Portable generators

[portjon]

Dodge guy does walk in, and most places also.chrysler lost its way about 1975.a 2022 wagoner $78 000 and the Chrysler differential in it is shot at 9000 miles no more Renault dodges or jeeps for me

[RandyHart]

Originally Posted by ernest917

“Cheap is neat and you get what you pay for”??????

Hopefully not all “Honda” owners are as pompous as you appear to be!!!

Forgive me for being offended by your attitude but there actually are other very well made generators other than Honda...

Good Grief!!!!

I'm sorry I offended you that was not my intention and I'm sure there are other quality generators out there but to many nights I've had to listen to noisy ones and lost the serenity of silence. Even a small reduction of noise output is an improvement and honda to my knowledge is the quietest on the consumer market. PS I dont own one I listen to friends and neighbors different units!

[GOLDWINGER2]

[followingsea]

Originally Posted by Marine359

....
3. If weight is the driver, I think my Champion wins @ 39lbs
...

It is not about winning, it is about getting the job done.

The job of a generator is producing electricty for a specific purpose.

The problem for the RV consumer is two fold. Firguring out what you need and sorting out the marketing BS on the box.

I was a navy nuke and a test engineer at power plants. I am an expert at making electricty and testing stuff. Making misleading statements was a crime if I did it.

The marketing on the boxes of portable generators is misleading. Sorting out what you need is not easy. Weight is one number that is easy to understand. It is also an indicator of the engine's ablity to power.

I wanted a backup genrator that could run one A/C. I had to be able to lift it and put in a storage compartment.

So I found a good deal on one that came in at 60#. Data was provided for horse power and engine displacement. I found several withn the same starting watt rating (as my running watts) around 39# at two, three, and four times the price.

After got the generaor, I tested it. It will run one A/C. I have never needed it for camping but it will charge batteres and run the micro wave and frig at same time. It gets the job done.

I have an $88, 800 watt HF model that I used for charging batteries as good as any Honda. I saw the same generator rated for 1200 watts for a higher price. Since I was no longer worried about damaging it, I ran a test with a higher rated fuse.

Got it to produce 1000 watts by cranking up the RPM. But it was not going produce 1200 watts with that engine.

I will not claim that my testing of 2 portable generators says anything about other brands.

Wait is that the sun? It has stopped drizzling. Time to go.

[LETMGROW]

I mentioned in a previous post I have two Honda generators which I really like but last year I was at a NASCAR race and a fellow a couple sites from me unboxed and set up a Predator 2000 W. generator from Harbor freight. I was chatting with him when he started it up. I was impressed how quiet it was. If it was any louder than either of my Honda's it wasn't noticeable. He ran the generator for a couple hours to break it in then started and ran his AC with the soft start on it. It was louder as the RPM picked up but was still as quiet as my own generators. Talking with the fellow a couple days later it appeared the gas consumption was on par with my Honda's.
Harbor Freight has a warranty and you can purchase an extended warranty (No questions asked) for I believe three years which very reasonably priced.
If it would serve anyone's needs the Predator is well worth considering. I have heard other Predator models running and they all seemed to be close to being on par with other same size generators and the prices are hard to beat.
https://www.harborfreight.com/electr...ogy-59135.html

[Mr Ted]

Originally Posted by portjon

Dodge guy does walk in, and most places also.chrysler lost its way about 1975.a 2022 wagoner $78 000 and the Chrysler differential in it is shot at 9000 miles no more Renault dodges or jeeps for me

????? Are you stuck in the 80"s LOL !

[Marine359]

Originally Posted by followingsea

It is not about winning, it is about getting the job done.

Please don’t take my comments out of context. I thought it was clear that I was posting about the criteria that people might use to choose a portable generator. I thought it was doubly clear, that “winning” for my 39lb generator was only direct reference to the criteria of weight. A “win” in my post is in direct reference to the criteria category listed in my post. And members are better served by choosing a generator that “wins” in areas that are important to them.

Sometimes you may want to pause to RTFM (if you’re a nuke, you know what that means) before making a post aimed at discrediting another’s post. You don’t have to agree with my post, but you may want to be more careful about implying something maybe you didn’t really mean to imply. BTW, I have a EE degree, and took apart and designed computer interfaces many years ago before the advent of PCs, so I know a few things about electronics as well. Not claiming to be a smart as a nuke, but, hey, it’s about getting the job done.

