Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Fleet | Keystone RV Models > Fifth Wheels
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 05-06-2013, 08:09 AM   #1
woster
Junior Member
 
woster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
Posts: 19
Powerhouse 3100 watt Generator

Anyone have one of the Powerhouse 3100 watt generators? With the remote start/stop and darn near as quiet as the Honda 3000, and about 1/2 the price, it looks like it might be good deal. Any comments from current owners appreciated.
__________________
Oflag
2012 Laredo 310 RE
2011 F250 SC 6.7 Powerstroke
Quality of life is 10% what happens to you.....90% how you react
woster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2013, 10:42 AM   #2
Bushman512000
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 402
Generator

Quote:
Originally Posted by woster View Post
Anyone have one of the Powerhouse 3100 watt generators? With the remote start/stop and darn near as quiet as the Honda 3000, and about 1/2 the price, it looks like it might be good deal. Any comments from current owners appreciated.
Where is it made? I have a Honda now bought in 2004 still runs fine cost was $1700.00 friends have had many other makes and all went to a Honda after the fact. You get what You pay for be sure of the repair shops are there if needed. The Elect start I use all the time and do wish I had remote start We camp with out Elect. a lot so our Honda runs a lot of hours I changed to syntec. oil after the first change and change oil 2 times a year. Good luck with what ever You buy Bushman
Bushman512000 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2013, 01:08 AM   #3
dave-g
Senior Member
 
dave-g's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: forked river nj
Posts: 314
if possible don't do it.

for 300 more get the Honda. CW has it on sale for 1999.00
http://www.campingworld.com/category/generators/369

I race motorcycles, and dry camp on race weekend. about 500 people show up- all have generators- the ones who don't have Honda wish they did.

I have the larger eu3000si, it runs the 15,000 btu ac just fine, with ac off it will run 24 hrs on a tank of gas- doing lights heat, tv microwave. with ac on about 8 hours- on a tank ( about 3.5 gallons i think). Super quite. Also look at the resale of the Honda, used they go for about 50% of new.

Last- i live in NJ so we lived through Hurricane Sandy- Ran the generator for 7 days straight, running 2 home refrigerators, tv and lights, At that point I was very glad how little gas it used.
__________________
2011 F250- gas- 4 star tuner- k&n intake
2011 Cougar 325srx
2015 KTM 350 exc-r
KTM 300 xc-sold
ktm 450 exc-r
dave-g is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-15-2013, 04:14 PM   #4
WaltBennett
Senior Member
 
WaltBennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Haymarket, VA
Posts: 382
I've had two Yamaha 2300is generators for several years. They're the older versions and can be ganged together to give solid 30A service. They're also as quiet as anything Honda or anyone else makes. Slightly less expensive, but I got them because of their output. Bottom line - don't just buy a Honda because they are reputed to be quiet. There are now several brands making quiet gasoline AND diesel generators. Pick one based on what your needs are.
WaltBennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-16-2013, 02:07 AM   #5
dave-g
Senior Member
 
dave-g's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: forked river nj
Posts: 314
Quote:
Originally Posted by WaltBennett View Post
I've had two Yamaha 2300is generators for several years. They're the older versions and can be ganged together to give solid 30A service. They're also as quiet as anything Honda or anyone else makes. Slightly less expensive, but I got them because of their output. Bottom line - don't just buy a Honda because they are reputed to be quiet. There are now several brands making quiet gasoline AND diesel generators. Pick one based on what your needs are.
I agree the Yamaha is also a great generator- but the market is flooded with cheap generators that are disposable.
yes buy what you need- If you need it for only a few times, but a cheap one, but if you want it to last- want quite- want parts in 5-10 years- buy a Honda-yamaha- or other similar top quality generator. They will be much cheaper to own in the long run.
__________________
2011 F250- gas- 4 star tuner- k&n intake
2011 Cougar 325srx
2015 KTM 350 exc-r
KTM 300 xc-sold
ktm 450 exc-r
dave-g is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-16-2013, 04:59 AM   #6
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
Quote:
Originally Posted by dave-g View Post
I agree the Yamaha is also a great generator- but the market is flooded with cheap generators that are disposable.
yes buy what you need- If you need it for only a few times, but a cheap one, but if you want it to last- want quite- want parts in 5-10 years- buy a Honda-yamaha- or other similar top quality generator. They will be much cheaper to own in the long run.
You are correct about finding parts in 5-10 years, however using a Honda 3000IS as an example, for some people, given their need and use for a generator, it's difficult to spend upwards of $2000 when a Champion 4000 watt generator is available for $239. If a service contract is also purchased (TSC sells a 3 year contract after the warranty for $39) that is 4 years of "guaranteed replacement" for $278. Given the price of the Honda, one can have 27.8 years of Champion generator use with a replacement guarantee during that entire time for the same price. It's a "rare Honda" that goes 28 years without major expenses for repair, if it's even in service that long before being replaced, discarded or tucked away in the corner of the garage. If you look around, you'll see that there are few (if any) Honda generators older than 10 or 15 years still in service. I know I've only seen a couple in campgrounds. Most of the ones I've seen are bright red, shiny with few scratches and less than a year or two old. I have seen a few that were "tattered and tarnished" so they are still in use, but that is a very few of the ones I've seen in actual service. Most are much less than 10 years old.

