ALL RV GENERATORS HERE!!!! RVGenset.com Magnetic Dipsticks! amzn.to/1T5CblW 2000W INVERTER GENERATORS *Champion amzn.to/1MwHkn6 *Briggs & Stratton amzn.to/1qsRU4h *Generac amzn.to/22xWdHu *Westinghouse amzn.to/264uXVT *WEN (Cheap!) amzn.to/1Nbpp5z *DuroMax (Who?) amzn.to/1RXlp92 *PowerHorse (Well reviewed!) amzn.to/1NbriyY *Smarter Tools (Yamaha engine?) amzn.to/1RXocPu *Atima (designed in JAPAN) amzn.to/1Ywk4Xb *PowerStroke (Camoflage!) amzn.to/1YwljWh *Ryobi amzn.to/1MwIpLU *Hyundai amzn.to/264uin7 *Energizer (The Bunny?!) amzn.to/1MwLn31 *Duracell (The Copper Top!) amzn.to/1p2u1PY *Black Max (a Honda knockoff?) amzn.to/1RXp7j0 *Digital (Please, Don't Buy This!) amzn.to/1VtpSTK *Yamaha amzn.to/1qsSoax *Honda (The Gold Standard!) amzn.to/1qKwbp1 2400W INVERTER GENERATORS Yamaha (The Tweener model!) amzn.to/266Djwc 3000W INVERTER GENERATORS *Champion amzn.to/23IZExB *Champion (with REMOTE START!) amzn.to/1MwQXSM *Briggs & Stratton amzn.to/1QaGS8H *Lifan (Who?) amzn.to/1qKwrEg *Boliy amzn.to/1MwRGn7 *Honda amzn.to/23IZC8Z *Yamaha (The One We've Got!) amzn.to/1qsTjaW Questions? Check out the new site. RVGenset.com Loloho e-books amzn.to/1oh2jie Loloho on Facebook Facebook.com/LongLongHoneymoon RV camping gear: *Antisway bar amzn.to/1zi9bgp *Counter Assault Bear Spray amzn.to/1FoY2fk *Oxygenics shower head amzn.to/1Et4Ydr *Inverter generator amzn.to/1Et52dg *LED spotlight amzn.to/1vA6qIW *Sean's Tilley hat amzn.to/1vA6sAB Merrell Jungle Moc shoes goo.gl/WxSYgg *Walkie talkies amzn.to/1vA6wjN *Boeshield T-9 lubricant amzn.to/17zGLFa *Weber portable grill amzn.to/1BdV8eo *Air-Dryr amzn.to/1Et5fwX *OBDII code reader amzn.to/1vA6Dfn *Water “jerry can” amzn.to/1FuuSLU Airstream essentials: *Trailer Aid tire changing ramp amzn.to/17zGXUU *Pink flamingos amzn.to/1LF6Q2U AFFILIATE LINK DISCLOSURE: Friends, making a quality Loloho video is kind of like making sausage - only slightly more violent. It's a ridiculous amount of work that typically involves high dollar camera drops, blue-screen-of-death computer crashes, and at least one angry shotgun wielding old man shouting, “Hey! Get the hell outta here!” Once the final video is posted, rewards here on RUclips are few and far between (unless you are a masochist who enjoys being verbally abused by anonymous trolls). One saving grace is our affiliate links. JUST CLICKING THESE LINKS HELPS TO SUPPORT OUR LITTLE SHOW. Think of this clicking as like tipping - except that it doesn't cost you anything extra! If you eventually make a purchase via one of our affiliate links, we will receive a few pennies (and Sean typically invests these pennies towards duct tape which he uses to patch together his camera gear). Again, it doesn't cost you anything to click these links, and it's a great help to us. As always, safe travels, happy camping, and THANK YOU!
Three years i bought a northern tool 2000 wat powerhouse best t.hing i ever bought and parrel cables come with it. Im buying onemore so i can run my air great generater for 600.00 Rick Taylor
Long Long Honeymoon you missed the one small generator that can power a AC unit. Love your videos though. Such a nice couple. Try the Westinghouse 2500. I love the gas gauge and led display.
After many hours spent reviewing inverter Generators, I decided to go with a Champion 3500 watt dual fuel Generator. I currently have a Honda Eu 2000i and it has performed flawlessly. That said, it will not run my 13.5 BTU AC .I chose the champion because it is dual fuel capable and has the power to run my AC stand alone. Also, the champion is RV ready and I can simply plug in my 30 amp service directly with no adapter. I considered getting the Honda companion unit and running them in parallel. However the cost of the companion and parallel kit was more than the cost of the Champion . Additionally, I'm not keen on carrying gas around in my truck or RV. Gas will eventually go bad and the ethanol damages the carb and fuel system. The Champion will be run strictly on propane which in my opinion is much safer than gas. The Champion will be plumbed to my existing tanks and I will probably carry a spare tank in the truck. I will keep my Honda as a back up as it has served me well. At some point, I'll convert the Honda to propane. Time will tell if I made the correct decision.
We have a Champion 2800W and we love it. It powers our 15K AC with no problems. We keep a meter plugged in and the voltage is constant. I also feel that it's not that loud either. I've never placed it side by side to s Honda or a Yamaha. I did a video on my page with a decibel level app.
Extremely pleased with our Champion #100263 3000W dual-fuel. Propane with an economy mode is very quiet and had no problem running our 13.5K roof a/c unit. Added bonus is that is comes with a shoreline outlet. Only thing I had to do was add an hour meter.
I have a 1000 watt inverter Honda Love it bought it back in 2000 gave it to my Father and bought another one in 2008 paid for itself as there was several power outages it saved out food and made life a little easier Great machine.
I bought the Harbor Freight 3500 inverter generator. Before anyone tells me it’s junk and it won’t last, I know. It was what I could afford at the time. With that being said it’s been a great generator. All summer long I would use it dry camping running everything in the camper to include the A/C. I stay on top of the oil changes and did one carb clean due to some bad gas. I have nothing bad to say about it for now.
dude they are good look at all the reviews. i got one my self and it works great. i did get the replacement warranty . anything goes wrong with it in store swap cant beat it.
I can't tell you how many times I've purchased the cheapest item on the market, took care of it, and it lasted far longer than it should have. Also, I've never purchased a "warranty" and never regretted it.
I’ve been interested in this generator for a while now. How many hours do you have in yours and how often do you do your oil changes if you don’t mind me asking.
Hi! We have been camping for about 13 years and have had the opportunity to try a number of different generators. Our second favorite was our Yamaha 2200 EFI but out top favorite is a Honda 2000 and a Honda 1000 that we link together when we want to use air conditioning. In out testing of various generators we found Honda is the quietest (using sound DB meter at various distances), in voltage testing we also found that the Honda inverter generators have better surge capabilities (maintains their output voltages much better). So in the end I gave back and sold off everything else and kept the Hondas. For battery charging I use a Stanley 40 amp smart charger. For running the A/C we parallel both generators using a Yamaha parallel kit with a standard RV plug connection to be able to use the full combined 25 amp output (way cheaper than the buying a special Honda 20000 watt generator). Another big plus of the Hondas is that they will suck fuel from a larger gas can (great for A/C)
I love the Ryobi 2200i generator because it can run 8 hours on a single gallon of gas. The auto idle causes it to cut back to 400 watts if powering anything up to that wattage and cycles up when necessary. I use (1) 50 watt solar panel to help charge my deep cycle battery for phone charging, and lights fans. The generator is only used for coffee and skillet if raining. Without A/C I have gone 7 days on a gallon of gas.
We bought a Westinghouse WH2000iXLT this year for our new hybrid trailer and it has worked flawlessly so far and is the power we need. Also, it runs at 53-59 db without a heavy load.
So we put the champion to test today!! And it worked beautifully! ! It started up right away! We have a 27ft 2015 coachmen catalina, all the power was on!!! I'm so happy with our choice and I highly recommend it!! Thanks guys!! Happy camping!! ^_^
We rely on solar and a 4 gauge charging wire running from the truck alternator through an isolating solenoid (no voltage drop) to the truck camper with twin group 31 AGM batteries. With light use of power and decent sun, the 80 watt solar panel with a max 3.9 amp seen output will charge the batteries through the course of a summer day. On those cloudy or short winter days, we rely on the truck 160 amp output alternator to do our battery charging whenever we drive, or just idle the truck at the campsite for half an hour. Very quiet, charges fast, no added weight or use of the limited space carting around a generator, idling isn't horrible on fuel, while idling and charging, we can crank up the truck heater and heat the truck camper as a side benefit increasing the efficiency by using that for heating, not the TC furnace. A win win. RVing stimulates the Mother of Invention very nicely. Take care,
IMHO the Champion Power Equipment 100263 Dual Fuel Inverter Generator at 3400 watts is the best bang for the buck for the RV'er. It runs on propane or gas, electric start, comes with the propane regulator and it's quiet. It even has a battery charging cable. At 1/2 the price od a Honda or Yamaha, it's the one I bought and I'm very happy with it!
We have had a Ryobi 2000 / 1600 watt inverter generater since 2013. It hasn't missed a beat, starts first pull every time. For the price and the reliability we have experienced I would definitely recommend it.
Another super well done report and very timely as I am shopping for a generator. The comments were equally helpful to get a broader perspective. Thanks to everyone in the community for chiming in.
I bought a Westinghouse WH2000iXLT with 1800 running watts and 2200 starting watts from Amazon for under $575 over the winter. I just got back from a 9 day boondocking trip with a horse/mule drawn wagon train through central Tennessee and the thing worked flawlessly. We moved our trailers up each day and I ran it every day for at least 3 to 4 hours. It used under 3 gallons of gas for the entire trip. I don't know how it will hold up in the long run, but so far, so good. Started on the first pull every time for the entire trip!
@@brendanclark81 I'm very interested. I got the Honda EU 2000i 3 years ago. It's got the big 30amp, 3 prong twist socket that I think I needed an adapter to connect my standard 30 amp RV power cord to (which I definitely need) and one regular type house socket. I paid 1000 dollars. Now I'm finding supposedly there are other brand very well made units half as expensive, but not sure if they're as quiet and durable as the Honda. For a 1000 dollar Honda I'd really think it come with an hour running meter. Seems like many of the less expensive ones come with more features at half the price or even better. Another excellent feature is dual fuel capable. 2000 watt is enough for us and if I find something I'm selling my Honda to my brother. I think Honda got there name and good reputation and can get away with charging extremely high. Thank goodness for competition and other hard working companies.
@@Hundert1 After a bit more research I ended up buying a WEN 56200i. The Westinghouses had a few reported issues with fuel leaks and saw a couple reviews on the Champions with high voltage (150v) spikes. WEN is identical to the Harbor Freight Predator 2000w model. For $399.99 shipped to the house, $9 for a magnetic oil plug and another $10 for an hour meter, it's a very low priced good quality unit. So far I've run it 4 hours and it is very quiet and smooth.
Thanks for the recommendation, i bought mine years ago because of your reviews (Ef3000ise ).Finally got to use it during hurricane maria in puerto rico. Ran it 24/7 for a month 700 hrs. ( my wife was 7 months pregnant and she said she needed to sleep with ac, i was not going to argue with that jajaj ). My stats: Generator was stoped 5 min for fuel in the morning, it ran 2 fridgefrezzers ( mine and my neighbors) plus lights in my home, at 7 pm toped of fuel tank and it ran all night til morning with 1 fridgefrezzer and 12,000 btu window ac. Consumed 5 gal of gas a day$15 . Oil change every 4 days So thanks. Got it because of fuel efficiency, a must since fuel was in short supply in first weeks . I would recommend it hands down. And don’t skimp on price since this was my only backup better make it quality. Ran the house no problem Had to jump the panel L1 L2 to run the house, so no 240 v ( no hair dryer jaja and only one electrical item at a time ) Anyway thanks for your reviews
I have been using the honda 3000 EUi for 10 years and the first 7 years was on a house boat here in AZ it ran all the time we were on board (AC had to stay on 24 hrs a day) I had a 13,500 ac with an easy start kit. The best part was fuel usage was 5 gals a day, I ran this generator for up to a full week at a time never shutting it off. I have used the best syn oil I could get after break in. I now keep in the back of my truck like you do. The only problems I have had was the pull start rope broke and replacing it is easy but very pricey due to you replace the electric starter and rope assy as one piece. I have had to clean the main jet in the carb 6 or 7 time in all these years. Honda made it very easy to service and I can't think of a time it let me down when I needed it. Love your show keep it going. Thanks Tim and Cheryl in Chandler AZ
I got the champion 2000i. Purchased it at Costco about 6 years ago. Always starts .....very reliable and hasn't let me down. For half the price of a Honda it's the way to go. So far it on par for quality and reliability.
Bought hubby for his birthday and his boondocking trip in the snowy mountains. A P3000 Briggs & Stratton inverter generator. He used it for 4 days, nobody really heard it. It was easy to use everything is included and it has wheels. Love it so far!
I've had a Champion 2000 for 2 years and had no problems. Quiet, efficient, and currently only $400 on Amazon ! Money well spent even though it was $500 when I bought it. Works fine even when putting out 14 amps.
From 2010~2013, I got GREAT service from a Honda Handi 3000 watt inverter generator. It could run everything (fridge, AC, hot water, microwave) pretty much simultaneously on my 2010, Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer. It hiccuped once at altitude (Mammoth Campground at Yellowstone) when the spark plug fouled. I cleaned the spark plug and, had no further problems. I only sold the Honda Handi because I "graduated" to a Super C Class Dynamax DX3-37RB that's equipped with an 8000 watt Quiet Diesel Onan generator. The original cost of the Honda Handi with all the available accessories was about $2500. I sold it for $1700 after using it for four years. I would recommend a Honda generator without reservation. Yes, Hondas (and Yamahas) are expensive but, you get what you pay for. A "bargain generator that dies after two or three seasons was really no bargain.
I have a Generac IQ2000 inverter generator and have been very pleased with the service from it. It is quiet and dependable and can be run in parallel if you require higher wattage. It provides a gauge that shows the amount of load being applied and provides an indication of how long the generator will run at that load with the remaining fuel. I was able to buy mine on sale for just under $300 Canadian Dollars from a large box store so it a very easy purchase to enjoy.
So glad I bought my Honda EU2200i. So quiet and reliable. My truck camper only requires one 15 amp service so it’s perfect. Keep the great vids coming! Happy camping!😃
I have a Honda EU 2000. It has worked without a single problem for 11 years. I live in Colorado where air conditioning is not usually needed, however, I do use the furnace a lot. What I especially like about the Honda is it starts even when camping at 10,000 ft. elevation. I like Honda products because they are reliable.
