way2roll wrote:
This appears to be a newbie hit and run post. I was really curious why the OP wanted to do this with an onboard genny. Guess we'll never know.
3 reasons I can think of:
1. Quiet - not only is is a small inverter generator quieter than the onboard generator, you can move it farther away from your unit.
2. Fuel efficiency, at low loads, his Firman 3650W will use about half the fuel per hour of an onboard QC4000. I used to wish that RV makers would include high quality inverter generators for better fuel economy and quietness, but now they are moving to Solar with Lithium batteries which can actually power the A/C for a while, which is even better.
3. CO safety - you have less chance of exhaust blowback when your generator is 20 or 30 feet from your RV.
But the most likely reason in this case - generators are often an extra-cost option, on the A.C.E. it's bundled with the dual A/C option so it's even more expensive than just a generator (and generators may be in short supply along with everything else, so maybe it would affect his delivery date).
I don't know what Thor charges for it, but list price on Onan 4000 is around $3500... list price on his Firman is $750. Of course, the onboard is much more convenient since you don't have to fuel it or walk outside to turn it on (though you can get portables with remote start).
On an older RV, it's also possible that the onboard generator stopped working and fixing it would cost more than the price of a portable generator.
