Portable Generators Revisited... Chime in Please

[Ltmsc]

Davidki, I have a 2016 Jayflight 33rbts, 15k a/c. Two of the 2K Champions tied together run my a/c fine. I even tried them both on eco mode when tied together and they had no problems starting the a/c. You aren't going to run the a/c and microwave at the same time though.

[Big1]

Originally Posted by starcraft69

I sold 2000i and bought 2800/3100 champion and will never look back

I was looking at one a Cabala's the other week, they had them on sales but I didn't get it so my question is are they loud or anybody that have one?

[Ela1948]

Originally Posted by Big1

I was looking at one a Cabala's the other week, they had them on sales but I didn't get it so my question is are they loud or anybody that have one?

They are slightly louder then a 3000 Honda. But the 3000 Honda is the industries quietest!! I have both and can say that I don't regret buying the Champion. Noise is not an issue!!

[davidki]

Thanks for the additional posts, I have been talking with my wife and I think I've gone to the 2 unit set up like you Ltmsc you make a good point about not using the AC all the time, and I don't think we have ever used our Microwave even when plugged in so that isn't an issue. Our last camping trip was to the Smokey's and it is all dry camping, so it would have been nice to have the air for part of the day but the evenings were cool enough it would not have mattered. I guess what also caught my eye way haveing 2 independent units at home when were not camping, we have a detached garage with our freezer in it, if we have a power outage it would be hard to have just 1 unit feeding the house refrig/freezer and the garage, with 2 units I'd be set so I think we are going to focus on the 2 unit setup.

I have tried to find a local store that carries the Champion and other than Costco (45 miles away) that carries only the 3100 I can't find any dealers or service centers that would work on them. Mail order is great for somethings, but 50 lb generators that my have to be shipped back to California on my dime could get expensive... I am continuing to look. There are dealers that carry, stock and service both Honda and Yamaha in the 20 mile radius and although the expense I looked and both the Honda and Yamaha have a 3 years parts and Labor Warranty... the Champion form what I read is 1 year Parts and Labor, then the 2nd year is parts only so, that is a consideration.

I guess the good thing is we have lots of time, we have finished our camping for this year so it will be next April before we take off again.. I guess that leaves me time to evaluate the issue a little more. I'd love to save the money using the Champions and who knows, perhaps a close that picks up the line.

Thanks again for the response, it is great to hear from folks that are using the various generators and have chimed in...

[MrWyoming]

Just my 2 cents. I think most generators are like vehicles. Are you a Ford, Chevy or Dodge person? Same applies with some of these 2000 W genny's. I personally use 2 2000 W Hondas and love them. All I do is boondock and love the ability with my bad back to be able to lug these 45 pounders around. It was brought up about the perks of having 2, which I take advantage of. I use 1 when just running lights, the water pump and to charge up my batteries before turning in. 2 is perfect for running the A/C, microwave and the wife's hairdryer for those cleanup days. The technology now days is great and any choice is a good choice. My next upgrade will be solar. Can't wait, but the piggy bank is light and will have to gain some weight first, lol! Happy Camping All and Stay Safe!!!!

[RoyBraddy]

I have had my EU2000i since 2008 and tit still starts with one or two cranks... Sits secured in the tail gate corner of my covered truck bed...

I only use it to charge batteries on my camping trips...

Have been to ELKMONT many times over the years... Always enjoy camping there...

The tree cover at Elkmont is so thick they will drip rain water for a couple of days after a rain strom goes through haha...


Roy Ken

[jerdog]

Just pick a good QUIET one of the inverter type. I bought a Yamaha is 3000 two years ago and absolutely love it. It's quiet and fuel efficient and works for us. Notice the emphasis on quiet. You don't want to be "that guy" in the campground with the construction grade generator. Last July while camping in Utah, we had some folks show up two nights before we left with one. Thank Goodness they came when they did. We wouldn't have enjoyed ourselves as much if we would have had to listen to that for a whole week.

[Octane2Go]

I did buy one of these and it is middle of off season and haven't been able to do much with it other than doing a test/burn-in. I use propane and seems great.

I am trying to figure out how or what would be the best thing to do for when it is raining.

Anyone have any ideas or thoughts on that?

