I have a fiber glass cap on my pickup. Cost being a factor, my thought was to buy a cheaper generator like a "Champion" and crank it on inside the cap with an opened window to keep the noise level down outside. Does anyone else do this and does it work for you? I only need it to turn on for the AC on the hottest of days or charge the batteries. So, it would have to be at least a 3000 W gen. VS a Honda for $1800, a Champion cost about $300+.

It'll take a lot more than that cap to cut the noise enough to do you any good. Plus there's a small problem of cooling, not to mention the matter of enough fresh air to run the engine. Since hot days and AC are when you'll be running it, cooling is going to be a major issue. You won't save much folding green burning up that $300 generator every couple days.

Remember you get what you pay for.

Our road mechanic tried to run a generator inside the utility truck with the back door open but could only get about 1 hr before it didn't like the air inside the closed space started acting up.

I've seen a few generators on pickup beds. My observation is that the bed acts like a sounding board, making a loud generator even louder.I think the best fix for a loud one is to get a very long extension cord, and find a ditch or a tree at least 70' away.

Road Phantom wrote:I have a fiber glass cap on my pickup. Cost being a factor, my thought was to buy a cheaper generator like a "Champion" and crank it on inside the cap with an opened window to keep the noise level down outside. Does anyone else do this and does it work for you? I only need it to turn on for the AC on the hottest of days or charge the batteries. So, it would have to be at least a 3000 W gen. VS a Honda for $1800, a Champion cost about $300+.Have you ACTUALLY heard a REAL Champion (or any other Chinese clones like it)?Although the knock offs are a bit louder they actually are not all that bad, in fact I think they are extremely quiet when comparing it to a old school Briggs and Stratton contractor type.I would say that my Chinese gen is about as noisy as a gas powered golf cart (and we know that golf courses demand quiet carts).I have even gone as far as measuring the DB level and comparing it to my trucks which have a 5.4 gas engine with unmodified exhaust systems.Hands down the gen IS quieter than my pickup truck at idle, the truck easily was 10 DB LOUDER than the gen at 21 ft..Running a gen under a cap is asking for trouble. Heat build up which was mentioned will happen fast since you will not have much cross ventilation.Then CO is another issue to consider.. Your cap will be open to your trailer and the trailer will be only a few feet away from the truck when connected. Basically ALL the exhaust WILL exit the back of the cap and could potentially seep into your trailer.If using the gen while truck and trailer are connected ALL the noise WILL BE DIRECTED TO THE TRAILER making it seem louder than it is.With all that said, I have a two piece "topper" on my truck and the gen is at the front of the bed. I lift the front topper and have modified the gen exhaust with an added tail pipe which directs the exhaust up and out of the bed.I then drop the tailgate to allow the gen to circulate cooling air out of the bed.I do not CAMP with the gen running, it is only used when stopping for the night (overnighting without power) to cool down the trailer before getting some rest.Some folks have made special noise reducing boxes which are open to the sky. This redirects the noise upwards and helps to quiet the gen.But, if you absolutely can not stand ANY engine noise what so ever then I would recommend get yourself a roof full of solar panels.In this case even the expensive brand name gens will be too noisy for you (They DO MAKE NOISE in spite of what some folks tout).

noisy generators | Good Sam Community

85 Replies

JJ_Spectre
Explorer
Mar 09, 2014
Wow, that escalated quickly!

From what I can tell from here, the Champion is great unless you plan on living off the grid 24/7 of the camping season, at which point you will see better bang for the buck with the Honda based on fuel economy in a couple of years.

I hope this made your choice easier! LOL
markandkim
Explorer II
Mar 09, 2014
Like the wind, can you rely on the sun when you need power?

I dont think so!

I can rely on my champion though. Even starts on the first pull and has for many years now.
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Mar 09, 2014
Huntindog wrote:
OhhWell wrote:
Huntindog wrote:
Someone must need a nap.:B

Do you have both generators? I do. You may not like my opinions that were formed from real experience....
My advice to you is.... Get over it.

