 2018
You realize he said he was at a football game, right? He was not in a state or national park or other such area.

Everyone there is also running a generator. Football is played in September. September's in the south are hot and most of the time humid. Generators are needed to drive A/C's.

I was at a game once during Labor Day Weekend in Atlanta. Had to run the on board generator for 36 straight hours. Otherwise, we would have died from the heat and humidity.

This year we have not had to run our air conditioner as much since our pup passed away. When he was alive, we had to have the generators running much of the time for his comfort.

Lwiddis wrote:
Glad I wasn’t camped next to you during those 42 hours is what I think. Consider a solar system...adequate panels, controller and batteries.
pnichols
Explorer II
Oct 05, 2018
What amuses me most about all these generator discussions is the excuses that the anti-generator crowd uses for not needing/having/wanting one are: Either 1) "We just don't camp where it's hot/humid.", or 2) "We just don't camp when it's hot/humid."

Suppose you don't have a choice on when or where - based on other reasons? Life is short ... so it seems d*mb to spend all the money that an RV costs and then have limitations on where and when you can use it just because of generator plague fears.

Flexibility is the name of the game for us and our use of the RV. The sound of a generator is the sound of independence ... that is until high power propane or gas or diesel RV fuel cells are available.
Big_Katuna
Explorer II
Oct 05, 2018
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
The whooshing noise of their Level V CO filtering machines lull them to sleep.

Come on down to my place.

And see if they can withstand the turbocharged lungs of Foghorn Leghorn.

The ********* obviously waits to see if movement is detected inside the structure. If not, he flaps up near a window and repeats until he hears Marine drill instructor grade obscenities about threats of impending chicken tacos.

The worst sleeping I ever had was when I was about 200 meters from a battery of 105 mm howitzers. I cannot complain about generators today because I am clinically deaf.

The whooshing of the gensets help sleep plus several choice adult concoctions and German water.
maillemaker
Explorer
Oct 05, 2018
Like I said - owning a generator is like owning a gun. When you need one, nothing else will do, and you don't care about how much it cost.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Oct 05, 2018
ROOSTER is now politically incorrect om this forum.

Rhode Island Red?

Is it now banned as DOMESTIC "FOUL"?

Dis unadvance? Or setback corrosion? Distributor timing

Somebody better get a grip.....

****Expletive deleted **** - Doodle Doo?

A bunch of ******** ******** makes a post automatically into a obscenity condemning a poster as being vulgar, and uncouth.
4x4van
Explorer III
Oct 05, 2018
RedLionCookie wrote:
I just purchased a new Champion 2000 watt generator for $420. I was at a football game this weekend dry camping. I ran the generator for 42 hours straight...At this point my cost per hour is $10 per hour...How low do I need this to go to consider it a good investment?
I would say that it was a good investment the minute you fired it up, since it was needed.:S

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