Yamaha 2000W Generator - Is This A Pricing Error?

[996Pilot]

Just was at Costco and always looking for the deal. Yamaha 2000W (1600W continuous) generator for $499.00. That's the best price I've seen on this by about $200. Have they come down that much or is Costco running one of those once-and-done deals?

[Kayteg1]

SidecarFlip wrote:


Had the same issue with my portable compressor (no start) off my old 2800I and certainly no start on the champ but then keep in mind that starting amperage on any capacitor start induction run motor is 3 times running amperage and small compressors are notoriously hard starters anyway.

I bought a little Senco compressor on Amazon (99 bucks) that the champ will start. Fine for airing up tires in the woods so long as you aren't in a hurry.

I bought older brother of THIS COMPRESSOR about 15 years ago to inflate air suspension on motorhome and still have it in my garage as I like to use oil-less for tire inflation.
When my new truck come with build-in 400W inverter - one of the first things to check was running the compressor off it.
IT WORKS. Compressor is rated at 2 amp. It is slow, but I am not at race track.

[SidecarFlip]

ticki2 wrote:
It should not be assumed that the engine used in the AI generator is the same engine used in the Yamaha generator . I have seen this more than once with brand labeling .

Not sure who Yamaha has building their single cylinder vocational engines, could be Lifan for all I know. Yamaha builds motorcycle and ATV engines but don't think they build vocational engines.

I do know that Lifan builds the engines HF uses in their inverter genny's but not the Predator series.

The Japanese and Chinese are very closed mouth about who builds what and always have been.

Small engines today, are all pretty reliable, no matter who or where they are built.

I have one of those 99 bucks HF Predator engines on a roto tiller and I've beat on it for over 3 years now and it runs fine. Conversely, the tiller came with a Honda GC engine that I blew up in less than a year, put the rod through the side so anyone can be good or bad.

[SidecarFlip]

jaycocreek wrote:

Yamaha 2000W Generator - Is This A Pricing Error?

I don't think so..It appears the suggested retail price is $600+ as Northern tool sells them for $699..The Costco price is a good one for the AI with the Yamaha engine.

Sidecar..Seems we do things similarly..I use enough gun from a BFR 45-70 wheelgun to .375 H&H and a bunch in between.

As far as generators go,I have a dewalt double tank air compressor that none of my generators will start,even the Generac 4000XL that is supposed to surge to 5K will not take the surge power the Dewalt wants to start yet it runs off a 110 outlet..So I just bought a smaller compressor to take with me in the case I need a compressor..

Had the same issue with my portable compressor (no start) off my old 2800I and certainly no start on the champ but then keep in mind that starting amperage on any capacitor start induction run motor is 3 times running amperage and small compressors are notoriously hard starters anyway.

I bought a little Senco compressor on Amazon (99 bucks) that the champ will start. Fine for airing up tires in the woods so long as you aren't in a hurry.

[ticki2]

It should not be assumed that the engine used in the AI generator is the same engine used in the Yamaha generator . I have seen this more than once with brand labeling .

[jaycocreek]

Yamaha 2000W Generator - Is This A Pricing Error?

I don't think so..It appears the suggested retail price is $600+ as Northern tool sells them for $699..The Costco price is a good one for the AI with the Yamaha engine.

Sidecar..Seems we do things similarly..I use enough gun from a BFR 45-70 wheelgun to .375 H&H and a bunch in between.

As far as generators go,I have a dewalt double tank air compressor that none of my generators will start,even the Generac 4000XL that is supposed to surge to 5K will not take the surge power the Dewalt wants to start yet it runs off a 110 outlet..So I just bought a smaller compressor to take with me in the case I need a compressor..

[SidecarFlip]

Heck, I don't even have a microwave...lol I consider the fridge a luxury. No oven either, just a 2 burner cooktop. I would not have a wet bath if it weren't for my wife. I can do my business in the woods..

Give me a roll of TP and I'm a happy camper.

We usually cook on an open fire anyway. My wife can make some fantastic dutch oven meals.

SOP for us is set the truck and camper in a fairly level spot (I tend to set up in the same spot all the time), I even keep a supply of split dried wood piled there, get the TC level (I take off the tie down's and level the camper with the jacks), deploy the TL Glow steps (best thing I ever got, next to my wife), put out the awning and set up a fire ring, get out the lawn chairs and get a cold beverage and kick back and enjoy the quiet. Usually when we go, it entails some work. I have blinds to maintain, signage to check, trees to cut or move and trails to keep clear. Under the canopy of the forest, it's always cool. Even if it's hot in the sun, always at least 15 degrees cooler in the trees. I usually trailer my quad along, makes chores easier up there.

