Generator Honda or Yamaha - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-29-2013, 12:50 PM   #1
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Generator Honda or Yamaha

OK guys and gals lets here it who likes witch one and why. I am in the market and only want to do this once. I want the most bang for the buck and the most reliable. I'm guessing I need at least 2000 to run air in the summer. Oh and where is the best place to order one from.
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Old 10-29-2013, 01:25 PM   #2
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I personally have an inverter Champion. I got it from Costco for $499 and later saw if at Sam's Club and CampingWorld. They also sell parallel kits and covers. It is rated 2000 but I think that's the surge rating. It runs the AC in my EggCamper just fine.

I later found a 2600(?) watt inverter generator at Costco that said "powered by Yamaha" on the side. I believe it is still at our local store and about $599.

FYI last ad I got from CampingWorld had a Honda 2000 for $1099 and companion for $1199.

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Old 10-29-2013, 02:02 PM   #3
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Honda eu2000
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Old 10-29-2013, 02:24 PM   #4
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I like the Yamahagas shut off valve for going down the road and to turn it off, let the engine run out to empty the carb.
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Old 10-29-2013, 02:35 PM   #5
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I went with the Yamaha ef2400ishc model. It was $300 more, but with my 5000btu ac unit its running barely above idle and on the 1.6 gallon gas tank I get about 9 hours or so. Being that its running at 25% load its probably quieter then the honda or yamaha 2000 watt model. I like being able to run the carb dry and I store the generator in the doorway of my ParkLiner and there is zero gas smell(obviously of course if you dont spill the gas all over it lol)
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Old 10-29-2013, 02:36 PM   #6
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Costco

I see no reason to pay a fortune for a gen that you seldom use.
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Old 10-29-2013, 02:44 PM   #7
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Ive heard the "you get what you pay for" speech many a time, and I happened to have the money at the time and after reading hundreds of comments on many different forums Honda and Yamaha are worth it in the long run I decided it was worth it to me. Ive got about 50 hours on the generator this year... probably will put on another 10-15 hours before this season is over for recharging the batteries from running the furnace. I have an extended warranty that came with it and I feel it was a good deal. Also the resale value is good on them.
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Old 10-29-2013, 02:58 PM   #8
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My feeling is that they are largely interchangeable really.

Some with a larger rooftop AC seem to need the little extra output of the 2400 watt Yamaha to get things going but for anyone with a smaller AC the Honda is perfect too.

The Honda runs mine just fine and it is a smaller rooftop unit.

Wise Sales seems to be the preferred source on many RV sites but I found mine used in a huge lot of them and we paid under $500.00 each for 20 units and they each looked brand new at the time.

I have also used the Robin units some and with little Subaru engines they have been just like the Honda to me?

I think you do get what you pay for with these Gensets and maybe the knock-off cp=opies are fine but I am happy that I got the real thing!
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Old 10-29-2013, 03:16 PM   #9
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Honda would be my pick but nothing wrong with Yamaha either. It's like ford vs Chevy etc.
I do know If I had to camp beside someone using a generator I would hope they had a Honda or Yamaha and not a cheaper construction grade one
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Old 10-29-2013, 04:21 PM   #10
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We bought a Yamaha EF3000iSEB from Wise Sales about 5 years ago to use with our original Oliver. We have retained it to use with our new Oliver. Its size is overkill but we have a 13,500 BTU AC and the Yamaha easily runs it with everything else.
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Old 10-29-2013, 04:31 PM   #11
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We had a Yamaha years ago and could not find support at the time. Perhaps that has changed by now.

Now have a Cummins / Onan 3500 Inverter. Very quiet, powers everything, electric start, wheel kit and it has a made in Japan engine.
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Old 10-29-2013, 05:40 PM   #12
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I scored my Honda 2000 on Craigslist, at a closeout sale, and paid $600 cash new in the box. Worth checking out CList as generators are seldom used. If it starts , makes AC, and doesn't blow blue smoke it's ok my book.......