For some people who use their generator frequently, or in crowded campgrounds, a Honda/Yamaha may be something they would want to consider, but they are not the only option. That's why the "disposable generators" as you call them are produced and why they are such a popular item in camping stores as well as in big box stores.

Family Farm and Home stores in Michigan sell both Honda and Champion. The manager of one of their stores tells me that they sell 10 Champions for every Honda. There must be a reason, probably "value for money spent" considering the purchaser's application requirements.

There's nothing "wrong" with Honda, but not everyone can justify the purchase price or has the need for that kind of generator. The "disposable Champion" is a popular, cost effective and functional option for many users, and it's not a "second rate generator" by any means. There are other "disopsable generators" of which Honda makes at least 3 models as well, the EM, EB and EG lines. They are all rated at 71dB and cost upwards of $1000. My Honda EB2500 cost $1200 and is significantly louder than the Champion we use camping. The reason for purchasing our Honda was that it was the only generator available during Hurricane Katrina. The following year we purchased the Champion and both are still in service, still functional and still used regularly.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-16-2013, 06:02 AM   #7
tileman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Fla
Posts: 351
I have a big 9.7kW, 120/240V, Honda GX610, Electric Start that we use for work running our big grinders for floors. Have had it for over 9 years and still running strong.

About 3 years ago I got a Yamaha EF2000iS Inverter Generator to use with our motocross trailer real quite and sips gas.

Also have a 3000W Inverter Series YAMAHA Generator use it sometimes with our 5th wheel it runs both ac and a few more things run over night about 9 or 10 hr on about 3 gal of gas.

We went to the daytona supercross to race this year the guy parked next to us had Troy-Bilt generator well after 2 nights hearing this thing run
three other campers went and asked him to shut it down and he could plug into them for power. I think if you can buy a $20,000 camper buy a quite generator.
Also this thing held 5 gals of gas and he would fill it up about 10pm and then again at 3am it was like ever 4 or 5 hr it needed gas.

I myself do not care what you run but buy a quite one.
__________________
2012 Fuzion 310 Toy hauler
2010 Dodge DRW 4x4 3500
tileman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-16-2013, 08:06 AM   #8
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
Quote:
Originally Posted by tileman View Post
I have a big 9.7kW, ... went and asked him to shut it down and he could plug into them for power. I think if you can buy a $20,000 camper buy a quite generator...I myself do not care what you run but buy a quite one.
I agree that nobody should be a nusiance, that "camper" was being inconsiderate in using his generator all night and disturbing the people around him. That, however is not the generator's fault, that's the operator's inconsideration of others. Whether it's a Champion, a Troybuilt or a Honda, if it's disturbing others "all night long", it's the wrong thing to do. That has nothing to do with "loud generators" and has everything to do with "I'm important, you're not" attitudes.

Buying a $20,000 travel trailer or a $150,000 travel trailer, it's till the owner's personal choice what kind of generator to buy.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-16-2013, 02:39 PM   #9
woster
Junior Member
 
woster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
Posts: 19
Well I went ahead and purchased the Powerhouse 3100. I must say my first impressions are very good. Gas and oiled it up and started first try. The unit seems to be built very solid......almost too solid as the weight is about 130 lbs. without gas. It will spend most of it's time on the rear bumper of the 5er so I don't plan on having to lift it much. The best part is the remote start/stop. It works from anywhere in the trailer and I tested it out to 100 feet. It seems to be nearly as quiet as the Honda at 51db on eco mode at 20 feet and will run 18 hours per tank on eco mode.

