Which generator to buy?

[nmex]

Hello,
my wife and I just bought a 1971 27' Overlander and I am trying to find out which generator to buy? I would like a 4 stroke quiet model to power our camper. We like to camp in some remote area's in New Mexico where there are no services hench why we need the power. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Matt & Pattie

[azflycaster]

There are many thread that deal with generators that can be found via the search function. Yamaha and Honda are two of the most popular brands.

You need to determin your needs before you can pick a generator.

How much power do you need? Run an Air Conditioner and/or a microwave, or just charge the battery every other day.

What fuel will it need to run on? Propane or gas or both.

Is weight a problem? Big units can be very heavy

[nmex]

Richard,
mainly the lights and A/C

[dscluchfc]

Yamaha 3000 with boost, or two Honda 2000eui's wired in parallel, IMO...both are inverter style and both claim to be able to run 13,500 btu a AC in this configuration.

You can buy industrial generators for cheap, but park the noisy thing on the other side of the world to fire it up.

[lewster]

The Yamaha EF2400iS claims to be capable of starting a 13,500 BTU unit, according to the Yamaha web site. I used one of these as an emergency generator after hurricane Wilma and it ran a 10K portable A/C, refer, and a few light circuits without ever going down from overload.

Get the propane conversion and you won't even have to carry gasoline!

[chaimemet]

My Classic 08 has 2 Acs 15 & 13.5. Ive decided on 2 x 2400 Yams. The dealer in WV has no stock. I called Wise they do at 1150 @. I will call WV tomorrow and see if I can drop ship to him from the competitor. They say they can do the conversion to trifuel immediately, the problem is having no 2400s from yamaha. I think its better than taking the carburator out myself shipping it to them and installing the hour/tack afterwards,

[Lumatic]

Due to buget I bought a Champion 4500 watt generator at Auto Zone for under $300. It actually puts out about 3500 watts. Good price but moderately noisy. Made in China. Enough power to run my AC. Last year I got a deal on a lightly used Honda EU2000. The noise level is very tolerable but I am not sure if it has the juice to run the AC. I have heard that an underpowered generator may run the AC but may also damage it. Maybe someone out there who knows more than I can comment on that. I haven't tried to run my AC on it yet. You can hook up 2 Honda EU2000s in tandem. For now I'm holding on to the Champion in case the Honda won't do the job in the dog days but the noise is obnoxious to me let alone my campsite neighbors.

[S C Streamer]

Marshall,

How many BTU's is your A/C ?

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by S C Streamer

Marshall,

How many BTU's is your A/C ?

It's the original Armstrong. It draws 20 amps (I think)

[S C Streamer]

Marshall,

The reason I asked is my freind just bought a new 17' Casita with a small 9000 BTU A/C . He then got a new Honda eu2000 , I was over there in a heartbeat to see if the Honda would fire up and run the A/C . It did.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by S C Streamer

Marshall,

The reason I asked is my freind just bought a new 17' Casita with a small 9000 BTU A/C . He then got a new Honda eu2000 , I was over there in a heartbeat to see if the Honda would fire up and run the A/C . It did.

Mark,

A 9.0K unit will not cool any size Airstream. That's the problem. My 19CCD has an 11K Penguin and it does a nice job in the cooling department and would work well with a Yamaha EF2400iS. I'm sure that a 13.5 of 15K would be needed for anything larger. The Yamaha web site DOES SAY that the 2400 will start and run a 13.5K A/C.

[Waynon]

My choice was two Honda eu2000's. One is perfect for running everything -- except the AC. Weight and fuel consumption were the deciding factors for me. With two smaller generators I can only run one when I'm not using the AC. They are quiet and fuel efficient -- but pricey.

Waynon

[overlander63]

Our Eu2000 will initially start and run the 13000btu Coleman A/C, as long as the ecothrottle is turned off. It works well (113 volts w/ air running) until the unit cycles the compressor off. When it tries to restart the compressor, it pushes the Honda over the edge from the increaqsed head pressure.
So, to answer your question, yes and no. We have a 4450 watt industrial generator to run the air on the trailer at home if we ever have another hurricane. At that point noise is not a factor, as the entire neighborhood will be running them.

[Mac1]

I went with the dual Honda EU2000i configuration and it works really well. I replaced my 13500btu with a 15000 last summer. It has enough juice to run the ac and other devices at the same time. They fire right up, even after sitting for the winter months. I do need to get some hour meters though.

Good luck,
Mac