Generator assistance

[Racer18]

I have a 2014 Sabre 5th wheel with 2 roof airs. This year we have decided to dry camp a lot. Is there a 240 volt generator that's fairly quiet (wont make my camping neighbors mad)that you could recommend? I want an stand alone generator. Or is there a way to daisy chain 2 smaller generators together? Thanks in advance.

[2oldman]

I don't know where the folks are who run air with generators, but they sure aren't in the LTVA near Holtville CA. I don't know how hot it has to get before they do.. but at least it's quiet! 80° inside the coach is my limit.

[enblethen]

Many posters keep talking 240 volts.
The majority of RVs do not have 240 volt appliances. They are 120 volt.50 Map rigs are 120/240 volt four wire systems.
If you use straight 240 you have the potential of frying most of the equipment in the rig.

[lee_worsdell]

I have a honda 7000 that has the 240v switch. I bought a plug for it and run it all the time. Really not sure why lol my buddy says its easier on the geney and trailer

[laknox]

enblethen wrote:
if you look at this one, it has a four wire twist lock receptacle. It is not the quietest as not an inverter style. Still at 74 db not the noisiest!
6500 genset

That's just your basic open-frame generator, NOT an inverter generator. Plenty of them out there; some sorta quiet, some so loud you can't talk within 50' of them. My dad's 25kw Isuzu-powered Mulitquip isn't much louder than my new Champion 2000 when it's running off Eco mode. I really now wish I had the Champion 3k, so I could get another one and the parallel box with the 50a 4-prong plug on it.

Lyle

[enblethen]

if you look at this one, it has a four wire twist lock receptacle. It is not the quietest as not an inverter style. Still at 74 db not the noisiest!
6500 genset

[Racer18]

After checking I had a Yamaha EF4500SI with a 30 amp twist plug then had a adapter pigtail to the 50amp RV plug. It would run everything but the 2 airs. It would kick breaker when I tried to run them both. Maybe now I should just run 2 smaller in parallel and learn to live with just one air.

[byronlj]

I have a Yamaha 6300. It runs both ac's just fine. However, it is big and heavy. I have relegated it to my house back up genny and use a 3500w Harbor Freight Predator for travel. I can only run 1 air but I can live with that. BTW the predator is more quiet than the Yamaha.

[valhalla360]

You can make 120v work but you need more than 3000w if you want to run both air/con units. If you can live with 1 air/con unit, 3000w will be fine.

At that point any of inverter generators will do the trick.

[philh]

what KD said, the RV was only pulling one leg of the power supply

[KD4UPL]

Racer18 wrote:
I had a Yamaha 6500 generator/inverter but it was only 30AMP outlet but was VERY quiet. It would not run both airs at the same time. We camp at a lot of Race Tracks in the summer and it's very hot in the camper and the one air does not cut it.

If a 6500 watt generator won't run 2 AC units something is really wrong. That should easily be enough power. When you say 30A outlet do you mean 30A at 120v or was it a 30A 240/120v 4 wire outlet? A 30A 120v outlet is only good for 3,600 watts. You would have to use the 4 wire 240/120v connection with an appropriate adapter feeding the RV 50A plug in order to use the full output of the generator. You would possibly even have to throw a switch on the gen. from the 120v setting to the 240/120v setting.

[enblethen]

All 50 amp systems are 120/240 four wire.
Very common for most campgrounds to have 50 amp 120/240 hook-ups!

[JRMunn]

I'm confused, and this might be a learning opportunity for me. The Yamaha generators that I have seen have output watts that are close to the generator model number. I don't find a Yamaha 6500 online, but guess it could be an older or discontinued model. I agree that 30 amps isn't enough for two AC units (my Yamaha 3000eis will barely start my older single unit). But at 110 volts, 6500 watts would provide nearly 60 amps, which should run two AC units? So having only a 30 amp plug doesn't make sense. And I usually dry camp with an older trailer, so I'm surprised that 220 volt hookups would be commonly available?

JRMunn

[PhilipB]

We have a built in Onan 5500, which as others have said will do the job. We also have a Yamaha 3000 that will run 1 of the A/C's, lights, etc. but not anything else high draw.

[packnrat]

sounds like you need to drop the bucks on a onan. and build in a place in your storage area for it and a 20 gallon fuel tank.

[laknox]

Jerry, after doing some surfing, there's really only 2 ways, IMO, that you can solve this issue. 1) Get a Onan (or other brand) 5+ kw genset like you'd find in a MH or TH that has full 50a capability. They are pretty quiet, but much less efficient than inverter-style generators. Could be mounted on a cargo rack on the rear, but it'd be pretty much permanent. 2) Get 2 3kw Champion inverter generators and use their 30a/50a parallel box. This is the only one I could find that gives an actual 50a plug on the parallel box. I found an aftermarket parallel box for the Hondas, but it uses a 3-prong twist lock plug instead of the 4-prong 50a plug so, even though it's rated at 50a, not sure it would work.

I did see a y-cable to connect 2 30a plugs into a single 50a plug, but that just looks a bit sketchy to me. Would love to hear from anyone who's used that setup.

Lyle