Generator Choice - 1 - 3000 or 2 - 2000?

[Trill136]

I considered the 2000 vs 3000 and went with the 3000.

It rides in the bed of my pickup, right up at the front, and gets pulled out when I need it.

So far I have no problems lifting it. OTOH, I also lift the outboard in/out of the truck also.

I wanted one that would 'be enough'

[Rzrbrn]

As I mentioned previously I recommend the 2000 over the 3000.

I have the Honda eu3000is. I use an engine hoist on wheels to lift it to it's semipermanent place on the overtook platform, located on the front of the Casita. While it works well it, is a problem to do some of the maintenance work. So about once, sometimes twice, a year I take it off. It takes a bit of time to do this, hence I think having 2 of the smaller units might be the better way to go.

It sure would be nice if drag behind trailers had a place built in to house a generator like the motorhomes, 5th wheels and toy haulers do. Then I would just get the biggest gen that would fit.

I carry a lot of camping equipment, in my truck which has a camper shell. Having to move stuff just to get to the generator does not seem reasonable and is why I have it on the overtook platform.

But I vacillate between wanting a 2k vs a 3k.

I am not sure I would get the remote start either. It adds a battery that must be maintained, it adds weight, and many times I have to go out to choke it anyway.

[Phoneman]

I have a Yamaha EF2400iSHC. I did a lot of research, read a lot of the reviews. My thinking was that its the right size for my trailer. A little more power then the Honda 2000 and a lot lighter than the Honda 3000. Biggest mistake I have made. Mine may be a dud, but I have had it to the dealer twice and called Yamaha Canada and USA with no help to my issue.
It won't run my AC unit or a chop saw. My brother's Honda 2000 runs both with no problem. The Yamaha doesn't have an econo switch so you can't set it to anticipate the higher demand of starting a motor or the AC unit and so it doesn't have the rpms to take the initial starting load. If I plug in my 600 watt heat gun and then use the AC or Chop saw, no problem. I have asked to have the throttle set to run a little faster so it can pick up the load, but because it has some sort of electrical throttle they don't seem to be able to do that. When I replace this unit, it will be with a Honda Eb2200 !

[Bruce H]

Phoneman, Are you stuck with the curse of 10% ethanol in Canada?

[Bruce H]

I had a Yamaha EF2400, None of the problems that Phoneman mentions. It was a really good generator for well over 1,000 hours, right up to the time it caught fire in the back of my truck and burned up my ATV (while running the air conditioner) The plastic housing that helps make them so quiet is what catches on fire first when the exhaust overheats. I replaced it with an EF2800. A little more power, a little more noise, still very light weight, quiet and NO PLASTIC HOUSING.

[Rzrbrn]

Honda is best. Considered all when I bought it.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

I am not sure I would get the remote start either. It adds a battery that must be maintained, it adds weight, and many times I have to go out to choke it anyway.

I had a Honda 3500 mounted in the bed of my work truck with the remote start power connected to the trucks engine battery. The start switch was in a waterproof box attached to the lumber racks leg. The same thing could be done with a TT, house battery and remote in the closet. I don't recall ever having to use the choke though.

[Tony O]

Originally Posted by sharpstick

I got burned more than once by cheap HF tools falling apart when I needed them. Classic example: Bargain heat gun to strip glue off floors. It died the second day. I went out and bought a name brand one for half as much more that is still working eight years later. How much money did I save?

LOL. You're lucky. Your heat gun lasted twice as long as mind. My HF heat gun lasted one day. All said and done, a monumental waste of natural resources.

[sokhapkin]

Originally Posted by AndyF

I'm looking at a generator solution for my Escape 21. One question I have is does it make more sense to look at getting 2 2000W units, or 1 3000. Both choices are about the same $$ and the 2000 W can be connected to run larger loads so either combination will run everything I ever expect to run on the trailer. I can argue both sides of this and often end up favoring the two unit solution, but would like to hear from others with real world experience. For what it is worth, I am currently considering Honda generators.

Do you need a generator to run AC only or something else? 2000W generator will run trailer's AC fine if you install EasyStart device in the AC.

[Tony O]

Originally Posted by AndyF

I'm looking at a generator solution for my Escape 21. One question I have is does it make more sense to look at getting 2 2000W units, or 1 3000. Both choices are about the same $$ and the 2000 W can be connected to run larger loads so either combination will run everything I ever expect to run on the trailer. I can argue both sides of this and often end up favoring the two unit solution, but would like to hear from others with real world experience. For what it is worth, I am currently considering Honda generators.

All of the comments on this thread make valid points. Our gen is a Yamaha EF2800 Inverter which we bought used and it has been bullet-proof. Runs everything and has kept our electronics safe. It's not the heaviest one in that output class and possibly not the lightest, either. It idles down to a purr when there isn't a heavy load on it (AC/microwave/stand alone ceramic heater).


While the Yamaha is comparatively quiet when running what we do when boondocking off by ourselves is carry a heavy-duty 100' extension cord and park it as far from the trailer as the cord and trailer's own cable can get us - often behind a large tree, rock outcropping or similar sound barrier.



I've heard the small Honda gens friends have and they are super quiet which makes having one a candidate for not feeling the need to haul them off to the edge of oblivion to help maintain a semblance peace and quiet. Still, I like having the larger gen for power outages at home. It has saved the food in our refrigerators over several lengthy outages.