I have a Honda EU3000IS. I got a deal by buying it on my Home Depot credit card of 24 months no intrest. $2,200.00 out the door. It's nice and quite and fuel efficiantI've had my 13,500 A/C and my 1000watt microwave running at the same time with no problems with multiple lights on at the same time. I keep it in the back of my truck as the 130 pound is mtoo heavy to move around. As long as the truck is on the back side of the trailer you really don't hear the generator running on the front side of the trailer. All in all I am very happy with the Honda Generator. I always use fuel stabilizer because it could be a couple of months between uses, and out here on the west coast the additives in the fuel deteriorate quickly.
i bought one of the new Generac IQ 2000 it worked great for an hour and a half, quiet ,cool led lights, then no output. I returned it for a new one and the second one leaked gas, returned it for a larger Champion that works great. If Generac wants to compete in the premium market maybe a quality product would help them with this task.
Honda EU 2000 I have had one for about 5 years. Very dependable lightweight quiet and runs like a champ. My new Chalet 116TS came with a built in Onan and it is loud. I kept the Honda as well. However I rarely use any generator. Solar recharges my batteries and most of my off the grid camping is done at the beach and I make do without AC.
Well Sean, I bought a 3000 Honda back in 2005. With the exception of getting a bit of dirt in the jet of the carburator, it has been bullet proof. I have never heard a quieter generator in any campground. With a 4 gallon gas tank, it virtually doesn't need attention. But it weighs 145 lb.!!!! I'm now 68 and that has become a problem. I bought a 2000 watt Champion 4 years ago for the same reasons that you are looking now. . Paid around $500 for it from Cabela's. To be honest, I was looking for a reason not to like it. Within a week the fuel valve in the tank started leaking. Just knew this thing was junk!!!! So I called there number for service and found that there was two repair shops in less then 20 miles from me. But this looked like a pretty simple fix so I gave them the part numbers which came with the generator and They sent parts to my door in 3 days. So much for bad service!! It has started on the second pull since day one. It is a little noisier then the Honda counter part but not by much. It truthfully is a well built little unit. Easy to handle and start and so far has been reliable. I bought a 3100 Champion last fall for the times that I need AC. It weights in at 95 lbs. Something this old man can still handle. Starts and runs on the second pull like the 2000 watt unit. Way too soon to talk about it's long term reliability. I have to say some what begrudgingly that Champions are a very good unit!!
+Eddie Armacost You know, something I've noticed about Champion is that the owners seem to be happy with them. I think if they were junk we'd be hearing from more unhappy owners. The 3000W Champion with remote start looks almost "too good to be true" at $929. amzn.to/266dSuu Heck, you can hardly buy a 2000W Honda or Yamaha for that price. A remote start alone for our 3000W Yamaha would cost $375 (and then we'd have to install it)! Glad to hear that you are happy with your units. Thanks for your post.
+Long Long Honeymoon Your situation is somewhat different then ours. We keep our 3100 watt generator strapped on a carrier on the back of our 5th wheel all the time. There is a slight vibration while it runs and being attached gives you maximum sound. Not an issue if the AC is running. One sound cancels out the other. If we don't need AC, I like to get the generator as far away from any campers as I can. 50 lb. is a lot easier to move then 95 lb. In your case, you would basically remove any possibility of using your generator in a different way if you stuck with the 3100 model. You have always left your unit in your truck. Is that still your goal. A smaller unit gives you increased flexibility. Just my thoughts..
+Eddie Armacost Yes, what I love about our current setup is the ease of use. All I have to do is connect our Airstream power cord to the generator (a 60 second process) and turn the ignition key. It's very easy for us to pull over for a rest stop and have power immediately (for the microwave, TV, A/C, etc.). I never need to move the generator. I've been thinking about adding a 2000W unit for slightly different scenarios, like when we don't need A/C. But I must admit that the 3000W Champion is priced so attractively that it's tempting to just pay the extra money for it. It looks like the best deal out there.
+Long Long Honeymoon I have both the 2000 and the 3000. The difference in noise is very slight. The difference in fuel consumption is what you would expect. The 2000 has a 1 gal. tank and will run about 8 hrs. with a moderate load. (Charging your batteries). The 3000 has a 1.5 gal capacity and will run the same 8 or 9 hrs. with a moderate load. We enjoy boondocking as much as we can. The issue of always having your truck next to your trailer to charge your batteries would be my biggest concern. When your moving, that is a nice advantage. Not so if you're spending a week in the same location. On another note . You might want to try a suitcase solar panel and do a review. I bought one after a 3 month trip out west in the winter of 14/15. There are a lot state and some federal campgrounds that have restrictions on generators and unusual run times. You might be really surprised at how well they work!!
Long Long Honeymoon kristy and sean I'm about to dive into a Yamaha 3000 Ise 2017 model with 2 hours on the meter for 1000 Sometimes used with balance of warranty says quality with price do go hand in hand Also we have never been to Yellowstone Loved your video on that ! Keep up the good travelling guys !
I now own a Honda EU7000is but it is so expensive. The good is - it lasts almost two nights powering my toy hauler on one tank of gas with the air conditioning. It is very quiet even under load and it has plenty of power. It is so quiet you can carry on a normal conversation standing right next to it when not under load. The bad is that it is very heavy and very expensive. It has never given me a moment's trouble though. I turn the key and press the start button and it's up and running. This is my fourth generator and by far the best. I had a Honeywell, a Champion and a Duromax and they all failed or needed major repairs within three years. I changed the oil in them regularly (30 - 40 hours) and ran them to empty before storing. This is the best generator I've owned to date and hopefully the last.
Yes, I have the EU6500 and you can be very sure that it will retain it's retail value extremely well. I bought mine used at a bargain price with 83 hrs on it and use it for whole house backup. I have seen these on sale used for almost new prices on kijijji and they seem to last about an hour before they are gone. Like all things Honda , they are superbly made- like a fine watch, with clever design being used. If it lasts as long as my 20 year old Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, I will be more than happy. Bottom line, long after the price is forgotten, quality lives on.
I'm Honda or Yamaha, you get what you pay for. We just purchased the same Yamaha EF3000SEB that you have and it was $270 CDN off when we purchased. I have Honda everything but with the sale going on we wanted to take advantage of it. Because of your generator review we now own a Yamaha generator, the caster wheels is a bonus and it fits perfectly under the tonnau cover of my truck, another bonus. Cheers
I bought a pair of Champion 2k's at the end of last year. One was DOA when it arrived. Champion customer service helped diagnose the problem and shipped me a part. I was up and running in a weeks time. Both have served us well since.
+Long Long Honeymoon I should have been more specific. The one that was doa had a bad logic board. The motor started and ran strong,as it still does now. Once diagnosed, it was a quick, painless board swap.
We bought a Champion 2000 watt inverter generator for our winter 2015-2016 trip through the southwest doing a considerable amount of boondocking. Used mostly for keeping batteries topped off. We use one portable Renogy 100 watt suitcase solar panel when its sunny. worked great when we only had the one 12v deep cycle house battery, we added 2 6v golf cart batteries and the solar panel couldn't quite recharge the batteries, hence we needed the generator to help out for about an hour in the morning and the solar can maintain the balance of the day. used the Champion all last season and it performed flawlessly per Rays LoveYourRV video review. I can recommend the Champion.
I have a generac iq 2000, it is spec the same to Honda eu 2000, but costs a few hundred less.I have had mine for 6 months and have 65 hours on the unit. It works very well. I use it for a freezer and a fan when I go fishing over night. And it's a full size deep freezer and a good size fan. It uses 20 percent load all night so I have plenty of power left over. Happy with this purchase.
I purchased a 3500 Watt generator/inverter... 3500 starting watts / 3200 running watts to run my 15K BTU a/c unit on my 5th wheel. One thing missing from all generator ads and reviews is using your generator at different altitudes. Engine power is reduced as the air mass and air fuel ration decreases. Engine power and generator output will be reduced approximately 3 1/2% for every 1000 feet of elevation above sea level. In Prescott, AZ,.. 5500 ft above sea level my 3500 Watt generator looses 19% of its power... 3500 Watts starting becomes 2800 watts and my running watts are 2600 watts, not enough power to run my a/c unit. A high altitude carburetor main jet can be installed, however, if you decide to boon dock below 3500 ft... you must change the reinstall the original carburetor the main jet or face the possibility of damaging the engine. I was able to return the 3500 watt generator and will purchase two smaller generators to allow me to boon dock at any elevation and not worry about changing the carbuertor main jet.
Thanks, that's an excellent point. We have mentioned the importance of altitude in our longer vids, but you are right that everyone should keep it in mind. We often camp at higher altitude areas out West and the difference is quite noticeable.
As a fairly new person at this camping stuff, now since 2011, two years ago I bought what I could afford at the time, the Champion 4000 Watt generator. It emits about 65 db of noise if running under a load. I have a small camper with a 5000 BTU AC (wished it was a bit larger) and I have no problems powering the camper with the Champion. Maybe in the future I can afford one of the more pricey inverter units. Thanks for the article.
Tried all being in business. Most of our clients use the 1000w and 2000W generators for DIY projects and light on sight duties. Therefore any of the stated brands in the video would do. However, if you are looking for the same size generators to be used 8 hours and above daily then I suggest that you go for Honda generators. Don't really recall the last time some customers brought these back for repairs.
Have a 2000i generator. Used it once for a power outage, seemed loud during the quiet of a power outage. Didn't run a full 8 hours without a spare fuel tank. It has sat empty for 6 years with oil, but no fuel to gum the fuel system. The battery, solar panel, and vehicle charging system along with a Rotoverter have worked out better.
We use a Harbor Freight 2000 inverter and love it. knock on wood! $400 and it actually runs our air on medium if nothing else is running and your camper battery is fully charged. Just my 2 cents...
Had a whole house GENERAC 17KW and it had a fantastic warranty, of course the Dealer was 75% of the Solution also. It went south after 99 Hours and about two or three years of use during a few storms. The Dealer took it in and performed a diagnostic and convinced the Company it was a materiel defect and they replaced it free of charge. All I pais was for a tune-up. It was Ken's Electric in Carlisle, PA. Good Dealer.
I have 2 of the Ryobi 2200 inverters hooked together to produce about 4,000. I use them on a toy hauler with 1 15,000btu A/C and it does the job, as long as you don't run a coffe pot, toaster, microwave etc... What i like about this set up, is at night you can shut 1 down and run a single unit for almost 8 hours on a 1 gallon tank. This will keep your batteries charged, phones charged and for those of us using a CPAP, will run that as well.
Sounds like a good setup. Since we now have a 2000W Briggs & Stratton, I'm thinking about picking up a second unit to try the 2 generator approach. We often camp out West where we don't really need A/C, so one 2000W will often cover our needs.
Hi, I purchased the Ryobi 1800-2200 as well about 6 months ago. I knew this would not power our a/c, but my thought was to eventually purchase a 2nd unit and link them to do so. Several reasons for purchasing this unit: 1. I have several Ryobi power tools and like the quality/price 2. It is light enough to easily move about 3. It fits into the storage section of the trailer for transport but is not run in that location. 4.The decibel rating seemed good and I have found it is remarkably quiet. Easily maintain a conversation while in close proximity. We live at sea level in Southern California. There, a single unit does power the microwave and other items in our 20' travel trailer. However, when I take the Ryobi up to the High Sierra's, the power output really seems to drop off with the higher elevations and usually will not power the microwave, even at 4,000-4,500'. I am interested in exploring the idea of making some adjustments to the generator that might restore some of the power drop. Scott, I took a couple friends up to the Sierra's a few months ago. One uses a cpap as well. I plugged a small inverter into a 12v outlet in my trailer and it ran his cpap though the night just fine off the trailer batteries with power to spare. With the exception that I noted earlier, it did top of the batteries fine for the night. Regards, Bob
One thing I have to mention is that if you have a hard wired surge protector ( I have a progressive Industries) make sure you have the ground /common plug to fake out the fault . I had to dry camp overnight and could not get the generator to power up my 5th wheel. Called Progressive and they told me what to do and it worked perfect. I have a Yamaha 2000i and really like it, It has the gas shut off and fuel gage built in. In my case it will run everything but the AC.
My parents use an onan generator which is related to the Cummins engine brand. They purchased it new from a small engine repair shop so we can always go there for parts and service. It was significantly cheaper than comparable Honda and Yamaha products. Note that this is a portable gas inverter, just to clarify as I know onan makes built in RV generators too. They've used it for quite a few years and have never had problems. Good power and quit
I just bought my first RV. It’s very small but has a 13000 BTU air. I bought a Westinghouse 2500 watt unit for just over $500. I haven’t tried it yet but videos I have seen are very promising. There is a very good video “ Will this little unit power 15,000 BTU AC, hot water heater, microwave”. Very informative would like to see you do a review of the Westinghouse because I think it’s a Best Buy.
I purchased two of the the Pulsar PG2300si generators. They came with the parallel connection which has been really nice in connecting our travel trailer to it and running the ac. Price for package was $949 at Walmart. So far we have had no issues and these units seem to be comparable to other 2200 watt generators in this class. I would recommend this package if looking for a good deal and quality.
I still have an old Coleman Powermate Pulse 1850 I picked up a couple years ago on Craigslist for $150. It has a bulletproof B&S engine and works great for charging batteries, running appliances or a small 6k BTU AC. I don't worry about sensitive electronics because I use 12v adapters for my MacBooks, iPads, & iPhones while the vehicle is running and a small pure sine inverter for LED TV and BluRay player. A couple of small pieces of plywood angled at a 45 really cuts down the noise.
We bought the Honda eu2000i for our Rv trailer. It runs everything except our A/C. In our 29’ trailer. We are going to buy the companion this December 2017 so we will be able to run everything. It is so quiet, we love it. I added an external 5 gal gas container for extra run time thru the night when needed. Works great. Thanks for your video on the generators. Your video was a big help to us in making this decision.
Just wanted to say great job on this video. Seems like a lot of people get caught up in the whole branding issue between red, blue and yellow. My own personal thoughts are do your research when thinking about buying an inverter generator and think about longevity of the product. Can't expect a generator that is only a couple of hundred dollars to work like a red, blue or yellow brand. Someone like yourself that is full time can't afford to have issues with a generator because of cheaping out in it's purchase. I own a red one and love how it works meeting my power needs and love how dependable it has been working over these years. Keep up the great reviews!
Wow, as many opinions as there are, generators out there. I guess that means the best generator for you, is the one that suits your intended purpose the most. A good thing we have so much choice, from ' go it alone ' cheap and nasties, to top dollar, range toppers with massive after sales support. From a Kw through 7Kw and beyond to run whatever is needed. Thanks for the excellent vids and information.
I have the Honda EU7000. It will handle both of are 15,000 BTU air-conditioners easily. It's unbelievably quiet, but it is pricey, large and heavy. The good thing is we can use it as a back up generator at home if the power ever goes out.
+James Gibson The Rolls Royce of inverter generators! amzn.to/1Sh73iy That's a very nice unit - I've added it to our master list. Nothing wrong with having a little extra power. If we were shopping for a direct replacement to our 3000W, I would be tempted to go for something like it (or the 4000W Yamaha).
