Good Value Generator(s) for 337FLS

[BigWheel]

I'm looking to purchase a good value generator setup for a 337FLS. Budget is a large factor on this decision, as we hardly ever camp without hookup. Based on the information below, I'm leaning towards two 2000W units. The pricing of the two Champion 73536i units is very appealing, but I've found many mixed reviews on whether or not they'll power my setup. Please let me know what you suggest!

[Campy]

What are you trying to power with it? I have a Cougar 327RES and it has 2 AC units and I run a Champion 3000 inverter generator with mine and it will run 1 AC but not both. I had to make a custom cord for my camper that is 30 amp on the genset end and 50 amp at the camper with a "jumper" inside the 50 amp plug so both sides receive current. I can also use this cord at camp grounds with no 50 amp hookups but still ONLY run 1 AC. Pretty happy with that little Champion unit and it's super quiet and less than a grand, now it's available with electric start!

[JRTJH]

Bigwheel,

Your picture only shows 7 generators and you talk about a Champion which is not on the picture, so I'd guess that the picture does not show all you intended. At any rate, the 337FLS has a 50 Amp service. None of the generators you show, even the Yamaha 6300 will provide you with a sustained 50 amps of service. That generator only offers a 45 amp continuous load. The trailer is rated at 2 phases of AC, each with 50 amps, for a total of 100 amps of "electrical power". That 6300 will only provide about half of that requirement.

As campy indicated, you can power your RV with any generator, but your requirements will determine how "big" you go.

You can "get by" with charging the batteries on a single 2000 watt generator, or you could run one A/C by using either a 3000 watt generator (or two 2000 watt units with a parallel cable). You could possibly use a 6300 watt generator to power both A/C units, but you'd find that any other electrical use (like a hair dryer or microwave) would likely overload the generator and trip the output circuit breaker.

As for which brand? It depends on what you want to spend, what "color you like" and whether "bragging rights" are important to you. Certainly Honda or Yamaha have the best reputation (and bragging rights) but the costs involved are nearly double that of a "yellow generator" which provides very similar performance without the reputation.

The choice of "brand" is yours, and essentially, if you consider the limitations of only using one A/C and limiting other electrical demands, you can get by "quite nicely" with either two 2000 watt generators or with a single 3000 watt unit.

[WaltBennett]

Had a couple of Yamaha 2300is ones that could be ganged together and run our Montana's 15k btu AC if needed, but they were a pain to set up. Installed a solar setup for everything else and sold the Yamahas. LOML insisted I get another generator at least for the house, so I picked up a Harbor Freight Predator 4kw peak for $310 with wheel & handle set two years ago. Took it with us on a nine week vacation in '14 and used it once. Took it with us last year on a 10 week vacation and used it three times. All was to run the AC as solar took care of everything else. It really isn't much louder than the two Yamahas running at the same time and will run most of the night on one tank of gas. Best buy I've made in quite a while.

[nellie1289]

I have the Yamaha 4500Ise, thing is a beast heavy wise, but wow what a generator. very quiet and will power ac, hair dryer, and microwave no problem. powers my whole house during power outages.

Suggest this unit for only one ac unit. great value and reviews. Easier to move around

http://www.costco.com/Champion-2%2c8...100139466.html

[gearhead]

A tight budget I would say the Champion 2000 watt inverters. I have a Champ 4000/3500, it had a few "teething" issues but has been good since. I think the 2 inverters give you more versatility. If you need to just charge batteries, one of them should do well and be quiet about it. Especially important in National parks. Then parallel 2 of them to run the A/C if needed.
The BIG plus for me is the inverters weigh less than 50 pounds and can be move around as needed without asking for help to move a 100 pound generator.
Money not an issue... 2 Honda 2000 watts.

[kimbashaw]

I use two 2000 Yamaha inverters ganged together. I went that route because it is easier to handle and store two small units. They power my 15000 BTU A/C. Just have to be careful what you run. We dry camp a couple days at a time usually with very few power issues. We also usually camp at sites with power. Edit: The Champion 2000w generators also seem to get pretty good reviews and are cheaper.

[PerryB]

I think a pair of 2000's is the way to go. The Hondas and Yamahas are expensive but reliable.
Champion is gaining a good reputation and a lot less money. The beauty of two is both redundancy and utility. You always have a spare/loaner.