Not sure I could ever stay in a campground, I would if I had to I guess but my preference is camping alone. My wife and I aren't all that fond of other people and neither of us likes crowds.

If I wasn't older, I'd still camp in a tent with a sleeping bag and everything on my back, just like I did for years when I was an Eagle Scout. Age has taken it's toll on that but I (we) still don't want to have a luxury experience. We can make do just fine with just the necessities. I consider it luxury to have a hot shower available and a bug free space to sleep in. Our sole electronic entertainment is a CCrane radio with weather band and am/fm. Cell phone stays in the glove box in the truck along with the SAT phone....and yes, I'm always armed. One never know what might happen in the boonies.

Now all of you know 'the rest of the story'....

[SidecarFlip]

jaycocreek wrote:

SidecarFlip wrote:
I'm doing a NM Elk hunt in October, that is as far as I want to go and it will be cold, we will be at 8K feet.

While I agree with your not wanting an AC or any part of the desert or hot climates,I have a different take on generators, living in the mountains of Idaho.We are also are many miles(85) away from a Costco or Walmart or any chain store with one dealer in town for chainsaws mostly but he also carries the Honda line...One stop light in our town!

Therefor I get my stuff from him and it does help, his son is one of my sons best buddies and on the Fire department..So I own two Honda generators a 2K and a 3K plus a 4K Generac and a 2-stroke..Just sold my attached Onan...

There is an old saying in the hunting world to use enough gun and that saying should, but does not, carry over into generators meaning why try to make a 2K generator do a 3K generators work, just like why take a .243 on a once in a lifetime Elk hunt...It will work if everything is right but Elk hunting does not give everything is just right shots all the time.

I live to Elk hunt and one reason I live where I do..September bugling is by far my favorite time of the year more fun than killin' them because that is work..We even had a big bull chase my wife out of the woods and she was wearing Muck-lucks(sp)..

So if I think I need AC I will throw in my little 5K window unit that my little Honda just purrs in eco-mode with.

Entirely off thread but....

I live to hunt. It's a consuming hobby, why I own Northern Michigan property so I can hunt there as well. 57 acres of virgin hardwood forest and it's acessdable with the TC (in 4wd of course). Why we have the TC in the first place, for the property. I can spen a week there and not see a soul, we both like solitude and no people. Just forest creatures milling about when we go to bed and it's so dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face, just fine with me.

Me, I always take enough gun. Have a nice selection of 'tools' for different scenario's. Everything from a 460 Smith XVVR wheel gun to a 3338 Lapua and everything in between. and I handload everything, I actually build loads for the entire hunting group, I've been hunting with the same 3 guys forever.

Don't think we have consumed store bought meat in at least 10 years, maybe longer and we grow all our own vegetables too, just crocked up 15 gallons of cabbage for sauerkraut.

I found out real quick that my Lance was a no go. Just too high to negotiate seasonal roads in a forest setting. As it is, every year I have to trim my way in first time.

You live in suburbia. We don't even have a stoplight, just a 4 way stop and no stores to amount to anything, just a gas station and a couple taverns and a Post Office. Nearest town of any consequence is 25 miles away and farming and raising livestock kind of limits out 'adventures' anyway. Farming is a hands on occupation, 24/7/365.

Planning on going to Maine in September, we will see how that plays out. We have to pre arrange any trip, someone has to be here to feed the stock, water it and take care of daily chores.

[pnichols]

jaycocreek wrote:
There is an old saying in the hunting world to use enough gun and that saying should, but does not, carry over into generators meaning why try to make a 2K generator do a 3K generators work, just like why take a .243 on a once in a lifetime Elk hunt...It will work if everything is right but Elk hunting does not give everything is just right shots all the time.

Good point!

I guess your point is why our RV has a built-in 4K watt generator in addition to a 650 watt portable generator we carry along, and ... the last time I went hunting it was with a .300 Winchester Magnum. Plenty of power is the name of the game - both electrically and otherwise.

By the way, a generator is not only for A/C or a microwave. What if your RV's propane or diesel heating system should fail during an RV excursion in colder temperatures? You want to go home ... or just use an electric heater powered by your generator?

I believe in RV generators not because I will need them, but because I might need them.

[Kayteg1]

SidecarFlip wrote:


When I bought my new TC, the dealer asked why I didn't opt for ac. Told him I didn't need it. My old / sold Lance had it, think I used it maybe 2 times the whole time I owned it and both times the ac in the TC caused me to contract a cold.

Maybe I should invest in a portable 'swamp cooler' ya think?