+Long Long Honeymoon The main reason we bought this generator, was because it's fuel injected. We don't have to deal with the problems that comes with having a carbureted generator. Because it is so nice, I worry about it getting stolen. We always chain it up to a tree, and I had a special cover made for it so that it doesn't stand out. The next add on I would like to purchase is a remote start.(If Honda ever releases it). Do you worry about running your generator when it's raining? I have seen some people with "generator tents" over their unit when it is raining. What is your opinion?
Looked at the Honda 2000 when we went to buy a generator but saw the Champion 2000 at about 1/3rd the price and figured it would be worth a go. Into our 4th year now with the Champion 2000w and it has run flawlessly. It has not ever been a problem running anything in our trailer (other then the A/C of course). Always starts on the first or second pull and oil and spark plug changes are simple. Noise in the campsites has never been an issue as we can't hear ours if we are at the next site over and most other sites running the bigger units drown our little 2000 out even as we are sitting in our own site with the Champion 10 feet away. :) Only downside we have found is that there is no "RV Outlet" on the unit to take the 30amp RV plug but it works perfectly fine off the $15 adapter that we already use when at home in our driveway. If we upgrade to a larger unit rather then duplexing with a second 2000, we will have no second thoughts about another Champion but will keep the 2000w either way as a backup/other use machine. Will be interested to see your decision as there is some fantastic advice from your viewers on many different units!Cheers!
I also posted this on another video. Just for your info I purchased a Champion 3500 from Camping World and it runs my 15,000 BTU A/C just fine. I can also charge my battery and run the reefer at the same time. It does not have a digital readout for percentage of usage but in eco mode the RPM sounds like it drops by 50%
love your videos, my wife and I are getting ready to buy our first trailer. I have learned so much I did not even think about when owning a trailer. keep up the good information. I need it and love it. Stay safe and look forward to watching your videos multiple times. thanks
I've had experience with 3 different brands and sizes of generators since 1999. None have been inverter type.The first one was a 5,000 watt Coleman with a Briggs engine. I bought it when we lived in Florida at Sam's Club and paid extra for the 2 year extended warranty. The funny thing is it was like insurance. If you have it, you won't need it. I told my wife at the 20th month of ownership that we really needed to take it out of the box and try it before the warranty ran out. We moved to West Virginia in 2001.When we got here, the (rural) city power hadn't been hooked up yet so we ran on the Coleman 24/7 for 3 weeks solid. I changed the oil every 40 hours as directed and I still have that unit today, (2019). It will still start on the first pull. The only out-of-the-ordinary problem that I had with it was the spark plug eventually wiggled itself out of the aluminum cylinder head stripping the threads on the way but a trip to the shop and $5.00 later, a steel helicoil put my old standby back in service. The only other problem which actually was my fault was the carburetor got gummed up because when I shut it down between uses, I didn't turn off the gas and let it burn out of the bowl and it evaporated into varnish. A half can of Seafoam and 2 hours later, my unsinkable Molly Brown was keeping us afloat once more. Now, I never shut off my generator, I shut off the gas and let the carb run dry. Problem fixed. I had built a box and cord setup where I took a 30 amp twist lock plug that matched the 240 VAC outlet in the generator and wired it to a 15 foot piece of flat 10/4 with ground stranded wire with 2) 4 gang steel outlet boxes bolted back to back. I wired it so that 4 outlets would tap each 120 VAC leg of the generator so I could balance the load between the 2 legs rather than try to run everything off from one leg with the standard 120 VAC outlet supplied. We ran it into a window, closed it as far as possible and stuffed it with towels. We had an octopus of orange extension cords everywhere to the kid's 2 rooms, our bedroom for lights, TV and a window A/C unit and into the kitchen for the fridge, freezer, a light, hot plates and my coffee pot. After I had my garage built, (which is not connected to the house), I wired it with 6/3 with ground wire through 2) 50 amp breakers in my main power box below my power meter. I installed an 8 circuit breaker box in the garage with 6 circuits running the lights, outlets, an inside workshop that I built in the garage and the electric garage door opener. I left 2) 30 amp dedicated circuits for the generator. From these, I wired a 3 contact with ground, (4 total), 50 amp dedicated outlet on the wall below the box which is 4 feet across from the walk through door where the generator stays. I built a 6/3 with ground male to male "suicide cord" to connect the 240 VAC outlet from the generator to the 50 amp outlet on the wall. I got a lot of "dumb ass" hate male the first time I mentioned this on line from electrical purists for the shock hazard involved but the difference between my setup and most others online is that they will unplug a compressor, garage stove or heavy heater to plug in their generators when needed. Mine has a dedicated outlet that NEVER gets unplugged and is NEVER an exposed shock hazard as the outlets are dedicated and used for nothing else. When the power goes out, we 1) shut off all 240 VAC breakers in the house, 2) go outside and shut off the main 200 amp service breaker, 3) go into the garage and start the generator and after a minute of warmup, 4) flip the 2) 30 amp breakers in the garage box and we are back on the road. I keep a box fan on it and plugged into it for air circulation and cooling as it sits in an alcove. I keep the walk in door open and the drive in door open a foot for air circulation but sometimes it gets still and it chokes on it's own exhaust without the fan.. In a state that is floating on an ocean of natural gas, I can't get connected because my father-in-law / neighbor is on my right and his gas meter is 1/4 mile away on the opposite side so there is no unmetered gas in front of my property. If the power goes out in the winter, we have propane gas logs in the fireplace. I have had ongoing, worsening back problems for 40 years. When it got to the point where I couldn't wake the 10 horses with a pull of the rope, it was time to get an electric start unit. Eight years ago, I bought 2) a 7,000 watt TroyBilt unit. It's not an inverter unit but it's frequency and voltage is regulated and has never damaged any of our electronics in 8 years. In your video, there is a woman standing in front of a generator display. Mine isn't the one that she's touching but the one behind her with the label saying, "7,000 watts". The Coleman's 30 amp twistlock outlet had broken years before so I replaced it with a heavier 50 amp unit so my suicide cord plugged right into the TroyBilt right away. With the Coleman unit, I had to run around the house with my volt meter during high draw times like while cooking to be sure that we weren't overloading anything and if we needed hot water, everything had to go off for an hour to heat the 4,500 watt tank. This cost a full gallon of gas in an hour. With this TroyBilt, it runs everything in the house except the 4 ton heat / A/C without even breathing hard as it has an overload capacity of 10,500 watts for 5 minutes so there is more than enough power to start compressors in the window A/C, fridge and freezer. On cool days, I can run the 240VAC blower in the central A/C for air circulation but not the big compressor. We still don't let the hot water tank run all the time but when we need it, we don't have to scrimp in other areas. The only time the TroyBilt left me in the dark was after the 6 year mark, the starter battery went bad. I like this unit because it is within jumper cable distance of my car when parked in the driveway so I don't have to break my back bringing 14 horses out of a coma with the pull rope. it has a "wall wart" transformer charger as it doesn't charge it's own battery. The directions say to leave it plugged in as it will shut off when the battery is fully charged. I called Lowes for another battery. They said it would take 10 days and $98.00 for the same Chinese made junk that came with it. The stock battery is a 12VDC @ 18 amp hour unit like the ones in the portable jump starters. I found an American made 22 amp hour unit that was physically the same size through Amazon for $44.00 with free non-prime delivery and I got it in 3 days. The only downside with this unit is that it is loud and there is no economy throttle setting so it is running at full speed all the time. Luckily, my neighbors are far enough away that it doesn't bother them as they have their own generators to listen to. With our average power draw, we drain the 8 gallon gas tank in 16 to 20 hours. Due to my wife's health, she needs dehumidified, cool air for her lungs. At night if the power is still off, it is real overkill to run the Queen Mary for the window A/C when you only need a rowboat so I bought 3) a Champion 1,400 watt unit with an 80CC engine to run just the window A/C overnight. The A/C has a 4.5 amp draw so I figured that the 1,400 watt surge of the unit would give me the 3X starting power needed. What a disappointment. When we turn on the A/C, the fan starts first. After a few seconds, the compressor kicks on but with the Champion, the compressor stalls, the engine lugs down until the voltage drops low enough to kick out the compressor. This cycles over and over again until you shut it off. If I raise the idle governor to supply the compressor, when it reaches it's set temperature and cuts out, the generator races up to 160 volts which will damage the internal electronics and fan of the A/C unit. It makes a good power supply for remote single power tools, area lighting or even TV's as it actually puts out clean power and is extremely quiet but that's about all. I suppose maybe it would be good for a bare bones camper with a solid state fridge and no A/C. I still have the Coleman unit. I keep it for a backup unit but in 8 years I haven't needed it but I do have my son start it every so often when he visits to keep it limber or I loan it to friends at our church if they need it. In all fairness to Champion, they didn't make digital inverter units when I bought mine so they may be a success story but this wasn't my experience with my old brute force unit. I hope this helps you in some way.
While I love having the duel Honda EU2000. If I did again I would go for the Champions. I have heard not one complaint from anyone who has one. When they first came out I was concerned about service and repair as they were new and unlike Honda / Yamaha there were no local repair centers. This seems to have changed, so I am told. One Champion 2000 would let us run the trailer and IF we needed the AC or a bit more power I would have the second to parallel. But, in almost 10 years I have mostly ever needed one to keep the wife happy! Love the Channel!
+Patrick Dougherty Yes, I'm very impressed by the positive feedback from Champion owners. Everyone seems really happy with their performance. Thanks for your post!
We have 31 ft Toyhauler with a built in 4k Onan. I also have a 3K Honda that I take along when we boon dock. The Honda is great for keeping everything charged watching TV and even sleeping with the AC on, but when you need extra power primarily when AC , microwaves and cooking I fire up the 4K to keep everything going. With the Honda I needed to put wheels on it so I can move it around and at 120+ lbs I do not wish to pick it up by my self and hence the toyhauler has a loading door.
I had the Honda EU2000 when I had my travel trailer. Absolutely loved it. Well engineered, really quiet and to my surprise ran my AC unit! I now own a motorhome and sold the Honda. Big mistake. The motorhome has a built-in 4000 watt Onan generator. Very convenient but super loud! I miss my Honda!
I have 2 2000 watt Ai Power inverter generators, and they have been nothing but trouble. (using in my RV) One leaked oil so badly I had to send it back. One will not power anything other than the WFCO 75 amp converter to charge batteries. If I want to run a microwave, or fireplace I have to hook the 2 together. There's only 2 good things about these generators.. 1. They have an econ switch that idles them down to a quite purr, and 2. They start with half a pull. They are now out of warranty, but when they fail, I will not replace them with the same.
Wife and I settled on an unorthodox route...we have a 30 footer, bunkhouse, 2 AC units, 2 small kids, and we needed a generator for home power outages, so...we got the Honda EU7000...load it very easily actually now, my first attempts was to create a sort of hitch mounted crane lift...this was absurdly more complicated....then realized KISS, and I park in my driveway on a fairly steep hill, borrowed neighbors loading ramps, because of the hill, it loads with ramps perfectly flat...once loaded and tailgage locked, hard to steal! push button start (can get remote start for a couple hundred bucks), fuel injected, and I can when needed in summer run both AC units...but more commonly, 1 AC + converter + any all other appliances as needed. It is a tad overkill for RV use, but we are happy so far, and it worked GREAT for home outages now (couple of them since purchase) .
We have the honda 2000ei and can run everything including our 9200 mach3 roof top a/c in our trailer. It will only run it on low setting but it does it at 4000ft. altitudes which I am very impressed with. Make sure to do regular oil changes and this little generator will perform for many years.
I have a Generac ix2000, and an ETQ 1800i generator. The ETQ is basically the same as a smaller Generac model. The ix2000 works well for everything short of running the AC or my 1 hp air compressor. The air compressor has the same startup issues as an AC unit so that's not surprising. For charging, microwaves, running my residential fridge, etc... it works just fine. The ETQ powers most of the same things as the Generac, but I haven't tested it head to head with the larger model. It takes a little less space and is lighter, so I like to carry it around instead of the ix2000. Neither offer a parallel kit. Both generators are fairly quiet, but not as quiet as the Honda or some other newer models. Both of these generators have a design flaw. They have very small jets in the carb that are easy to clog. When you turn off the generator, it shuts off the fuel and immediately kills the motor. But this leaves fuel in the carb and fuel line. If you don't run them for an extended period, this fuel will evaporate through the jets and clogs them. Then the generator will not start. There are a few ways to avoid this if you are going to store the generator for a long period. Empty the fuel tank and then run the generator until it runs out of fuel. Drain the carb bowl after you shut it off. Or add a switch to leave the generator running after shutting off the fuel and let it run out the fuel. Gas doesn't keep forever and I don't like disassembling the generator to get at the carb, so I usually use the first approach. If the carb gets clogged, you can get the generator working again with carb cleaner. It may take several applications, some priming, and repeated starting before it will run properly. There is a youtube video demonstrating this on a Generac. As long as you keep that one limitation in mind, they usually start on the first or 2nd try when you follow the startup procedure. If you don't need to run two generators in parallel, they work well. At the moment, refurbished ix2000 units can be purchased for around $450 on ebay and Amazon, so they are a pretty good deal.
We've a pair of Honda 2000 inverters, nothing new to this community in that setup. We've been RVing two years and most of the time, as Sean stated, one 2000 is adequate. Most of the time we don't intentionally travel where we'd need our AC on a daily basis. My biggest recommendation would be to keep fresh fuel in you tanks and use fuel stabilizer in the go-juice. So far the Hondas have been very serviceable for our needs.
YOU CAN RUN YOUR RV AIR CONDITIONER WITH A 2000 WATT GENERATOR. It takes about 30 minutes to install a "Hard Start Capacitor" on your RV's air conditioner. The most commonly used one is the Supco SPP6, but Dometic and other AC unit manufacturers sell their own as well (they cost less than $20). RUclips it, Google it, and learn. You'll be able to install your own Hard Start Capacitor, chill out, and hang on to that good ole trusty 2000 watt unit you've had for years.
I currently use a pair of Yamaha 2000W units with a parallel kit. They will run my ac unit,but caution the economy mode must be turned off. As for all other loads, a single unit is all I need. So I usually only run one and alternate them to even out the usage. At about 60 lbs per unit they are easy to move in and out of the truck. And last I have a backup unit if one dies (it's a submarine sailor thing, always have a backup).
I'm curious what would happen if you put just one of them in economy mode. I "might" be a smaller jump to compensate for the ac startup and you could save "a little" gas mileage.
I purchased the Honda EU1000i a month ago. Nice and quiet, but with all that safety cut out devices, there is more to fail. I am not going to get rid of my 900W made in China Harbor Freight special just yet. I like its simplicity. "Piston, Connecting Rod, and Crank." When I use any generator, I always ground it first.
