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Old 06-25-2009, 02:23 PM   #21
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Here's what gets me:

The Honda 2000 is loud and "irritating"? Mine is very quiet. Not silent, but not bothersome.

On my last trip, I was near a trailer that was using a Honda 3000, and it was as close to absolute silence while running as anything I can imagine. It was uncanny.

However, if the 2000 noise bothers you...I think the best solution is to do without a generator, or either run it to charge the battery while you're off doing something else. Then turn it off when you get back. I do that from time to time. (Securing the generator, of course.)
I didn't say it was loud, just irritating to me. My one time use of the Honda 2000 was at a quiet, remote campground, where my nearest neighbor was at least 100 ft. away. I waited until about 10:00 AM to start the generator for the purpose of charging my trailer battery. The generator was placed close to the tongue and while it was running I sat under the awning reading a newspaper. When the generator was first started it didn't seem that loud but after about 1/2 hour the constant drone started to bother me and I began to look around the campsite to see if it bothered anyone else. No one said anything but after an hour I turned the generator off and put it away. On the way home I decided to get rid of it and look at solar panels for charging the batteries. I soon found that solar has its share of drawbacks too. Then the thought of the Honda 3000 and putting it inside the enclosed camper shell came to mind, which brings us to my original post. As I stated in the beginning, it was just irritating to me. I don't have the basis of comparison to say it's loud.
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Old 06-25-2009, 02:50 PM   #22
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FYI, the Yamaha 2400 is almost as powerful as the Honda 3000 and about as loud as the Honda 2K. It is much lighter than the Honda 3K. Something in the neighborhood of 80 pounds.

Don't let the model numbers mislead you on the real rated continuous output.

2K = 13.3 AMPS or 1600 Watts
3K = 20 AMPS or 2400 Watts Newer ones have 23.4 AMPS or 2800 Watts (guess which one I have)
Y2.4K = 16.7 AMPS or 2000 Watts
2 X 2K = 26.6 AMPS or 3200 Watts
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Old 06-25-2009, 02:53 PM   #23
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Hi John, can you still manage to squeeze a 30amp connector in between the trailer and generator or do you just turn it around? Clever set up BTW.

Mike
Mike,
The plug is a 20A Hubbell hospital grade. The Honda 2K has quality 20 amp duplex receptacles and that is adequate for the generator. The #10awg feed cord is routed through the trailer and into the shore power stowage area with a female 30A receptacle. I can either plug the shore cord to the generator feed cord or plug it into the power pedestal at the campground. It is more convenient for me to use this feed cord while in storage at my house. There is ample, but no extra, room between the generator and the Bigfoot. We don't have hook up very often therefore this is a way to have a generator connected and serviceable at all times.
I sometimes parallel with my second Honda 2K sitting on the ground. I have a 3 gallon extended run tank in the dog house where the battery used to be. That tank has two connections on it and one is connected to the mounted Honda at all times. The second connection can be connected to the Honda on the ground, if I choose.
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Old 06-25-2009, 03:07 PM   #24
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the constant drone started to bother me and I began to look around the campsite to see if it bothered anyone else. No one said anything but after an hour I turned the generator off and put it away. On the way home I decided to get rid of it and look at solar panels for charging the batteries.
I used to worry that my Honda 2000 might bother the other campers, too. Then I figured that if they wanted that much quiet, then they should have gone backpacking, as I often do. You have to deal with a moderate amount of noise if you're going to use a campground. Goes with the territory.

Just be glad it's not like the old days. I remember the generator my father-in-law had in the late 1980s. I forget the brand (I think it started with a "K"), but it was a 2K watt and was of Japanese construction (like the Honda). That thing was SO LOUD! I used to beg him not to fire it up when my wife and I would join her parents at a campground (he had a Prowler travel trailer). The noise was deafening and completely hideous.

Sometimes even the relatively quiet purr of our Honda 2000 gets on my nerves, too. That's when I turn it off. That said, it's a wonderful tool to have in some of the secluded campgrounds where we often find ourselves.


