CW generator - Champion 4000

[mhawk4]

Just bought a new generator for the TT, it is the Champion 4000 from CW. We were going for the inverter but the price was too high for our budget; for $300 hundred got the champion and will be able to run the AC( 13500btu) when too hot outside and the wife will be very happy 😉

I am planning to attach (bolted) it to the rear cargo carrier when needed. We are planning to do some short road trips and not depend on staying in CGs. Where do you guys stay when using this type of generator? Any issues? Do you have it mounted to your trailer?

If for any reason i have to mod the unit to make it quieter, any suggestions?

I will have more questions about it; Thanks for your input.

[JiminDenver]

The Champs are unreliable? New one on me. I see more "my Honda wont start" threads than issues with Champions.

The Champion will fry the electronics? Actually there is a scope of one of the Champion 3500/4000 120v only units in the 3000w generator thread. It is cleaner/ smoother than you would expect. Much cleaner than the inverter generator that HF sells. The dual voltage units do have a ugly wave.

I will say that after spending the money I didn't waste on the big red generator on a solar system and batteries, that it is funny to watch someone with a generator thump their chest because their noise maker is slightly less annoying than the next one.

I see people say that they would be knocking on doors if their neighbor uses something louder than they have. So what happens when a person with solar comes knocking on your door? Gee dude, I don't care what color it is, it's time to shut her down. We'd like some peace and quiet, not peace and quieter.

The problem with jumping on a soap box is there is always someone with a bigger one. There plenty of people that can go a week on battery alone or have solar. To them any generator is annoying.

[spoon059]

Desert Captain wrote:
The many issues have been addressed and I have yet to see any reasonable objections to them being used while boon docking or for emergency power during natural catastrophes. Bang for the buck they work quite well in those applications.

The problems arise when folks trying to justify their use in campgrounds influence others who don't know any better.

:C

And I don't recall anyone advocating for using them in a campground with others around. The question was using it in non-campground settings. I think everyone understands your thoughts and feelings on the Champion generators. Your point has been made.

Can we allow this thread to get back on topic now please?

[Desert_Captain]

spoon059 wrote:

Desert Captain wrote:
You keep going on about boon docking and generator use in time of natural disasters which have nothing to do with this thread. The objections to the use of the Champion are based upon its use in crowded campgrounds where the noise affects lots of folks.
:C

Ummm... Here is a direct quote from the OP's very first post.

mhawk4 wrote:
We are planning to do some short road trips and not depend on staying in CGs.

He specifically says that he isn't planning to use it in a campground. Perhaps he has a piece of land somewhere, perhaps he is planning to use a truck stop or Walmart. We don't know. It doesn't sound like he is planning to fire up the generator in a "crowded campground where the noise affects lots of folks".

Here is another direct quote from the first post:

"Where do you guys stay when using this type of generator? Any issues?"

The next 5 pages have been a lively, civil, discussion of the pro's and cons of open frame generators. The many issues have been addressed and I have yet to see any reasonable objections to them being used while boon docking or for emergency power during natural catastrophes. Bang for the buck they work quite well in those applications.

The problems arise when folks trying to justify their use in campgrounds influence others who don't know any better.

:C

[spoon059]

Desert Captain wrote:
You keep going on about boon docking and generator use in time of natural disasters which have nothing to do with this thread. The objections to the use of the Champion are based upon its use in crowded campgrounds where the noise affects lots of folks.
:C

Ummm... Here is a direct quote from the OP's very first post.

mhawk4 wrote:
We are planning to do some short road trips and not depend on staying in CGs.

He specifically says that he isn't planning to use it in a campground. Perhaps he has a piece of land somewhere, perhaps he is planning to use a truck stop or Walmart. We don't know. It doesn't sound like he is planning to fire up the generator in a "crowded campground where the noise affects lots of folks".

