generators

[missynv]

Hi Everyone

I am very confused about generators. We are looking to get a small generator for our tent trailer. Don't want to spend very much. Is there any suggestions? Any help would be very appreciated

[Theberrys]

Hi Missy welcome to iRV2

If price is the bigest factor here is a real low priced genny.
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

It's $150 but two stroke engine. It may be kinda noisy. Most lower priced ones will be loud.
Here are the specs
800 Rated Watts/900 Max Watts Portable Generator
2 HP two-stroke engine
5 hour run time @ 50% load
Recoil start
1.1 gallon fuel tank
50:1 gas/oil mix ratio
One NEMA 3 prong 120 volt household receptacle
You'll need to carry a jerry can and two stroke oil but the price is right.

Dick

[PNWGirl]

Hi Missy,

WELCOME!

I have this generator. It - for a generator- is quieter than most. It also has a very long run time (12 hrs on 50% load). I picked mine up at a local auto parts store.

Champion 3500 Watt Generator : Cabela's

Sheila

[BryanL]

If you are confused, it might be best to clarify the confusion first.

As with any equipment, the first question to answer is what you want it to do. Many folks don't understand their needs very well and end up getting a genset that is too small. They then have to try again to find the right size.

Another issue with camping gensets is noise. Many folks underestimate how important this is and end up getting a genset that is too noisy. It tends to not get used as much.

Another factor to consider is what is going to be needed for maintenance, proper use, safety, and stowage. Many gensets die of neglect or abuse from those who didn't realize what was needed to keep it in usable condition.

Your best bet is to see what others who camp like you are using. Do this in camp so you can actually see and hear the genset in use and how it is stowed for travel. Compare the values of the owner to your own in regards to gensets.

Cash for purchase is only a small part of the total price. Buy with wisdom and you'll have a more pleasant and useful experience.

[WilleyB]

Well what do you know, I have the equivalent of both of them different names but most likely the same manufacturer. The 3500 watt was purchased for use with the RV but alas it was too big and too heavy, (we also carry a mobility scooter on the back) so it's use now is in case of power failure in the stick house.
The little one I bought and mounted on the back of the RV is identical to the one in Theberries post. The name is different but it's the same little genny.

For noise the book rates it at 91db and in a room that would be very loud, however I ran mine while parked on a residential street in Calgary AB and no one passing by on the sidewalk even looked so all in all it's not that bad for noise.

Cheers
Willey

[Kablewizard]

Hi, well let me just add to the confusion. Bryant had the high points when we had our pop up, I did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that we needed it to take over if fir some reason we needed to power what we had and as stated, you want to keep it as quiet as possible and it was one of te quietest at the time and still is. We had a Coleman Bayside with Air, and coffeepot, Computer and a TV w/ satellite. (ruffing it is no cell service) We didn't plan on running the air really but planned on it. we settled for the Coleman 2000. By adding a second one we could power the air with their cable. when we sold the pop up I sold 1 of them and we still have the other, we keep it for emergency's.

Have fun camping

[Theberrys]

It would be very helpful if Missy would tell us what she plans to run off the generator. The real load is what you are going to run at the same time. This will let people size the output. 800 Watts may be enough but you may need 2000 - 3000 Watts.
Dick

[wa8yxm]

I will tell you that small generators come in basically two formats

Loud, and Expensive.. Take your pick

The 2-stroke I'd be afraid to pull the rope on (The harbor-Freight or Pep-Boys one either of 'em)

Honda's (A small honda can be dangerously quite, People have picked them up not knowing they were running cause they could not hear it, and touched a hot part)

I used to have a Genrac 1000, this was a true 1,000 watt traditional generator fully enclosed, about as loud as a Honda EU-2000i (Same soundspec in fact) it was nice. Dang thing grew legs on me... I think it was 400 bucks at Tractor Supply.. I really needed 2kw though for what I wanted.. But the 1KW was of great help and I figured out how to "Boost" it's limit (legit method.. I charged a battery and used an inverter to power the inductive stuff that needed a 2kw kick in the motor)

But you get your choice.. LOUD or $$$$$, I'm afraid there is not a lot of in between.

That said, there are some low-cost inverter (Low compared to Honda/Yahama) like Champion (Selected models) or Kobi (Selected models)

I'd get an inverter generator.. My personal choice is Yahama or Honda. Both have good reps.. Though that said. Champion and the other "low-cost" models do not, as a rule, have a bad rep. I just don't like Red China.

[missynv]

Thanks for all the info. it has been helpful. We are just needing to recharge the battery when we go camping. So we can run the lights at night. We don't have air in this trailer, and everything else we run on gas. Whats the decimal range from quite to loud?

[Superslif]

While camping in a VT. State Park someone a few sites down had a Honda 2000. It was so quiet, you had to be about 30 feet away to hear it running. When we had a pop-up and did a good deal of camping at non-electric state parks for 4-7 days, I would pull the tow vehicle up real close to the trailer and hook up the trailer's brake cord and idle the car for 15 - 30 minutes. That would put a charge back into the battery to run the lights for a few more nights.

[Ray,IN]

Missynv, Welcome to irv2.com! If you visit the national parks website, you will find that most parks have a noise limit for gensets. That 91db posted is very loud, and probably will get the owner booted out of a NP or state park. This website explains it: HowStuffWorks "What is a decibel and how is it measured?". That 91db genset someone posted about will cause hearing loss over time, AND, make you lots of angry camping neighbors. The "normal" quiet gensets specially built for camping use have a db rating between 49 and 65. The rule of thumb is; for every 3 db rise in noise, the felt hearing noise doubles.
Been there - done that. I highly recommend a Honda, Yamaha, Boliy, or other brand built for quiet operation.

[ATVr]

Decibel levels are peculiar because humans' hearing is not linear, it is logarthmic. Meaning that while a 3 dB increase is measured by a meter at double the sound pressure (the sound waves hitting your ear) it takes a 10 dB increase in dB level before the average person says the sound is twice as loud. This leads to some counterintuitive facts. For example, if you have a person playing an electric guitar at a certain level and then add a second amp at the same level, the sound will not be "twice as loud." It will only be about 3 dB louder which is nearly the smallest change in level that the average person can detect. In the generator world, it would take lots of generators to be twice as loud as one generator. That doesn't seem logical, but that's the facts Jack.

So, figure that a generator that is 10dB louder than another is "twice as loud." It will be many times the average sound pressure of one generator, but heard by human hearing it is judged only "twice as loud." 3 dB is barely noticeable. I used to teach college level classes in this stuff and there were some students that simply would not accept it.

[squeak]

Honda 2000 way to go I have one and it keeps my batt. charged at night when watching tv / running ice maker / and heat. real quite

[Superslif]

What all will the Honda 2000 run?

~Will it run a TV and some lights.

~Will it run the air by itself

~Will it run a small mircowave oven?