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Old 06-25-2009, 03:24 PM   #25
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One very easy way of quieting any generator is to turn the exhaust away from you or to move it 25 to 50 feet away. Also shield it with the tow vehicle, a tree, or even a box. This will not work on construction generators, most of those are make a lot of noise.
The Honda 2K is one of the quietest with the exception of the Honda 3K. However these ratings are at low load and on econ throttle. The 2K will get a little noisy when operating at full throttle. The Yamaha rigs are also very quiet. I used a Yamaha 3K with boost and liked it. I just could not handle the weight anymore. I have been in many parks where my generator is running and someone walking a dog within 10' will walk past and then turn around and ask me if the generator is running.
I have carried a 2k Honda mounted on the A frame for 6 seasons. Many times at night I will run the generator and just the AC blower or small fan for ambient noise to sleep by. Real handy at the Flying J. When doing this, we never even hear the generator, just the fan. I guess the biggest con to having a generator mounted is on a few occasions, if the wind is right, exhaust fumes can be a problem.
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Old 06-25-2009, 07:23 PM   #26
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Mike,
The plug is a 20A Hubbell hospital grade. The Honda 2K has quality 20 amp duplex receptacles and that is adequate for the generator. The #10awg feed cord is routed through the trailer and into the shore power stowage area with a female 30A receptacle. I can either plug the shore cord to the generator feed cord or plug it into the power pedestal at the campground. It is more convenient for me to use this feed cord while in storage at my house. There is ample, but no extra, room between the generator and the Bigfoot. We don't have hook up very often therefore this is a way to have a generator connected and serviceable at all times.
I sometimes parallel with my second Honda 2K sitting on the ground. I have a 3 gallon extended run tank in the dog house where the battery used to be. That tank has two connections on it and one is connected to the mounted Honda at all times. The second connection can be connected to the Honda on the ground, if I choose.
Thanks for the info John. Happy trails....
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Old 06-26-2009, 10:59 AM   #27
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I spent the past few months looking and listening to generators. I thought the Honda 3000i would be my pick until I did a test run on the Yamaha 3000ei. It is quieter yet and has a watt boost feature for starting up heavy loads. It is heavy (145 lbs)but I can stand beside it on eco throttle and have a normal conversation. Luckily I got mine second hand and saved considerably. As well I am more partial to blue than red.
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Old 06-26-2009, 11:14 AM   #28
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I spent the past few months looking and listening to generators. I thought the Honda 3000i would be my pick until I did a test run on the Yamaha 3000ei. It is quieter yet and has a watt boost feature for starting up heavy loads. It is heavy (145 lbs)but I can stand beside it on eco throttle and have a normal conversation. Luckily I got mine second hand and saved considerably. As well I am more partial to blue than red.
The Honda EU3000i lists a slightly lower Db rating. Anyone know if these ratings are standardized?
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Old 06-26-2009, 08:44 PM   #29
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Kind of. The reading is supposed to be taken at 21 feet from the genny with eco mode off. The 3K is noticeably quieter than the 2K.
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Old 06-26-2009, 09:01 PM   #30
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Kind of. The reading is supposed to be taken at 21 feet from the genny with eco mode off. The 3K is noticeably quieter than the 2K.
What are the readings?
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Old 06-27-2009, 09:22 AM   #31
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lots of good info with pics in the thread, thanks
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Old 06-27-2009, 10:52 AM   #32
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I bet you saw that in operation at Bandera 2007 and 2008 on my Stratus.

We missed you and Joyce last year. See ya next April.
I do remember seeing that remote starter.

I also remember when either you or someone else brought their E2000 and set it in the grass area between our campsites. It wasn't making any noise and as I waited for them to start it I though I would now learn how loud it is when its running. Then I realized that it was already running. I was amazed at how quiet it ran. I assume it gets louder when you add a load of some kind.

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Old 06-27-2009, 11:34 AM   #33
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Real handy at the Flying J. When doing this, we never even hear the generator, just the fan.
I loved this comment. I think you could run any of those really loud old generators in a Flying J and never notice them. I know our 2000's would be quieter than any of those trucks near by, especially where you have to park next to them.

I haven't been on a long trip since adding my generator to the tongue of the Scamp so I hadn't thought about being able to use it at a Flying J. In fact, I'm now reminded of my trip in 2003 through OK where it was so hot I needed the A/C on and I didn't want to put the gen. out on the ground, chained to my trailer so I just drove all night in the A/C cooled Jeep.

I'm now thinkig of even more pluses for having added my gen. mod.
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Old 08-09-2009, 08:27 PM   #34
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Kind of. The reading is supposed to be taken at 21 feet from the genny with eco mode off. The 3K is noticeably quieter than the 2K.

If you check the spec sheets and Brochures, Honda does their ratings at 3m (10ft), while Yamaha does theirs at 7m (21ft) and doubling the distance will knock the noise down by 3Db (1/2) The nearest Honda to the Yamaha EF2400iS is the EU3000Handi at approx $700 more, 600 watts (rated) more, but 4-7Db louder (albeit 10ft closer) But it has a 30a twistlock plug built in. Conclusion: If you can live with 600watts less, and aren't diehard Honda, it seems a No-Brainer to me, and I'm a Honda fan (own two M/Cs and a noisy, heavy old ES4500).
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