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TenOC's avatar
TenOC
Nomad
Jul 10, 2017

Onan 5500 LP propane vs Champion 75537i Generator

I am thinking about purchasing a used FW either

One that comes with a Onan Marquis Gold 5500 LP propane generator. Or one that does not have a generator. The two FW are about the same price. The floor plan and condition of the two FW are about equal.

We do a lot of dry camping and have an almost new Champion 75537i inverter gas generator with remote start.

I understand that a propane generator uses a LOT of propane. However the Onan LP generator is 5500 watt vs 3100 watts for the Champion. And the Onan is "built in".

My Question: Does the advantages of the Onan outweigh the use of a large amount of Propane?

Do any of you carry extra bottle of propane to supply the generator?
Seeking Advice
  • ford_truck_guy's avatar
    ford_truck_guy
    Nomad
    Jul 10, 2017
    I have an Onan 6500 LP, and when running two AC's it can get thirsty !
    Here are my ROUGH numbers, based on running off two of the 40# tanks:

    no load - 32 Hrs . . . 1/2 load - 20 Hrs. . . full load - 13 Hrs

    We dry camp at the NASCAR races, this Arpil in Richmond it was 96 degrees most of the days, from Noon Friday to 6 AM Monday I used 5 of the 40# bottles. The Genny ran the entire time with 2 AC's on o good part of that time..

    To me, the ease of the Onan outweighs the burden of extra LP.. We only do it a few times a year, so it is a treat...
  • jplante4's avatar
    jplante4
    Explorer II
    Jul 10, 2017
    Our Onan LP runs both A/C units. I don't think the Champ will, so that's probably the metric you need to consider. However, I will say that we have not camped anywhere that we needed 2 A/Cs to keep cool. If you were in Phoenix this past month, you'd be wanting the Onan.

    I haven't calculated the GPH usage of the genny. On a recent dry camping trip we ran it 2 hours a day and used propane to cook and to take the chill off the bus in the morning and went though about 15 gallons of propane in 10 days.

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