Generator brands

[dodge man]

I don't use mine at a campground, if I did they would run me off.

 

[timswi]

We have Champions at the sportsmans club to power our portable trap machines for sporting clay events..They work fine. I wouldn't want one in a campground..Too loud. Out in the open they seem fine, once parked next to aluminum and fiberglass billboards they make a racket that is unreal...The ~3k Honda and Yamaha ones have a light hum in the low to mid 60DB range..I'm thinking the Champion is easily in the 70's at least. Probably very similar to the one I have--Too loud for camping use...Out in the boonies by your self, fine. Camping with others, go for the good quiet stuff...They might even offer you a beer instead of throwing one at your camper.

 

[3930dave]

May have been mentioned already.... Champion has inverter models, and I think (?) they are designed to be paralleled to increase capacity. But yeah, in the Super Quiet/Reliable/Cheap tradeoff game, it's hard to score well on all 3, at least in stock form.

If you are willing to consider Used, some RV generators don't see a lot of hours. If you can find an RV being parted out (wreck, blown trani.....) then you may be able to find something like an Onan for a decent price. Basic tuneup and worst case a carb kit and you can have a decent RV generator for a reasonable price. This approach can also give you fuel options (gas, propane, diesel - usually not at the same time though ).

Rgds, D.

 

[PILOON]

I had occasion to service a 6000 watt Champion that was going to be scrapped.
It showed over 800 hours of very hard usage on a construction site and I needed to strip it down and pulled the head.
I could not believe what I saw inside that engine. It was in super nice condition and about as perfect as you would ever want a high usage engine to be. Cylinder, piston rings etc absolutely perfect.
Frankly I actually expected to find a disaster and was very surprised as I have opened many a small engine with way much less hours that were really trashed out.
I re-assembled, fired it up and it simply purrs.

As to sound levels, there you are on your own as I simply wanted to pass on my observations as to brand quality.
I once simply added a couple of feet of flex pipe that I used to deflect the exhaust into a shallow hole in the ground (maybe 1.5 ft wide by 1.5 ft deep) and at 8 ft distance all you could hear were clacking valves and very little other engine sounds.
Old carpeting as an inner lining of an enclosure also absorbs lots of noise, just be sure that adequate air space is there for cooling or maybe add a fan.

 

[creekbend]

I agree that the Honda models are expensive and cost prohibitive, but Everyone that I know that has One, swears by their dependability.

 

[CurlyDave]

The guys I hunt with have pretty much switched from tents to trailers as we got older. Toy haulers are good for hunting because we can sleep 4 guys in one.

A few of us have Champion generators, but Honda EU 2000s are more common.

I have been impressed by how well the Champions start, especially in cold weather, but the Hondas are nearly as good and are much quieter. Some of us have CPAP machines, and we put our trailers next to each other and run one Honda all night which is good for at least 3 machines, and will keep the batteries charged for 2-3 trailers to use the built-in propane furnaces and keep warm all night too. (The furnace will deplete almost any battery set-up if it gets cold at night.) There are aftermarket supplemental fuel tanks so we can run the Honda all night and not have it empty at 6:00 AM.

This is usually cold weather camping and we do not need any Air Conditioning. The Honda EU 2000 has enough oomph to run your choice of: Microwave, Coffee Pot, or Toaster, but won't run more than one at a time. The morning drill is coffee first, then toaster, then Microwave if anyone wants it. I got a coffee pot with a thermal carafe which keeps it warm until noon with no power required.

We sometimes use the toy hauler for summer gatherings, but only at places which have electrical hookups. That way we can run the A/C. No formal campground will let anyone run a generator after 8 or 9PM.

 

[3930dave]

I had occasion to service a 6000 watt Champion that was going to be scrapped.
It showed over 800 hours of very hard usage on a construction site and I needed to strip it down and pulled the head.
I could not believe what I saw inside that engine. It was in super nice condition and about as perfect as you would ever want a high usage engine to be. Cylinder, piston rings etc absolutely perfect.
Frankly I actually expected to find a disaster and was very surprised as I have opened many a small engine with way much less hours that were really trashed out.
I re-assembled, fired it up and it simply purrs.