We have a Generac Gp 3000i that we use with our class A coach. I like it because it is quieter and easier on fuel than the on board unit. It powers the 13500 btu ac just fine with the fridge and battery charger but you have to shut down the ac to use the microwave or coffee pot. It is a suitcase style and at about 60 lbs is easy for me to move. The 1 gallon tank is a little small for some but I seldom run it all day anyway and the 4+ hours it runs the ac I feel is a good trade for the smaller and lighter package. Very easy pull start and have had no issues at all with it. At $750 the ability to run the ac really makes the cost over the 2000 watt units a a small price to pay for the added power, especially with comparable fuel consumption at the lower wattage that the 2000 watt units can produce and very similar noise levels.
I bought a Honda EU1000 partly because it fits in the passthru of my small trailer. It is noticeably more quiet than the EU2000 and charges my batteries easily.
Folks on the Airstream forum are liking the "Micro-Air, Easy Start Kit". It's a device that installed inside the A/C shroud on an RV and smooths out the giant surge when the compressor kicks in. Many claim they can now run a 13,500 A/C on a 2000 watt generator. I'm still in the Honda 3000is camp, but a 2000 can also be run from a 5 gal remote tank for days.
Owned the Champion 2000W model for two years sold it & now own the Champion 3100W generator for just under a year. Champion is the best non “big name brand” generator on the market hands down. Champion 3100W runs my RV 15000 BTU AC with no problems at all well worth the price I paid ($649) at Costco during the sale with a 2 year warranty. I decided not to purchase a second Champion 2000W because lugging around two generators is not a thrilling proposition. Champion has a new 3500W model sold now only at Camping World and Cabela’s problem is both of these retailers have this newer unit way OVER PRICED at $1200 it will come down when other retailers get their version of this unit.
+Jello Glue 3500W is a good power output. The times our generator has struggled to run the A/C, we've been in higher altitude climates. We really have about 2800 running Watts.... I think that extra power of a 3500W generator would get the job done in those situations.
+Long Long Honeymoon Yes at high altitude applications the output is less so the new 3500W model should be well suited for your needs. I may upgrade to the 3500W model once its available at Costco or another retailer that has it at an attractive price.
My interest piqued by LLHo mention of the Champion, I researched then bought the 73536i 2kW peak converter to provide AC for everything by the AC (terrific on-line special from Camping World). We like the low noise level of it (identical to the specs of the Honda equivalent) on "Eco" mode. Haven't dry glamped yet where we needed AC, so the only shortcoming of this unit was at 6000 ft where it really struggled w with the power demand of the
I curranty own the Champion 3400W gas with electric/remote start. Purchased the same unit in dual fuel 3400W that I plan to only run on propane due to the reduced emissions & smell. I also recently purchased the Champion parallel kit that I can’t wait to try because I can run my 5th wheel with 50A service if we dry camp. However, for the most part like this summer, I will only carry one generator to run one AC unit when on the road as needed & that’s enough because we will be staying at camping locations with full hookups.
I have the champion 2000. In testing with my 8000 but ac unit. I set it up in my motorcycle lessuree lite camper. 48w/80tall/155 long . Set generator to lowest temp and to on so it wouldn't shut off. Set generator to economic mode on start and left it there. Put a temp gauge in it so I could read it from I. The house . It ran for 11hrs and 45 mins before it shut off. By the way the ramp dropped to 47 degree's and it was low 80's that night. The ac is quiet. Didn't hear gen.was 15' away camping
The wife and I bought a pair of Honda 2000s right after we bought our trailer. The two are an inverter and the Companion. We had thought about a 3000 except for one minor issue: Our tow vehicle was a brute of a 2003 Chevy S-10 with a hard cover over the bed. I know, this sounds crazy but, with a 26 ft trailer that maxes out at 5600lbs total weight, it was within the capabilities of the truck. Anyway, the 3000 was too tall to fit in the back of the truck while the cover was on and we(aka the wife) didn't want to travel without the cover so a smaller unit was needed. We found that the 2000 was low enough to fit under the cover and, since they could be connected together, it gave us enough power, 26 amps, to run everything, including the AC with both while a single could provide power for most everything else. We did find, however, that running an electric wok, microwave and rice cooker at the same time was too much for one. Can we say oops. Anyway, that was four years ago and never a problem with either one. The nice part is that they are quiet, more so than the average person talking, and will run all day on one tank of fuel. Since we upgraded to an SUV for a tow vehicle, the relatively light weight of each has turned out to be a nice bonus that the 3000 wouldn't have given us since the truck has a lower bed than the SUV
champion all the way for mee they have the best service and Network out there I needed apart from one of my genortor s. an they sent the part out no questions asked... awesome company.
We have a Hyundai and absolutely love it! 2800 watts, electric start inverter which does everything. They also have a 2000 watt unit. Just our 2 cents. Speaking of cents, ours only cost us $578.00 on Amazon Prime :-)
I have 2 of the 2000w champions with a parallel kit. We love them! Easy start up and maintenance for them. They run our 15k btu AC no problem. Really like the light weight over a 3100w generator. Also the price of both of them and the parallel kit was comparable to 1 Honda/Yamaha generator. Another added bonus is if one dies you have a back up. My father has the Honda 3100w generator and we did a db noise level test at 4ft with our AC's running. Honda was 84.5db, both champions running was 85.7db. To close to tell without the meter.
As requested, I'd like to leave a comment on my experience with the Briggs and Stratton 2200 watt generator. I purchased two of these with the parallel kit. I planned on using one most of the time (to save on gas) and connecting the other one if I needed to run my ac. The two 2200 watt generators gave me more power for less money than the 3000 watt model so, that was also a bonus. I initially filled with oil and gas and started them both, put them under a load to test in my garage before I moved into my 5th wheel. The first time I actually used them, I had to deal with the neutral and ground not being bonded and my Progressive Industries surge protector would not let power through until I modified a plug end with a jumper to bond the neutral and ground. After that hiccup, I ran them for about 10 hours on July 4th. No problems except I had to fill up the gas tanks every 3 hours. The next day, however, although they both started, one of them kept tripping the overload even when unplugged with no load. I found an authorized dealer who said it had either a bad bearing or rod, and they couldn't get to it for 5 weeks. So, no ac during the hottest time of the year?? I contacted Amazon. I was past my 30 day return window but i figured it won't hurt to ask. I suspect that since I've spent thousands of dollars in the last 9 months buying RV products in preparation of going full time, they offered to take it back, and even agreed to take both of them and the parallel kit since I didn't trust the other generator since this one died after only 10 hours. Amazon rocks! So, I can't recommend this generator. Additionally, the repair shop said Briggs and Stratton, as a company, has gone down hill in recent years. Take from that what you will. I just ordered a Champion 3400 watt generator from Cabella's. Reviews seem to be good and the few bad reviews seems like they are mostly from people who are not monitoring the OTHER electrical loads, or possibly an old ac unit with a tired start capacitor pulling way more power than it would normally.
+Rob Hill thanks much for sharing your experience. Amazon does rock! We've had a good experience with our Briggs units but I've heard from other people with stories similar to yours. Frankly it causes me concern! Meanwhile I hear lots of positive buzz about Champion. We now have a Champion 3000W with remote start and I think it's great. We also had a positive experience when dealing with Champion customer service. I think you will be pleased. 👍
Good video, I have a Honda inverter 2000 and have owned it now for 11 years. I am picking up my Casita17SD on the 16th of May .It will be the 4th rv and hopefully my last one. But the Honda has worked flawlessly for 11 years. I enjoy watching your vidio's and hope you keep on posting.....
I personally prefer the Champion brand. I own two of the inverter generators with the paralell kit for mine. Both are now just past three yrs old and still running great! Keeping up with the maintenance schedule, which in my opinion is very straight forward, sure makes it all that more reliable. The tech support there is second to none and the nice thing is that when in need of a spare part or two, the parts are quite reasonable.
I have a large Generac XG 8000. External frame contractor type for my home back up. 2 years old now with 28 hours on it. I know its not in the same category that you are talking about but if the small ones are of the same build quality steer clear. Kind of like an old Harley. Need to keep the tool box close by. Just little things like choke cable slowly creeping out while running and causing it to load up with gas and quit. Or a pinched of gas line from original assembly. Must have been built on a Friday afternoon.
I just picked up our Champion 3100w generator today and I'm totally excited about using it this weekend for boondocking! ! I've read a lot of positive reviews and I can't wait to try it out!! Thanks guys and wish me luck! :)
good luck! we also picked one up and plan to bondock this weekend. runs the ac fridge and radio on my small little 16ft camper and is very low in noise db
Looks like a good choice! I've heard lots of positive buzz about Champion. We'll try to get our hands on one for a review. Tomorrow we're posting a review of the new Briggs & Stratton units - they are pretty nice too.
I have a champion and in my 3rd year still going strong, just changed the oils for the season and it was a little dark but not bad. No issues whatsoever 👍
Google search portable generators around 2000 watts and THE first choice is always the Honda EU2000i. It is the generator that everyone else is copying. For all of these generators, don't leave it for months with fuel in the carb. Run it dry or drain the carb. The Honda EU2000i has been superceded with the EU2200i. They are super quiet and reliable. People have reported that it can go over 10000 hours of use before failing. If these kind of generators start to surge it is because the fuel was left in the carb and the carb idle port hole is clogged. You can try gumout or see a youtube video on how to clean it. The EU2000i takes 5 minutes to clean it. The Honda EU2000i is rated at 1600 watts and really load trips at about 2250 watts. It uses very little fuel and some other generators use tons of fuel. It is about 50 lbs with fuel and is super quiet and easy to carry with the handle. You can easily make your EU2000i run dry if you are not using it often by disconnecting the electric connector plug so the generator ignition is always hot when you turn the fuel off and it will run dry in 150 seconds no load. I have a Honda EU2000i and a Cummins Quiet Diesel 10k at 1800 rpm.
I own a Honda EU2000i that I've had for a little over a year. No problems. I did add an hour meter that I installed BEFORE I started it right from the beginning. An hour meter is something that should be a standard feature on generators. After watching your Briggs & Stratton 2200 & 3000 review, if I were in the market today, I buy the B&S, not the Honda. In my mind Honda is no longer competitive with B&S, whom I believe will capture the majority of market share within a year.
I'll tell you one thing, Sean. Taking a good look at the beautiful Kristy will definately recharge your battery. You're a lucky man. Love your videos. Keep 'em coming.
Hi Sean, very professional presentation as usual. I have a Honda 3000EUi, yes its expensive however it works every time. Service is no issue and its no problem to do the service yourself. I think you get what you pay for and the Generator is one item that when I need it I want it to work.
I have had my polaris 3000 inverter for 3 years. It has around 2500 hours on it and there's been no issues with it. I like how long it will run on a full tank of gas when it's winter and iam running the furnace at night. I fill the tank start it up at 430 in the afternoon just as it's getting dark. Go inside make supper watch a bit of TV then off to bed. It runs great and quite as well still have plenty of gas left when i turn it off before going to work.I love it happy that I made the purchase.
Predator 2500 Peak/2200 Running Watts, 4.7 HP (125cc) Portable Inverter Generator EPA III from Harbor Freight. Its only 64 dB and powers my 13500 BTU A/C unit with no problem.
Wen makes a generator that you can get for $350 ($450 on Amazon) every once in a while on Woot, perhaps other websites. My buddy bought one so we could make pizza's out on the ice, while ice fishing... I bought two more after he bought his as the machine seemed extremely nice, the price was right and Woots shipping, while not free, was incredibly fast. We live close to a depot so I actually got it next day. The units came w/ no oil. Putting it in, I noticed that one of the screws was missing on one of the units. Filling the gas I noticed that one of the units gauges did not function at all. The other did not show as full even though the unit was full. So far, build quality wasn't super impressive, but it's a $350 unit so it's on par with expectations. It is a pull start unit and will run on first or second pull. The pulls don't have to be aggressive and my wife can start them pretty easily. One generator does start a bit easier than the other though. In terms of noise, it is extremely quiet in eco mode and gets only somewhat louder while running normally. Both units ran our 1500 watt pizza oven once they were adequately warmed up - warming them in 10 degree temps obviously took some time. Running the oven w/o the unit properly warmed up tripped the breaker, though once it was warmed up, it worked very well/there were no issues. We'll be using these for ice fishing, at our friends hunting cabin, rv camping, and where ever else I can I suppose. I am hopeful. The Amazon reviews look good and they have a 2 year warranty to suss out any issues.
Honda 2000 watt gen... works great... reliable, but was a lot of $$$... perfect for anything in the RV (no A/C, although I have tried it and it will start and run the 13.5K A/C)... so just throw it up in the truck bed and off we go... thanks for all of ur great Vids. !!!
Hello! First let me say I love this channel. Such practical information presented very clearly!!!! Thanks. As far as generators go..... I used to have one but then I got into solar, I just liked the facts that solar is silent and I don't have to feed it gas and maintain another gas engine. I do however see their usefulness for camping during long periods of days without a lot of sun. And yes, the more competition the better, brings the cost of generators down!
+John Chalupowski Thanks John, we're interested in solar and may add some panels someday. But we like to be able to run our A/C when camping in extreme heat, so we may always have a generator in the mix.
Sean, my consensus is that if you don't care about running the AC unit, you don't need anything more than a 1000 watt generator, which incidentally cost a whole lot less and is more economic to run. Most travel trailers, if not all function on propane and 12 volt battery power. The few AC appliances onboard will run on 1000 watts or less provided you don't try to run more than one at a time. I use a 900 watt, 2-cycle generator that does that and keeps the batteries at peak, too... And, it is quiet as a Yamaha.
+Thomas Ivines Those are my feelings also. What brand did you get? If I may ask are you using the on board converter charger or a different charger altogether?
The generator I have and use with a separate 35 amp converter is a 2-cycle 900 watt unit weighing in at 36 lbs. and is sold by Harbor Freight for $88. It sips about 1 gallon of gas for every 8 hours of moderate use. So far not a problem in a year's time but if it did die, for that price I could buy another one. Incidentally, it came with a one year warranty so I suspect I will have it for awhile. You can use your existing RV converter as long as the AC amps do not exceed the max AC amps output of the generator you choose.
Thomas Ivines Thanks for the reply. I have thought of getting that unit. Have seen it for as low as $88 with coupon of course. I get their monthly add sent to me by snail mail and emailed to me.
I have a champion 1500 with 3000 hours. still running strong. . I just got the smarter tools, Yamaha 2000 iq and it is very high quality. . I put in in the same quality as Yamaha. Honda is great. I wouldn't be afraid of anything by champion.
The Champion 3500 and the Champion 3400 are the same unit with different labels. I didn't believe it either, but Champion felt the 3400 was a bit underrated and Camping World wanted a special package, therefore the 3500! If I didn't have my Honda 3000, I'd get a Champion 3500. They seem to really be serious about good service.