P.S. Sorry, forgot to do the quote. I was referring to buying one of the Duel Fuel Champions from CostCo. :-)

[northwindone]

I was about to start a new thread, but read this this and....my choice is no clearer now .

Anyhow, I'm in the market for a inverter generator, I have solar, but camping the winter the batteries don't get a full charge due to shorter length of days and the fact that I'm using a portable kit which I put away when we aren't at the campsite. Moving the panels to the roof will help with that of course.

The other issue is that living in the desert it can be kind of hot when we boondock, even in the spring and fall and it would be nice to run the A/C for an a couple hours in the hottest part of the day or after returning from a hike.

I'm sold on the Champion brand due to the reviews I've read and the videos I've watched. I thought for sure I would get a 3100, maybe the one with remote start. Then I figured maybe I should go a bit higher so I looked at the 3400 and then I was sold on the 3400 dual fuel. But after some more research on price and noise levels, as of last night I'm leaning towards getting two 2000s with the parallel kit. I'm subscribed to Love Your RV on YouTube and he is a full timer that has been using a pair of the 2000s for 5 years now without issues. Camping in the winter it would be nice to just bring one lighter unit along to charge the batteries than one bigger unit, since there is no chance of needing the AC.

I see there are plenty of other generator threads on JOF, so I'll probably go read some more before I hit that "place order" button.


EDIT:
Also, I priced out the same setup with a pair of Honda units and it was $1200-$1400 more. I know Honda's are THE generator to get, and would probably go that route if I was a full timer. But that's a huge difference to someone who will only use them every couple of weekends and doesn't have money to just throw around. Besides, I'll have 6 total years of warranty where I'm ordering the champion(s) from.

[Stingray75]

Northwindone, I know the feeling. My final choice is to go with the 3100 because . . .
1) We really only need to ensure the batteries are charged
2) We need to brew a pot of coffee in the morning
3) We may want to run the AC a few hours
4) Having 2 smaller units is good for our cylinder index but not so good for space management
5) while we still have the sticks n bricks, we can use the 3100 plugged into our home transfer switch in the event of a power disruption

In a recent video, I see Love Your RV commented that he hasn't paired both 2000's in a while and left one behind this winter

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Stingray75

Northwindone, I know the feeling. My final choice is to go with the 3100 because . . .
1) We really only need to ensure the batteries are charged
2) We need to brew a pot of coffee in the morning
3) We may want to run the AC a few hours
4) Having 2 smaller units is good for our cylinder index but not so good for space management
...snip

We bought a 3100 with the remote start for above 4 reasons. Plus, it will be our backup for cloudy days after we have solar.

[SkyBound]

Where did you buy the 3100W remote start Champion from? I'm planning a trip to the states and want to pick one up. Price?

[northwindone]

Originally Posted by SkyBound

Where did you buy the 3100W remote start Champion from? I'm planning a trip to the states and want to pick one up. Price?

Of course I can't answer for oldmanAZ, but I've been shopping for the Champion generators at Home Depot. The benefit being that I can also get a 3 year extended warrant for around $160 I believe. The one issue for your situation is that they may not carry them in the store. For my local HD I have to have it shipped to either the store or my home, but it is free and I can return it to the local HD if there is an issue, which I've done with other large items I've ordered and not been satisfied with.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by SkyBound

Where did you buy the 3100W remote start Champion from? I'm planning a trip to the states and want to pick one up. Price?

FOUND IT! Sorry for the delay. I didn't want to list all the places I DIDN'T buy from so I had to keep digging.

wayfair.com

When I was ready to buy, they had the remote start unit at the best price and available to ship. All, if any, taxes & shipping included it was $889.99. I'd seen some prices a bit lower other places from time to time, but missed those.

BTW, the generator is the only thing I've purchased from Wayfair, but everything was just as advertised.

I'm not sure where you are located, eh. You might check Blain's Farm and Fleet in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. I've seen good prices there, from time to time.

