Portable Inverter Generator Recommendations

[stratdriver]

Hi: We have a 2018 HC and I am ready to purchase a portable generator. Looking for any recommendations. Also what is the generator etiquette when at a camp site? Anyone using an enclosure for sound reduction?
Thanks, Mark

[Carl n Susan]

Welcome stratdriver! Your Post was moved to a new Thread to help get a better answer for you. The previous Thread was really not related to your question.

[AZ Traveler]

Mark,

First, welcome to the forum!

Lots of great gennys available out there. Many consider Honda as the gold standard but they also come at a higher price. Many like the Harbor Freight Predator which is less expensive.

The 2000 watt class are lighter and easy to handle. If you want to run a/c (and anything else at the same time) you need more than 2000 watts. A pair of 2000 watt class gennys connected together will do the job and offer redundancy when you only need one.

Generally the inverter type models run quiet and don't cause problems in campgrounds but many campgrounds will have genny quiet hours. I very rarely have seen enclosures used.

[stratdriver]

Thank you all for your welcome. I am finding allot of great tips/advice on this forum. Yes, I am thinking about going with 2 smaller wattage mostly because of weight and lower noise level.

[mlh]

First you wont an inverter generator. They are much quieter than a regular generator being about 56 decibels and that is about as loud as normal conversation. There are several brands made but most Honda knockoffs are made in one factory in China. I happen to have three a Honda 3000 watt, a Harbor Freight Predator 3500 watt and a 2000 watt Harbor Freight Predator. The Honda is a great generator but so is the Predator at about 1/3 the price. For my use I like the Predator better. If you decide to buy the Predator keep a check on theirs web site because put them on sale often at 20% off.
Check around decide what you need how many watts you need. Are you going to run your AC or both ACs. Check the start up watts of the things you need to run. That is a lot higher than running watts for most things. The running watts of your generator will be lower than the listed watts. The Predator 3500 running watts is 3000 but you don’t wont to run it all the time that high. If you are to be using it at much elevation subtract 3.5 % for each 1000 feet.
If you aren’t needing one for a while ask lots of questions check out lots of them before you buy. Check out the warranty, how long is it, what will the company do if you have a problem. Will they fix the generator or replace. Harbor Freight replaces most fix the unit. If the fix they unit how long does that take and where.
Good luck
Lynwood

[wed]

Onan 4500

[h2ojocky]

I have the Harbor Freight 3500 and love it. It weighs about 100 pounds. Some people like pairing 2 smaller units. I found this on Costco online, you could pair 2 of these. My 3500 can run my AC and charge my batteries at the same time.

https://www.costco.com/a-ipower-1800...100653776.html

[rames14]

We have had two Honda 2000’s, one for almost 20 years and the second for over 10. With the parallel kit, I can run AC’s with the two Honda’s or run one just to charge the batteries. As for etiquette, 10 pm to 8 am is generally quiet time. However, many National Parks are limiting to 4 hours per day. You will get lots of opinions and they are all the right solution for that person. Based on your usage, decide what will work for the way you camp. With 1200 watts of solar, soft start on both AC’s and easy access to federal lands for boondocking, we have different needs than many (and an RV fridge). Best of luck and welcome.

[DutchmenSport]

wed (above) indicated the Cummins Onan P4500i Inverter Generator and that is what I have too. (I actually have 2 of them.) They are NOT cheap. But they are good! When I run them in parallel, I can run absolutely everything in my Montana, just like I'm plugged into 50 amp shore power, without even a slight hick-up.

They are not cheap, and they are not light in weight. They say the Champion 4500 is the same identical generator just packaged in a different color. I don't know. I've never done a comparison of them, because I have no need to try both. All I know is, I've had mine for about 4 years now, they get run a lot, and so far, I've not had to do a single amount of maintenance to them (yet). Again, they power both air conditioners, microwave, electric water heater, residential refrigerator, electric fire place and 2 - 1500 watt space heaters .... all at the same time when running in parallel.

When running on 1 single generator, they operate exactly the same as being plugged into shore power with 30 amp. The only difference is, the Onans can take up to 35 amps. The breaker panel in your camper will handle 50 before tripping the main breaker. So, actually, running on one single, alone, you can squeeze out 35 amps. I tried running both air conditioners on one generator, and the generators will shut down power to the trailer, but the generators keep running. Then you have to press the reset button to restore power back to the camper. So, when they get over loaded, they simply cut power, but don't shut off. Nice feature. They work like an EMS.