[NC_Hauler]

Desert Captain wrote:
"No stroke; within 12 day's of turning 65, I'm perfectly healthy, wasn't even a rant, (guess you REALLY don't know me)......Now you've met one Champion 4000 owner that's NOT embarrassed by the noise they make or regretted their purchase. Reliability was great for me for 3 yrs and son and DIL use it if and when needed, no problem..guess it's that "hear-say" again, huh? I don't believe everything I read on the internet..and the Honda and Yamaha are FAR more expensive than the piece of******Champion that can do the same job, or at least it did for us for 7 day's with no electricity....paid for itself as far as the wife and I were concerned

As you alluded to, I DON'T boon dock, so I don't fit the loser who has the nerve to fire one of those cheap genny's up when you're boon docking....Some people buy generators for other reasons...At the time, I also used the 4000 At home when we lost power.....Had A LOT of people wanting to know where they could get one ....Kept the fridge, lights and TV going for the grand kids...I didn't need to spend a chunk of change for that....Now I have, of all horrors, a Champion 7500/9000 that will power quite a bit of my house in a power loss situation and will also power my entire 5er if I lose power....Don't worry, don't have a stoke, I'll never be boon-docking anywhere near you..so we should be good

oh, I'm kinda stupid, don't know what YMMV means? But I did understand "opinion" "


First of all glad to hear you are healthy at 65, right behind you at 63. The Champion can NOT do the same job as a Honda or Yamaha. It is not an inverter type generator and will fry sensitive electronics/appliances. Also, it does NOT do the same job as it is far louder and burns more fuel. You keep going on about boon docking and generator use in time of natural disasters which have nothing to do with this thread. The objections to the use of the Champion are based upon its use in crowded campgrounds where the noise affects lots of folks.

I don't believe everything I read on the internet either but the sheer volume of complaints regarding reliability and parts/service availability are substantial. Glad to hear you're happy with your Champion and if its use only affected you we would not be having this discussion. I suppose next you will tell us all how quiet the 7500/9000 Champions are. :S

The fact is every time you light it off you put out an inordinate amount of noise. If there is no one to hear it or there is a natural disaster then nobody will care but.... for the purposes of this discussion lots of folks read these threads and believe the nonsense that they are an acceptable alternative to a quality product, which they are not. They end up buying these things and taking them to the local campground where their use is a big problem for a lot of others.

For the record: YMMV = Your mileage may vary

:C

Thank you for another further explanation that doesn't match up with MY experiences..

As I've stated numerous times, The generator is in my 5er and is ONLY used should there be a power outage that last long enough to merit using a generator...., I will use it at my home for the same reason...

You are right...it won't be used at a campground to heat up my coffee or to run the A/C, because I won't be where that can happen, unless no one else is anywhere around...

But the Honda and the Yamaha aren't the "God" of generators....believe it or not, there may be some in here who can't afford their high price..( we won't talk about them right now, they may see this and be offended)..


Matters not, we're talking about obnoxious people who go out of their way to purchase a cheap generator, boon dock and make life miserable for everyone around them....Main reason, if I ever boon dock, there is no one else around but family:)

YMMV. can't think of where I would ever use it...but thanks for the info.

[Desert_Captain]

"No stroke; within 12 day's of turning 65, I'm perfectly healthy, wasn't even a rant, (guess you REALLY don't know me)......Now you've met one Champion 4000 owner that's NOT embarrassed by the noise they make or regretted their purchase. Reliability was great for me for 3 yrs and son and DIL use it if and when needed, no problem..guess it's that "hear-say" again, huh? I don't believe everything I read on the internet..and the Honda and Yamaha are FAR more expensive than the piece of******Champion that can do the same job, or at least it did for us for 7 day's with no electricity....paid for itself as far as the wife and I were concerned

As you alluded to, I DON'T boon dock, so I don't fit the loser who has the nerve to fire one of those cheap genny's up when you're boon docking....Some people buy generators for other reasons...At the time, I also used the 4000 At home when we lost power.....Had A LOT of people wanting to know where they could get one ....Kept the fridge, lights and TV going for the grand kids...I didn't need to spend a chunk of change for that....Now I have, of all horrors, a Champion 7500/9000 that will power quite a bit of my house in a power loss situation and will also power my entire 5er if I lose power....Don't worry, don't have a stoke, I'll never be boon-docking anywhere near you..so we should be good

oh, I'm kinda stupid, don't know what YMMV means? But I did understand "opinion" "