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Old 10-30-2013, 08:12 AM   #13
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Thanks guys I think I am leaning towards the Yamaha because of the fuel shut off if I can find a dealer by me for service if I ever need it.
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Old 10-30-2013, 09:37 AM   #14
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I've got a Yamaha dealer about 15 minutes away from where I keep my ParkLiner so not a big deal...I almost bought it from them but got a better deal online so I went with it. The fuel shutoff is a great thing..I don't want the caravan smelling like gas while its closed up or have to worry about it going BOOM if its in my back seat and someone light up a cigarette lol
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Old 10-30-2013, 09:47 AM   #15
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I have the Honda EU1000 and there is a lever on the gas cap to shut off the vent. I have kept it inside the trailer and had no gas odor or other concerns.
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Old 10-30-2013, 02:24 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Darwin Maring View Post
We had a Yamaha years ago and could not find support at the time. Perhaps that has changed by now.
I just heard a similar story from a friend recently. He purchased a Yamaha 3kW generator for a week-long camping trip that he intended to use daily. It failed after the first 15 minutes. The nearest dealer was 20 miles out of the away and Yamaha America would only authorize a repair (not an exchange) and it would take a week to get the parts and they would not give him a loaner for the duration of the camping trip. He was 1000 miles from home where he had purchased the generator and so he called them to see what they could do. The deal they worked out required him to purchase a new generator and then pick up the the repaired generator after his camping trip to bring it home with him so the local dealer would refund his purchase and then they'd re-sell the repaired generator. They did this only after he threatened to buy a Honda generator and return the broken Yamaha for a refund.

PPL Motorhomes has a helpful video that describes the virtues of Yamaha generators: It talks about the benefits of their generator over the competition. They claim twice the engine life of a Honda and the fact that it has a fuel gage. Also, the fuel supply to the carb can be turned off and the bowl allowed to run dry, which should help with starting after storage. I can confirm that fuel left in a carb bowl can evaporate and leave flakes of varnish and other solid residue that will block the jet. You'll find it at the worst possible time, i.e., when needed for an emergency. That's why generators should be started periodically whether you need to use them or not, or if you can, drain the fuel from the carb and turn off the fuel source if the model you have allows it. After watching the video, I was convinced I wanted a Yamaha generator until I talked with my friend about his service experience.

I don't know how much different an experience he would have had with Honda, so I don't mean to imply they have better service policies than Yamaha.

Perhaps the real lesson is not to take a generator camping until you've run it for an hour under load to make sure it has no latent manufacturing defects.
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Old 10-30-2013, 02:50 PM   #17
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You can always check out the "Yamaha Generator Fan Club" Yamaha Generator Fan Club

A wealth of information!

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Old 10-30-2013, 02:50 PM   #18
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I just bought mine after a long research on both Yamaha and Honda. Both are very very good generators. The reason(S) I went with Yamaha is
1. They have the fuel shut off so no fuel is left in the bowl to cause problems.
2. It has a fuel gauge.
3. It comes with the DC battery charge cables. So no extra cost.
No matter which one you go with you will love it. But with Yamaha it was cheaper and has the extras.

I just heard a similar story from a friend recently, he had a new Honda and it caught the whole campground on fire and even some how burned down his house 3 states away. It also gave him a speeding ticket and a flat tire the next day. Just saying.
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Old 10-30-2013, 05:27 PM   #19
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[QUOTE=SilverGhost;428307]

I later found a 2600(?) watt inverter generator at Costco that said "powered by Yamaha" on the side. I believe it is still at our local store and about $599.


"Powered by Yamaha" means Yamaha built the engine but who built the generator portion of the unit and where do you get repairs . A Yamaha dealer will service the engine but that is probably all.
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Old 10-30-2013, 05:43 PM   #20
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My brother-in-law sells BBQs, electric and gas fireplaces, spas and the like. He is constantly dealing with "customers" who bought the appliance at a big box store for cheap, and now it's broken, and they want him to fix it, and there are no parts. Junk is made by some company for one year, with no replacement parts available.
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