I actually keep old RV swamp cooler I got on junk yard 20 years ago.
Still thinking that adding it to AC would be good idea.
Have 2 huge swamp coolers in Las Vegas house and they keep us comfortable with low electric bills.
Why they stop making RV models?????
Fact is that they are efficient in humidity below 30% and even Vegas has days where I have to switch to AC with some weather fronts.
I was camping in Sierra living in San Francisco area. Never used AC there as hot day we spend swimming/jetskiing/waterskiing when nights in California are cold so we would sit around campfire.
I actually removed the 400lb generator I had in 1 of motorhomes as storage was more important for me and carrying the dead weight did not feel well.
But in Nevada, Arizona. Texas you won't survive without AC and those are beautiful places for vacations.
Now thinking loud about enough generators, I wonder if paralleling 3 of 1000W Sportsman would run AC ? 😄
Hard to beat 20lb "pocket generator" in convenience.

[jaycocreek]

SidecarFlip wrote:
I'm doing a NM Elk hunt in October, that is as far as I want to go and it will be cold, we will be at 8K feet.

While I agree with your not wanting an AC or any part of the desert or hot climates,I have a different take on generators, living in the mountains of Idaho.We are also are many miles(85) away from a Costco or Walmart or any chain store with one dealer in town for chainsaws mostly but he also carries the Honda line...One stop light in our town!

Therefor I get my stuff from him and it does help, his son is one of my sons best buddies and on the Fire department..So I own two Honda generators a 2K and a 3K plus a 4K Generac and a 2-stroke..Just sold my attached Onan...

There is an old saying in the hunting world to use enough gun and that saying should, but does not, carry over into generators meaning why try to make a 2K generator do a 3K generators work, just like why take a .243 on a once in a lifetime Elk hunt...It will work if everything is right but Elk hunting does not give everything is just right shots all the time.

I live to Elk hunt and one reason I live where I do..September bugling is by far my favorite time of the year more fun than killin' them because that is work..We even had a big bull chase my wife out of the woods and she was wearing Muck-lucks(sp)..

So if I think I need AC I will throw in my little 5K window unit that my little Honda just purrs in eco-mode with.

[SidecarFlip]

Kayteg1 wrote:

Buzzcut1 wrote:
They were on the shelf 8 deep at my Local Costco yesterday. you shouldn't make such sweeping generalizations

So you'd send fellow member in Oregon for 100 miles drive to save $9 shipping charge?

Hey Flip, come over to my place and see how you will do without AC?
It cooled down yesterday due the sand storm, but this week we go back to 115F
Nights can drop below 100 thought. Usually about 5 AM.

I'll pass. I've never been a fan of desert climes and the last time I was out your way (hunting), I distinctly remember how bad the water tasted. My idea of RV'ing is heading north, north, not south.

I'm doing a NM Elk hunt in October, that is as far as I want to go and it will be cold, we will be at 8K feet.

When I bought my new TC, the dealer asked why I didn't opt for ac. Told him I didn't need it. My old / sold Lance had it, think I used it maybe 2 times the whole time I owned it and both times the ac in the TC caused me to contract a cold.

Maybe I should invest in a portable 'swamp cooler' ya think?

[SidecarFlip]

jimh425 wrote:
Sideflip, selectively pure, you aren't under the stars with a bed roll. Doesnt sound like you need a generator of any type ... well, unless the Dewalt needs a charge.

Actually, I do need a genny. While I don't have ac (which I consider unnecessary because we camp in the Michigan woods most of the time or in moderate northern climates), I need a genny to top off my batteries because I sleep on a CPAP machine every night. Consequently, the CPAP machine pulls the batteries down. My machine isn't capable of direct plug into 12 volt power so I have a 1500 watt PSW inverter that runs the machine, a necessary evil that requires a genny to charge the house batteries back up.

My regimen usually is, run the genny in ECO mode for a couple hours during the evening around dinner time and shut it off and... I bought the Champ because it fits nicely in the shower pan in the bathroom, out of sight and mind. My old / sold Yamaha 2800I would never fit in that space. Typically, one tank of gas lasts a week.

So yes, I do (need a genny) but nothing large. The cheapo Champ fits my needs quite nicely and I like the pismuckle yellow case it's in too. So far (3 years now) been as reliable as my wife is.:B

[3_tons]

D.E.Bishop wrote:
Trouble is, we're on the Oregon Coast and Costco is 100 miles away.

I don’t feel too sorry for you - lol !!

[jimh406]

Sideflip, selectively pure, you aren't under the stars with a bed roll. Doesnt sound like you need a generator of any type ... well, unless the Dewalt needs a charge.