Generators: Cummins 4500 vs Westinghouse vs. ?????

[bowler1]

Hi,
I know this question has been asked before, but I did not really find a truly definitive answer.

I am looking to buy a quiet generator to use with my 5th wheel (50 amp with two AC units). I would use just one when I did not need the AC, but would want to have a second to power the AC units, when and if I needed to

I am leaning toward getting two smaller generators to run in parallel. Also am looking for a dual fuel option preferably so i can run off propane if needed.

Getting two Honda 3000 watts would be my preference but the cost is high so I am looking at the Cummins 4500. I have noticed that the Westinghouse 4500 appears to be nearly identical and from the reviews I have read it seems that they are very similar, but I still don't have a solid opinion on which to get.

The reviews I have read are very mixed and I am not sure which ones to believe / trust. It's difficult now with so many fake reviews out there.

From what I have read, many have said that they are the same generator, but they do have slightly different specs. The majority of the reviews seem to favor the Westinghouse, but I find it hard to believe that it would outperform a Cummins brand generator. On the other hand, many have said that the Cummins is not really made buy Cummins and is a cheap Chinese setup that is identical to several other cheaper models on the market...which may be true but I would still think that Cummins would not put their name on it if it were not of a reasonable level of quality.

So I don't know what to believe, nor what to buy.

Does anyone out there have experience or opinions on either of these generators or other similar options?

thanks
Matt

[Oldsnut]

Here is a very useful side by side test of the cummins and westinghouse 4500 inverter generators:

https://youtu.be/E8QvyQmEj04?feature=shared

[TurnThePage]

Gotta agree about the reliability. I'm no mechanic but all my small engine appliances, which includes Yamaha and Champion generators, have run reliably for the last 30 years. All I do is change the oil, once in a while the spark plug, and strictly and only use non-ethanol fuel with Stabil in it. Sometimes I don't touch one of those devices for years and they still start and run fine.

[Grit_dog]

bowler1 wrote:
I am the original poster. So I still have not bought a generator. To be honest I don't really NEED one. I want one to use as a backup source of power in the event the electric goes out (my RV is next to my house to I could hook it up and go stay in the RV when the power is out).

I could just get a cheap / loud industrial generator for this application, but I figure that if I am going to spend the money I might as well invest it in something I could use while dry camping in a campground .....i.e. a quiet generator.

In my case, I would not be putting lots of hours on the generator. I would use it as needed on a rare occasion. So in that case I may not need the highest quality generator.

But on the other hand, I want it TO WORK if I ever do have to use it.

Seems like only the Honda or Yamaha are truly reliable from my research. They are expensive though....especially if you need enough juice to run two AC units on a 5th wheel.

I still have to think about this. I really don't want to spend the money for a generator and then have it not work when I really need it. Just don't know that i am willing or able to spend the money for a high voltage Honda.

FWIW I have owned two Honda 2k generators in the past that I ran in parallel, and a 2400 watt Yamah, and a 1k Yamaha.

Also, FWIW the Yamaha did fail on me when I really needed it. It started but would not produce electricity and it took a long time to get it fixed. That really sucked b/c I was dry camping and it was super hot and I had no AC. Had to go stay in a hotel it was so bad.

Matt

Guess I’d hedge a bet based on how often your power goes out, presuming you haven’t just moved to that house and don’t really know.
In our case, last place we moved into was pretty much a guaranteed power outage waiting to happen. Still is. Power goes out anywhere from a few to about 10x a year.
Cost/budget being an issue, I searched Craigslist for a bit and ended up with a basically new John Deere 7kw generator for $400 if I recall. Couple years later got a TC and bought a used Honda 2k for $500.
I’ve got less than half the cost of one 3kw Honda into 2 generators. And now have a 4kw in the toyhauler. So the Honda just sits. Thinking about putting it on Craigslist during the next wind storm!