First of all glad to hear you are healthy at 65, right behind you at 63. The Champion can NOT do the same job as a Honda or Yamaha. It is not an inverter type generator and will fry sensitive electronics/appliances. Also, it does NOT do the same job as it is far louder and burns more fuel. You keep going on about boon docking and generator use in time of natural disasters which have nothing to do with this thread. The objections to the use of the Champion are based upon its use in crowded campgrounds where the noise affects lots of folks.

I don't believe everything I read on the internet either but the sheer volume of complaints regarding reliability and parts/service availability are substantial. Glad to hear you're happy with your Champion and if its use only affected you we would not be having this discussion. I suppose next you will tell us all how quiet the 7500/9000 Champions are. :S

The fact is every time you light it off you put out an inordinate amount of noise. If there is no one to hear it or there is a natural disaster then nobody will care but.... for the purposes of this discussion lots of folks read these threads and believe the nonsense that they are an acceptable alternative to a quality product, which they are not. They end up buying these things and taking them to the local campground where their use is a big problem for a lot of others.

For the record: YMMV = Your mileage may vary

:C

[NC_Hauler]

spoon059 wrote:

eend wrote:
I really don't get the generator thing, why go camping if you want air conditioning, tv and your margarita maker...

Says the guy who camps in a travel trailer, not a temp or simply out on the ground. Its kinda hard to be "holier than thou" about how someone else camps when you are in a travel trailer. Well, maybe "hard" isn't the right word. I think "ignorant" would be better suited.

You camp how you want, let everyone else camp how they want.

As long as the OP isn't blasting a generator in a crowded area, who cares? And I have news for everyone... in a campground ANY generator is too loud. If you are boondocking somewhere by yourself, you only need to worry about what noise levels you can put up with.

I have a Champion to power some stuff around the house when we lose power. I have considered bringing it camping so if we "dry camp" in a truck stop overnight we would at least have power to run the AC at night. Maybe its not necessary in Alberta, CA... but when its 90 degrees at night and 95% humidity then daddy needs his AC.

Running an air conditioner is generally acceptable at every campground to which I have ever been. We recently bought an RV with a television so my toddler daughter has something to occupy her during afternoon quiet time. That is generally acceptable at most campgrounds too. I don't drink often, but unless alcohol is prohibited I don't care if someone makes themselves a margarita. I just ask that they not get stupid drunk and LOUD at night while I am running my AC and possibly watching television before I go to bed.

In agreement with you::)

[NC_Hauler]

The Desert Captain stated:
"Not sure where to start responding to your rant. I incorporated facts with a little humor and you have a stroke. :h As I stated these threads inevitably breakdown into the folks who bought these cheap, loud generators trying to justify their purchase with the the tired old excuse: "They aren't that loud." This is of course is simply not true when compared to the readily available inverter types (such as Honda and Yamaha etc.).

For the record, I do not look down my nose at anyone. I do resent folks who are too cheap to buy a decent product that they will often use in close proximity to many others knowing that doing so will disturb their neighbors (and then seeing them rationalizing their purchase on Forums like this one.... over and over and over again).

Just once I would like to see someone be honest enough to simply state "I don't give a rat's hat about my neighbors, I am only willing to spend $299. If you only use the your generator when boon docking far from others or in times of natural disasters then you simply do not fit in this category.

Every single Champion 4000 owner I have met, more than a dozen, was embarrassed by the noise they made and regretted their purchase. Reliability is spotty at best, parts and service are a joke. A little research on the internet confirmed this dramatically. Lots of stores carry them because they are a very high profit item which illustrates quite clearly how cheaply they are made.