Ryobi 2000 is the one I got to run my van and works well had it for 2 years it runs my charger for my battery bank15 amp a/c 5000w or 1000 w cramic heater a ref and stand alone ice maker 32 in flat screen and laptop and charges iPhone all at the same time been realy happy with it it still starts on the first pull I have it mounter to the back door of the van paid like 395 or so 2000 1 tank of gas is 1/2 gallon and run time 7 hrs
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AFFILIATE LINK DISCLOSURE: Friends, making a quality Loloho video is kind of like making sausage - only slightly more violent. It's a ridiculous amount of work that typically involves high dollar camera drops, blue-screen-of-death computer crashes, and at least one angry shotgun wielding old man shouting, “Hey! Get the hell outta here!” Once the final video is posted, rewards here on RUclips are few and far between (unless you are a masochist who enjoys being verbally abused by anonymous trolls). One saving grace is our affiliate links. JUST CLICKING THESE LINKS HELPS TO SUPPORT OUR LITTLE SHOW. Think of this clicking as like tipping - except that it doesn't cost you anything extra! If you eventually make a purchase via one of our affiliate links, we will receive a few pennies (and Sean typically invests these pennies towards duct tape which he uses to patch together his camera gear). Again, it doesn't cost you anything to click these links, and it's a great help to us. As always, safe travels, happy camping, and THANK YOU!
Three years i bought a northern tool 2000 wat powerhouse best t.hing i ever bought and parrel cables come with it. Im buying onemore so i can run my air great generater for 600.00 Rick Taylor
Long Long Honeymoon you missed the one small generator that can power a AC unit. Love your videos though. Such a nice couple. Try the Westinghouse 2500. I love the gas gauge and led display.
pro trick: watch series at KaldroStream. I've been using them for watching lots of of movies during the lockdown.
@Spencer Lucian Yup, been using kaldroStream for years myself :)
After many hours spent reviewing inverter Generators, I decided to go with a Champion 3500 watt dual fuel Generator. I currently have a Honda Eu 2000i and it has performed flawlessly. That said, it will not run my 13.5 BTU AC .I chose the champion because it is dual fuel capable and has the power to run my AC stand alone. Also, the champion is RV ready and I can simply plug in my 30 amp service directly with no adapter. I considered getting the Honda companion unit and running them in parallel. However the cost of the companion and parallel kit was more than the cost of the Champion . Additionally, I'm not keen on carrying gas around in my truck or RV. Gas will eventually go bad and the ethanol damages the carb and fuel system. The Champion will be run strictly on propane which in my opinion is much safer than gas. The Champion will be plumbed to my existing tanks and I will probably carry a spare tank in the truck. I will keep my Honda as a back up as it has served me well. At some point, I'll convert the Honda to propane. Time will tell if I made the correct decision.
dkh1020 q
How are you liking the Champion? I have my sights set on the dual fuel one as well. Thanks Semper Fi
We have a Champion 2800W and we love it. It powers our 15K AC with no problems. We keep a meter plugged in and the voltage is constant. I also feel that it's not that loud either. I've never placed it side by side to s Honda or a Yamaha. I did a video on my page with a decibel level app.
Extremely pleased with our Champion #100263 3000W dual-fuel. Propane with an economy mode is very quiet and had no problem running our 13.5K roof a/c unit. Added bonus is that is comes with a shoreline outlet. Only thing I had to do was add an hour meter.
I have a 1000 watt inverter Honda Love it bought it back in 2000 gave it to my Father and bought another one in 2008 paid for itself as there was several power outages it saved out food and made life a little easier Great machine.
I bought the Harbor Freight 3500 inverter generator. Before anyone tells me it’s junk and it won’t last, I know. It was what I could afford at the time. With that being said it’s been a great generator. All summer long I would use it dry camping running everything in the camper to include the A/C. I stay on top of the oil changes and did one carb clean due to some bad gas. I have nothing bad to say about it for now.
dude they are good look at all the reviews. i got one my self and it works great. i did get the replacement warranty . anything goes wrong with it in store swap cant beat it.
Thanks for sharing, all the best!
I can't tell you how many times I've purchased the cheapest item on the market, took care of it, and it lasted far longer than it should have. Also, I've never purchased a "warranty" and never regretted it.
I’ve been interested in this generator for a while now. How many hours do you have in yours and how often do you do your oil changes if you don’t mind me asking.
Hi! We have been camping for about 13 years and have had the opportunity to try a number of different generators. Our second favorite was our Yamaha 2200 EFI but out top favorite is a Honda 2000 and a Honda 1000 that we link together when we want to use air conditioning. In out testing of various generators we found Honda is the quietest (using sound DB meter at various distances), in voltage testing we also found that the Honda inverter generators have better surge capabilities (maintains their output voltages much better). So in the end I gave back and sold off everything else and kept the Hondas. For battery charging I use a Stanley 40 amp smart charger. For running the A/C we parallel both generators using a Yamaha parallel kit with a standard RV plug connection to be able to use the full combined 25 amp output (way cheaper than the buying a special Honda 20000 watt generator). Another big plus of the Hondas is that they will suck fuel from a larger gas can (great for A/C)
I love the Ryobi 2200i generator because it can run 8 hours on a single gallon of gas. The auto idle causes it to cut back to 400 watts if powering anything up to that wattage and cycles up when necessary. I use (1) 50 watt solar panel to help charge my deep cycle battery for phone charging, and lights fans. The generator is only used for coffee and skillet if raining. Without A/C I have gone 7 days on a gallon of gas.
We bought a Westinghouse WH2000iXLT this year for our new hybrid trailer and it has worked flawlessly so far and is the power we need. Also, it runs at 53-59 db without a heavy load.
So we put the champion to test today!! And it worked beautifully! ! It started up right away!
We have a 27ft 2015 coachmen catalina, all the power was on!!!
I'm so happy with our choice and I highly recommend it!!
Thanks guys!! Happy camping!! ^_^
We rely on solar and a 4 gauge charging wire running from the truck alternator through an isolating solenoid (no voltage drop) to the truck camper with twin group 31 AGM batteries. With light use of power and decent sun, the 80 watt solar panel with a max 3.9 amp seen output will charge the batteries through the course of a summer day. On those cloudy or short winter days, we rely on the truck 160 amp output alternator to do our battery charging whenever we drive, or just idle the truck at the campsite for half an hour. Very quiet, charges fast, no added weight or use of the limited space carting around a generator, idling isn't horrible on fuel, while idling and charging, we can crank up the truck heater and heat the truck camper as a side benefit increasing the efficiency by using that for heating, not the TC furnace. A win win. RVing stimulates the Mother of Invention very nicely. Take care,
IMHO the Champion Power Equipment 100263 Dual Fuel Inverter Generator at 3400 watts is the best bang for the buck for the RV'er. It runs on propane or gas, electric start, comes with the propane regulator and it's quiet. It even has a battery charging cable. At 1/2 the price od a Honda or Yamaha, it's the one I bought and I'm very happy with it!
We have had a Ryobi 2000 / 1600 watt inverter generater since 2013. It hasn't missed a beat, starts first pull every time. For the price and the reliability we have experienced I would definitely recommend it.
Another super well done report and very timely as I am shopping for a generator. The comments were equally helpful to get a broader perspective. Thanks to everyone in the community for chiming in.
I bought a Westinghouse WH2000iXLT with 1800 running watts and 2200 starting watts from Amazon for under $575 over the winter. I just got back from a 9 day boondocking trip with a horse/mule drawn wagon train through central Tennessee and the thing worked flawlessly. We moved our trailers up each day and I ran it every day for at least 3 to 4 hours. It used under 3 gallons of gas for the entire trip. I don't know how it will hold up in the long run, but so far, so good. Started on the first pull every time for the entire trip!
Rick Conley
Rick Conley i
How has this generator held up over the long run? I'm taking a serious look at it with the 1800 running watts, its the highest in the class.
@@brendanclark81 I'm very interested. I got the Honda EU 2000i 3 years ago. It's got the big 30amp, 3 prong twist socket that I think I needed an adapter to connect my standard 30 amp RV power cord to (which I definitely need) and one regular type house socket. I paid 1000 dollars. Now I'm finding supposedly there are other brand very well made units half as expensive, but not sure if they're as quiet and durable as the Honda. For a 1000 dollar Honda I'd really think it come with an hour running meter. Seems like many of the less expensive ones come with more features at half the price or even better. Another excellent feature is dual fuel capable. 2000 watt is enough for us and if I find something I'm selling my Honda to my brother. I think Honda got there name and good reputation and can get away with charging extremely high. Thank goodness for competition and other hard working companies.
@@Hundert1 After a bit more research I ended up buying a WEN 56200i. The Westinghouses had a few reported issues with fuel leaks and saw a couple reviews on the Champions with high voltage (150v) spikes. WEN is identical to the Harbor Freight Predator 2000w model. For $399.99 shipped to the house, $9 for a magnetic oil plug and another $10 for an hour meter, it's a very low priced good quality unit. So far I've run it 4 hours and it is very quiet and smooth.
Thanks for the recommendation, i bought mine years ago because of your reviews (Ef3000ise ).Finally got to use it during hurricane maria in puerto rico. Ran it 24/7 for a month 700 hrs. ( my wife was 7 months pregnant and she said she needed to sleep with ac, i was not going to argue with that jajaj ). My stats: Generator was stoped 5 min for fuel in the morning, it ran 2 fridgefrezzers ( mine and my neighbors) plus lights in my home, at 7 pm toped of fuel tank and it ran all night til morning with 1 fridgefrezzer and 12,000 btu window ac. Consumed 5 gal of gas a day$15 . Oil change every 4 days
So thanks. Got it because of fuel efficiency, a must since fuel was in short supply in first weeks
. I would recommend it hands down. And don’t skimp on price since this was my only backup better make it quality. Ran the house no problem Had to jump the panel L1 L2 to run the house, so no 240 v ( no hair dryer jaja and only one electrical item at a time )
Anyway thanks for your reviews
i have the champion...i flooded it (in a flood) my fault...but only $60 for a complete repair...i love it , quiet and efficient !!!
I have been using the honda 3000 EUi for 10 years and the first 7 years was on a house boat here in AZ it ran all the time we were on board (AC had to stay on 24 hrs a day) I had a 13,500 ac with an easy start kit. The best part was fuel usage was 5 gals a day, I ran this generator for up to a full week at a time never shutting it off. I have used the best syn oil I could get after break in. I now keep in the back of my truck like you do. The only problems I have had was the pull start rope broke and replacing it is easy but very pricey due to you replace the electric starter and rope assy as one piece. I have had to clean the main jet in the carb 6 or 7 time in all these years. Honda made it very easy to service and I can't think of a time it let me down when I needed it. Love your show keep it going.
Thanks Tim and Cheryl in Chandler AZ
I got the champion 2000i. Purchased it at Costco about 6 years ago. Always starts .....very reliable and hasn't let me down. For half the price of a Honda it's the way to go. So far it on par for quality and reliability.
+wigglewayne thanks, I want to get my hands on a Champion for a review 👍
Bought hubby for his birthday and his boondocking trip in the snowy mountains. A P3000 Briggs & Stratton inverter generator. He used it for 4 days, nobody really heard it. It was easy to use everything is included and it has wheels. Love it so far!
+jengooberfish Great choice! (And you are a great wife! 👍) We now have a B&S P3000 and it has done well so far.
I've had a Champion 2000 for 2 years and had no problems. Quiet, efficient, and currently only $400 on Amazon ! Money well spent even though it was $500 when I bought it. Works fine even when putting out 14 amps.
From 2010~2013, I got GREAT service from a Honda Handi 3000 watt inverter generator. It could run everything (fridge, AC, hot water, microwave) pretty much simultaneously on my 2010, Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer. It hiccuped once at altitude (Mammoth Campground at Yellowstone) when the spark plug fouled. I cleaned the spark plug and, had no further problems. I only sold the Honda Handi because I "graduated" to a Super C Class Dynamax DX3-37RB that's equipped with an 8000 watt Quiet Diesel Onan generator. The original cost of the Honda Handi with all the available accessories was about $2500. I sold it for $1700 after using it for four years. I would recommend a Honda generator without reservation. Yes, Hondas (and Yamahas) are expensive but, you get what you pay for. A "bargain generator that dies after two or three seasons was really no bargain.
I have a Generac IQ2000 inverter generator and have been very pleased with the service from it. It is quiet and dependable and can be run in parallel if you require higher wattage. It provides a gauge that shows the amount of load being applied and provides an indication of how long the generator will run at that load with the remaining fuel. I was able to buy mine on sale for just under $300 Canadian Dollars from a large box store so it a very easy purchase to enjoy.
So glad I bought my Honda EU2200i. So quiet and reliable. My truck camper only requires one 15 amp service so it’s perfect. Keep the great vids coming! Happy camping!😃
I have a Honda EU 2000. It has worked without a single problem for 11 years. I live in Colorado where air conditioning is not usually needed, however, I do use the furnace a lot. What I especially like about the Honda is it starts even when camping at 10,000 ft. elevation. I like Honda products because they are reliable.
I have a Honda EU3000IS. I got a deal by buying it on my Home Depot credit card of 24 months no intrest. $2,200.00 out the door. It's nice and quite and fuel efficiantI've had my 13,500 A/C and my 1000watt microwave running at the same time with no problems with multiple lights on at the same time. I keep it in the back of my truck as the 130 pound is mtoo heavy to move around. As long as the truck is on the back side of the trailer you really don't hear the generator running on the front side of the trailer. All in all I am very happy with the Honda Generator. I always use fuel stabilizer because it could be a couple of months between uses, and out here on the west coast the additives in the fuel deteriorate quickly.
i bought one of the new Generac IQ 2000 it worked great for an hour and a half, quiet ,cool led lights, then no output. I returned it for a new one and the second one leaked gas, returned it for a larger Champion that works great. If Generac wants to compete in the premium market maybe a quality product would help them with this task.
Same happened to me. Read my above comment
Honda EU 2000 I have had one for about 5 years. Very dependable lightweight quiet and runs like a champ. My new Chalet 116TS came with a built in Onan and it is loud. I kept the Honda as well. However I rarely use any generator. Solar recharges my batteries and most of my off the grid camping is done at the beach and I make do without AC.
Well Sean, I bought a 3000 Honda back in 2005. With the exception of getting a bit of dirt in the jet of the carburator, it has been bullet proof. I have never heard a quieter generator in any campground. With a 4 gallon gas tank, it virtually doesn't need attention. But it weighs 145 lb.!!!! I'm now 68 and that has become a problem. I bought a 2000 watt Champion 4 years ago for the same reasons that you are looking now. . Paid around $500 for it from Cabela's. To be honest, I was looking for a reason not to like it. Within a week the fuel valve in the tank started leaking. Just knew this thing was junk!!!! So I called there number for service and found that there was two repair shops in less then 20 miles from me. But this looked like a pretty simple fix so I gave them the part numbers which came with the generator and They sent parts to my door in 3 days. So much for bad service!! It has started on the second pull since day one. It is a little noisier then the Honda counter part but not by much. It truthfully is a well built little unit. Easy to handle and start and so far has been reliable. I bought a 3100 Champion last fall for the times that I need AC. It weights in at 95 lbs. Something this old man can still handle. Starts and runs on the second pull like the 2000 watt unit. Way too soon to talk about it's long term reliability. I have to say some what begrudgingly that Champions are a very good unit!!