And don't even try to bully me, by telling me how to post.. Once again... Get over it.

By not qualifying the actual real experience (ie. amount of load on the generators), you spread miss information. A blanket statement about the traditional generator (Champion) guzzling fuel compared to the Honda is false (well, maybe true in a subjective manner) under high loads.

Maybe it is you that should "get over it"
What exactly am I to "get over"?
I have both generators at my disposal and can use whichever one I want..
I choose the Hondas for the fuel savings.

As far as "qualifying" my statements.... Just how far do want me to go to satisfy you? Times, dates, tempertures, altitudes, specific loads ?
There will never be enough "qualifying" to suit some that have a different OPINION...

So I won't bother trying to please those.

But I will say that it is a pretty safe bet that the vast majority of TT owners use their generators mostly to keep the batteries up, and occasional microwave use. For that the Hondas will use SUBSTANTIALLY less fuel... And yes we have done side by side comparisons on this.
My brother powering his rig with the Champion, and my rig being powered by the Honda. I even have more load as I also have a small external freezer that I bring along.

And as far as how much a Honda will use at full load compared to the Champion?
I honestly don't know as I have never run at full load for enough time to tell... But that's OK as those that are dissing me don't know either as they don't have a Honda to test..

Perhaps what we have here is a severe case of generator envy.:B

Huntin' First of all, IF your wattage "needs" are so small then why on earth would you intentionally buy a 4Kw gen?

A 1Kw inverter gen would be all you "need" according to what YOU have posted.. Pretty much stands to reason that if you have a small load then a smaller gen will consume LESS than a bigger gen with the same small load..

Personally, with your such small demands, you should have simply spent the money on SOLAR PANELS. For the thousands of dollars you have spend on gens and fuel you could have easily bought 500W or more in solar panels. Then you wouldn't be griping on how much fuel a 4Kw gen uses..

Besides I am getting the feeling that you never really had a Champion to start with.. I smell a RED troll.. :S
NinerBikes
Explorer
Mar 09, 2014
Buy what you can afford, that makes you happy.

I've owned Honda CR250s, XR 350's, CRV EX-L's, 3 different Honda outboards, an 8 HP, a 15 HP and a 40 HP, a Honda Lawnmower, and I currently own 3 different Honda Generators. I've been happy with every single Honda product I've bought, zero regrets.

YMMV, sorry I've been brand loyal, but Honda has given me no reason to change brands. I'm satisfied with their product, and will pay the premium price... to me, I appreciate the value of good quality products.
Huntindog
Explorer
Mar 08, 2014
OhhWell wrote:
Huntindog wrote:
Someone must need a nap.:B

Do you have both generators? I do. You may not like my opinions that were formed from real experience....
My advice to you is.... Get over it.

And don't even try to bully me, by telling me how to post.. Once again... Get over it.

By not qualifying the actual real experience (ie. amount of load on the generators), you spread miss information. A blanket statement about the traditional generator (Champion) guzzling fuel compared to the Honda is false (well, maybe true in a subjective manner) under high loads.

Maybe it is you that should "get over it"
What exactly am I to "get over"?
I have both generators at my disposal and can use whichever one I want..
I choose the Hondas for the fuel savings.

As far as "qualifying" my statements.... Just how far do want me to go to satisfy you? Times, dates, tempertures, altitudes, specific loads ?
There will never be enough "qualifying" to suit some that have a different OPINION...

So I won't bother trying to please those.

But I will say that it is a pretty safe bet that the vast majority of TT owners use their generators mostly to keep the batteries up, and occasional microwave use. For that the Hondas will use SUBSTANTIALLY less fuel... And yes we have done side by side comparisons on this.
My brother powering his rig with the Champion, and my rig being powered by the Honda. I even have more load as I also have a small external freezer that I bring along.

