Experiences with Onan Portable Gas Electric Generators

The Onan P4500i's specs on paper are pretty good. If these specs hold-up in the realworld . . . along with some proven reliability and warranty/parts support, then Onan may have a competitive entry here. Agree with theoldwizard1 though, the Onan P4500i appears to be a rebranded Ducar generator with possibly some minor tweaking for resale by Onan. A common scenario for many generators these days. If I was in the market for this particular generator, I'd purchase it from a distributor (regardless of brand name) that provided the best after-the-sale warranty and parts support---which may or may not be Onan.

The onan also runs for 18 hours on a tank of gas 3.5 gallons.
It has remote start..
It also has a gauge to let you know run time left and fuel left.

Really way to many things to compare to Honda..wheels.. handle... the list goes on

.
Believe me I have had a honda it lasted about 4 years in the salt environment.

I ran it side by side.
My lance 992 running the ac
Vs a lance 1181 running its ac off a eu3000i

My onan does not surge as much as the honda when compressor kicks i.

My onan is also just as quiet as the honda.

I have the p4500i.
It's super quiet...
It's an ONAN..
IT'S got a 3 year warranty
Came in 2day shipping from onan factory in ohio.

I measured my TC AC to draw 6.9 amps when running.
I had 15k AC on my conversion and that was taking 8.5 amps.
On my conversion I had 2400W inverter, so I could start AC on inverter power and then switch it to generator.
So you will find lot of ways to make it working without carrying hundreds of lb of generators.
100 lb on rear platform adds like 160 lb load on rear axle.
So we side-sweep your question, but that is what you get on the forum.

JoeChiOhki wrote:

GeoBoy wrote:
Install a MicroAir on your AC and get a Honda 2200i to run it.

The Brisk is brand new (I bought it as part of the parts for the camper restoration, it was $440, the smaller units were quite a bit more, also with the Jalousie windows and the snap-n-nap, the camper is going to be somewhat leaky air-wise, so I went with the 13500 to make sure we could compensate).

My apologies if I misunderstood your reply, but I get the impression you may believe the Micro Air (Easy Start) is a smaller capacity a/c unit? It's not. It's a device that can be installed on any size RV a/c unit which dramatically reduces the amount of inrush current needed to start the compressor. Without a Micro Air it may take a 3000-4000 watt generator to simply start some RV a/c units---even though a 2000 watt generator could easily run it. A Honda EU2200i can easily start and run most 13.5k and 15k RV a/c units with a Micro Air installed. Yes, there are some very inefficient 13.5/15k RV a/c units (especially those made by Dometic) that may be beyond the continuous current capability of the Honda EU2200i even with the Micro Air installed, but that's more the exception than the rule.

For some, spending $250-$300 for a Micro Air Easy Start is money well spent. In some situations it can potentially allow one to cut their generator wattage . . . and weight . . . requirements nearly in half.

GeoBoy wrote:
Install a MicroAir on your AC and get a Honda 2200i to run it.

The Brisk is brand new (I bought it as part of the parts for the camper restoration, it was $440, the smaller units were quite a bit more, also with the Jalousie windows and the snap-n-nap, the camper is going to be somewhat leaky air-wise, so I went with the 13500 to make sure we could compensate).

otrfun wrote:
Carefully consider warranty and parts support when choosing a generator. IMO, Champion and Honda offer some of the best in the industry.

Harbor Freight's "warranty" looks good at first glance: free replacement for 90 days (or 1-2 yr, one-time free replacement for additional cost). However, after that you're completely on your own. HF offers zero/no repair capability (only total replacement under warranty) and very little to no parts availability.

Others require you to ship or transport the generator to their nearest repair facility hundreds/thousands of miles away. I'd venture to say many would simply settle for a paper-weight than deal with the cost/hassles of packing, insuring, shipping, and/or transporting a 50-100 lb. generator these kinds of distances.

Aye, that's part of why I was curious about the Onan branded unit, as there's actual Onan locations around. I usually use Champions (That's my current generator, which is an open cage Champion of similar capacity) but to my knowledge, there's not any local service places, I would likely have to do it myself.

Lol Kayteg, give it a rest.....

Carefully consider warranty and parts support when choosing a generator. IMO, Champion and Honda offer some of the best in the industry.

Harbor Freight's "warranty" looks good at first glance: free replacement for 90 days (or 1-2 yr, one-time free replacement for additional cost). However, after that you're completely on your own. HF offers zero/no repair capability (only total replacement under warranty) and very little to no parts availability.

Others require you to ship or transport the generator to their nearest repair facility hundreds/thousands of miles away. I'd venture to say many would simply settle for a paper-weight than deal with the cost/hassles of packing, insuring, shipping, and/or transporting a 50-100 lb. generator these kinds of distances.

I don’t think the Onan’s are any better than others, but generally not very quiet. I’d probably go Harbor Freight 3000 if you want a cheap generator for less (around 700 or less on sale) if you want to go big. I’m sure it won’t be as good as a Honda 3000, but still more power than a Honda 2200 although a lot heavier.

The only issue with running a generator that I’ve heard is startup. Otherwise, most can run on ecomode so a easy start kit is money well spent. Fwiw, even large TCs with lots of appliances only include the Onan 2500 LP version, so I’d think 2500 should be plenty.