+Eddie Armacost You know, something I've noticed about Champion is that the owners seem to be happy with them. I think if they were junk we'd be hearing from more unhappy owners. The 3000W Champion with remote start looks almost "too good to be true" at $929. amzn.to/266dSuu Heck, you can hardly buy a 2000W Honda or Yamaha for that price. A remote start alone for our 3000W Yamaha would cost $375 (and then we'd have to install it)! Glad to hear that you are happy with your units. Thanks for your post.
+Long Long Honeymoon
Your situation is somewhat different then ours. We keep our 3100 watt generator strapped on a carrier on the back of our 5th wheel all the time. There is a slight vibration while it runs and being attached gives you maximum sound. Not an issue if the AC is running. One sound cancels out the other. If we don't need AC, I like to get the generator as far away from any campers as I can. 50 lb. is a lot easier to move then 95 lb. In your case, you would basically remove any possibility of using your generator in a different way if you stuck with the 3100 model. You have always left your unit in your truck. Is that still your goal. A smaller unit gives you increased flexibility. Just my thoughts..
+Eddie Armacost Yes, what I love about our current setup is the ease of use. All I have to do is connect our Airstream power cord to the generator (a 60 second process) and turn the ignition key. It's very easy for us to pull over for a rest stop and have power immediately (for the microwave, TV, A/C, etc.). I never need to move the generator. I've been thinking about adding a 2000W unit for slightly different scenarios, like when we don't need A/C. But I must admit that the 3000W Champion is priced so attractively that it's tempting to just pay the extra money for it. It looks like the best deal out there.
+Long Long Honeymoon I have both the 2000 and the 3000. The difference in noise is very slight. The difference in fuel consumption is what you would expect. The 2000 has a 1 gal. tank and will run about 8 hrs. with a moderate load. (Charging your batteries). The 3000 has a 1.5 gal capacity and will run the same 8 or 9 hrs. with a moderate load. We enjoy boondocking as much as we can. The issue of always having your truck next to your trailer to charge your batteries would be my biggest concern. When your moving, that is a nice advantage. Not so if you're spending a week in the same location.
On another note . You might want to try a suitcase solar panel and do a review. I bought one after a 3 month trip out west in the winter of 14/15. There are a lot state and some federal campgrounds that have restrictions on generators and unusual run times. You might be really surprised at how well they work!!
Long Long Honeymoon kristy and sean I'm about to dive into a Yamaha 3000 Ise 2017 model with 2 hours on the meter for 1000
Sometimes used with balance of warranty says quality with price do go hand in hand
Also we have never been to Yellowstone
Loved your video on that !
Keep up the good travelling guys !
I now own a Honda EU7000is but it is so expensive. The good is - it lasts almost two nights powering my toy hauler on one tank of gas with the air conditioning. It is very quiet even under load and it has plenty of power. It is so quiet you can carry on a normal conversation standing right next to it when not under load. The bad is that it is very heavy and very expensive. It has never given me a moment's trouble though. I turn the key and press the start button and it's up and running. This is my fourth generator and by far the best. I had a Honeywell, a Champion and a Duromax and they all failed or needed major repairs within three years. I changed the oil in them regularly (30 - 40 hours) and ran them to empty before storing. This is the best generator I've owned to date and hopefully the last.
Yes, I have the EU6500 and you can be very sure that it will retain it's retail value extremely well. I bought mine used at a bargain price with 83 hrs on it and use it for whole house backup. I have seen these on sale used for almost new prices on kijijji and they seem to last about an hour before they are gone. Like all things Honda , they are superbly made- like a fine watch, with clever design being used. If it lasts as long as my 20 year old Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, I will be more than happy. Bottom line, long after the price is forgotten, quality lives on.
I'm Honda or Yamaha, you get what you pay for. We just purchased the same Yamaha EF3000SEB that you have and it was $270 CDN off when we purchased. I have Honda everything but with the sale going on we wanted to take advantage of it. Because of your generator review we now own a Yamaha generator, the caster wheels is a bonus and it fits perfectly under the tonnau cover of my truck, another bonus. Cheers
I bought a pair of Champion 2k's at the end of last year. One was DOA when it arrived. Champion customer service helped diagnose the problem and shipped me a part. I was up and running in a weeks time. Both have served us well since.
We've heard a lot of good things about Champion. Surprised to hear yours was DOA, but I guess that happens to everyone from time to time.
+Long Long Honeymoon I should have been more specific. The one that was doa had a bad logic board. The motor started and ran strong,as it still does now. Once diagnosed, it was a quick, painless board swap.
We bought a Champion 2000 watt inverter generator for our winter 2015-2016 trip through the southwest doing a considerable amount of boondocking. Used mostly for keeping batteries topped off. We use one portable Renogy 100 watt suitcase solar panel when its sunny. worked great when we only had the one 12v deep cycle house battery, we added 2 6v golf cart batteries and the solar panel couldn't quite recharge the batteries, hence we needed the generator to help out for about an hour in the morning and the solar can maintain the balance of the day. used the Champion all last season and it performed flawlessly per Rays LoveYourRV video review. I can recommend the Champion.
I have a generac iq 2000, it is spec the same to Honda eu 2000, but costs a few hundred less.I have had mine for 6 months and have 65 hours on the unit. It works very well. I use it for a freezer and a fan when I go fishing over night. And it's a full size deep freezer and a good size fan. It uses 20 percent load all night so I have plenty of power left over. Happy with this purchase.
I purchased a 3500 Watt generator/inverter... 3500 starting watts / 3200 running watts to run my 15K BTU a/c unit on my 5th wheel. One thing missing from all generator ads and reviews is using your generator at different altitudes. Engine power is reduced as the air mass and air fuel ration decreases. Engine power and generator output will be reduced approximately 3 1/2% for every 1000 feet of elevation above sea level. In Prescott, AZ,.. 5500 ft above sea level my 3500 Watt generator looses 19% of its power... 3500 Watts starting becomes 2800 watts and my running watts are 2600 watts, not enough power to run my a/c unit. A high altitude carburetor main jet can be installed, however, if you decide to boon dock below 3500 ft... you must change the reinstall the original carburetor the main jet or face the possibility of damaging the engine. I was able to return the 3500 watt generator and will purchase two smaller generators to allow me to boon dock at any elevation and not worry about changing the carbuertor main jet.
Thanks, that's an excellent point. We have mentioned the importance of altitude in our longer vids, but you are right that everyone should keep it in mind. We often camp at higher altitude areas out West and the difference is quite noticeable.
As a fairly new person at this camping stuff, now since 2011, two years ago I bought what I could afford at the time, the Champion 4000 Watt generator. It emits about 65 db of noise if running under a load. I have a small camper with a 5000 BTU AC (wished it was a bit larger) and I have no problems powering the camper with the Champion. Maybe in the future I can afford one of the more pricey inverter units. Thanks for the article.
Randy Hobbs
Tried all being in business. Most of our clients use the 1000w and 2000W generators for DIY projects and light on sight duties. Therefore any of the stated brands in the video would do.
However, if you are looking for the same size generators to be used 8 hours and above daily then I suggest that you go for Honda generators. Don't really recall the last time some customers brought these back for repairs.
Have a 2000i generator. Used it once for a power outage, seemed loud during the quiet of a power outage. Didn't run a full 8 hours without a spare fuel tank. It has sat empty for 6 years with oil, but no fuel to gum the fuel system. The battery, solar panel, and vehicle charging system along with a Rotoverter have worked out better.
We use a Harbor Freight 2000 inverter and love it. knock on wood! $400 and it actually runs our air on medium if nothing else is running and your camper battery is fully charged. Just my 2 cents...
Had a whole house GENERAC 17KW and it had a fantastic warranty, of course the Dealer was 75% of the Solution also. It went south after 99 Hours and about two or three years of use during a few storms. The Dealer took it in and performed a diagnostic and convinced the Company it was a materiel defect and they replaced it free of charge. All I pais was for a tune-up. It was Ken's Electric in Carlisle, PA. Good Dealer.
I have 2 of the Ryobi 2200 inverters hooked together to produce about 4,000. I use them on a toy hauler with 1 15,000btu A/C and it does the job, as long as you don't run a coffe pot, toaster, microwave etc... What i like about this set up, is at night you can shut 1 down and run a single unit for almost 8 hours on a 1 gallon tank. This will keep your batteries charged, phones charged and for those of us using a CPAP, will run that as well.
Sounds like a good setup. Since we now have a 2000W Briggs & Stratton, I'm thinking about picking up a second unit to try the 2 generator approach. We often camp out West where we don't really need A/C, so one 2000W will often cover our needs.
Hi, I purchased the Ryobi 1800-2200 as well about 6 months ago. I knew this would not power our a/c, but my thought was to eventually purchase a 2nd unit and link them to do so. Several reasons for purchasing this unit: 1. I have several Ryobi power tools and like the quality/price 2. It is light enough to easily move about 3. It fits into the storage section of the trailer for transport but is not run in that location. 4.The decibel rating seemed good and I have found it is remarkably quiet. Easily maintain a conversation while in close proximity. We live at sea level in Southern California. There, a single unit does power the microwave and other items in our 20' travel trailer. However, when I take the Ryobi up to the High Sierra's, the power output really seems to drop off with the higher elevations and usually will not power the microwave, even at 4,000-4,500'. I am interested in exploring the idea of making some adjustments to the generator that might restore some of the power drop. Scott, I took a couple friends up to the Sierra's a few months ago. One uses a cpap as well. I plugged a small inverter into a 12v outlet in my trailer and it ran his cpap though the night just fine off the trailer batteries with power to spare. With the exception that I noted earlier, it did top of the batteries fine for the night. Regards, Bob
One thing I have to mention is that if you have a hard wired surge protector ( I have a progressive Industries) make sure you have the ground /common plug to fake out the fault . I had to dry camp overnight and could not get the generator to power up my 5th wheel. Called Progressive and they told me what to do and it worked perfect. I have a Yamaha 2000i and really like it, It has the gas shut off and fuel gage built in. In my case it will run everything but the AC.
My parents use an onan generator which is related to the Cummins engine brand. They purchased it new from a small engine repair shop so we can always go there for parts and service. It was significantly cheaper than comparable Honda and Yamaha products. Note that this is a portable gas inverter, just to clarify as I know onan makes built in RV generators too. They've used it for quite a few years and have never had problems. Good power and quit
I just bought my first RV. It’s very small but has a 13000 BTU air. I bought a Westinghouse 2500 watt unit for just over $500. I haven’t tried it yet but videos I have seen are very promising. There is a very good video “ Will this little unit power 15,000 BTU AC, hot water heater, microwave”. Very informative would like to see you do a review of the Westinghouse because I think it’s a Best Buy.
I purchased two of the the Pulsar PG2300si generators. They came with the parallel connection which has been really nice in connecting our travel trailer to it and running the ac. Price for package was $949 at Walmart. So far we have had no issues and these units seem to be comparable to other 2200 watt generators in this class.
I would recommend this package if looking for a good deal and quality.
I still have an old Coleman Powermate Pulse 1850 I picked up a couple years ago on Craigslist for $150. It has a bulletproof B&S engine and works great for charging batteries, running appliances or a small 6k BTU AC. I don't worry about sensitive electronics because I use 12v adapters for my MacBooks, iPads, & iPhones while the vehicle is running and a small pure sine inverter for LED TV and BluRay player. A couple of small pieces of plywood angled at a 45 really cuts down the noise.
We bought the Honda eu2000i for our Rv trailer. It runs everything except our A/C. In our 29’ trailer. We are going to buy the companion this December 2017 so we will be able to run everything. It is so quiet, we love it. I added an external 5 gal gas container for extra run time thru the night when needed. Works great. Thanks for your video on the generators. Your video was a big help to us in making this decision.
Just wanted to say great job on this video. Seems like a lot of people get caught up in the whole branding issue between red, blue and yellow. My own personal thoughts are do your research when thinking about buying an inverter generator and think about longevity of the product. Can't expect a generator that is only a couple of hundred dollars to work like a red, blue or yellow brand. Someone like yourself that is full time can't afford to have issues with a generator because of cheaping out in it's purchase. I own a red one and love how it works meeting my power needs and love how dependable it has been working over these years. Keep up the great reviews!
Wow, as many opinions as there are, generators out there. I guess that means the best generator for you, is the one that suits your intended purpose the most. A good thing we have so much choice, from ' go it alone ' cheap and nasties, to top dollar, range toppers with massive after sales support. From a Kw through 7Kw and beyond to run whatever is needed. Thanks for the excellent vids and information.
I love my 8000 watt Onan diesel gen. over 6000 hrs and never a problem, runs everything, almost
I have the Honda EU7000. It will handle both of are 15,000 BTU air-conditioners easily. It's unbelievably quiet, but it is pricey, large and heavy. The good thing is we can use it as a back up generator at home if the power ever goes out.
+James Gibson The Rolls Royce of inverter generators! amzn.to/1Sh73iy That's a very nice unit - I've added it to our master list. Nothing wrong with having a little extra power. If we were shopping for a direct replacement to our 3000W, I would be tempted to go for something like it (or the 4000W Yamaha).
+Long Long Honeymoon The main reason we bought this generator, was because it's fuel injected. We don't have to deal with the problems that comes with having a carbureted generator. Because it is so nice, I worry about it getting stolen. We always chain it up to a tree, and I had a special cover made for it so that it doesn't stand out. The next add on I would like to purchase is a remote start.(If Honda ever releases it). Do you worry about running your generator when it's raining? I have seen some people with "generator tents" over their unit when it is raining. What is your opinion?
Looked at the Honda 2000 when we went to buy a generator but saw the Champion 2000 at about 1/3rd the price and figured it would be worth a go. Into our 4th year now with the Champion 2000w and it has run flawlessly. It has not ever been a problem running anything in our trailer (other then the A/C of course). Always starts on the first or second pull and oil and spark plug changes are simple. Noise in the campsites has never been an issue as we can't hear ours if we are at the next site over and most other sites running the bigger units drown our little 2000 out even as we are sitting in our own site with the Champion 10 feet away. :)
Only downside we have found is that there is no "RV Outlet" on the unit to take the 30amp RV plug but it works perfectly fine off the $15 adapter that we already use when at home in our driveway.
If we upgrade to a larger unit rather then duplexing with a second 2000, we will have no second thoughts about another Champion but will keep the 2000w either way as a backup/other use machine.
Will be interested to see your decision as there is some fantastic advice from your viewers on many different units!Cheers!
