Generator that won't break the bank..

I picked our Champion 3100 at Costco for $800. Money very well spent, IMO.

The Champion 3500/4000 generators are great units, although louder than the Honda Inverter models. The big thing is that they put out 30 amps which is what most campgrounds provide. I would not want one of them, or any other equipment, running ten feet away. In a parking lot or at a Nascar race, they provide lots of cheap power without sounding like a lawn mower or contractor generator. They are often on sale for around $300

Westinghouse wh2000. It is as quiET as the Honda with more oomph. I have run a 13.5 ac on it.

I have a Generac 4000XL, contractor type. So far as those type of generators go, it's fairly quiet. It's alot quieter than my Miller 10KW generator/welding machine..

I know you have seen the use of generators here on the East side of the US.reports in the forums...

Almost ALL of the camp grounds and Natl Forest areas from VA East to the coast and VA south to the Gulf all seem to have gnerator use times restrictions in place at the Pyblic places. Even the real OFF-ROAD places I go to up behind Harrisonburg VA and the wooded West Virginia stae line forest tails have restrictions as well. No where have I found you can run a generator after 8PM in these areaa at Public Camp Grounds....

I uess Private land at NASCAR events allows it all night...

We just don't have open DISPERSED camping around here like they do out West..

Its almost a waste of good money to invest in a high dollar portable generator for running your air conditioner. Along the side of the road and at Private places here and there is the only place you do it anytime you want...

This was one of the main reasons I beefed up my battery bank and other on-board system to use less Battery and the only time I run my 2KW Generator is to power up my on-board Converter/Charger unit to charge my batteries everyday when we first get up. Most places allow you to run the generator starting at 8AM...

No way will my 2KW Generator will run my 13,500 Air Conditioner. I turned off all loads one day and was just running the Air Conditioner fan by itself and was able to kick it on but as soon as it cycle one time it kicked the Honda Breaker, I have heard some guys adding a HARD START Capacitor for the Air COnditoner ehlps make it start easier... I looked at mine one time and didnt have one... We camp in the shade and like to run the roof fan pulling in cool night air at night when we finally turn in. Our camping style is mostly outside all of the time anyway with our OFF-ROAD POPUP setup.

Tjhe High DOllar guys sort of get away with with big dollar motorhome as I hear them running all hours of the day and night here on the East side... Guess it is hard to tell if its a generator or their diesel motor running...

I got the 2KW EU2000i Honda back in 2008 and it libes secured in my truck tailgate area under my locked fold-a-cover truck bed cover. Totally out of sight when not in use.

When I do use it I pull it our on the tail gate and point away from other neighbor campers for my three hour daily run time.

If I point the exhaust of my generator to my trailer from the tailgate I will set off my CO alarm...

I'm sure some have found places to do it at Punlic Places but I suspect most folks just do it anyway and then turn it off when they get caught or someone complains perhaps...

Just something to think about...

Roy Ken

Inverter generators produce cleaner electricity that is safe for electronics, computers, etc..

Another option is an open frame generator, relatively inexpensive, and a Quiet Box.
It's more stuff to carry with you but, it will get the job done cheaper than an inverter.
Do a google search for other quiet box ideas.

My Yamaha 2800i is an inverter generator ,with an open frame . Not as quiet as the Honda 2000 but has a little more power. I thought the inverter meant it was safe for electronics. I could be wrong because I bought this thing 10 yrs ago and I have slept since then.

Go to generac.com and watch the video. It explains the difference in an inverter generator and a regular generator.

mdprowash wrote:
Whats the point of an inverter generator if it's supplying power to your trailer?

Inverter generators are a "type" of generator.

This type tends to be a bit quieter than what most folks call a contractor gen which is a open frame type.

Inverter gens tend to be fully enclosed like a suit case and the engine operates at variable speeds, slow for light loads and full speed at heavy loads. Because the engine can speed up or slow down it uses a inverter to make the output rock solid.

These gens are more expensive than a open frame gen but have the advantage of rather quiet operation.

Contractor or open frame gens operate at a fixed RPM, the alternator goes directly to the outlets. Tend to be noisier and can be considerably noisier than a Inverter gen.

These tend to be much cheaper than a inverter gen.

mdprowash wrote:
Whats the point of an inverter generator if it's supplying power to your trailer?

Way less loud than an open frame generator.

Champ 3100 = 58db
Champ 3500 = 68db