I believe most here would agree that Honda and Yamaha make the best, most reliable gens made anywhere. I would consider any of them a good investment in reliability and overall value. If you believe you'll need to run AC frequently I'd get a larger one. If not, a smaller one would be my choice for camping.



On another tangent I recently read a piece on another forum (maybe even this one) that claimed that investing in a hefty pair of Trojan 6-volt batteries and a substantial solar array (400 watts +) will store enough juice to run lights for a week without relying on typical solar charging conditions. (i.e.: solid overcast, rainy conditions.) The entire array is purported to cost about the same as a quality generator. Add a 2,000 watt inverter and you can run a typical RF 120 volt appliance for a good long time without depleting too much of your stored electrons.



Hmmm.

[John in Santa Cruz]

a 2000 watt inverter at 85% efficiency (typical) would be a 200 amp load on your batteries. 30 minutes of that would drag a pair of premium GC-2 golf cart batteries down to the 50% max safe discharge zone, and require 4-5 hours of max sunshine to recharge.

good luck with that.

[Tony O]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

a 2000 watt inverter at 85% efficiency (typical) would be a 200 amp load on your batteries. 30 minutes of that would drag a pair of premium GC-2 golf cart batteries down to the 50% max safe discharge zone, and require 4-5 hours of max sunshine to recharge.

good luck with that.

Can't question your comment and calculations with any authority. As for the good luck wishes, as mentioned earlier, the info pertaining to week-long use in the article I read referred to using lights (LED's presumably) during a week of boondocking. I do not recall any references to continually running a heavy load for extended periods. Nachos only take a minute or so in a 900 watt microwave.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I keep seeing people think they can run electric heaters and whatever off an inverter.

if I was doing nachos in my Escape, I'd be doing them in the propane oven, not in the microwave.

[Alben]

If you install a Micro-Air EasyStart on your A/C, a quality 2,000 Watt inverter generator will start the A/C. You can get $40 off an EasyStart with coupon codes "CASITA" or "AIRSTREAM" or "FORESTRIVER".

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by BARNEYCONE

Why a genertor ? Take a look at champion invertor/gen ! They react to the load as needed. A genertor must run @ 3500 rpm constantly.

I like that some of the Champion (soon to be released for sale) generators are dual fuel and will run on either automotive gas or propane.

[JMClay]

Originally Posted by AndyF

I'm looking at a generator solution for my Escape 21. One question I have is does it make more sense to look at getting 2 2000W units, or 1 3000. Both choices are about the same $$ and the 2000 W can be connected to run larger loads so either combination will run everything I ever expect to run on the trailer. I can argue both sides of this and often end up favoring the two unit solution, but would like to hear from others with real world experience. For what it is worth, I am currently considering Honda generators.

We don't need more than a single 2k unit will deliver. If on rare occasions we did then I'd go for two, 2k units. We'd almost always be on one, use less fuel and we'd have the redundancy of two units. They'd also be easier to store and man-handle. If we usually needed more than a single 2k unit would deliver then I'd consider a single, larger unit IF, and only if man-handling and the weight of the larger unit wasn't a problem.

As an aside: We just got a 2000 W (1600 continuous) Yamaha SC2000i for $499 + tax from Costco. I'd have preferred the Honda for it's external fuel petcock (that isn't integrated into the run/stop/choke switch) and fuel drain feature (so you can run/drain the carb dry for storage). The Yamaha can be drained but it's not quite as convenient. Aside from that it's a quiet, inverter unit that can be run in tandem like the Honda but the substantial cost differential and warranty stack-up of four or five years favored the Yamaha for us. We've used it twice and it's easy as pie.

John

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by JMClay

...
As an aside: We just got a 2000 W (1600 continuous) Yamaha SC2000i for $499 + tax from Costco....

Note, that is a A-iPower inverter/generator, with a Yamaha motor. It is NOT a Yamaha inverter/generator.

[garbonz]

Originally Posted by Alben

If you install a Micro-Air EasyStart on your A/C, a quality 2,000 Watt inverter generator will start the A/C. You can get $40 off an EasyStart with coupon codes "CASITA" or "AIRSTREAM" or "FORESTRIVER".

X2 on the easy start and one 2000 Honda or whatever. No need for 2

[Anthonysherwood]

Well I've had mm in which you're not making them anymore by Honda so this time I bought a 3000 Honda it power is everything up it's even quieter than the 2000 on the issue with it is 142 pounds easy power your house up with this generator runs on 20 hours on 3 and 1/2 gallons of gas I set mine on eco which it gets about 24 hours of running constantly runs AC and everything just fine I'll leave it in the back of my Toby is over that's running that is open up the back doors you going to have to be a hell of a man to steal that one and pick it up and run with it mm or stolen all the time but that's my opinion take it with a grain of salt y'all have a great day

[Anthonysherwood]

Sorry I didn't add it I said I've had the 2000 Hondas and they quit making them is what I was trying to say and if you go with the two 2000 fine with a parallel I got a new Honda 2800 is good but you can't really leave it outside to 3000 so you can actually movies outside they run and there are a lot quieter than the 2000 ones