[B-O-B'03]

Originally Posted by nellie1289

... Suggest this unit for only one ac unit. great value and reviews. Easier to move around

http://www.costco.com/Champion-2%2c8...100139466.html

I purchased that unit, almost a year ago, right after I picked up my trailer.

Have camped with it 4 or 5 times and am very happy with it.

It will start/run the 15K AC unit and power the rest of the camper (both fridges, converter ,etc) although I am not sure it will run the AC and microwave at the same time (have not tried).

The unit is fairly quite and has started on the first pull almost every time.

I can load it into the bed of the truck by myself, at almost 62 years of age.

At $700 + tax, with free shipping... money well spent, IMO.

-Brian

[SkiSmuggs]

Originally Posted by nellie1289

I have the Yamaha 4500Ise, thing is a beast heavy wise, but wow what a generator. very quiet and will power ac, hair dryer, and microwave no problem. powers my whole house during power outages.

Suggest this unit for only one ac unit. great value and reviews. Easier to move around

http://www.costco.com/Champion-2%2c8...100139466.html

Having paid $600 for the Smarter Tools AO2000iQ a few months ago and thinking I got a great deal, I would be all over this Champion which for just $100 more will run your AC. Talk about buyers remorse!

[Mike484]

$899.99 at Holiday World. Same price as Costco but if your not a member, Costco charges and additional $40. I know you also pay taxes at Costco, not sure if you do through eBay. Do you preferr more black or more yellow, otherwise, same thing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/272146155488...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


Just purchased from eBay, saved $101 from the cost of the Costco ad.

[bexparza]

I'd step up and buy two Hondas with a parallel kit. My wife and I are pretty frugal also but the noise of a generator is pretty annoying to some, even to yourself when boon docking. The Hondas are very, very quite running units.

[flight medic]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Bigwheel,

Your picture only shows 7 generators and you talk about a Champion which is not on the picture, so I'd guess that the picture does not show all you intended. At any rate, the 337FLS has a 50 Amp service. None of the generators you show, even the Yamaha 6300 will provide you with a sustained 50 amps of service. That generator only offers a 45 amp continuous load. The trailer is rated at 2 phases of AC, each with 50 amps, for a total of 100 amps of "electrical power". That 6300 will only provide about half of that requirement.

As campy indicated, you can power your RV with any generator, but your requirements will determine how "big" you go.

You can "get by" with charging the batteries on a single 2000 watt generator, or you could run one A/C by using either a 3000 watt generator (or two 2000 watt units with a parallel cable). You could possibly use a 6300 watt generator to power both A/C units, but you'd find that any other electrical use (like a hair dryer or microwave) would likely overload the generator and trip the output circuit breaker.

As for which brand? It depends on what you want to spend, what "color you like" and whether "bragging rights" are important to you. Certainly Honda or Yamaha have the best reputation (and bragging rights) but the costs involved are nearly double that of a "yellow generator" which provides very similar performance without the reputation.

The choice of "brand" is yours, and essentially, if you consider the limitations of only using one A/C and limiting other electrical demands, you can get by "quite nicely" with either two 2000 watt generators or with a single 3000 watt unit.

JRTJH,
This is by far the best explanation of generator use/needs ever. Thank you.
To the op, we have a Sprinter 324fwbhs and the champion 3100 and couldn't be happier. We spent Last labor day in central Wisconsin and it was HOT. The FW only has one AC but the Champion ran it and a crock pot without any issue. The price is great and the noise level is equal to a Honda imho.
Steve.

[Mike484]

Since we will rarely be staying anywhere without shore power, I'm really hoping the Champion 3100 will do everything we need a generator for. We live in the south and will mainly be using our RV in the south so we will need A/C even for just an overnight stay at a Walmart or truck stop, a 2000 of anything just won't cut it and the thought of buying two of anything that we won't be useing much, just doesn't sound appealing to me. Even though the 3100 may be limited to not being able to run the A/C and microwave or hair dryer, we can always turn it off for the few minutes that we do use other appliances, I'm sure the trailer won't get unbearably hot in just a grew minutes. In all the reviews I have read, most are very positive and only a very few complain about it being too load, but without knowing what they are comparing it to, I think the majority rules and thus is why I chose the Champion 3100. Now, just waiting for it to be delivered so I can see if I will be as happy as the other Champion owners.