As to sound levels, there you are on your own as I simply wanted to pass on my observations as to brand quality.
I once simply added a couple of feet of flex pipe that I used to deflect the exhaust into a shallow hole in the ground (maybe 1.5 ft wide by 1.5 ft deep) and at 8 ft distance all you could hear were clacking valves and very little other engine sounds.
Old carpeting as an inner lining of an enclosure also absorbs lots of noise, just be sure that adequate air space is there for cooling or maybe add a fan.

If I remember right Piloon, you passed that generator along to a friend shortly after that, to deal with an extended power outage. As I recall, it ran like a Champ ! :thumbsup: Pun intended.

Curious about your hole-in-the-ground technique.... any baffling or cover on the hole ? Last generator I bought was a 7kw Briggs (Honda wouldn't fit my budget), knowing I would eventually enhance the exhaust for quieter performance.

Quiet has always been a big priority with Honda Gens. My FIL described how quiet they were, running them in the jungle doing Survey work, and that's roughly 40 years ago.

One option for higher end generators is to check with a reputable local Tool Rental - local Mom and Pop's may be easier to approach than chains (?). They often sell off their generators every once in a while. Any decent shop will have maintained them well (better than many private owners) and if you can live with light scratches and dings, you can save money wrt. New. A mechanic friend bought a 3kw Honda that way, from a privately owned Tool Rental that he knows well - it does mega duty summers at motocross tracks on weekends - never skips a beat, and sips fuel.

Rgds, D.

 

[joshuabardwell]

I go to some large camping events where generators are common. The Honda EU (inverter) series is, hands down, the best portable generator you can buy. They will absolutely make their full rated wattage, and then some. They are as reliable as they come. And, best of all, they are so quiet. I was once walking on the street in New York and realized that all the food cart vendors had little EU1000 generators running their carts, and you could barely hear it over the street noise. The tradeoff is that they are probably three or four times the price of a comparable-wattage (non-inverter) generator from another manufacturer, so you really have to want it. But if you buy one, you certainly won't regret it.

 

[handirifle]

Wow, I posted this and this is my first visit back. Thanks for a ton of feedback. So from what I am reading, the Honda is still hands down the best for reliability and quiet, but champion ranks in there pretty close for reliability.

This WILL be used mostly for camping, and noise IS a big concern. I too, have had others crank theirs on and blast you out and have no desire to be him. We have single AC unit on our trailer and I am planning a 3KW generator minimum. I want to be able to use the AC should I have to. I know most "campgrounds" have a 9 or 10pm rule, so I guess if it's that hot, I only stop where elec hook ups are available.

The Yamaha inverter 3KW model I looked at, had elec start and some special surge circuits, and it's price was $2500. Man this is going to be a tough call.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

Champion 3100 watt inverter generator, model 7555i might be worth a look. $878.00 on Amazon.
Compared to Honda EU3000iKC which is $2500.00 (almost 3 times as expensive), Champion is only 1db louder, but more powerful with 2800 max continuous watts compared to 2600 max for Honda.
Honda isn't a brand that I hold in such high regard that I would pay that much of a premium just for the name.

 

[CJONE]

The eu3000 can be bought out of KY for 1900 look up rvpartscountry.com. I have a 2000 withcounless hours on it. It runs my camping trailer in summer and the cabin in Canada in the winter. It runs a 60 amp charger that charges a bank of batteries and a 4000 watt inverter that powers the cabin and trailer. The Honda rarely comes off of idle so it is very quiet, most don't realise there is even a generator running until I tell them. If you don't have the money for the Honda or Yammie the Generac is the only other one I have experience with. Get a quiet unit or your neighbors will not appreciate it. CJ

 

[3930dave]

Wow, I posted this and this is my first visit back. Thanks for a ton of feedback. So from what I am reading, the Honda is still hands down the best for reliability and quiet, but champion ranks in there pretty close for reliability.

This WILL be used mostly for camping, and noise IS a big concern. I too, have had others crank theirs on and blast you out and have no desire to be him. We have single AC unit on our trailer and I am planning a 3KW generator minimum. I want to be able to use the AC should I have to. I know most "campgrounds" have a 9 or 10pm rule, so I guess if it's that hot, I only stop where elec hook ups are available.

The Yamaha inverter 3KW model I looked at, had elec start and some special surge circuits, and it's price was $2500. Man this is going to be a tough call.

Cost wise, I'd have a look at, and do deeper research on the Champion inverter gens. They are at least 10 dbA quieter than their traditional gens. The 2kw inverter ones are listed as parallel capable - personally, for the type of application you are looking at, I'd take a serious look at buying two of the 2kw inverter units. You'd have 4kw when you needed it (AC headroom), but only have to run one for lighter loads.

