1st View EC 1165 and Host Mammoth

[brinson]

Finally got to see a EC 1165 and Host Mammoth in person last weekend. I had narrowed my choice down to these two. Both are impressive floor plans and very roomy for a truck camper. I am leaning towards the Host as I was a little more impressed with the materials used on the Host interior. I will probably order as I do not want a generator on board or a satellite reciever. Any suggestions on must have options?

[jimh406]

tmartin000 wrote:

Bedlam wrote:
The Honda's and Yamaha's were not designed to be run in an enclosure. You would have to create a forced air cooling system that can cycle the air and heat out of the enclosure to make them work reliably.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O10y76tGs1w

Interesting design for what Bedlam was suggesting.

[tmartin000]

Bedlam wrote:
The Honda's and Yamaha's were not designed to be run in an enclosure. You would have to create a forced air cooling system that can cycle the air and heat out of the enclosure to make them work reliably.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O10y76tGs1w

[adamis]

Would be great if the fuel cell market for RVs in the US take off.

All you need is one of these units, a decent set of batteries and inverter. I guess the real holdup on adoption in the US is that these units aren't powerful enough to power an AC continuously. Then again, it sort of sucks that AC development for RVs doesn't seem to be pushing the limits on efficiency either. Considering how fuel inefficient and loud the on-board Onan generators are, it is so surprising that alternatives just don't seem to be taking off.

[Bedlam]

The Honda's and Yamaha's were not designed to be run in an enclosure. You would have to create a forced air cooling system that can cycle the air and heat out of the enclosure to make them work reliably.

[tmartin000]

If you remove the option for the built-in unit, won't it leave a compartment empty?

I would think retro-fitting a Honda/Yamaha inside that space would be an easy thing to do....

[Bedlam]

In a pinch, you may be able to unplug the charger/converter to have less load. Make sure your water heater and fridge is running on LPG and does not switch to electric when running the Honda. Your Honda should not be running in ECO mode when running the AC.

For me, there are too many limitations with this Honda setup. But, I was spoiled with an Onan 5500 in my toy hauler that could run everything I wanted at the same time. The baby Onan 2400 in the truck camper keeps up with my demands , but I keep an eye on how many concurrent devices are drawing power.

Longer term solutions of adding soft start capacitors and separate fan and compressor controls may help in your use of a Honda with a larger AC unit.

[ggadwa]

For the one interested in the 11,000 btu AC and a Honda EU2000 it will NOT start an 11,000 btu AC it will start and run a Polar Cub 9,000 btu AC. Don't know about the Yamaha 2400, all I know is the 11,000 AC requires more amps to start than the EU2000 puts out. The Polar Cub I installed on my EC950 starts and runs fine with my Eu2000.

Gary

[brinson]

I did look at campers at Princess Craft and they had two EC 1165's in stock and a Host Mammoth was due in the following week. It was late on a Saturday and they were closing at 4 and I felt like I was being rushed out the door. There is a new Host dealer in Winnsboro Tx. and I looked at the Host there.

[TxGearhead]

I'm generator poor. Generac 20k home backup, a 5500 watt Generac portable (not), Champion 3500, B&S 4000 watt, and the 2 Hondas.
All but the Hondas are too heavy to lift alone. I bought the Hondas for NASCAR races and the 5th wheel. First grand baby arrival slowed our travels and I haven't used them, yet. We had elect hook ups at our last race...Indy 500. I'll have hook ups at the Chili Bowl next month as well.
Having to use both Hondas for the Bigfoot isn't an issue. They fit well behind the truck seats, in the floorboard. The versatility of moving them around at a campsite and being able to use just one if no a/c is needed is what sold me on them.
Did you look at the campers at Princess Craft. I noticed they had both brands in stock.

[tad94564]

I had them install the 11BTU AC on my Mammoth, and it runs fine off the Powerhouse 2200/2100 generator.

I also use a boosting inverter (an Outback GFX1312 w/Mate) and 4 6v GC batteries, 2 in the battery location (which btw, it's either 1 12V battery, or 2 6V GC batteries.. not enough room for 2 12V batteries) The booster takes care of the A/C compressor surge. Oh, and no onboard generator; for the amount of money that thing costs, I got the batteries, 320watts of solar on the roof, and the GFX/Mate setup with money left over.

I also had them install a Progressive EMS-HW30C so I also would not blow things up if I connected to bad power.

I'd recommend a better fan in the bathroom vent, but what they install is OEM Fantastic Fan, and it's not that hard to retro-fit after the fact, and you get to pick a better fan..

I had them install Seelevel gauges, but I had to buy them and the EMS, and ship them up.

[Spearfisherman7]

I have a 2800 on my offshore fishing boat. 16 years service and has been very dependable. I like it so much I've bought a second one for camping and hurricane preparedness. On eco mode, they go 12-14 hrs on a tank of fuel.

[jimh406]

The listed wattage isn't the only factor. Many people have found that the Honda 2000s outperform the other 2000s including Yamahas under heavy load like an AC. Keep that in mind when you are sizing the generator.

[brinson]

I would hate to by a 2000 and it not be able to keep up. I looked at the Yamaha ef2800i. It's extremely light(68 lbs?) has a 2.6 gallon tank. I'm not sure how they made it so light. Yamaha claims the rotor and stator are lighter than most. The Honda eu3000 weighs 137 lbs. which is about what the Onan LP2500 weighs. But that does allow to move weight to the front. This will be my first truck camper but have had 2 class A's and am currently selling my Freightliner Columbia class 8 rig(I use it for our race car business). I want a truck camper for ease of maintenance(I don't need one more engine to change oil in!) and also I want to be able to tow my boat and fish different locations around the U.S. It will be a adjustment in size I know, but mostly it will be just me using it.

[2BLAZERS]

3 tons wrote:

TxGearhead wrote:
My Honda 2000 ran my 11,000 btu a/c once. But I tried again later and it wouldn't. I don't know what I did right or wrong. Maybe I kicked up the thermostat too fast. This reminds me to try it again. I have 2 of the Hondas. Really haven't used them much yet. I did discover they fit very well in the rear floorboard of the truck. I also have an IPI extended run tank that feeds both gens and the wiring to parallel them. What I want is a storage box for the gas tank to put on a cargo rack. The tank will fit in the basement but I'm not too sure I want to do that. I may be over thinking it though.

The 2000 should run the air without a hitch assuming that you shut off the campers on board charger.

But if your camping in Texas and it's 100 degrees for 3 months straight. He'll have to basically shut the A/C off to do anything like make coffee or watch TV or plug a laptop in?