I recently bought a tri-fuel (gas, propane, natural gas) Yamaha EF2400is Generator from U.S. Carburetion (
Yamaha Propane and Natural Gas Generators), and I thought my experiences might interest other AS owners.
I really wanted a propane powered generator, because I tow with an SUV and I hated the thought of transporting gasoline inside the car (or anywhere else, for that matter). And since U.S. Carburetion seems to be the major player in the propane generator market, I considered placing an order with them. But after searching the forum's archives, I noticed that some AS owners have had huge problems with them in the past. One owner, for example, complained that he had to wait several months before his order was fulfilled, and during the delay he said US Carb provided poor customer service. Still, when the generator finally arrived, he liked it, and his view was that US Carb was honest and competent...just inept at customer service.
That's not what I would call a glowing recommendation, but I recently bit the bullet...despite the fact that I'd also had trouble connecting with US Carb by phone and email.
To my amazement, the generator was shipped the same day I placed my online order!!! And when it arrived a few days later, I found US Carb's supplemental instructions to be reasonably clear and helpful. Best of all, the generator started immediately and ran well. I used the generator on my last trip, and it performed perfectly, running for at least six hours on a 5-lb propane tank that still isn't empty!
Things weren't perfect, however. US Carb forgot to include a "Quick Disconnect" I ordered, but when I informed them of the oversight, they responded immediately, apologizing for the problem and sending a replacement right away.
The only problem I've had with the generator is that the tachometer didn't operate reliably. That's important because you need to monitor the revs when you're setting the leanness/richness of the fuel mixture. When I contacted US Carb, they set my expectations pretty low by claiming Yamaha said the tach might not work with the EF2400is...a claim I have not been able to independently verify. And when I contacted the tach's manufacturer, they scoffed at that idea. In any case, after opening the generator, I found that the ground wire (which US Carb had added when they made the tri-fuel modifications) had come loose. I reattached it (a 10 minute project), and the tach has run great ever since.
On balance, I have been very pleased by my dealings with U.S. Carburetion. Although there were a couple of small problems with my order, my impression is that U.S. Carb is improving quickly, and so I would definitely do business with them again. On the other hand, they still don't provide a satisfactory response to general phone calls or email, and I can't vouch for their future performance. Nevertheless, I like the generator, and I was impressed that U.S. Carb got it to me so quickly.
Oh...and then there's the money. Including shipping, I paid about $1,600 for this tri-fuel generator. That's a significant mark-up from the cost of a stock model, but the ability to run on propane and natural gas is worth the premium to me. And...Yamaha says you can link two EF2400is generators together to produce enough electricity to...uh...well, to run Los Angeles! Or maybe it was Phoenix...I forget.
I hope these comments are helpful to others who are thinking about taking the plunge into propane-powered generators.
Good luck!
Titus
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