The main thing that makes generators unreliable is old/bad fuel. And once you understand that, it’s too easy to prevent those issues.
1. Run the carb out of gas if not going to be used for a while.
2. If you don’t drain the tank, at a minimum have fresh, treated fuel in the tank before storing. Personal preference is AV gas. 2 year shelf life.

[new2me450rv]

Ah yes - if only money was an easier issue to overcome. Spending it solely as a ‘just in case’ hedge against extended loss of power at home that allows you to go outside and live with amenities in the RV until it comes back on is one of the tougher calls. But if I were to decide do it, I’d consider the same money far better spent on a smaller Honda with a very high chance of being able to run just one of the two AC units at a time whenever I needed it than any other larger unit and pretty good odds I’ll find myself totally sweltering in total frustration should the occasion arise.
Best of luck.

[bowler1]

I am the original poster. So I still have not bought a generator. To be honest I don't really NEED one. I want one to use as a backup source of power in the event the electric goes out (my RV is next to my house to I could hook it up and go stay in the RV when the power is out).

I could just get a cheap / loud industrial generator for this application, but I figure that if I am going to spend the money I might as well invest it in something I could use while dry camping in a campground .....i.e. a quiet generator.

In my case, I would not be putting lots of hours on the generator. I would use it as needed on a rare occasion. So in that case I may not need the highest quality generator.

But on the other hand, I want it TO WORK if I ever do have to use it.

Seems like only the Honda or Yamaha are truly reliable from my research. They are expensive though....especially if you need enough juice to run two AC units on a 5th wheel.

I still have to think about this. I really don't want to spend the money for a generator and then have it not work when I really need it. Just don't know that i am willing or able to spend the money for a high voltage Honda.

FWIW I have owned two Honda 2k generators in the past that I ran in parallel, and a 2400 watt Yamah, and a 1k Yamaha.

Also, FWIW the Yamaha did fail on me when I really needed it. It started but would not produce electricity and it took a long time to get it fixed. That really sucked b/c I was dry camping and it was super hot and I had no AC. Had to go stay in a hotel it was so bad.

Matt

[Grit_dog]

new2me450rv wrote:
Maybe too late, but I just joined the forum today - been RVing for 30 years though. Generators a pet peeve of mine. The only people I know of (including me) who cannot do more than the simplest, most basic maintenance themselves and are happy with the reliability of any generator(s) they use are people who rely on Honda generators (Yamaha possibly being an acceptable alternative). Worth every penny of the extra money - including the custom carrier I had built for my two Honda 2200s and an extended run tank. Only one generator needed to power the 11000 btu AC I had added in the rear of our Class C.
> every 100 hours = Oil changes, air filters if needed, and clean spark arresters
> fuel stabilizer always used
> run under load at least once a month for at least 1 hour
> replaced original dipsticks with magnetic dipsticks
Over 1000 hours of use in the last 6 years with NO problems

Where's the like button? I like this guy....and his post!
And FWIW, Yamaha's are every bit as good of quality as Honda, in my opinion. They just for some reason aren't very prevalent. I've bought maybe 4 or 5 Yamaha suitcase generators over the years and about 20x more Hondas.
And the discussion usually goes like this.
"I need a Honda 2000"
"Sir, we are out of them, but have a Yamaha for $100 less."
"Ok, cool, blue is good."

[new2me450rv]

Maybe too late, but I just joined the forum today - been RVing for 30 years though. Generators a pet peeve of mine. The only people I know of (including me) who cannot do more than the simplest, most basic maintenance themselves and are happy with the reliability of any generator(s) they use are people who rely on Honda generators (Yamaha possibly being an acceptable alternative). Worth every penny of the extra money - including the custom carrier I had built for my two Honda 2200s and an extended run tank. Only one generator needed to power the 11000 btu AC I had added in the rear of our Class C.
> every 100 hours = Oil changes, air filters if needed, and clean spark arresters
> fuel stabilizer always used
> run under load at least once a month for at least 1 hour
> replaced original dipsticks with magnetic dipsticks
Over 1000 hours of use in the last 6 years with NO problems

[krsmitty]

Matt,

What did you end up getting?

