Generator handling?

[TANDDANDBIGE]

Coach has a Onan 6500 watt Propane gen. Way too loud and sucks waay too much propane when most run time is to charge house bank. Solution: 4500 watt portable…… next challenge: how to load / unload 93lb. unit (on wheels) from my basement without breaking my back. A ramp? What do you folks suggest? Ideas? Thanks in advance for you input. TB

[theoldwizard1]

If you are NOT running an A/C then a 2000W generator is plenty. Even it you are running an A/C a pair of 2000W generators are much lighter (individually) and easier to move and store.

The problem is, I have not seen a duel fuel 2000W-2500W inverter generator which can run in parallel. Several after market kit to convert, but now the costs are getting very high.

Many people have reported that you can start and run even a 15,000 BTU A/C (with a soft start kit) on a Westinghouse iGen2500, but that is gasoline only.

[Lwiddis]

naturist, why is the new RVer always saying...”buy a big old generator cuzz it’ll charge my batteries faster?” And “I can’t lift it but....”

[wa8yxm]

Charley67 wrote:
If it’s mostly for charging, I would get a much smaller generator. Maybe 2000 much lighter.

One of the power hungriest converters is the Progressive Dynamics intella power 9180+wizard I have (no better charger but more efficient do exist).

It will run on a Generac 1000, this is a 1000 watt (Continous) traditional generator.. Should run on an inverter gen that can do 1000-1100 watts continous. BUT NOTHING ELSE if the batteries are hungry.

[naturist]

That 6500 watt generator is going to be mighty heavy. You don't say how high it is, but you might also consider renting an engine hoist both for taking out the old one and installing the new one.

If fuel consumption and noise are your complaints about a generator used mostly just to charge your house batteries, it would appear that your most cost effective solution would be solar, not a smaller generator. I'm guessing that a 40 foot RV with a 6500 watt generator would have more than just one 80 Amp Hour house battery, which would clearly require more than just 100 watts of solar to keep charged up. As it turns out, solar prices have come down to the point now where the up-front cost of solar is competitive with generators, still more than the very cheapest, but less than the high end generators. Throw in the savings from no fuel, spark plugs, etc. and the 25 year expected life, and the totally silent and automatic operation are serious bonuses.

May I suggest, before you pull the trigger on that 4500 watt generator, you at least look into solar. A great place to start would be here. As a very rough guesstimate (in lieu of actually doing the calculations) you need 100 watts of solar panels for every 80-100 Amp Hours of lead-acid house batteries, and solar systems are now around $1 per watt of panel.

[2oldman]

TANDDANDBIGE wrote:
the 4500 will easily run an AC, is propane powered so no gas to store/deal with; will run off house tank. and is wireless remote start and stop. best of all worlds for boondocking...… but yes, heavy thus my question.

Of course it's one of those quieter inverter generators.

[Lwiddis]

"Solution: 4500 watt portable…… next challenge: how to load / unload 93lb."

Why 4500 watts? Bulk charging is over quickly even with a 2000 watt generator. My Westinghouse is 43 pounds.

Solar is a better option. Install and essentially that's it. Full batteries almost every day.

[discovery4us]

Ramp or a jack to lift it and then slide it in. Possibly build a sliding tray in the basement storage so you can slide it out to run and then slide it back in for storage.

My 6500 lp. onan is quieter than most generators I camp around and have found using the lp. easier than storing extra gas can. When the trailer and toys follow me gas storage is not an issue and we do carry a Honda 2000 to power the trailer. For just battery charging the smaller generator works well and on really cold nights we will use it to keep the batteries up and to run small electric heaters in the basement and bedroom.

[midnightsadie]

nothing wrong with pp gen sets cleaner easier to take care of and burn not much more fuel than a gasser. worth the bit more fuel for the ease of use.

[valhalla360]

Yes a ramp but still not getting why you are changing.

Get a 2000w unit if just charging batteries and run the 6500w unit if running the air/con.

I doubt, the 4500w unit will save much if any fuel compared to the 6500w unit and when you load up the new inverter generators, they can be fairly noisy.

[Lantley]

I think it be easier to carry more propane than deal with a 100# genset just for battery charging. A 4500 watt model is way to big and heavy.
You've got the right idea to avoid using Lp. But you need a smaller genset. Consider a 2000 watt model . Honda Champion, Predator. There are lots of 2000 watt options now available

[Tyler0215]

To answer your question: yes a ramp is probably your best solution. Make it long enough so you can easily push the gen into the storage bay. Then you have to find someplace to store the ramp.

[Octaneforce]

Before i got my fancy inverter gen, i had one of those rinky dink harbor freight 2 stroke generators. It actually wasnt bad!! It lasted all night on a tank of gas, was quite when it was warmed up and under a load, and was just enough to run my furnace, lights, and charge my batteries. Obviously couldnt run the ac on it. We put TONS of hours on that little thing at basically full load. It didnt even die its sitting in my shed still. Also never had to worry about anyone stealing it lol.

[Yosemite_Sam1]

If you only need it for battery charging, get a smaller generator or 100w solar kit.

[time2roll]

For battery charging I went with a Ryobi 700 watt propane generator.
Puts 30 to 40 amps in the battery and weighs 25 pounds.
61 dB rated.