Generator Question...which one?

[Tikkamike]

I recently bought my first camper..or travel trailer.. not sure what the correct lingo is... Anyways its a 2000 22' Terry. It has A/C fridge microwave and all the stuff I think they all come with standard. I am trying to figure out 2 things. First.. What size generator do I need to run everything? and Secondly what generator do I buy? I am not going to spend thousands on a generator, I wont be spending much time in camp grounds this is mainly for hunting so itll be finding a flat spot out in the hills/mtns and setting up. I would like the generator to be as quiet as possible but im not willing to pay honda prices.. my main concern is a good and adequate generator.

[Sunbird]

The fridge will run on propane.
Do you need AC in the hunting season?
The stove runs on propane,starvation is not a danger.
The water heater will run on propane.

Solar panels are dead silent

[stevec22]

Dog Trainer wrote:
I have the champion 3100 I bought it at Lowes for 845.00 They advertise it in the online cat. The sales person had to look it up and order it Lowes shipped to my home. As a Veteran I use my Vet ID to get and additional 10% off. The champion 3100 is quiet and for light use has a quiet mode. It also had a 30 plug in and a battery charge circuit. I think it is a nice unit for the price.

Does the Champion 3100 let you run the AC without straining?


I am debating whether to get two 2000 watt generators or one 3k.

[Dog_Trainer]

I have the champion 3100 I bought it at Lowes for 845.00 They advertise it in the online cat. The sales person had to look it up and order it Lowes shipped to my home. As a Veteran I use my Vet ID to get and additional 10% off. The champion 3100 is quiet and for light use has a quiet mode. It also had a 30 plug in and a battery charge circuit. I think it is a nice unit for the price.

[Sandia_Man]

Congrats on the TT purchase, hope you have many wonderful trips ahead. Using the parameters you set in your post you are a perfect candidate for a Champion generator, it will run pretty much your entire rig should you need to do so. It is a popular choice here on the forum and customer service has been reported to be very good. It is quieter than most open frame construction type generators although that won't be much of an issue with the way you plan to use your trailer. Happy Camping!!!

[MWJones]

Tikkamike:

Google "portable generators". There will be LOTS of offerings.
Look,Look and Look. I found a Super bargin online. Duro Max open frame
4500 Watts for $249.00 with freight paid. New in unopened box!!
Out of Ca. in three days to my house. Bargins are there but you have to LOOK !

[TInmania]

Dakota98 wrote:


The two 2000 watt Champions, as 'refurbs" run $819 total.

Yes and for a year 2000 22' travel trailer. Okay, that is gonna happen.

Not to mention they are together heavier and louder than a Champion 4000. The OP already mention he would not be at campgrounds.




Michael

[Dakota98]

TInmania wrote:

Dakota98 wrote:
Yes, you can get a nice Champion 4000 watt for that kind of money, but it will not be an Inverter type & it is a "open frame" contractors type of genny, along with the fact they are HEAVY.

Just my opinion, but two 2000 watt inverters will satisfy all of your needs, at all times. They are the best option for open environment camping & camp grounds & home use.

Of course it is open frame, hence why I mentioned it as an option if you can forgo noise.

He said cost was a concern. That rules out two 2k inverter generators in my opinion. They would likely cost nearly as much as the OP's travel trailer. Let's be realistic here.



Michael

Michael,

The two 2000 watt Champions, as 'refurbs" run $819 total.

Are you calling my 2000 22' Nomad ... cheap ? :B

[TInmania]

ScottG wrote:
There two ways to look at this. Do you want to use your RV like it's plugged in to shore power without having to consider how much your loading your gen? If so then your going to need a large, very expensive inverter gen or two.
Most of us learn to pick our loads and switch between items. We don't have to run the micro at the same time as the AC. We pick between them and other high current items we want to run. Doing that you can get away with much less (less expensive) generator(s).

I think you have cut to the jist of it: you can't have it all and at a low cost.

I get by with a Yamaha EF2800 inverter generator. No, I can't run "it all." I can if I don't need the ac. But if ac is needed the fridge gets forced to propane and just about everything else is turned off. Granted, once the ac is running I can even run the microwave. But never when the ac is starting.