No, never thought your insurance would reimburse you enough for a stolen $299 generator to buy a $3,000 replacement (note the above reference to "Humor"). :R

As always.... Opinions and YMMV."


Me, the idiot say's:

No stroke; within 12 day's of turning 65, I'm perfectly healthy, wasn't even a rant, (guess you REALLY don't know me)......Now you've met one Champion 4000 owner that's NOT embarrassed by the noise they make or regretted their purchase. Reliability was great for me for 3 yrs and son and DIL use it if and when needed, no problem..guess it's that "hear-say" again, huh? I don't believe everything I read on the internet..and the Honda and Yamaha are FAR more expensive than the piece of******Champion that can do the same job, or at least it did for us for 7 day's with no electricity....paid for itself as far as the wife and I were concerned:B

As you alluded to, I DON'T boon dock, so I don't fit the loser who has the nerve to fire one of those cheap genny's up when you're boon docking....Some people buy generators for other reasons...At the time, I also used the 4000 At home when we lost power.....Had A LOT of people wanting to know where they could get one :)....Kept the fridge, lights and TV going for the grand kids...I didn't need to spend a chunk of change for that....Now I have, of all horrors, a Champion 7500/9000 that will power quite a bit of my house in a power loss situation and will also power my entire 5er if I lose power....Don't worry, don't have a stoke, I'll never be boon-docking anywhere near you..so we should be good:)

oh, I'm kinda stupid, don't know what YMMV means? But I did understand "opinion"

[spoon059]

eend wrote:
I really don't get the generator thing, why go camping if you want air conditioning, tv and your margarita maker...

Says the guy who camps in a travel trailer, not a tent or simply out on the ground. Its kinda hard to be "holier than thou" about how someone else camps when you are in a travel trailer. Well, maybe "hard" isn't the right word. I think "ignorant" would be better suited.

You camp how you want, let everyone else camp how they want.

As long as the OP isn't blasting a generator in a crowded area, who cares? And I have news for everyone... in a campground ANY generator is too loud. If you are boondocking somewhere by yourself, you only need to worry about what noise levels you can put up with.

I have a Champion to power some stuff around the house when we lose power. I have considered bringing it camping so if we "dry camp" in a truck stop overnight we would at least have power to run the AC at night. Maybe its not necessary in Alberta, CA... but when its 90 degrees at night and 95% humidity then daddy needs his AC.

Running an air conditioner is generally acceptable at every campground to which I have ever been. We recently bought an RV with a television so my toddler daughter has something to occupy her during afternoon quiet time. That is generally acceptable at most campgrounds too. I don't drink often, but unless alcohol is prohibited I don't care if someone makes themselves a margarita. I just ask that they not get stupid drunk and LOUD at night while I am running my AC and possibly watching television before I go to bed.

[Desert_Captain]

NC Hauler wrote:

Desert Captain wrote:
Ah, another Champion thread where the owners try to pretend it is not a loud cheap unit and everyone else who has been subjected to them complains about the noise. Some things never change and some folks never learn. LMAO (except when I am stuck in some cg next to a Champion).

The last thing you want to do with a Champion is secure it from theft. After you have had it for a very short period of time you too will be sick of the noise and hoping to be rid of it. Pray for a deaf, dumber than most thief, to come along and then take the insurance money and buy a Honda or Yamaha to replace it.

:B

It's obvious you have decided to look down your nose at those who have one of these units...They ARE NOT THAT loud. I had one for one reason and one reason alone....to have power if I lost power....I don't boon dock, so you won't have to look down your nose at me and figure you're better than anyone who owns a Champion 4000...Maybe YOU need to learn that not EVERYONE runs a generator whenever they want to or out in the boonies...This generator sure came in handy a couple of years ago, when camping on my OWN SITE, in WVA, a tornado type wind came though dropping trees all over the place and power AND water was lost....Luckily we had filled the fresh water tank up AND we had the Champion 4000 which didn't bother anyone around us because next closest neighbor was probably 1/2 mile away and I could hear their commercial generator easily over the Champion...BUT, I sure wasn't going to look down my nose at them and think I was better then them because THIS WAS an emergency I wasn't going to fault them for running their generator....We had to use chain saws just to get to the main road, then main road was being re-opened....I would NEVER fault anyone who went through a storm like that and turned on a generator to run the AC, or keep the fridge going etc.......

