Which generator do you recommend?

Thanks for responding. So many time OP's will just disappear.

Yamaha, Honda, Champion and Powerhouse are thte 4 contenders here. This gives me a good starting point, and can immediately rull out the construction type generators sold at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. This in itself is GREAT help.

I'm finally at the age where I've learned being cheap is .. well .. a cheap way to go and I usually end up getting what I pay for. I don't mind paying the price, as long as the price is really worth it and I'm really getting what I expect.

My Outback is brand new. I have it for 1 month now. This is a 5 day week-end for us, and this is also our 4th trip. We camp primarily at State Parks so always have shore power, which is never an issue.

But just like flashlight tucked away in the glove box of your car, you may never need it, but the one time you do, you're sure glad you kept fresh batteries in it! That's how I feel about the camper. Chances are we may never use a generator with the camper, but the one time we will HAVE to, every penny spent for a quality power source will be money well spent.

FYI, when I ran my King Kraft generator with my camper, yes... the refrigerator was on electric, I'm sure the power converter is running, and the Air Conditioner is running. When the Air is off, the trailer is pulling a constant 3 amps (I figure it's the refrigerator. When I put the refrigerator on "gas" only, my Surge-Guard surge protector says zero amps. So it is possible, if I ran the refrigerator on gas, my King Kraft (loud as it is ... it's just a lawnmower engine with generator on it) ... would power the air conditoner.

Still, would like to invest in something that would service the camper 100%, and for those times we looses power at the house (which happens a few times a year, considering we live in the country), a second generator would come in real handy too.

So,I'd like to thank everyone (so far) on all your responses. As said in my original post, I'm looking to purchase in April 2014, which will give me all winter to save up a couple thousand $$$ for this ... Like I said, I don't mind paying the price .. as long as it does what I'm expecting. Like my truck, the generator services more than just the trailer.

Vapor_Trails wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
I still don't quite understand the use of two 2,000s. one yamaha EF2400iS should run the AC, is lighter than 2/2000s, cheaper, etc.
bumpy

EF2400 is just BARELY enough to efficiently run everything. However, I may have bought one had it been available at the time I bought my first EU2000.

that's exactly what I want. something that will run my stuff, and it is OK if the water heater is not in use with my AC.
bumpy

Bumpyroad wrote:
I still don't quite understand the use of two 2,000s. one yamaha EF2400iS should run the AC, is lighter than 2/2000s, cheaper, etc.
bumpy

EF2400 is just BARELY enough to efficiently run everything. However, I may have bought one had it been available at the time I bought my first EU2000.

Bumpyroad wrote:
I still don't quite understand the use of two 2,000s. one yamaha EF2400iS should run the AC, is lighter than 2/2000s, cheaper, etc.
bumpy

There are a lot of threads about the 2400 watt Yamaha and A/Cs. It can be a lucky throw of the dice if it works or not, mainly due to the inrush current, then the inrush current from a compressor with full head pressure. Even 3000 watt generators can be dicey with some 15k A/C units.

The two 2000 watt Honda generators run at 3500 watts, which is enough headroom to handle all the locked rotor amps most RV A/C units can throw at it. If one needs more wattage, Wise Sales sells a three-way parallel kit. If one needs even more wattage, YouTube has people running four or more Hondas in parallel.

One fact I remember from a friend of mine who does marine generator service (Kohlers mainly) -- a generator runs best at around half load. So, after an A/C starts, a 3000 watt generator is at a good point to be at, similar with two 2000 watt generators.

Bumpyroad wrote:
I still don't quite understand the use of two 2,000s. one yamaha EF2400iS should run the AC

Not the OP's. IMHO no generator should be run near its max output for too long.

There are times of the year where a RV user may only need one 2000 watt generator. Example, the winter time when no AC is needed, the odds of needing more than one 2000 watt generator is slim. When you need AC, you may need a second generator. Besides, each one is much lighter than a 2400 watt generator. As some of us get older, we may not be able to lift and move the larger generator.

I still don't quite understand the use of two 2,000s. one yamaha EF2400iS should run the AC, is lighter than 2/2000s, cheaper, etc.
bumpy

Atlee wrote:
I also bought an extended run fuel tank. With the extended run tank, I can run both gennys at max output for about 8 hours before refueling.

Your aux tank must be pretty small. I bought the 6-gallon one from Wise Sales and I've gotten nearly 30 hours running both EU2000's and the AC out in the desert.

smkettner wrote:
There must be something else on besides the air. Low batteries? Water heater? Fridge?

I agree with smkkettner but would add one more check for the battery charger. On my trailer I have to open the breaker box and turn off the breaker for the charger before I can run something like the microwave. So it stands to reason that the same thing might be affecting your attempt to run the AC.