I ordered a high altitude jet as we do most of our camping in the mountains out west, although it seems to run fine at 7000 feet altitude with the standard jet it came with. Only negative at this point are the smallish wheels......definitely won't work over rough terrain. I will McGyver a cart for it. It starts and runs our 15K btu AC with no problem. After 5 hours of operation thus far, I would recommend to anyone looking for a remote start/stop generator in the 3000 watt range.
__________________
Oflag
2012 Laredo 310 RE
2011 F250 SC 6.7 Powerstroke
Quality of life is 10% what happens to you.....90% how you react
woster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-16-2013, 02:56 PM   #10
Festus2
Site Team
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fraser Valley BC Canada
Posts: 7,015
[QUOTE=woster;77833]Well I went ahead and purchased the Powerhouse 3100. I must say my first impressions are very good. Gas and oiled it up and started first try. The unit seems to be built very solid......almost too solid as the weight is about 130 lbs. without gas. It will spend most of it's time on the rear bumper of the 5er so I don't plan on having to lift it much. QUOTE]

If you are planning to mount your new Powerhouse on the bumper, I would recommend that you first reinforce the bumper by adding and welding supports to RV frame. RV bumpers are just not meant to carry that much additional weight on their own.

If you haven't got anything in mind, there are numerous threads and posts about rear bumpers and generators, rear bumpers and bike racks, etc., already on the forum. Some of the threads have excellent photos illustrating the modification.
__________________
2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
Festus2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2013, 06:49 AM   #11
dave-g
Senior Member
 
dave-g's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: forked river nj
Posts: 314
good luck with you new power house generator- I'm really glad to hear its quite. And that remote start would be sweet.

Noise is my biggest complaint, as i dry camp at motorcycle races- and noisy generators drive me nuts.

I also can not understand someone with a $40-$70K toy hauler with several dirt bike worth $8k apiece and a noisy $300 generator that the whole camp ground can hear.

In the end, buy what you like- and it should be quite enough that it does not disturb others.

ps- my 1st Honda gen is a 1999- that gets about 400+ hours a year at work on construction sites and still going strong. 2 repairs for fuel being left in it.
__________________
2011 F250- gas- 4 star tuner- k&n intake
2011 Cougar 325srx
2015 KTM 350 exc-r
KTM 300 xc-sold
ktm 450 exc-r
dave-g is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2013, 09:25 AM   #12
woster
Junior Member
 
woster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
Posts: 19
Festus,

When I said "on the bumper" I should have said on rear cargo platform. I added a 2 inch receiver to the 5er welded to two (2) 2"X4"X3/16" steel tube cross members spanning frame to frame. It's good and stout and will easily support the cargo platform, the 130 lb. generator plus a pile of firewood without relying on the thin wall tube bumper. I had to lengthen the spare tire carrier also to get it above the platform.

I am contemplating a custom locking box for the generator to protect it from the elements and also help to further reduce noise but I want to test the genny in actual camping use before I do that to make sure there isn't too much noticeable vibration that would cause me to want it off the platform when running.

I'd appreciate comments from anyone running a genny on a rear cargo platform.....vibration isolators maybe??

Thanks
__________________
Oflag
2012 Laredo 310 RE
2011 F250 SC 6.7 Powerstroke
Quality of life is 10% what happens to you.....90% how you react
woster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2013, 01:33 AM   #13
Bushman512000
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 402
Rear mount for Gen..

Hi I have a rear mount on My 5er for the 3000Honda used it for years I have no vibration. If I did I would have a rubber matt under the Gen. Mine has the rubber tires it sits on and they must help to keep the vibration down also I do place a 2x2 stick of wood from the ground to the rack tight to keep the rack snug in the receiver..good set up used on many trailers to date no one complained about noise yet..Bushman
Bushman512000 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2013, 02:22 AM   #14
dave-g
Senior Member
 
dave-g's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: forked river nj
Posts: 314
one thing I should have said before, get a digital co2 monitor. if it reads anything other than zero you should be looking for a problem.
__________________
2011 F250- gas- 4 star tuner- k&n intake
2011 Cougar 325srx
2015 KTM 350 exc-r
KTM 300 xc-sold
ktm 450 exc-r
dave-g is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2013, 02:53 PM   #15
woster
Junior Member
 
woster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
Posts: 19
So after two months (30+ hours) of use, I gotta say this Powerhouse 3100 generator is the real deal. We love the remote control start/stop. It starts up immediately, runs really quiet and uses very little fuel on eco mode. We have camped and run it at low elevations and up to 9000 feet with no apparent difference in starting or load issues. We have run the 15k btu AC, a 1500 watt blow dryer and a 500 watt curling iron simultaneously without tripping the breaker.