2 units will give you a redundant backup, and the convenience of being able to alternate fuel tanks when running lighter loads - if one ran out in the middle of cooking a meal, you just pull-start the other. One time I object to handling gasoline is when I'm handling food - I'm a gear-head, but prefer to keep fuel and food separate.

About the only spec on those that I'd like to see different is a larger fuel tank.

I hear good things about Yamaha gens; I just don't see many of them as they haven't been widely distributed as long as the Hondas have been.

Have fun shopping around, and let us know what you settle on.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

The eu3000 can be bought out of KY for 1900 look up rvpartscountry.com. I have a 2000 withcounless hours on it. It runs my camping trailer in summer and the cabin in Canada in the winter. It runs a 60 amp charger that charges a bank of batteries and a 4000 watt inverter that powers the cabin and trailer. The Honda rarely comes off of idle so it is very quiet, most don't realise there is even a generator running until I tell them. If you don't have the money for the Honda or Yammie the Generac is the only other one I have experience with. Get a quiet unit or your neighbors will not appreciate it. CJ

My buddy has one of those 3000s - it's a great generator, and I only hear good things about the smaller ones. If it fits your budget, they are great choices.

Rgds, D.

 

[nirion]

Has anyone used the Ryobi inverter generators they sell at Home Depot? A couple hundred watts more running power and they can be run in parallel. 4.5 stars from reviews on the web site and only $599 each.

Ryobi 2200-Watt Gasoline Powered Digital Inverter Generator-RYI2200 at The Home Depot

 

[Diamondpilot]

Wow, I posted this and this is my first visit back. Thanks for a ton of feedback. So from what I am reading, the Honda is still hands down the best for reliability and quiet, but champion ranks in there pretty close for reliability.

This WILL be used mostly for camping, and noise IS a big concern. I too, have had others crank theirs on and blast you out and have no desire to be him. We have single AC unit on our trailer and I am planning a 3KW generator minimum. I want to be able to use the AC should I have to. I know most "campgrounds" have a 9 or 10pm rule, so I guess if it's that hot, I only stop where elec hook ups are available.

The Yamaha inverter 3KW model I looked at, had elec start and some special surge circuits, and it's price was $2500. Man this is going to be a tough call.

I actually built a slide in rack under a 5th wheel camper for one of my customers to house a Champion 3500 watt unit. He and his family has since spent better than 50 nights using it since 2009. It just works out to a steady hum that can't hardly be heard in the camper above the ac unit itself.

Chris

 

[Travelover]

Has anyone used the Ryobi inverter generators they sell at Home Depot? A couple hundred watts more running power and they can be run in parallel. 4.5 stars from reviews on the web site and only $599 each.

Ryobi 2200-Watt Gasoline Powered Digital Inverter Generator-RYI2200 at The Home Depot

The reviews on the HD site are surprisingly good. It seems logical that someone could make a generator as good or nearly as good as the Honda for less money.

 

[handirifle]

Looking at the Champion web site they do NOT list an RV AC unit as something it will power. I wonder why that is?

 

[3930dave]

Looking at the Champion web site they do NOT list an RV AC unit as something it will power. I wonder why that is?

Not sure which model you are looking at. In terms of an official factory rating, 3kw units are somewhat light for all of today's RV ACs - many of them are not small.

That's part of why I suggested dual 2kw units - there is an example of one guy using them on his RV in these reviews - see the Jan 12 review.

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Champion Power Equipment 73536i 2,000 Watt 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator (CARB Compliant)

Rgds, D.

 

[sparc]

Has anyone used the Ryobi 2000w inverter generator?
Wondering how it stacks up to the Honda or other models.

I have a big Generac for the house. Been thinking about something more portable
That could run a power tool in the field and would also be friendly to computers and other electronics by creating clean power.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Honda isn't a brand that I hold in such high regard that I would pay that much of a premium just for the name.

I basically agree, but until recently, Honda has been pretty much the only game in town if you wanted an inverter that wasn't a cheap-o Chinese knock-off. Yamaha has been coming up fast, but they're priced comparably to Honda. Maybe Champion is going to finally break the glass ceiling. A 2800 Watt continuous inverter genny for $900 is a heck of a deal.