Now AGAIN...I don't boon dock, nor do I plan on boon docking...but I have a generator that I will fire up and run my camper off of IF I've lost power due to some unforeseen reason..I'm just glad I'll not be anywhere around you, in an emergency, it appears you wouldn't be able to handle someone just trying to make it though a bad time. In fact that has been the ONLY time that I've ran it continuously in 3 yrs....and it fired right up and ran perfectly....gave it to my son when I purchased the 7500/9000 Champion that I can run my entire 5er on, and have only hooked it up once and ran it on 5er to make sure all was well with it...ON MY OWN PROPERTY...If I were at a campground and lost power, I would live off my 12 volt and propane and wouldn't run my generator unless I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO. Hope that's ok with you

What makes you think IF the $299 Champion was stolen, that insurance company would restitute with enough money to buy a Honda or a Yamaha 3K generator????

Not sure where to start responding to your rant. I incorporated facts with a little humor and you have a stroke. :h As I stated these threads inevitably breakdown into the folks who bought these cheap, loud generators trying to justify their purchase with the the tired old excuse: "They aren't that loud." This is of course is simply not true when compared to the readily available inverter types (such as Honda and Yamaha etc.).

For the record, I do not look down my nose at anyone. I do resent folks who are too cheap to buy a decent product that they will often use in close proximity to many others knowing that doing so will disturb their neighbors (and then seeing them rationalizing their purchase on Forums like this one.... over and over and over again).

Just once I would like to see someone be honest enough to simply state "I don't give a rat's hat about my neighbors, I am only willing to spend $299. If you only use the your generator when boon docking far from others or in times of natural disasters then you simply do not fit in this category.

Every single Champion 4000 owner I have met, more than a dozen, was embarrassed by the noise they made and regretted their purchase. Reliability is spotty at best, parts and service are a joke. A little research on the internet confirmed this dramatically. Lots of stores carry them because they are a very high profit item which illustrates quite clearly how cheaply they are made.

No, never thought your insurance would reimburse you enough for a stolen $299 generator to buy a $3,000 replacement (note the above reference to "Humor"). :R

As always.... Opinions and YMMV.

:C

[Dtank]

mhawk4 wrote:
Just bought a new generator for the TT, it is the Champion 4000 from CW. We were going for the inverter but the price was too high for our budget; for $300 hundred got the champion and will be able to run the AC( 13500btu) when too hot outside and the wife will be very happy 😉

I am planning to attach (bolted) it to the rear cargo carrier when needed. We are planning to do some short road trips and not depend on staying in CGs. Where do you guys stay when using this type of generator? Any issues? Do you have it mounted to your trailer?

If for any reason i have to mod the unit to make it quieter, any suggestions?

I will have more questions about it; Thanks for your input.

Ignore the nay-sayers and the "2-old grouch"!

Sure an inverter gen is better (for a price), but plenty of users have made both themselves *AND* their neighbors happy with (usually Champion) synchronous (*NOT* inverter) generators.

It should be noted that Champion is second to none with customer service - including the red and blue brands.

"Chinese Gensets Info" - which 'evolved' into mostly Champion

You will find easy sound deadening info in the above - along with db readings.


Also -
"My $500. Almost silent Generator with pic & db readings"

.

[NC_Hauler]

eend wrote:
I really don't get the generator thing, why go camping if you want air conditioning, tv and your margarita maker.

Just last night , my neighbour pulled in with his rv, Moma driving the big SUVs towing a fancy boat, they set up, a big screen tent gets set up one side is all tapped in and a giant big screen tv come out, and poppa sets up his big yellow champion generator and fires it up. That thing ran for 3 hours, so the kids can play with their playstation. After 3 hours I went over and asked if it could be shut down, it is very annoying. To me people with big loud annoying generators have no respect for someone else and are pretty selfish in my opinion.

