genny conundrum

obie311 wrote:
Like most 5'ers, my Arctic Fox has a factory genny compartment underneath the front overhang. For a variety of reasons, I don't want a permanently installed generator.

I'm waffling between a single Honda EU3000is or two EU2200's or their Yamaha equivalents. I know many people swear by other brands but I've owned several motorcycles and respect the design and reliability of both manufacturers enough to pay the premium for their product.

If I go with the heavier 3000 generators, has anyone come up with a good solution for getting them out of the front bay and into service a slight distance from the trailer? Something like a small ramp or something? I had even thought of carrying the genny in the truck bed but that's a tall lift with a 74 y/o back and a ~140# weight.

The dual EU2200's are only (?) about 50# a piece so I could like manage that.

Your thoughts and Real World experiences are welcome.

How do you camp? CG's most of the time with occasional boondocking / dry camping? Do you need A/C when boondocking / dry camping? If you really need A/C, adding a soft start to it, and using a 3k genny, you can have the best of both worlds. Inverter gens only run at the speed needed for the demand, so little demand, and they'll never go over idle. Fuel burn is minimal. Run times without refueling with a 3k can be double, or more, over a 2k. If all you need a genny for is to charge batteries or run the coffee maker, blow dryer or TV, then go small. Otherwise, a 3k, or larger, is the way to go, IMO. 3k's also have electric and/or remote start; I've not seen a single 2k class with that feature.

I have a 200lb rated cargo rack on my KZ, and I plan on putting a 3k+ genny on there when we start traveling more. I also plan on talking to my "hitch guy" and get his opinion on the rack if that 200 lb number is just LCI CYA numbers or if it would handle more. I'll likely keep the gen in a lockable box on the rack, too.

I know that you like Honda, but there are others out there that offer a =lot= more for a =lot= less, with excellent reliability, too. Westinghouse is offering some nice ones that are getting good reviews. Yeah, they're Chinese made knockoffs, but if they work, and are reliable, what's not to like? The one downside to the Predators, at least last time I looked, was that they don't have remote start.

Champion has quite a lineup of inverters that =all= have a lot more running watts than Hondas, are cheaper and are getting excellent reviews. 3400 to 5500 starting watts, all with remote start.

Lyle