[Mt. Jim]

I have a Champion 4600 3450 running watts gas only. Love it Electric remote start. It runs ac and microwave at the same time with a 60 amp charger. It is little louder than Honda but 1 Honda won"t run that. My buddy has the Honda and it won't restart his ac compressor. He does't have the soft start. He was impressed with mine. And agreed it was not that loud.

[08Carriage]

I have a Champion 3500 dual fuel that I put in the truck camper soft start going this week so the generator will run on low speed quite quiet.
I also have a Westinghouse 4500 dual fuel remote start that in the Carriage I went with the bigger generator because it has as a two-burner electric cooktop it's quieter than the Champion

[sibe]

There a few class 3500-4500 units worthy...

The Honda 3000 is the quiet on eco but running a 15K AC it manages as long as not much other loads and it is is at a top DB..

I rather my knock off 3500 that is around 56DB running my 13K,, if solar is got batteries up and conv/cgher is at idle, I can run my 1200 watt micro..at same time or my laser printer .. the Honda gets mad at times..

The HF predator does well.. I had to borrow one ,, when my knock off got some bad fuel..

Just for poops and giggles.. when the 3500 knockoff was surging from ethanol over 24%.. ( i tested can) // I fired the onboard for about 5 hours..
Then switched to Predator.. I was surprised at a few fellow campers saying wow that onboard is quiet,, maybe less than those.you have
.. Well inside it is not,, LOL But I did alot of sound deading around unit and exhaust but the dang onboard sucks the fuel.....

At one event I got to use a Honda 7000IS.. Nice, heavy quiet,, it handled my ac and barely came up off idle/eco..


Good luck on the choices.. Oh my knock off has over 2000 hrs now,, and the Predator 3500 i borrowed had 3200hrs on it and is not cared for well,, oil maybe twice a year,, it is 4 years old..
My knockoff 3500 gets oil every 100-120 hrs.. I dont use it as hard as the first 2 years.. I have done 7-9 days straight with AC on, stopped to dump oil only.. So IMO there are good ones..

I have 2 honda 1000's.. 12 years old atleast.. countless hours,, serviced together,, used about the same amounts... One id perfect as it was new, the other will empty the oil n 2 tanks of fuel.. I have a blend of lucas and 15/40 in it now and we can get a full weekend / 3 fill ups and it is att add oil mark..
So they wear out to.. LOL

[capt fast]

also, the NA engine will lose 2% power output every one thousand feet of altitude above sea level it is operating at. also loses more power when relative humidity and temperature is high. so, if you need 4,5Kw of power from your gen set, and you use it in the mountains in summer, you may want to pick one that is somewhat more powerful. water vapor displaces oxygen and temperature has a effect on density altitude which is what the carburetor is seeing. if you routinely operate at a particular altitude, your small engine service shop can tune your engine's carburetor to operate efficiently because fuel is time and money.

[GIjoe]

Originally Posted by capt fast

also, the NA engine will lose 2% power output every one thousand feet of altitude above sea level it is operating at. also loses more power when relative humidity and temperature is high. so, if you need 4,5Kw of power from your gen set, and you use it in the mountains in summer, you may want to pick one that is somewhat more powerful. water vapor displaces oxygen and temperature has a effect on density altitude which is what the carburetor is seeing. if you routinely operate at a particular altitude, your small engine service shop can tune your engine's carburetor to operate efficiently because fuel is time and money.

That is why I purchased two carb jets for higher altitude which I switch out if camping at higher altitudes for a prolonged period.

[Abner Mality]

Always find it interesting that folks use "resale value" as a factor in this kinda purchase, when these are all folks who buy new not used...

If you plan on using something for many years, why would you care what the resale value is currently?

[followingsea]

Originally Posted by Marine359

....
Sometimes you may want to pause to RTFM (if you’re a nuke, you know what that means) before making a post aimed at discrediting another’s post. You don’t have to agree with my post, but you may want to be more careful about implying something maybe you didn’t really mean to imply. BTW, I have a EE degree, and took apart and designed computer interfaces many years ago before the advent of PCs, so I know a few things about electronics as well. Not claiming to be a smI realizewd art as a nuke, but, hey, it’s about getting the job done.

Well actual what your post indicated to me is I did not do a very good job of making my point.

It is about Detroit muscle! It takes muscle to start some motors and keep them running like for an A/C.

It takes power to make power. That means weight.

As far as electronics go, not an ounce of it in my $88 gernerator. No need.

As far as inverter generators, I do not know how they work. We had a term for it in the navy for electronics. Stared with 'pure' and ended with 'magic'.

Maybe you have heard of the kiss princple.

Anyhow for the benefit of other reader, weight is an important factor when buying a generator.