And as far as how much a Honda will use at full load compared to the Champion?
I honestly don't know as I have never run at full load for enough time to tell... But that's OK as those that are dissing me don't know either as they don't have a Honda to test..

Perhaps what we have here is a severe case of generator envy.:B
JiminDenver
Explorer II
Mar 08, 2014
West

Craigslist is a thing of wonder at times but I wouldn't drive 20 hrs to save that little. On average they are $150-200 and only $300 new. I could sell mine for a profit but then I'd have to buy something respectable to exercise once a month.
westend
Explorer
Mar 08, 2014
Jim, if you see any more of those Champions for under a Franklin, give me a call, will 'ya. I think it's about 20 hrs to Denver and I'd make the trip, lol.

Generators: I have one, a contractor style and it is a good machine. Bought it at Home Depot a few years back during an extended outage. It is rated to 8 KW and has a detachable fuel tank (nice feature).There is no way I'd bring it within 1/2mi. of a campground. It is miserably loud. When i use it at the house, it is located around the back of the garage and it sounds like it's inside the garage, lol.

I know a couple guys with Yamaha's and they are a fairly good generator, also. Clean power but they aren't silent either. They need gas to run, too.
OhhWell
Explorer
Mar 08, 2014
Huntindog wrote:
Someone must need a nap.:B

Do you have both generators? I do. You may not like my opinions that were formed from real experience....
My advice to you is.... Get over it.

And don't even try to bully me, by telling me how to post.. Once again... Get over it.

By not qualifying the actual real experience (ie. amount of load on the generators), you spread miss information. A blanket statement about the traditional generator (Champion) guzzling fuel compared to the Honda is false (well, maybe true in a subjective manner) under high loads.

Maybe it is you that should "get over it"
NinerBikes
Explorer
Mar 08, 2014
I bought a used Honda EU2000I Companion for $600, ran it for 4 years, and sold it for $750.

Try that with your Champion. I've no idea what the used market is for them, or resale value.

BTW, at 1200 ft elev, temp 83 F, and fully charged batteries, my Kill-a-Watt meter says that my Dometic pulls 13.1 amps, with the 22" LCD TV going also, the charge controller drawing 1.2 amps with the A/C off. So that is about 11.9 amps by the fan and A/C running. It did not start the A/C the first attempt, overloaded the genny, but it did start it the second attempt. It will run on Eco mode, and the RPMS will drop I am estimating about 15, maybe 20%, once put in Eco mode. Took about an hour to pull the temp down to 70 F inside. Once started the Eu2000i is not working too hard if your batteries are in good shape. A little starting help from an inverter off your battery, say 1000w worth, would make things start a bit easier. So would temporarily pairing another Eu2000i or 1000i, just to get the A/C going.

BTW, I burned about 20% of a single tank of fuel doing this, two Eu2000I's will loaf in Eco mode running the A/C if paired, only revving up to handle A/C start up.

The Gen I ran the gas through today , with Techron and Stabil Red, 1 oz to 2.5 gallons, seems to run a lot stronger now with some serious running time on it. These generators just need to be run under a good strong load from time to time, to flush out the gunk in the jets in the carb, to keep them running healthy. YMMV...
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Mar 08, 2014
At 9-10,000 ft Big red is going to be running balls to the wall and that uses a lot of gas and will be as loud as it can be.

Couldn't tell you that high because I live in Idaho, but I can tell you that at 7-8 thousand feet, my Honda 3k does not run balls to the wall or even close to it. As said before, it is quieter than the 2k Honda.

The thing here is, I own a small champion and it's a good generator but it's not a Honda.I own a Springfield trailer, a great trailer but it is not a Jayco either,having owned a couple.

I love the entry level talk, trailers are entry level but generators:B

Forum Discussion

noisy generators

85 Replies

About Travel Trailer Group

Related Content

Generator noise reduction

Generator operation

Noisy

Noisy Refrigerator

noisy hitch