Cheap generators - Montana Owners Club

Gramps · 08-19-2009, 01:37 PM

Before you start lobbing shots my way, I have a T-shirt with a target on it and I'm not afraid to use it.

We don't boon-dock very often, but are considering getting a cheap generator for when we do. After looking at the Hondas',Yamahas',and Onans', and considering the price, we thought a cheap one and a Surge-guard would be a reasonable way to go. I can get a 4000 watt Champion generator for about $400 and the Surge-guard for about the same. The Surge-guard would see the most use as we generally stay at regular camp grounds, plus the info on it indicates it protects against over volt,under volt, open ground, open neutral, and surge. Me thinks this would cover any occurance associated with the generator. Oorrr am I just being a tightwad?
Ok, let them bullets fly.

Countryfolks · 08-19-2009, 01:51 PM

I have a Champion, the electric start 4kw. I did a lot of research before getting a replacement for one that was stolen, they have a good reputation and good customer service from all indications. There is a really long thread on Chinese generators on RV.net. I think you're on the right track for a low use system.

exav8tr · 08-19-2009, 02:20 PM

Gramps, I am under the understanding that the Champions and others in the high wattage/low cost range do not produce a clean type of power that is BEST for electronics. I have the Honda and use it very sparingly, as I don't boondock much. I would suggest doing your homework on this subject and make a more informed decision. If you find I am wrong, please feel free to post your findings as electricity is not my forte'!

DHenry · 08-19-2009, 02:25 PM

Do you boondock by yourself or around others? Mostly it is the noise that offends others. The Honda's, Yamaha's and the Onan's are pretty quiet when running.

Ozzie · 08-19-2009, 02:48 PM

I just bought this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._ya_oh_product

It does run puters and tv, etc. I used it this last weekend in 90+ temps and it ran no issues at all (after new breakers). Noise was not bad. My friend has a brand new Honda Handy 3000 and I found not a lot of difference with sound. Yeah, you can hear it, but when you have it by the Honda it really isn't too bad...and 4000 surge.

It is Chinese though...but for 350 it isn't bad.
Oh...it comes with breakers (13.5A)...figure that one out...I had to go get a couple breakers from Napa - a 30 and a 20...that made it happy. I also picked up a different 110 outlet as this had the ground fault and my 30 amp adaptor would'nt fit. Menards had that one.
Total cost of repairs was under 25 bucks.

Countryfolks · 08-19-2009, 03:12 PM

You could add the Kipor and Champion to that list. The noisy ones are the contractor ones with small mufflers. After a certain level of exhaust muffling is reached the mechanical noise of the moving parts is what is heard. The recommendation to do your homework and determine what your requirements are is a good one.

Ozzie · 08-19-2009, 04:28 PM

Exactly...that is what is heard on mine. The Honda was so quiet in that regard you heard basically exhaust. But for the amount I need it, and the remote locations I would generally use it, 1500 bucks difference is a lot of coin I could use elsewhere.

**Carl n Susan** · 08-19-2009, 06:43 PM

If no one is around, then the noise level of your generator is not an issue. If, however, there are others within a reasonable distance (1/4 mile of less), then the quieter the generator the better.

There are a few boondocking locations where any generator noise will result in verbal criticism from the neighbors. Most other locations, the folks accept the quiet Honda, Yamaha, Kipor, and Onan generators. Noisy generators are not appreciated but accepted *IF* the owner is considerate in it's usage. Middle of the day to charge up batteries is tolerated. Early morning or late night usually isn't.

There is a large diversity of personalities out there in the boondocks. The neighbors reactions to your noisy generator will vary from mumbling to themselves, casting dirty looks in your direction, actually conversing with you about their displeasure, or worse (such as ensuring your fuel has a sufficient sucrose level).

If you rarely need a generator, and it would only be used when you are away from other campers or in a disaster situation, then buy the most inexpensive one you can find. Only you have to contend with it.

JMO!!

ols1932 · 08-20-2009, 01:47 AM

This is another one of those topics that lends itself well to "you get what you pay for." If you're the one living the lifestyle of a computer and other technology person(s), the generator you want should be one that lends itself well to good, clean sine wave power. Today's technology works best with clean sine wave power.

Just to add something that someone else mentioned about adding a Surge Guard with a generator, I would hesitate to do that. Generally speaking, note I didn't say "always" but generally, today's good generators don't really require any type of surge protection since they are usually well equipped to prevent any type of surge in their output power.

For us, we went to the Honda 2000 generator because of it's size and weight. If we decide to do a lot more dry camping we will invest in a second Honda 2000 so we can run our AC.

Orv

richfaa · 08-20-2009, 03:21 AM

ols 1932 said "good, clean sine wave power. Today's technology works best with clean sine wave power." that is the primary factor in choosing a gen for your camper use. I don't think you can get a gen that meets that requirement in the price range you mention..But do your homework. We have the Kipor 3000. We do not boon dock hardly at all but have used it on several occasions on the road and here at home. Several brands have been mentioned and all will do the job. We also have a craftsman 3500 gen in the garage. It does not have clean sine wave power output and it is noisy... but it cost a lot less than the Kipor.