[Grit_dog]

You have a dual AC 5ver that you plan on camping in hot weather with no hookups, so either state park type camping or boondocking.
1. Don’t be the toolbag who is running 2 genies all day so you can sit in your camper in the sweltering heat.
2. Regardless of what you think your budget is, remember “cheap, fast or good, pick 2”
I’m sure the cheaper brands will work ok or not. But I’m also sure the good brands WILL work better.
3. You’re complicating your situation. Your wants or needs are why campers are offered with built in generators. Concentrate less on the brand and first on the logistics of what you’re planning to do.

My experience comes from not just personal generator(s) for home or camping power, but 25 years of 100s or maybe 1000s of generators used in construction. Every off brand generator that somehow gets purchased doesn’t make it very long. There’s a reason they cost half as much as a Honda and Yamaha.

[Rollochrome]

I have a Honda 5500 inverter.

Ran my 30 amp TT fine and is quiet

Of course it wont run both AC units on the 5er.

Only problems I ever had in years of ownership is from sitting up not being cycled

[Skibane]

bowler1 wrote:
Any other opinions on this topic--preferably from someone who has first-hand experience?

I own 4 Champion inverter models, and around 7 of their older, non-inverter models.

I lose count sometimes.

Their model 200994 is the latest addition to my collection - It's dual-fuel, electric-start, and rated for around 3.5 KW continuous power.

It's very quiet when powering a moderate electrical load, but not any quieter than most other models of comparable size when it's working hard.

It's big enough that it doesn't work hard often - which means that it's usually very quiet.

Like all models in its size class, it's heavy.

My other 3 inverter models are in the 2KW size class, which makes them MUCH more portable.

Haven't had any problems with any of them, but have ordered spare parts several times from Champion's parts depot in Santa Fe Springs, CA - Excellent customer service.

[bowler1]

Any other opinions on this topic--preferably from someone who has first-hand experience? I do appreciate all the insights, but only a few of the posts seem to be based on personal experience.

General consensus here and other places seems to be that the cummins is a POS and the Westinghouse is pretty good....but people say they are the same generator.

Only consistently good reviews I see are for the Hondas, but they are just too expensive for me for the level of power I need.

Getting close to buying one, but still have no real solid opinion about which one to get.

Matt

[nickthehunter]

bowler1 wrote:
I do like that Champion and people have said very good things about it. My only concern would be the noise level at 61db. That's a bit on the louder side of "quiet" generators.

I believe the Westinghouse and Cummins portable and similar variants are rated at 52DB. Because DB are a logarithmic scale the difference in 9DB should be fairly significant. Of course the way they are measured could be different (distance from generator and % load)

That is one other minor detail that makes me question if the Westinghouse and "Cummins" could truly be low quality. Generally the low quality and "cheap" generators are loud. 52DB is pretty impressively quiet.

I think I would pretty quickly jump on the Champion if it were quieter, but I might sacrifice volume for reliability.

Matt

Check db scales, 60 db is normal conversations.

[bikendan]

bowler1 wrote:
I do like that Champion and people have said very good things about it. My only concern would be the noise level at 61db. That's a bit on the louder side of "quiet" generators.

I believe the Westinghouse and Cummins portable and similar variants are rated at 52DB. Because DB are a logarithmic scale the difference in 9DB should be fairly significant. Of course the way they are measured could be different (distance from generator and % load)

That is one other minor detail that makes me question if the Westinghouse and "Cummins" could truly be low quality. Generally the low quality and "cheap" generators are loud. 52DB is pretty impressively quiet.

I think I would pretty quickly jump on the Champion if it were quieter, but I might sacrifice volume for reliability.

Matt

Which Champion model are you referring to, that has a 61db noise rating?