Honda or Yamaha Generator

[jaleepadgett]

OK, I am leaning toward a 2000watt Honda, however saw an add for a similar Yamaha. Yamaha specs are nearly the same as the Hondas.
Any suggestions, any feedback on the Yamaha?
Thanks
James, Jan and Zoe Lee

[stiles watson]

Those who own Hondas swear by them and those who own Yamahas do the same, so pick the one you like.

[HamRad]

I have a Honda. But I'd just as soon have a Yamaha. They are very similar. I've had very good performance from my 2000. I like that it cranks on the first or second pull even after sitting for the summer. I try to run it every month but must confess that I'm lucky if I remember during the summer months.

Either way you will probably be happy.

HamRad

[clutch]

We have a Honda and it has been trouble free. Yamaha is also very good as is Nissan and Suzuki. Get the one that best fits your needs. You can hook two 2000 watt Hondas together for a total of 4000 watts.

[Capt Kidd]

I just bought two Honda 2000s, one a regular and one a companion from Ball Power Equipment in Kansas City, MO. Got a great deal, $1950 for both with the connection wires. These are the ones that are California CARB compliant. Took about a week for them to arrive after I ordered them.

[HamRad]

Don,
Wow! That is a good price. Guess it pays to do some serious comparison shopping. Hard to go wrong with the Hondas.

See you soon.

Dennis

[HughM]

We have the Honda 2000 and love it. Capt. Kidd you got a very good price.

[JMG]

Get the Yamaha 2400 - it will run your A/C - the Honda will not!

[Exnavydiver]

I have no generator as yet, but have been looking at both. According to the Yamaha site their EF2400is will hit 3000 watts for 9 seconds, then drop to 2400. That is enough to bring the AC online. It is right at the same Db level as the Honda. It weighs about 25 lbs more than the EU200 Honda but seems to have a bit more kick to it. If we decide to go for a generator I believe I will pick the Yamaha over the Honda. Also the EF2400is can also be joined with another eF2400is as the Hondas can... Dave

[KTManiac]

The Honda eu2000 Companion model is already set up for a 30A plug. It is also not necessary to buy the additional box to pair it up to another standard eu2000, you only need the cables to connect the two in paralell. I don't think that the Yamaha has anything like this, so if you want to pair two of them up, you have to buy the box that hangs off the front of one of them. You can build your own, but ready made ones are sort of expensive. I think the one Honda offers for pairing two of the standard eu2000's is around $300.

Also, if you are considering running a generator from a larger, remote fuel tank, the Honda already has a fuel pump which draws the fuel from the larger tank, into the built in tank.

I'm pretty sure if you do this with the Yamaha, the remote tank needs to be elevated above the generator for it to siphon fuel into the generator, or have a small transfer pump somewhere in the system if it is not higher than the generator. I'm not 100% sure on this, but it is what I recall when I was doing the research.

I picked up one eu2000 Companion, one standard eu2000, and the cable to pair them for slightly less than $1,940 at my local Honda motorcycle dealership. I just walked in and asked them for their best deal and handed over the cash and carried them out the door after they prepped and serviced them, new out of the box. They even let me demo two eu2000's when I brought my 5er down to make sure they would power the air conditioner before I made up my mind between a pair of eu2000's or a pair of eu3000's. I went with the two eu2000's mostly because of them weighing a lot less, and also fuel economy when you only need to run one generator, which is most of the time for us.

[Art-n-Marge]

I bought two EU2000 hondas about 3 years ago because they were lighter and cheaper than the Yamahas. Things might have changed by now, but make sure you are able to connect them together to support your 30 amp trailer.

I turn them on at least every month because I check the tire pressure and use the generator to power my compressor that I use for tire inflation on all my vehicles every couple of weeks and alternate between each one.

I also use them for other things around the house projects so I don't have to drag an extension cord and since I should be using them periodically to keep them going.

Admittedly, I have not had to use them for the rig's power source yet, but I drag them along as backups. Prior to buying them I was staying at a campground that lost power for several hours and it was a hot day, and so were we, with no air conditioning. I expect this will no longer be a problem now that I have these.

I am worried about using them now since I heard a story of someone losing both of them when they were asleep. There are other Forum topics on how to secure these better.

There you have it.

1. Either brand should be good.
2. Portables are great because they can be used for other things around the house, at the campsite, etc.
3. Remember, the peak rating is NOT what you go by, it's the run rate. On coupled EU2000 the peak rate is 40 amps but the run rate is about 30. The Yamaha might have a better peak and run rate (48 and 32) and possibly a higher price.
4. To support a rig two are needed to run all devices or appliances. However, the gas tanks are small, but it might be possible to set up a fuel canister and fuel pump to increase operating time. You can use one unit, but you'll be limited to 15 amps (not enough for an air conditioner and other things at the same time).
5. Beware where you use them, because they can attract opportunistic thieves. Trying to secure the units with chain or cable can be overidden because thieves have been known to cutting the plastic handles to disengage the chain or cables. Someone had an idea to fasten them to oversized wood or metal platforms then use the trailer's tires on the platform to secure them.
6. Don't forget the maintenance.

I realize I talked about more than what your question asked (Honda vs Yamaha) but I wanted to make sure you were aware of other topics and issues on these types of products.

[adelmoll]

We bought the Honda 2000 almost 5 yrs ago because it is light and rides in the truck. We had intensions of adding a second one if needed but so far we have not needed the second one. We do boondock but it has not been so hot that we needed to start the air. We usually just turn on the fantastic fans and that takes care of it.

Helen