If you need power that bad for a few dollars more you can get a powered site, and spending a few hundred or a thousand on a generator will buy you a lot of powered sites.

You ever camp anywhere it get's in the mid 90's with 75% humidity...yeah...one will want their A/C...I like TV late evening..... BUT, I'm not remote...so I can't relate to what you're putting up with....I bet if a tornado sweep through your camping area and only power you could get was from a "big loud generator", you would be using one....at that point, everyone around you would take one...It's amazing how expensive generators get..anyone of them, loud or not loud, when a tornado cuts through an area, or a flood hits and there is no telling how long one would be without power....but that's not what we're talking about is it...

[NC_Hauler]

2oldman wrote:

eend wrote:
poppa sets up his big yellow champion generator and fires it up. That thing ran for 3 hours, so the kids can play with their playstation.

I hate that, when big loud generators are used for low-power entertainment. Sheesh.. get an inverter and some batteries!

Agree...."MOST", I say most purchase a generator for standby power to be used in and emergency power loss....IF I were to get into boon docking, I'd get one of the quieter ones because that would be what would be called for in that situation...

[NC_Hauler]

Desert Captain wrote:
Ah, another Champion thread where the owners try to pretend it is not a loud cheap unit and everyone else who has been subjected to them complains about the noise. Some things never change and some folks never learn. LMAO (except when I am stuck in some cg next to a Champion).

The last thing you want to do with a Champion is secure it from theft. After you have had it for a very short period of time you too will be sick of the noise and hoping to be rid of it. Pray for a deaf, dumber than most thief, to come along and then take the insurance money and buy a Honda or Yamaha to replace it.

:B

It's obvious you have decided to look down your nose at those who have one of these units...They ARE NOT THAT loud. I had one for one reason and one reason alone....to have power if I lost power....I don't boon dock, so you won't have to look down your nose at me and figure you're better than anyone who owns a Champion 4000...Maybe YOU need to learn that not EVERYONE runs a generator whenever they want to or out in the boonies...This generator sure came in handy a couple of years ago, when camping on my OWN SITE, in WVA, a tornado type wind came though dropping trees all over the place and power AND water was lost....Luckily we had filled the fresh water tank up AND we had the Champion 4000 which didn't bother anyone around us because next closest neighbor was probably 1/2 mile away and I could hear their commercial generator easily over the Champion...BUT, I sure wasn't going to look down my nose at them and think I was better then them because THIS WAS an emergency I wasn't going to fault them for running their generator....We had to use chain saws just to get to the main road, then main road was being re-opened....I would NEVER fault anyone who went through a storm like that and turned on a generator to run the AC, or keep the fridge going etc.......

Now AGAIN...I don't boon dock, nor do I plan on boon docking...but I have a generator that I will fire up and run my camper off of IF I've lost power due to some unforeseen reason..I'm just glad I'll not be anywhere around you, in an emergency, it appears you wouldn't be able to handle someone just trying to make it though a bad time. In fact that has been the ONLY time that I've ran it continuously in 3 yrs....and it fired right up and ran perfectly....gave it to my son when I purchased the 7500/9000 Champion that I can run my entire 5er on, and have only hooked it up once and ran it on 5er to make sure all was well with it...ON MY OWN PROPERTY...If I were at a campground and lost power, I would live off my 12 volt and propane and wouldn't run my generator unless I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO. Hope that's ok with you

What makes you think IF the $299 Champion was stolen, that insurance company would restitute with enough money to buy a Honda or a Yamaha 3K generator????

[2oldman]

eend wrote:
poppa sets up his big yellow champion generator and fires it up. That thing ran for 3 hours, so the kids can play with their playstation.

I hate that, when big loud generators are used for low-power entertainment. Sheesh.. get an inverter and some batteries!