Need Generator Help for New Sabre 36BHQ Owners....

[Redeye2280]

Ey there folks,

We've got friends who are having their new Sabre 5'ver delivered this coming Friday. As far as I can tell they did not purchase a generator in it. They've got two A/C's so they'll undoubtedly need something pretty hefty.

We've got an Onan 4000 in our rig but we've only got one A/C so I really need some advice from ya'll as far as what generators to look at.

Since we have a small A-class I have no experience with 5'vers and would really appreciate any other tips you could give us to pass on!

I really appreciate it,

Randy

[kicker]

I have a 2020 Grand Design Reflection 295RL that is 50 amp and has 2 AC's. When I do not have electric and am boondocking, I use a Honda 3500I Generator. It will run almost everything except 2 AC's at a time. Most people who have 2 AC's either run the main unit during the day, then switch to bedroom unit at night. Or, just run main unit all the time. I have never had an issue in 2yrs of owning my 5th wheel. You do have to pay attention on what is plugged in. You cant have AC, Fridge, and Water Heater on electric. I switch fridge and water heater over to propane. Personally, if I was just starting out, I would buy 2 Honda 2500I companions generators. They are smaller and easier to store and carry. I have a Ford F350 super duty so my generator always stays in the back of my truck.

[Redeye2280]

pianotuna wrote:
Yamaha makes a 4500 watt inverter generator.

Champion also makes a 4500 watt inverter generator with remote electric start.

https://www.championpowerequipment.com/product/200987-4500-watt-wireless-start-inverter/

I would consider the Preditor 3500 and get two of them.

Thank ya' Don, I think you're right about the Preditor. I'll definitely suggest that when I see them in 3 or 4 days. I sure do thank ya'... Randy

[pianotuna]

Yamaha makes a 4500 watt inverter generator.

Champion also makes a 4500 watt inverter generator with remote electric start.

https://www.championpowerequipment.com/product/200987-4500-watt-wireless-start-inverter/

I would consider the Preditor 3500 and get two of them.

[Redeye2280]

Thank you guys, I really appreciate your help on this! We were thinking that the Onan 5500 would work but it's great to be able to give them some options, too. I don't think that their rig is preset for an onboard genset. I believe that they are going to use the rig for residential purposes right now so they probably won't be moving around at all for a long while. I imagine they would opt for two smaller, inexpensive gens in parallel sitting under the front hatch. We'll know a little more when they take delivery and we do a bit of a walk thru with them. Again folks, we so appreciate your time and your help!

[Sandia_Man]

Just 2 choices really, an onboard Onan 5500 or choose from a slew of portable generators that need to be a more than 5K watts whether using one or combining a pair, 6K watts would be better for running both ACs at higher elevations.

Last 2 rigs we made sure to have onboard gennies, simply the easiest to utilize and with proper maintenance will last for decades and many thousands of hours. We also have a Champion Inverter portable for running one AC at a time.

[laknox]

Redeye2280 wrote:
Ey there folks,

We've got friends who are having their new Sabre 5'ver delivered this coming Friday. As far as I can tell they did not purchase a generator in it. They've got two A/C's so they'll undoubtedly need something pretty hefty.

We've got an Onan 4000 in our rig but we've only got one A/C so I really need some advice from ya'll as far as what generators to look at.

Since we have a small A-class I have no experience with 5'vers and would really appreciate any other tips you could give us to pass on!

I really appreciate it,

Randy

If their rig is "gen-prepped", then the =easiest=, NOT cheapest, thing to do would be to put the Onan genset in. They're usually 5500 watts and should run both A/Cs, no problem. The alternative would be to buy a couple 3000w-class inverter generators and run them in parallel. My vote is for Champion as some of their 3kw machines have higher burst as well as higher continuous output than the Hondas and at about 25-30% less cost. The Champions are a wee bit louder and have slightly smaller tanks (why, I can't figure out), so a bit less run time. If they have a 500 lb rated cargo rack, they can store them back there. Yes, they'd also have to do some electrical "plumbing" to be able to run the 50a cord.

If money is tight, the Harbor Freight Predator inverters are even less expensive and are getting some excellent ratings and can also be paralleled.

Lyle

[MFL]

If their FW is set up for an optional Onan built in gen, that may be best option. As to using portable gens, that can be a lot of work, fueling, carrying/lifting, if trying to run 2 ACs.

IMO, using two 2K inverters, or one heavier 3K+ inverter will work to use just one AC.

Jerry

[NamMedevac_70]

I recently read on another thread that a member used two small inverter generators in parallel to run his ac however he probably had just one ac. Maybe you can find that recent thread that had many replies I think.