[Dave W]

We opted for a Boliy inverter genset. It runs very quietly at 3000 watts but does have a peak capacity of 3600 and will operate a single 15K a/c in the 5er. So far with a couple hurricanes and a home connection box, the genset kept our fridge and most lights working just fine. A week ago at close to zero, kept our home heat running. We are using it as a dual purpose genset - it was purchased for the 5er but back up for the S&B home. http://www.bottomlinetrading.com/BOLIY.html

If money was no problem, probably would have gone with 1 or 2 (possibly paired) Hondas or Yamahas plus they can be serviced anywhere if there is a problem

[BigWheel]

Originally Posted by Campy

What are you trying to power with it? I have a Cougar 327RES and it has 2 AC units and I run a Champion 3000 inverter generator with mine and it will run 1 AC but not both. I had to make a custom cord for my camper that is 30 amp on the genset end and 50 amp at the camper with a "jumper" inside the 50 amp plug so both sides receive current. I can also use this cord at camp grounds with no 50 amp hookups but still ONLY run 1 AC. Pretty happy with that little Champion unit and it's super quiet and less than a grand, now it's available with electric start!

Mainly the 15K BTU single AC unit, along with the additional items that won't run off of propane such as waterpumps, tv, etc.
That Champion does seem to be a great little unit based on the reviews I've read!

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Bigwheel,

Your picture only shows 7 generators and you talk about a Champion which is not on the picture, so I'd guess that the picture does not show all you intended. At any rate, the 337FLS has a 50 Amp service. None of the generators you show, even the Yamaha 6300 will provide you with a sustained 50 amps of service. That generator only offers a 45 amp continuous load. The trailer is rated at 2 phases of AC, each with 50 amps, for a total of 100 amps of "electrical power". That 6300 will only provide about half of that requirement.

As campy indicated, you can power your RV with any generator, but your requirements will determine how "big" you go.

You can "get by" with charging the batteries on a single 2000 watt generator, or you could run one A/C by using either a 3000 watt generator (or two 2000 watt units with a parallel cable). You could possibly use a 6300 watt generator to power both A/C units, but you'd find that any other electrical use (like a hair dryer or microwave) would likely overload the generator and trip the output circuit breaker.

As for which brand? It depends on what you want to spend, what "color you like" and whether "bragging rights" are important to you. Certainly Honda or Yamaha have the best reputation (and bragging rights) but the costs involved are nearly double that of a "yellow generator" which provides very similar performance without the reputation.

The choice of "brand" is yours, and essentially, if you consider the limitations of only using one A/C and limiting other electrical demands, you can get by "quite nicely" with either two 2000 watt generators or with a single 3000 watt unit.

Thank you for the breakdown. It was right in line with what I have concluded in my few hours of research.


To everyone else, thank you for your input. I will keep you posted on the decision.

[JRTJH]

For those who may be interested, Camping World has the Champion 2000 watt inverter generators on sale for $469 with free shipping. Even with 6% sales tax, that's less than $500 per unit. The Parallel kit is available on Amazon and a few other places for under $80. It's priced at $119 at CW, so shop around for the best pricing !!!

[hdxbonez]

I bought the Champion 3100 a couple of years ago, and used it for a full season of staying at my camp before I had electric service installed. I found it to be reasonably quiet, good on fuel, easy to start. It powered everything in the camper, including the 13.5 ac, but I did shut that off temporarily if I were using the microwave as well. It's a good generator at a good price.

[KSH]

I bought the champion from Costco and it has been great.

http://m.costco.com/Champion-2,800W-...100139466.html

[SkiSmuggs]

Originally Posted by Mike484

$899.99 at Holiday World. Same price as Costco but if your not a member, Costco charges and additional $40. I know you also pay taxes at Costco, not sure if you do through eBay. Do you preferr more black or more yellow, otherwise, same thing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/272146155488...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


Just purchased from eBay, saved $101 from the cost of the Costco ad.

Actually $699 at Costco plus tax. And with the Costco Auto Purchase program, I got $3600 off the MSRP of my truck to start plus incentives and additional negotiated discount. Worth $55 membership? You bet.