Help with generators

[GreyGhost]

I pull a 2020 Montana 3121 RL and I'm sorry to say have very little if any knowledge regarding generators, watts, volts, amps or any of that stuff. I'm looking at either the Champion 4000, the Westinghouse 4000 or the Predator 3500. I have two a/c units both have soft starts and I want the capability of running at least one of those A/C units and still have enough power to use the TV, Microwave, Frig and lights. Any suggestions as to which one (or others) would be best for us. The Champion 4000 (light weight) I'm looking at only produces 12 Volts is that enough for everything I'm looking to run. There is a Champion 4000 that produces 120 volts but it $100.00 more expensive. We will not use the generator a lot since my wife is more of of the glamming type and needs her hair dryer and curling iron some oof the time, NOT always! Give me plumbing jobs, mechanical jobs or anything to do with work and I'm good, just not very good at electrical stuff at all. I have learned the hard way to totally RESPECT electricity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AZ Traveler]

Gubs,

Instead of the options you are considering, I would go with a pair of 2000/2200 units. They are lighter and easier to move. Much of the time you will only need to run one and it provides some redundancy.

 

[mlh]

First you don’t want a generator you need an inverter. A generator doesn’t produce the clean power you need but I think all the ones you mentioned are an inverter. They produce clean power and are much quieter than a generator while using less gasoline. I have experience with the Predator 3500 a great inverter. I would go with the 5000 watt Predator. The next thing you need to look at is the running watts. 5000 or the 4000 watt units you mentioned are starting watts. The 5000 watt Predator has a running watts I think of 3800 watts and you shouldn’t run any of them at max running watts. My 5000 watt Predator will easily run at 3300 watts. If you decide on a Predator don’t buy until they are on sale. The 3500 watt Predator was on sale this week at $599 and the 5000 was on sale last week for $800. The 5000 watt will easily run a AC and a microwave and more. Harbor freight should have a sale 20% off before camping season in the spring but with the tariffs who knows.
I’ve got really good service from Harbor Freight. I saw a guy bring a 3500 watt unit back that had been in a fire. The case was melted but it was still under warranty. They gave him a new unit.
Lynwood

 

[Daryles]

Harbor Freight is having a sale right now.
Two years ago we bought two Predator 2000W generators (48 lbs) and a parallel kit (gives you a 30A connector). We carry them on a rear hitch carrier. I put a heavy duty BBQ grill cover over them for traveling.
We have a SoftStartRV on the bedroom AC unit. The generators can run it via the parallel kit.
If not running the AC I only run one generator. That's enough to run everything.
We had a 2000w pure Sine wave inverter. It was also able to run the AC unit with the SoftStartRV. We have 552Ah of lithium batteries. Enough to run the AC for a few hours.
We bought the 2 year extended warranty with the generators. Yesterday I took one back (malfunction). They swapped it out with a new one. I bought the 2 year extended warranty on the new one.

 

[Jay & Bobbie]

I bought the Champion 4800 when it was on sale last year. It is a pull start. East to start. You may want an electric start for a little more money.
I like the idea of 2 units of lesser capacity, however I use mine for other things and it just fit my needs better.
I like the 30amp rv plug it has. No adapter needed.
Super quiet.
A neighbor in Shenandoah last fall had a Predator. I was impressed with it as well.
Don't think you could go wrong with either of them.

 

[ToolMan-MOC]

I have been using a pair of Honda 2200 watt inverter units. Most of the time it's just one running. I connect the two together to run the air and anything else we need but with soft starts you could use one generator if your only using one ac and not any other high draw appliances. I recently put in a lithium battery and solar with an inverter so we only need the generators when we have no sun.

 

[KirkFess]

Generator

I use a champion inverter generator rated at 3150 watts to power our 2016 343RL high Country. I can run 1 AC unit (no soft starts) and I manage my loads by running either my fridge or my water heater on propane. Coffee makers, microwaves, hair dryers and curling irons all pull significant watts. If you can manage your loads, a smaller generator is plenty. If you gotta be able to run it all at one time, you need a bigger generator. I decided on the one I got because it is the biggest one that I feel comfortable lifting into the compartment on my own, and we are fine with load management. Electronics like TV’s draw very little wattage.

 

[Reset19]

Where will you keep it when you are on the road and can you lift it?

A big generator is great but if it is not built in you will have to lift it.

 

[mlh]

Where will you keep it when you are on the road and can you lift it?

A big generator is great but if it is not built in you will have to lift it.

I put a receptacle on the front of my camper so it can stay in my truck.

 

[DutchmenSport]

See my comments I made on post #13. I won't have to repeat again.

If you are really interested in an Onan or a Westinghouse, then definitely read my post Here.

== sorry --- I had to edit my post..... made on "oops!"....
Thanks!

 

[Mikelff]

As has been suggested, you might want to consider 2, 3000 or 3500 watt inverter generators. In many cases you may only need to use one of them to run the a/c units since both have soft starts. If you need more power, you can connect both together, then to a 50 amp line to your rig. The reason for two is they weigh far less than a single 4 or 5 K and can be easily moved around if needed. Much more versatile system. Another consideration is a dual fuel generator. Propane generates a little less power than gasoline, but it’s much cleaner burning, and no gas residue left in the tank or carbs. Much easier to keep clean. I have a WEN 2500 dual fuel and it will run my 15 btu ac unit with a soft start. For me, this is all I need. Another thing to check is if the mfg. has high altitude carb jets available. If you do any high altitude camping ( above 5 thousand feet) you will experience a drop in power, especially the higher you go. WEN does have high altitude carb jets you can install if you are going to be in a high altitude situation. Makes a difference. I use a 20 gal propane tank with a Coleman tower to run multiple propane appliances. Generator, grill, and gas lanterns. Comes in handy. With two generators, you have a lot more options of where to run them, where to store them, and if you need to use just one or both. My friend keeps both of his in his tow vehicle and runs them from there, but sometimes takes them out. These are all things to consider before buying that inverter generator. Two 3500 watt generators should provide close to 6000 watts of constant power, which I would think should be plenty of power for everything. In my book, duel fuel is the way to go. Happy trails!

 

[GCA-5TH]

We chose to install a WEN 4500 watt Inverter generator, on a slide-out, in one of our bays. Total cost is less than $1200 but we did all the work ourselves. I'll attach a link to a video we placed on YouTube which shows our installation . We chose the inverter style of generator to provide a cleaner waveform, and we chose WEN because of our past positive experience with this brand. The gen will run from gasoline of propane and I did have a propane line run to the generator with a shutoff valve. We normally run on gas but can run on propane if don't have gas. We wanted a semi permanent mount to deter thieves and make it easier for the wife to handle.
Here is a link to our video:

You should be able to go to YouTube and simply copy/paste this link into their website.

 

[mlh]

Harbor Freight is going to have a sale starting April 7 - 14. The 3500 is $200 off $600 and the 5000 watt is $310 off $790. The 5000 watt is a great generator with remote start and duel fuel.
Lynwood