If anyone is looking for a genny for the rear bumper, I highly recommend checking out the Powerhouse.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Oflag
__________________
Oflag
2012 Laredo 310 RE
2011 F250 SC 6.7 Powerstroke
Quality of life is 10% what happens to you.....90% how you react
woster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2013, 06:45 PM   #16
Essness
Senior Member
 
Essness's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: near Lake Geneva, WI
Posts: 227
I have a on board Onan 4000 in my hauler. I had purchased a Champion 4000 for my previous camper for 300.00. I honestly can not hear a big difference between the 2 of them under load.
I have run the same trailer off both of them with the air on and at 10 to 20 feet away, they sound the same.
I would not hesitate to recommend the Champion 4000-3500 watt generator to anyone looking for an economic solution.
__________________
Scot
2014 Ram 1500 Laramie
2014 Raptor 27FS
2016 Polaris RZR S900
Essness is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2014, 12:14 PM   #17
MooseMan
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Evergreen, CO
Posts: 25
Powerhouse 3100

Does anyone know why the Powerhouse 3100 weights 129 lbs dry and the Champion 3100 about 80 lbs dry? Electric start + Battery obviously contribute some weight. The engine is about 2x as big... and it takes more fuel.

Trying to decide between a used Powerhouse and new Champion and don't care about electric start. I know there are subtle differences (a little more running watts) but can't understand why 50lbs.

Thanks!
__________________
'12 Passport 2650BH
'97 Ford Expedition
MooseMan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2014, 01:49 PM   #18
Bluewater
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Spokane, Washington
Posts: 368
Quote:
Originally Posted by woster View Post
Well I went ahead and purchased the Powerhouse 3100. I must say my first impressions are very good. Gas and oiled it up and started first try. The unit seems to be built very solid......almost too solid as the weight is about 130 lbs. without gas. It will spend most of it's time on the rear bumper of the 5er so I don't plan on having to lift it much. The best part is the remote start/stop. It works from anywhere in the trailer and I tested it out to 100 feet. It seems to be nearly as quiet as the Honda at 51db on eco mode at 20 feet and will run 18 hours per tank on eco mode.

I ordered a high altitude jet as we do most of our camping in the mountains out west, although it seems to run fine at 7000 feet altitude with the standard jet it came with. Only negative at this point are the smallish wheels......definitely won't work over rough terrain. I will McGyver a cart for it. It starts and runs our 15K btu AC with no problem. After 5 hours of operation thus far, I would recommend to anyone looking for a remote start/stop generator in the 3000 watt range.
According to their site your generator weights 148 pounds plus 4 1/2 gal fuel. Honda 135. Your idle db is 56 and Honda is 49db. Run time at idle for yours is 17 hours on 4.4 gal and Honda is 20 hours on 3.5 gal. Powerhouse has 1 year warranty and Honda 3 years. Like so many have stated why would anyone spend over 50 grand for an average rv and truck then go cheap on a generator??? Just the warranty alone tells you enough. FYI
Bluewater is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2014, 01:51 PM   #19
Woodsrider
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Washington
Posts: 116
Quote:
Originally Posted by MooseMan View Post
Does anyone know why the Powerhouse 3100 weights 129 lbs dry and the Champion 3100 about 80 lbs dry? Electric start + Battery obviously contribute some weight. The engine is about 2x as big... and it takes more fuel.

Trying to decide between a used Powerhouse and new Champion and don't care about electric start. I know there are subtle differences (a little more running watts) but can't understand why 50lbs.

Thanks!
It looks to me like the Champion uses more plastic where the Powerhouse uses steel. The Battery, starter, and the larger capacity fuel tank could easily add 50 pounds.
__________________

2003 Silverado 4wd Xcab 2500HD Duramax
2014 Bullet 230BHSWE
Woodsrider is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2014, 05:32 PM   #20
abneynormal
Senior Member
 
abneynormal's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: alabama
Posts: 272
well

my th came with a 5500 onan. it is a little noisy but I built a solution for mine. I worry more about carbon monoxide emissions than I do a little noise especially in stagnant air or close quarter conditions. if you use any generator locate it away from you or others. since mine is on board and I didn't like the design of a gentauri so I had/ built a stack. here are the vids

__________________
1999 fl70 freightliner. 2011 3912 lev raptor. 2008 Vulcan 900lt. 2005 leighman trike c50 suzuiki boulevard
abneynormal is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 03:49 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.