[SkyBound]

Thanks for the reply. They offer the Champion 3100W generator here in Canada but it doesn't have the proper RV 30amp outlet - you have to use an adapter. If that adapter somehow got lost the unit is useless (in a 30amp sense) until you get another one. Absolutely dumb! I'm going to get a US model with the proper outlet hardwired in. I'll probably order online and have it shipped to relatives that live state-side and go pick it up. I could go on a rant about pricing and availability of retail/consumer items here in Canada but it would just get me too fired up. Almost all the aftermarket parts on my truck and trailer had to come from the US for either price or availability.

[Cdash]

Originally Posted by northwindone

I was about to start a new thread, but read this this and....my choice is no clearer now .

Anyhow, I'm in the market for a inverter generator, I have solar, but camping the winter the batteries don't get a full charge due to shorter length of days and the fact that I'm using a portable kit which I put away when we aren't at the campsite. Moving the panels to the roof will help with that of course.

The other issue is that living in the desert it can be kind of hot when we boondock, even in the spring and fall and it would be nice to run the A/C for an a couple hours in the hottest part of the day or after returning from a hike.

I'm sold on the Champion brand due to the reviews I've read and the videos I've watched. I thought for sure I would get a 3100, maybe the one with remote start. Then I figured maybe I should go a bit higher so I looked at the 3400 and then I was sold on the 3400 dual fuel. But after some more research on price and noise levels, as of last night I'm leaning towards getting two 2000s with the parallel kit. I'm subscribed to Love Your RV on YouTube and he is a full timer that has been using a pair of the 2000s for 5 years now without issues. Camping in the winter it would be nice to just bring one lighter unit along to charge the batteries than one bigger unit, since there is no chance of needing the AC.

I see there are plenty of other generator threads on JOF, so I'll probably go read some more before I hit that "place order" button.


EDIT:
Also, I priced out the same setup with a pair of Honda units and it was $1200-$1400 more. I know Honda's are THE generator to get, and would probably go that route if I was a full timer. But that's a huge difference to someone who will only use them every couple of weekends and doesn't have money to just throw around. Besides, I'll have 6 total years of warranty where I'm ordering the champion(s) from.

I think you are right on the money with the way you are thinking. What difference does it make if it is a Honda, Yamaha or a Champion if it is durable enough to fit your needs and lasts? Seems like the Champions have been around long enough to prove their worth.

I agree with your thinking on the 2 smaller vs 1 larger.

I have a Yamaha 2400 that we bought to be able to run the 13.5k air on our old fifth. It also runs the 15k air on our Jayco (after adding a capacitor). It is a tad on the heavy side, but at least once every year, I find that having the ability to run the air is very nice. If I didn't have the need for this, I would downsize to a 2000 for the portability. I don't see it being worth it to sell the 2400 and buy two 2000's until I can't lift it anymore.

[Big1]

Originally Posted by SkyBound

Where did you buy the 3100W remote start Champion from? I'm planning a trip to the states and want to pick one up. Price?

I seen them at Cabalas.

[TCNashville]

Have you guys seen this one? https://www.samsclub.com/sams/4000w-...lp:product:1:3

[RAurand]

I have a pair of Yamaha 2000's Love them. Much easier to move around by myself.
Connected in Parallel, they run my AC. If I am on the road and want to make a pot of coffee, I only need to run 1. Yamaha EF2000iS Generator


I really like the fact that the Yamaha's have a fuel shutoff and fuel gauge which the Hondas do not have.

[northwindone]

Originally Posted by TCNashville

Have you guys seen this one? https://www.samsclub.com/sams/4000w-...lp:product:1:3

Good price, but I'm sure it's quite loud as it isn't an inverter generator. Plus I'm sure the CARB model (for those of us in CA) will run $80-$100 more. For example my 4kw conventional Champion goes for $270 for the standard and over $360 for the one I have, which is CARB compliant. Fortunately I've noticed all the inverter models are CARB compliant. I'm just glad my conventional model has the same power rating as the non-CARB model. I have a CARB chainsaw and it is has about 20% less power than the non-CARB model as it's been de-tuned to meet CARB emission standards.

Anyhow, I ordered one of the Champion 2000 inverter units yesterday. It will run everything (not at the same time) but the A/C, which will be fine for spring camping. In a few months I'll order a second unit so we can run the A/C. Already bought some synthetic oil (for after break in), some sta-bil, and an hour meter to install before I even start it the first time.