I also posted this on another video. Just for your info I purchased a Champion 3500 from Camping World and it runs my 15,000 BTU A/C just fine. I can also charge my battery and run the reefer at the same time. It does not have a digital readout for percentage of usage but in eco mode the RPM sounds like it drops by 50%
love your videos, my wife and I are getting ready to buy our first trailer. I have learned so much I did not even think about when owning a trailer. keep up the good information. I need it and love it. Stay safe and look forward to watching your videos multiple times. thanks
Thanks Roel for your kind comments! More vids on the way!
I've had experience with 3 different brands and sizes of generators since 1999. None have been inverter type.The first one was a 5,000 watt Coleman with a Briggs engine. I bought it when we lived in Florida at Sam's Club and paid extra for the 2 year extended warranty. The funny thing is it was like insurance. If you have it, you won't need it. I told my wife at the 20th month of ownership that we really needed to take it out of the box and try it before the warranty ran out.
We moved to West Virginia in 2001.When we got here, the (rural) city power hadn't been hooked up yet so we ran on the Coleman 24/7 for 3 weeks solid. I changed the oil every 40 hours as directed and I still have that unit today, (2019). It will still start on the first pull. The only out-of-the-ordinary problem that I had with it was the spark plug eventually wiggled itself out of the aluminum cylinder head stripping the threads on the way but a trip to the shop and $5.00 later, a steel helicoil put my old standby back in service. The only other problem which actually was my fault was the carburetor got gummed up because when I shut it down between uses, I didn't turn off the gas and let it burn out of the bowl and it evaporated into varnish. A half can of Seafoam and 2 hours later, my unsinkable Molly Brown was keeping us afloat once more. Now, I never shut off my generator, I shut off the gas and let the carb run dry. Problem fixed. I had built a box and cord setup where I took a 30 amp twist lock plug that matched the 240 VAC outlet in the generator and wired it to a 15 foot piece of flat 10/4 with ground stranded wire with 2) 4 gang steel outlet boxes bolted back to back. I wired it so that 4 outlets would tap each 120 VAC leg of the generator so I could balance the load between the 2 legs rather than try to run everything off from one leg with the standard 120 VAC outlet supplied. We ran it into a window, closed it as far as possible and stuffed it with towels. We had an octopus of orange extension cords everywhere to the kid's 2 rooms, our bedroom for lights, TV and a window A/C unit and into the kitchen for the fridge, freezer, a light, hot plates and my coffee pot. After I had my garage built, (which is not connected to the house), I wired it with 6/3 with ground wire through 2) 50 amp breakers in my main power box below my power meter. I installed an 8 circuit breaker box in the garage with 6 circuits running the lights, outlets, an inside workshop that I built in the garage and the electric garage door opener. I left 2) 30 amp dedicated circuits for the generator. From these, I wired a 3 contact with ground, (4 total), 50 amp dedicated outlet on the wall below the box which is 4 feet across from the walk through door where the generator stays. I built a 6/3 with ground male to male "suicide cord" to connect the 240 VAC outlet from the generator to the 50 amp outlet on the wall. I got a lot of "dumb ass" hate male the first time I mentioned this on line from electrical purists for the shock hazard involved but the difference between my setup and most others online is that they will unplug a compressor, garage stove or heavy heater to plug in their generators when needed. Mine has a dedicated outlet that NEVER gets unplugged and is NEVER an exposed shock hazard as the outlets are dedicated and used for nothing else. When the power goes out, we 1) shut off all 240 VAC breakers in the house, 2) go outside and shut off the main 200 amp service breaker, 3) go into the garage and start the generator and after a minute of warmup, 4) flip the 2) 30 amp breakers in the garage box and we are back on the road. I keep a box fan on it and plugged into it for air circulation and cooling as it sits in an alcove. I keep the walk in door open and the drive in door open a foot for air circulation but sometimes it gets still and it chokes on it's own exhaust without the fan.. In a state that is floating on an ocean of natural gas, I can't get connected because my father-in-law / neighbor is on my right and his gas meter is 1/4 mile away on the opposite side so there is no unmetered gas in front of my property. If the power goes out in the winter, we have propane gas logs in the fireplace.
I have had ongoing, worsening back problems for 40 years. When it got to the point where I couldn't wake the 10 horses with a pull of the rope, it was time to get an electric start unit. Eight years ago, I bought 2) a 7,000 watt TroyBilt unit. It's not an inverter unit but it's frequency and voltage is regulated and has never damaged any of our electronics in 8 years. In your video, there is a woman standing in front of a generator display. Mine isn't the one that she's touching but the one behind her with the label saying, "7,000 watts". The Coleman's 30 amp twistlock outlet had broken years before so I replaced it with a heavier 50 amp unit so my suicide cord plugged right into the TroyBilt right away. With the Coleman unit, I had to run around the house with my volt meter during high draw times like while cooking to be sure that we weren't overloading anything and if we needed hot water, everything had to go off for an hour to heat the 4,500 watt tank. This cost a full gallon of gas in an hour. With this TroyBilt, it runs everything in the house except the 4 ton heat / A/C without even breathing hard as it has an overload capacity of 10,500 watts for 5 minutes so there is more than enough power to start compressors in the window A/C, fridge and freezer. On cool days, I can run the 240VAC blower in the central A/C for air circulation but not the big compressor. We still don't let the hot water tank run all the time but when we need it, we don't have to scrimp in other areas. The only time the TroyBilt left me in the dark was after the 6 year mark, the starter battery went bad. I like this unit because it is within jumper cable distance of my car when parked in the driveway so I don't have to break my back bringing 14 horses out of a coma with the pull rope. it has a "wall wart" transformer charger as it doesn't charge it's own battery. The directions say to leave it plugged in as it will shut off when the battery is fully charged. I called Lowes for another battery. They said it would take 10 days and $98.00 for the same Chinese made junk that came with it. The stock battery is a 12VDC @ 18 amp hour unit like the ones in the portable jump starters. I found an American made 22 amp hour unit that was physically the same size through Amazon for $44.00 with free non-prime delivery and I got it in 3 days. The only downside with this unit is that it is loud and there is no economy throttle setting so it is running at full speed all the time. Luckily, my neighbors are far enough away that it doesn't bother them as they have their own generators to listen to. With our average power draw, we drain the 8 gallon gas tank in 16 to 20 hours. Due to my wife's health, she needs dehumidified, cool air for her lungs. At night if the power is still off, it is real overkill to run the Queen Mary for the window A/C when you only need a rowboat so I bought 3) a Champion 1,400 watt unit with an 80CC engine to run just the window A/C overnight. The A/C has a 4.5 amp draw so I figured that the 1,400 watt surge of the unit would give me the 3X starting power needed. What a disappointment. When we turn on the A/C, the fan starts first. After a few seconds, the compressor kicks on but with the Champion, the compressor stalls, the engine lugs down until the voltage drops low enough to kick out the compressor. This cycles over and over again until you shut it off. If I raise the idle governor to supply the compressor, when it reaches it's set temperature and cuts out, the generator races up to 160 volts which will damage the internal electronics and fan of the A/C unit. It makes a good power supply for remote single power tools, area lighting or even TV's as it actually puts out clean power and is extremely quiet but that's about all. I suppose maybe it would be good for a bare bones camper with a solid state fridge and no A/C. I still have the Coleman unit. I keep it for a backup unit but in 8 years I haven't needed it but I do have my son start it every so often when he visits to keep it limber or I loan it to friends at our church if they need it. In all fairness to Champion, they didn't make digital inverter units when I bought mine so they may be a success story but this wasn't my experience with my old brute force unit. I hope this helps you in some way.
While I love having the duel Honda EU2000. If I did again I would go for the Champions. I have heard not one complaint from anyone who has one. When they first came out I was concerned about service and repair as they were new and unlike Honda / Yamaha there were no local repair centers. This seems to have changed, so I am told. One Champion 2000 would let us run the trailer and IF we needed the AC or a bit more power I would have the second to parallel. But, in almost 10 years I have mostly ever needed one to keep the wife happy!
Love the Channel!
+Patrick Dougherty Yes, I'm very impressed by the positive feedback from Champion owners. Everyone seems really happy with their performance. Thanks for your post!
We have 31 ft Toyhauler with a built in 4k Onan. I also have a 3K Honda that I take along when we boon dock. The Honda is great for keeping everything charged watching TV and even sleeping with the AC on, but when you need extra power primarily when AC , microwaves and cooking I fire up the 4K to keep everything going. With the Honda I needed to put wheels on it so I can move it around and at 120+ lbs I do not wish to pick it up by my self and hence the toyhauler has a loading door.
I had the Honda EU2000 when I had my travel trailer. Absolutely loved it. Well engineered, really quiet and to my surprise ran my AC unit! I now own a motorhome and sold the Honda. Big mistake. The motorhome has a built-in 4000 watt Onan generator. Very convenient but super loud! I miss my Honda!
Love the Honda. 12 years and does what it is supposed to.
I have 2 2000 watt Ai Power inverter generators, and they have been nothing but trouble. (using in my RV) One leaked oil so badly I had to send it back. One will not power anything other than the WFCO 75 amp converter to charge batteries. If I want to run a microwave, or fireplace I have to hook the 2 together. There's only 2 good things about these generators.. 1. They have an econ switch that idles them down to a quite purr, and 2. They start with half a pull. They are now out of warranty, but when they fail, I will not replace them with the same.
Sorry to hear they haven't been satisfactory, but thanks for the report!
Wife and I settled on an unorthodox route...we have a 30 footer, bunkhouse, 2 AC units, 2 small kids, and we needed a generator for home power outages, so...we got the Honda EU7000...load it very easily actually now, my first attempts was to create a sort of hitch mounted crane lift...this was absurdly more complicated....then realized KISS, and I park in my driveway on a fairly steep hill, borrowed neighbors loading ramps, because of the hill, it loads with ramps perfectly flat...once loaded and tailgage locked, hard to steal! push button start (can get remote start for a couple hundred bucks), fuel injected, and I can when needed in summer run both AC units...but more commonly, 1 AC + converter + any all other appliances as needed.
It is a tad overkill for RV use, but we are happy so far, and it worked GREAT for home outages now (couple of them since purchase) .
We have the honda 2000ei and can run everything including our 9200 mach3 roof top a/c in our trailer. It will only run it on low setting but it does it at 4000ft. altitudes which I am very impressed with. Make sure to do regular oil changes and this little generator will perform for many years.
I have a Generac ix2000, and an ETQ 1800i generator.
The ETQ is basically the same as a smaller Generac model.
The ix2000 works well for everything short of running the AC or my 1 hp air compressor. The air compressor has the same startup issues as an AC unit so that's not surprising. For charging, microwaves, running my residential fridge, etc... it works just fine.
The ETQ powers most of the same things as the Generac, but I haven't tested it head to head with the larger model. It takes a little less space and is lighter, so I like to carry it around instead of the ix2000. Neither offer a parallel kit. Both generators are fairly quiet, but not as quiet as the Honda or some other newer models.
Both of these generators have a design flaw. They have very small jets in the carb that are easy to clog. When you turn off the generator, it shuts off the fuel and immediately kills the motor. But this leaves fuel in the carb and fuel line. If you don't run them for an extended period, this fuel will evaporate through the jets and clogs them. Then the generator will not start.
There are a few ways to avoid this if you are going to store the generator for a long period.
Empty the fuel tank and then run the generator until it runs out of fuel.
Drain the carb bowl after you shut it off.
Or add a switch to leave the generator running after shutting off the fuel and let it run out the fuel.
Gas doesn't keep forever and I don't like disassembling the generator to get at the carb, so I usually use the first approach.
If the carb gets clogged, you can get the generator working again with carb cleaner. It may take several applications, some priming, and repeated starting before it will run properly. There is a youtube video demonstrating this on a Generac.
As long as you keep that one limitation in mind, they usually start on the first or 2nd try when you follow the startup procedure.
If you don't need to run two generators in parallel, they work well.
At the moment, refurbished ix2000 units can be purchased for around $450 on ebay and Amazon, so they are a pretty good deal.
We've a pair of Honda 2000 inverters, nothing new to this community in that setup. We've been RVing two years and most of the time, as Sean stated, one 2000 is adequate. Most of the time we don't intentionally travel where we'd need our AC on a daily basis. My biggest recommendation would be to keep fresh fuel in you tanks and use fuel stabilizer in the go-juice. So far the Hondas have been very serviceable for our needs.
YOU CAN RUN YOUR RV AIR CONDITIONER WITH A 2000 WATT GENERATOR. It takes about 30 minutes to install a "Hard Start Capacitor" on your RV's air conditioner. The most commonly used one is the Supco SPP6, but Dometic and other AC unit manufacturers sell their own as well (they cost less than $20). RUclips it, Google it, and learn. You'll be able to install your own Hard Start Capacitor, chill out, and hang on to that good ole trusty 2000 watt unit you've had for years.
I currently use a pair of Yamaha 2000W units with a parallel kit. They will run my ac unit,but caution the economy mode must be turned off. As for all other loads, a single unit is all I need. So I usually only run one and alternate them to even out the usage. At about 60 lbs per unit they are easy to move in and out of the truck. And last I have a backup unit if one dies (it's a submarine sailor thing, always have a backup).
I'm curious what would happen if you put just one of them in economy mode. I "might" be a smaller jump to compensate for the ac startup and you could save "a little" gas mileage.
I got. the HF,, turns out it is a Yamaha, so I get parts at the motorcycle dealer.
I purchased the Honda EU1000i a month ago. Nice and quiet, but with all that safety cut out devices, there is more to fail. I am not going to get rid of my 900W made in China Harbor Freight special just yet. I like its simplicity. "Piston, Connecting Rod, and Crank." When I use any generator, I always ground it first.
We have a Generac Gp 3000i that we use with our class A coach. I like it because it is quieter and easier on fuel than the on board unit. It powers the 13500 btu ac just fine with the fridge and battery charger but you have to shut down the ac to use the microwave or coffee pot. It is a suitcase style and at about 60 lbs is easy for me to move. The 1 gallon tank is a little small for some but I seldom run it all day anyway and the 4+ hours it runs the ac I feel is a good trade for the smaller and lighter package. Very easy pull start and have had no issues at all with it. At $750 the ability to run the ac really makes the cost over the 2000 watt units a a small price to pay for the added power, especially with comparable fuel consumption at the lower wattage that the 2000 watt units can produce and very similar noise levels.
I bought a Honda EU1000 partly because it fits in the passthru of my small trailer. It is noticeably more quiet than the EU2000 and charges my batteries easily.
I've had the champion 3100 compact for about 2 1/2 years no problems very good on fuel it runs my Ac. Lite enough for one person to lift it.
Folks on the Airstream forum are liking the "Micro-Air, Easy Start Kit". It's a device that installed inside the A/C shroud on an RV and smooths out the giant surge when the compressor kicks in. Many claim they can now run a 13,500 A/C on a 2000 watt generator.
I'm still in the Honda 3000is camp, but a 2000 can also be run from a 5 gal remote tank for days.