Michael

[ScottG]

There two ways to look at this. Do you want to use your RV like it's plugged in to shore power without having to consider how much your loading your gen? If so then your going to need a large, very expensive inverter gen or two.
Most of us learn to pick our loads and switch between items. We don't have to run the micro at the same time as the AC. We pick between them and other high current items we want to run. Doing that you can get away with much less (less expensive) generator(s).

[TInmania]

Dakota98 wrote:
Yes, you can get a nice Champion 4000 watt for that kind of money, but it will not be an Inverter type & it is a "open frame" contractors type of genny, along with the fact they are HEAVY.

Just my opinion, but two 2000 watt inverters will satisfy all of your needs, at all times. They are the best option for open environment camping & camp grounds & home use.

Of course it is open frame, hence why I mentioned it as an option if you can forgo noise.

He said cost was a concern. That rules out two 2k inverter generators in my opinion. They would likely cost nearly as much as the OP's travel trailer. Let's be realistic here.



Michael

[Dakota98]

Tikkamike

On another note. Your TT, being a 2000 model probably has a converter that is inadequate for charging the battery system, unless of course it has been replaced with a newer type of converter with 3-4 stage charge function.

I would recommend getting a good portable "smart" battery charger to maintain the batteries while camping & otherwise. Used in conjunction with the generator, you've got everything you'll need.

THIS ONE is highly regarded on the Forum.

[Tikkamike]

Yes its a 30amp service. Thanks for the numerous tips. I tried looking around on here for different threads about generators but havent quite learned to navigate the site yet.. thanks again

[Dakota98]

TInmania wrote:

Tikkamike wrote:
I recently bought my first camper..or travel trailer.. not sure what the correct lingo is... Anyways its a 2000 22' Terry. It has A/C fridge microwave and all the stuff I think they all come with standard. I am trying to figure out 2 things. First.. What size generator do I need to run everything? and Secondly what generator do I buy? I am not going to spend thousands on a generator, I wont be spending much time in camp grounds this is mainly for hunting so itll be finding a flat spot out in the hills/mtns and setting up. I would like the generator to be as quiet as possible but im not willing to pay honda prices.. my main concern is a good and adequate generator.

If you want to be able to run "everything" AND quiet that means an inverter generator at 3,000 watts or higher. Those will be expensive. The least expensive in that arena would be a Champion 3100 inverter, which can be found for around $800-$900.

Aside from that you can either forgo noise or output for less money. A Champion 4000 can be had for around $300 but it will be louder.

A Hyundai 2200w peak inverter generator "might" run your ac but that would be about it. That would run 500-600 dollars or so.

Running the ac is the biggest challenge, generator-wise.



Michael

Yes, you can get a nice Champion 4000 watt for that kind of money, but it will not be an Inverter type & it is a "open frame" contractors type of genny, along with the fact they are HEAVY.

Just my opinion, but two 2000 watt inverters will satisfy all of your needs, at all times. They are the best option for open environment camping & camp grounds & home use.

[TInmania]

Tikkamike wrote:
I recently bought my first camper..or travel trailer.. not sure what the correct lingo is... Anyways its a 2000 22' Terry. It has A/C fridge microwave and all the stuff I think they all come with standard. I am trying to figure out 2 things. First.. What size generator do I need to run everything? and Secondly what generator do I buy? I am not going to spend thousands on a generator, I wont be spending much time in camp grounds this is mainly for hunting so itll be finding a flat spot out in the hills/mtns and setting up. I would like the generator to be as quiet as possible but im not willing to pay honda prices.. my main concern is a good and adequate generator.

If you want to be able to run "everything" AND quiet that means an inverter generator at 3,000 watts or higher. Those will be expensive. The least expensive in that arena would be a Champion 3100 inverter, which can be found for around $800-$900.

Aside from that you can either forgo noise or output for less money. A Champion 4000 can be had for around $300 but it will be louder.

A Hyundai 2200w peak inverter generator "might" run your ac but that would be about it. That would run 500-600 dollars or so.

Running the ac is the biggest challenge, generator-wise.



Michael

[time2roll]

Do you need air conditioning and microwave? If not go solar.