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Old 05-02-2017, 11:42 PM   #1
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Generator help?!?!.. yea im a newbie :(

I just picked up a 2017 X19H. It's a 30amp couch. I've never owned a TT before and need help picking out a generator. Our family will mostly be dry camping while we use the TT for hunting and dirt bike ridding on 3-5 day trips. I mostly want a generator to recharge the battery when it goes low and to run the TV for movie time for the kids. I will not be using the A/C unit. Couple questions.

1- What is an invertor? I see Generator/Invertor? what is this?
2- What size generator will charge my TT battery and let me turn on the TV for movies.

Any suggestions on generators? I don't want to spend an arm and leg. I see Honda and Yamaha have 2000 watt generators for nearly $1000.00. Will this do the trick and are there any other cheaper reliable models?

KG-Pacific North West.
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Old 05-03-2017, 12:05 AM   #2
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Champion makes a good generator and half the cost of a Honda or Yamaha. A 2000 watt will do everything you described. I would suggest an inverter/generator with an economy mode. Will run quieter when power demand is low. Inverter technology will also give you "cleaner" power.
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Old 05-03-2017, 02:31 AM   #3
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What's "cleaner" power?
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Old 05-03-2017, 06:02 AM   #4
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Inverter styles do clean power. What we are talking about is if you hook a generator up to an oscilloscope to see the wave. It should look like a smooth wave. The inverter is there basically cleaning up the power. Here is an image. The smooth wave is the output from an inverter. The jagged wave is the conventional.



Basically electronics like clean power. If you are running a drill and saw it probably doesn't care as much. A TV is a bit more sensitive. They also tend to run a little quieter than a conventional generator.

Do you need to spend $1000 on a 2K generator? No there are other options. The Hondas are really nice but you could get by with one of those Champion 2K inverters. You could probably go even lower than a 2K. See if you can find a 1K as that would run the TV and charge the camper just as well. Keep in mind that things that produce a lot of heat and cold use lots of power. Charging a house battery and running a TV isn't much. Most LED TVs are around 50-70 watts depending on size.
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Old 05-03-2017, 06:16 AM   #5
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Champion

I had hoped not to use a generator boondocking, but the forum convinced me otherwise.
I too saw the overwhelming support for the Honda/ Yamaha, but I saw the Champion 3400 on sale at HD for 875, add in a HD 10% coupon and I scored the 3400 for around $800. It can run my TT with AC all by its lonesome as opposed to needing a parallel model like the Honda/Yamaha models
We used it for our first outing this weekend and it was just about perfect. It weights around 100 lbs, so it's a bit to move it in and out of the truck, but once on the ground the wheels and handle make it a breeze.
It is very quiet, we still had to observe a generator curfew where we camped, but all day we had AC, TV and all the amenities we bought the trailer for.
I ran it on gasoline and propane. It seemed less smelly on propane and quieter.

Champion Power Equipment 3,400-Watt Dual Fuel Push-Button Electric Start Portable Inverter Generator with Parallel Capability-100263 - The Home Depot
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Old 05-04-2017, 08:36 PM   #6
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Put a couple of solar panels on the roof and you're good to go. No gasoline, smell, noise, or hauling around. Cheaper too!
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Old 05-05-2017, 05:27 AM   #7
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Put a couple of solar panels on the roof and you're good to go. No gasoline, smell, noise, or hauling around. Cheaper too!
While Solar is a great option, the OP is asking for a generator recommendation. Reading the OPs requirements (no AC, just TV and movies), a solar system might be sufficient. Wile it might be a good option to recharge your TT's house batteries, but it will not deliver 110 for such things as the AC, microwave, toaster, Keurig, etc.
You might be able to run the TV for a bit on an inverter, but that'll draw down the house batteries needed for the important things.
I looked at solar as a solution when boondocking and only picked up the generator begrudgingly. Once we fired it up the first time and the AC came on, the wife was sold
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Old 05-05-2017, 08:37 AM   #8
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Not that it is a real brand or model recommendation but it's worth getting the inverter type. There are some electronics that don't run well (or at all) unless they have clean enough signal. It's also worth making sure you get a model with a remote start. It makes life a little easier when you can turn it on and off from inside at night or if it's raining. I know most seem to have the remote start from what I've seen lately.
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Old 05-05-2017, 05:02 PM   #9
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If your not using Air Conditioning, you could get away with a 2000 watt. Inverter generators will give clean stable power for your sensitive electronics plus they are quieter than the contractor style. I had a contractor generator and they are way too noisy for camping. I now have both the 2000 and 3100 watt Champion Inverter generators and they have been solid reliable units. I bought the 3100 for my TT to be able to run the AC unit if needed. The 2000 will run my tv and charge the battery with no problems.
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