Owned the Champion 2000W model for two years sold it & now own the Champion 3100W generator for just under a year. Champion is the best non “big name brand” generator on the market hands down. Champion 3100W runs my RV 15000 BTU AC with no problems at all well worth the price I paid ($649) at Costco during the sale with a 2 year warranty. I decided not to purchase a second Champion 2000W because lugging around two generators is not a thrilling proposition. Champion has a new 3500W model sold now only at Camping World and Cabela’s problem is both of these retailers have this newer unit way OVER PRICED at $1200 it will come down when other retailers get their version of this unit.
+Jello Glue 3500W is a good power output. The times our generator has struggled to run the A/C, we've been in higher altitude climates. We really have about 2800 running Watts.... I think that extra power of a 3500W generator would get the job done in those situations.
+Long Long Honeymoon Yes at high altitude applications the output is less so the new 3500W model should be well suited for your needs. I may upgrade to the 3500W model once its available at Costco or another retailer that has it at an attractive price.
My interest piqued by LLHo mention of the Champion, I researched then bought the 73536i 2kW peak converter to provide AC for everything by the AC (terrific on-line special from Camping World). We like the low noise level of it (identical to the specs of the Honda equivalent) on "Eco" mode. Haven't dry glamped yet where we needed AC, so the only shortcoming of this unit was at 6000 ft where it really struggled w with the power demand of the
Did you get the dual option...propane and gas? or is that just automatic w/Champion products?
I curranty own the Champion 3400W gas with electric/remote start. Purchased the same unit in dual fuel 3400W that I plan to only run on propane due to the reduced emissions & smell. I also recently purchased the Champion parallel kit that I can’t wait to try because I can run my 5th wheel with 50A service if we dry camp. However, for the most part like this summer, I will only carry one generator to run one AC unit when on the road as needed & that’s enough because we will be staying at camping locations with full hookups.
I have the champion 2000. In testing with my 8000 but ac unit. I set it up in my motorcycle lessuree lite camper. 48w/80tall/155 long . Set generator to lowest temp and to on so it wouldn't shut off. Set generator to economic mode on start and left it there. Put a temp gauge in it so I could read it from I. The house . It ran for 11hrs and 45 mins before it shut off. By the way the ramp dropped to 47 degree's and it was low 80's that night. The ac is quiet. Didn't hear gen.was 15' away camping
thanks for the report! I want to get my hands on a champion for a review.
The wife and I bought a pair of Honda 2000s right after we bought our trailer. The two are an inverter and the Companion. We had thought about a 3000 except for one minor issue:
Our tow vehicle was a brute of a 2003 Chevy S-10 with a hard cover over the bed.
I know, this sounds crazy but, with a 26 ft trailer that maxes out at 5600lbs total weight, it was within the capabilities of the truck. Anyway, the 3000 was too tall to fit in the back of the truck while the cover was on and we(aka the wife) didn't want to travel without the cover so a smaller unit was needed. We found that the 2000 was low enough to fit under the cover and, since they could be connected together, it gave us enough power, 26 amps, to run everything, including the AC with both while a single could provide power for most everything else. We did find, however, that running an electric wok, microwave and rice cooker at the same time was too much for one. Can we say oops. Anyway, that was four years ago and never a problem with either one. The nice part is that they are quiet, more so than the average person talking, and will run all day on one tank of fuel. Since we upgraded to an SUV for a tow vehicle, the relatively light weight of each has turned out to be a nice bonus that the 3000 wouldn't have given us since the truck has a lower bed than the SUV
champion all the way for mee they have the best service and Network out there I needed apart from one of my genortor s. an they sent the part out no questions asked... awesome company.
We have a Hyundai and absolutely love it! 2800 watts, electric start inverter which does everything. They also have a 2000 watt unit. Just our 2 cents. Speaking of cents, ours only cost us $578.00 on Amazon Prime :-)
That is less than half the price of a Japanese generator. If it works well, I may get one. Post long term reliability please.
I have 2 of the 2000w champions with a parallel kit. We love them! Easy start up and maintenance for them. They run our 15k btu AC no problem. Really like the light weight over a 3100w generator. Also the price of both of them and the parallel kit was comparable to 1 Honda/Yamaha generator. Another added bonus is if one dies you have a back up. My father has the Honda 3100w generator and we did a db noise level test at 4ft with our AC's running. Honda was 84.5db, both champions running was 85.7db. To close to tell without the meter.
As requested, I'd like to leave a comment on my experience with the Briggs and Stratton 2200 watt generator. I purchased two of these with the parallel kit. I planned on using one most of the time (to save on gas) and connecting the other one if I needed to run my ac. The two 2200 watt generators gave me more power for less money than the 3000 watt model so, that was also a bonus.
I initially filled with oil and gas and started them both, put them under a load to test in my garage before I moved into my 5th wheel. The first time I actually used them, I had to deal with the neutral and ground not being bonded and my Progressive Industries surge protector would not let power through until I modified a plug end with a jumper to bond the neutral and ground. After that hiccup, I ran them for about 10 hours on July 4th. No problems except I had to fill up the gas tanks every 3 hours.
The next day, however, although they both started, one of them kept tripping the overload even when unplugged with no load. I found an authorized dealer who said it had either a bad bearing or rod, and they couldn't get to it for 5 weeks. So, no ac during the hottest time of the year??
I contacted Amazon. I was past my 30 day return window but i figured it won't hurt to ask. I suspect that since I've spent thousands of dollars in the last 9 months buying RV products in preparation of going full time, they offered to take it back, and even agreed to take both of them and the parallel kit since I didn't trust the other generator since this one died after only 10 hours. Amazon rocks!
So, I can't recommend this generator. Additionally, the repair shop said Briggs and Stratton, as a company, has gone down hill in recent years. Take from that what you will.
I just ordered a Champion 3400 watt generator from Cabella's. Reviews seem to be good and the few bad reviews seems like they are mostly from people who are not monitoring the OTHER electrical loads, or possibly an old ac unit with a tired start capacitor pulling way more power than it would normally.
+Rob Hill thanks much for sharing your experience. Amazon does rock! We've had a good experience with our Briggs units but I've heard from other people with stories similar to yours. Frankly it causes me concern! Meanwhile I hear lots of positive buzz about Champion. We now have a Champion 3000W with remote start and I think it's great. We also had a positive experience when dealing with Champion customer service. I think you will be pleased. 👍
Yeah and also the Honda generators are the most quietest things they make out there I've never heard anything any better
Good video, I have a Honda inverter 2000 and have owned it now for 11 years. I am picking up my Casita17SD on the 16th of May .It will be the 4th rv and hopefully my last one. But the Honda has worked flawlessly for 11 years. I enjoy watching your vidio's and hope you keep on posting.....
I recommend generac just buy two of them in the parallel kit and you'll be set and you will love all the features on the believe me I do too
I personally prefer the Champion brand. I own two of the inverter generators with the paralell kit for mine. Both are now just past three yrs old and still running great! Keeping up with the maintenance schedule, which in my opinion is very straight forward, sure makes it all that more reliable. The tech support there is second to none and the nice thing is that when in need of a spare part or two, the parts are quite reasonable.
+gotpride01 I will try to get my hands on a Champion for a review 👍
I got the champion 2000 w inverter, easy start pull cord only, great on fuel, quite, weighs 40 -50 lbs, compact great price $599 in canada
I have a large Generac XG 8000. External frame contractor type for my home back up. 2 years old now with 28 hours on it. I know its not in the same category that you are talking about but if the small ones are of the same build quality steer clear. Kind of like an old Harley. Need to keep the tool box close by. Just little things like choke cable slowly creeping out while running and causing it to load up with gas and quit. Or a pinched of gas line from original assembly. Must have been built on a Friday afternoon.
I just picked up our Champion 3100w generator today and I'm totally excited about using it this weekend for boondocking! ! I've read a lot of positive reviews and I can't wait to try it out!! Thanks guys and wish me luck! :)
good luck! we also picked one up and plan to bondock this weekend. runs the ac fridge and radio on my small little 16ft camper and is very low in noise db
Looks like a good choice! I've heard lots of positive buzz about Champion. We'll try to get our hands on one for a review. Tomorrow we're posting a review of the new Briggs & Stratton units - they are pretty nice too.
I have a champion and in my 3rd year still going strong, just changed the oils for the season and it was a little dark but not bad. No issues whatsoever 👍
Thanks, we'll try to get our hands on a Champion soon ... I want to review one on our channel...
Google search portable generators around 2000 watts and THE first choice is always the Honda EU2000i. It is the generator that everyone else is copying. For all of these generators, don't leave it for months with fuel in the carb. Run it dry or drain the carb. The Honda EU2000i has been superceded with the EU2200i. They are super quiet and reliable. People have reported that it can go over 10000 hours of use before failing. If these kind of generators start to surge it is because the fuel was left in the carb and the carb idle port hole is clogged. You can try gumout or see a youtube video on how to clean it. The EU2000i takes 5 minutes to clean it. The Honda EU2000i is rated at 1600 watts and really load trips at about 2250 watts. It uses very little fuel and some other generators use tons of fuel. It is about 50 lbs with fuel and is super quiet and easy to carry with the handle. You can easily make your EU2000i run dry if you are not using it often by disconnecting the electric connector plug so the generator ignition is always hot when you turn the fuel off and it will run dry in 150 seconds no load. I have a Honda EU2000i and a Cummins Quiet Diesel 10k at 1800 rpm.
Just purchased a Champion 2000 Invertor Generator - thanx to your video as well as other videos positive rating on it.
I own a Honda EU2000i that I've had for a little over a year. No problems. I did add an hour meter that I installed BEFORE I started it right from the beginning. An hour meter is something that should be a standard feature on generators.
After watching your Briggs & Stratton 2200 & 3000 review, if I were in the market today, I buy the B&S, not the Honda. In my mind Honda is no longer competitive with B&S, whom I believe will capture the majority of market share within a year.
I'll tell you one thing, Sean. Taking a good look at the beautiful Kristy will definately recharge your battery. You're a lucky man. Love your videos. Keep 'em coming.
Hi Sean, very professional presentation as usual. I have a Honda 3000EUi, yes its expensive however it works every time. Service is no issue and its no problem to do the service yourself. I think you get what you pay for and the Generator is one item that when I need it I want it to work.
I have had my polaris 3000 inverter for 3 years. It has around 2500 hours on it and there's been no issues with it. I like how long it will run on a full tank of gas when it's winter and iam running the furnace at night. I fill the tank start it up at 430 in the afternoon just as it's getting dark. Go inside make supper watch a bit of TV then off to bed. It runs great and quite as well still have plenty of gas left when i turn it off before going to work.I love it happy that I made the purchase.
I just forked out $640.00 on a generac 2200i today from Amazon. I sure hope i don't regret it.
Predator 2500 Peak/2200 Running Watts, 4.7 HP (125cc) Portable Inverter Generator EPA III from Harbor Freight. Its only 64 dB and powers my 13500 BTU A/C unit with no problem.
Wen makes a generator that you can get for $350 ($450 on Amazon) every once in a while on Woot, perhaps other websites. My buddy bought one so we could make pizza's out on the ice, while ice fishing... I bought two more after he bought his as the machine seemed extremely nice, the price was right and Woots shipping, while not free, was incredibly fast. We live close to a depot so I actually got it next day. The units came w/ no oil. Putting it in, I noticed that one of the screws was missing on one of the units. Filling the gas I noticed that one of the units gauges did not function at all. The other did not show as full even though the unit was full. So far, build quality wasn't super impressive, but it's a $350 unit so it's on par with expectations. It is a pull start unit and will run on first or second pull. The pulls don't have to be aggressive and my wife can start them pretty easily. One generator does start a bit easier than the other though. In terms of noise, it is extremely quiet in eco mode and gets only somewhat louder while running normally. Both units ran our 1500 watt pizza oven once they were adequately warmed up - warming them in 10 degree temps obviously took some time. Running the oven w/o the unit properly warmed up tripped the breaker, though once it was warmed up, it worked very well/there were no issues. We'll be using these for ice fishing, at our friends hunting cabin, rv camping, and where ever else I can I suppose. I am hopeful. The Amazon reviews look good and they have a 2 year warranty to suss out any issues.
Honda 2000 watt gen... works great... reliable, but was a lot of $$$... perfect for anything in the RV (no A/C, although I have tried it and it will start and run the 13.5K A/C)... so just throw it up in the truck bed and off we go... thanks for all of ur great Vids. !!!
Hello! First let me say I love this channel. Such practical information presented very clearly!!!! Thanks.
As far as generators go..... I used to have one but then I got into solar, I just liked the facts that solar is silent and I don't have to feed it gas and maintain another gas engine. I do however see their usefulness for camping during long periods of days without a lot of sun. And yes, the more competition the better, brings the cost of generators down!
+John Chalupowski Thanks John, we're interested in solar and may add some panels someday. But we like to be able to run our A/C when camping in extreme heat, so we may always have a generator in the mix.
Sean, my consensus is that if you don't care about running the AC unit, you don't need anything more than a 1000 watt generator, which incidentally cost a whole lot less and is more economic to run. Most travel trailers, if not all function on propane and 12 volt battery power. The few AC appliances onboard will run on 1000 watts or less provided you don't try to run more than one at a time. I use a 900 watt, 2-cycle generator that does that and keeps the batteries at peak, too... And, it is quiet as a Yamaha.
+Thomas Ivines Those are my feelings also. What brand did you get? If I may ask are you using the on board converter charger or a different charger altogether?
The generator I have and use with a separate 35 amp converter is a 2-cycle 900 watt unit weighing in at 36 lbs. and is sold by Harbor Freight for $88. It sips about 1 gallon of gas for every 8 hours of moderate use. So far not a problem in a year's time but if it did die, for that price I could buy another one. Incidentally, it came with a one year warranty so I suspect I will have it for awhile. You can use your existing RV converter as long as the AC amps do not exceed the max AC amps output of the generator you choose.
Thomas Ivines
Thanks for the reply. I have thought of getting that unit. Have seen it for as low as $88 with coupon of course. I get their monthly add sent to me by snail mail and emailed to me.
I have a champion 1500 with 3000 hours. still running strong. . I just got the smarter tools, Yamaha 2000 iq and it is very high quality. . I put in in the same quality as Yamaha. Honda is great. I wouldn't be afraid of anything by champion.
The Champion 3500 and the Champion 3400 are the same unit with different labels. I didn't believe it either, but Champion felt the 3400 was a bit underrated and Camping World wanted a special package, therefore the 3500!
If I didn't have my Honda 3000, I'd get a Champion 3500. They seem to really be serious about good service.
Ryobi 2000 is the one I got to run my van and works well had it for 2 years it runs my charger for my battery bank15 amp a/c 5000w or 1000 w cramic heater a ref and stand alone ice maker 32 in flat screen and laptop and charges iPhone all at the same time been realy happy with it it still starts on the first pull I have it mounter to the back door of the van paid like 395 or so 2000 1 tank of gas is 1/2 gallon and run time 7 hrs