Again, they are not cheap or "light weight", but they are excellent generators and works very well. Click here to go to the P4500i web site. They can be purchased from multiple retail places, and surprisingly, the price is very consistent with them everywhere. But, you may be able to find a good deal somewhere if you search enough.

[mlh]

The Champion and Onan 4500 watt generators both come with a remote start. That is really nice to have. The Predator doesn’t have a remote start but one can be added for a little over a $100.
Lynwood

[Mark7]

Cummins / Onan 4500i X3

[Foldbak]

Onan

https://shop.cummins.com/CSSNAStore/...rator-a058u967

[Joint Venture II]

Mine is a WEN 56380i (52DB Quiet) 3800 Watt RV-Ready Portable Inverter Generator. Weighs 102#'s and costs $632

[Todd & Mary]

We purchased a Harbor Freight Predator 3500. There are a lot of them out there. about $600 compared to 0ver 2000 for a Honda. In my opinion I could buy 4 of these for 1 Honda. I would like to get a Honda but cannot economically justify it. Of course, it is only backup for my solar system, so take it as you may. But if your are looking top of the line get the Honda!

[mlh]

I have read thousands of reviews for the Honda and Predator generators. I have both of them. In reading almost or all Honda reviews and several thousand Predator reviews I find there isn’t much difference in the reviews. Most reviews mean almost nothing. Most are we just bought blank generator and it started on the first pull or it’s quiet. There are some that are actually useful, like how many hours the unit has run or what happened to cause it to quit. If you read enough reviews I think you will find there isn’t much difference in the generators.
I use the Honda as a portable generator. I can move it around and use it and I use it with my HC. I have the Predator mounted semipermanent on the back of my motor home. Both work great for what I’m using them for. Which is the better unit, probably the Honda but it cost 3 times as much. I can find the Predator on sale for under $800 and the Honda is $2400.
Lynwood

[DutchmenSport]

Etiquette? No one addressed that.

Basically, it depends upon where you are camped at. If at a State Park with electric hook-ups, there is no need for a generator. However, if the campground had a power outage, a generator could come in real handy ... especially if one has to work from home (ie, internet work).

Another "Basically".... every campground will have "quiet hour" rules. If no other rules are addressed for the actual usage of a generator, then the generator should be turned off during those established "quiet hours".

Sometimes, private campgrounds have specific rules for generator usage. Every campground can have different rules. Just following their "rules" for usage and you'll be fine.

If you are boondocking, then it really depends upon where you are boondocking. (Ok, let me back up a minute and call this "boondocking" .... um ... camping "off grid." ... no electricity available).

Now... if you are camping in an isolated Arizona desert and you are the only one in the entire area for 50 miles, then you surely can run your generator any time and as much as you want.

However, if you are sitting on a street in town doing some stealth camping, you better not be running your generator at all.

All it takes is some common sense and courtesy when other folks are in your proximity when you are "off grid" camping. There are acceptable times it's OK to run a generator and then there are times it can really tick-off a fellow camper. Consider THEM if you want to be a good camper. And adjust how much and WHEN you run your generator.

We have run into situations where someone was just absolutely inconsiderate about rules. They knew the rules and choose to ignore them anyway. It really pisses off your neighbors if you do this.

[wed]

I told you earlier I liked the Onan 4500i it works great I just replaced the Honda 3000 that I had been using in the last few Montana's but the 4500i will run more and it fits like a glove on the Moryde slide try.

[Mikendebbie]

Ed - is your slide tray for the P4500i in the basement or in the front compartment?

Do you have a pic?

[LeftOverParts]

I have two Champion 2500 dual fuel units and run them on Propane to avoid gasoline. On propane, stated output is 1850 watts. I use a parallel kit to run them together. They weigh 40 lbs each. Bought them from Amazon. If you’re not in a hurry you can use Camel Camel Camel to set an Amazon price and alert for price drop. For example, today the price is $793 each but CCC shows the price range from Jul 30 2022 as $453-$899. Think we payed around $520 using CCC.

[mlh]

Harbor Freight has their 3500 watt Predator on sale now for $830. It may be cheaper later this spring and may not.
Lynwood