8e3k0 · 08-20-2009, 04:22 AM

We have a 2400 Yamaha and it handles the rear AC with no problem and provides good clean power for the TV, plus other electronics, etc. Looked at the Honda but did not want to pack two units around and yet wanted a single unit that would run one AC and I could still throw around, 73 lbs. If need be down the road, or if we see that we need a bigger unit we will go the remote start onans 5500 as our unit is alrealy prewired for that particular application. Ellis

Gramps · 08-20-2009, 01:13 PM

As for the proximity of the neighbors, where we go, there generally isn't anyone close. The generator we were looking at is fairly quiet, but allows for the addition of another muffler if the need arises. Its' primary purpose would be to charge the batteries, run the DWs' hair dryer, and maybe the AC. Television and internet won't even come close to working where we go, so those electronics aren't an issue. All this and considering we may only boon-dock a couple times a year are the primary thoughts behind going inexpensive. I did look a the Kippers'. The local trailer/RV store has a special going on those now for $1500 for a pair of 2000 watt with the 30amp pairing cables and plug. Unfortunately, that's $1500 I don't have to play with at the moment.

rames14 · 08-20-2009, 04:43 PM

Gramps -

Just make sure you fit your needs. If you ever plan on using it at a National Park, they will check the db of the unit with a meter. If you know you will only use it for the needs stated and won't be near the parks, it's your call. Hope you find what you're looking for in a generator. My brother in law had one of the cheap units - but couldn't use it in Rocky Mountain National Park because of the noise. He ended up getting a Honda 2000 (don't need A/C above 8000 ft very much).

PowellsMonty · 08-21-2009, 07:04 AM

My Honda will run for 20 hours non-stop without hurting it. Let it cool for an hour, fill it up & do it again. The cheaper generators are made to run for 3 - 4 hours then shut down 8 hrs. or so. Last bad storm up here a lot of people wasted a lot of money buying cheap generators to run for a couple days before they burned up.
So it depends on how long & how often you need to run them also.

Bob & Lee · 09-08-2011, 09:04 AM

This topic had been put to sleep some time ago. I bought the CPE Power sport 2000 W 1600 running at Cosco for $440. was unable to find a link to cosco so I used the CW and this one is Red not yellow it can be hooked to another like the Hondas It is from China of course. but with cosco return policy I thought I would check it out. Ran it yesterday pretty Quiet in ECO and not bad with it off, so I ran it for a while and then started testing, haven't conected to the RV yet, I pluged in a 1/4 hp 5.5 amp motor I have w/knife sharppner, would not start went to overload eco on or off, then tried a small 2hp vac it would run with eco off, then a skill saw eco overload run with it off going to do some more tests and then more than likely rtn to cosco. is this normal for a 2000 generator? on just the cheaper ones.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...filiateid=2626

Wiesehan · 09-08-2011, 09:24 AM

I have a Champion mounted on the rear of my coach and an Onan sitting in my garage where is has been for several years. I like the Champion and like you don't use it a lot and it works fine for my use. If you want an Onan cheap, e-mail me and I will make you a deal.
Don

HOOK · 09-08-2011, 10:24 AM

We have a Champion 4000 and are happy. It is as quiet as others I've heard. It works well for us. Bought ours from Cabelas but Camping World has a large display just inside their front door at the Myrtle Beach store, or did in the spring. They said that they had no complaints and could not keep them in stock as they were selling quickly. Put that target shirt on me. Larry

snfexpress · 09-08-2011, 02:40 PM

Using your SurgeGuard with your generator may pose a problem in that genny's have a floating ground. The cure is to wire a 15 amp plug and short ground to neutral and then plug into the genny (at least it works on our Hondas). I only did this to prove the theory. In practice, because the Hondas generate nice sine wave power, I don't use the SurgeGuard; I only wanted to see if it worked if I decided to go with the built-in SurgeGuard.

Ishler · 10-05-2011, 05:21 AM

I recently changed from a Kipor KGE3500 to a Boliy PRO3600SIE. The Kipor has worked flawlessly since I got it 4 or 5 years ago. The Boliy worked just as well this past week as we dry camped at Dover. While we didn't need Ac I did test it before we left for the Rally in Goshen and it would run either our 15 or 13 k Ac units. The sound level is the same but the big difference is the weight. The Boliy weighs in at 75lbs vs 140lbs for the Kipor. This means that I can load and unload it by myself. The only downside so far is the gas tank only holds two gallons which is enough for 4 hrs at max load and 8 hrs at half load. Since we were using about a 25% load and mostly in the evening to we got several days per tank.

camper4 · 10-05-2011, 02:23 PM

You will get power to run everything with a cheap generator. However, you will pay for all your electronics. The TV, DVD, satellite receiver, microwave, are real sensitive to dirty power. The generators that produce clean sine wave power will keep your electronics running longer. So, do you really pay more for them?
Something to think about.

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