What size generator

piratedan · 03-14-2014, 04:33 PM

I just purchased a 2014 Passport 2100RB and now I am looking to buy a generator for it. What should I be looking for (watts, HP, brand...)

Thanks

Festus2 · 03-14-2014, 04:41 PM

piratedan -
Have you done a search of the forum for answers to your generator questions? If you were to do a forum search (type in "generator"), you will get more than enough posts and threads about this topic to keep you busy reading until Spring arrives. For us to help with an answer, we need to know what you plan on using it for. Your needs?
Do you want to run your Air Conditioning, appliances,......... etc.
Is money a concern? You can spend a lot or a little.......
Is noise, or lack of, a priority?
Give us some information on what you want to use it for and what criteria you have set out for it........

Again, there is a ton of stuff already on here about generators and your questions has been asked many times before and the answers are out there. If, after doing a search, you can't find out anything, get back to us..

piratedan · 03-15-2014, 08:52 AM

Thanks Festus2,

I've read a lot of the post about generators and maybe thats the problem, to much information. I'll talk to some of my local buddies and see what they are using.

Thanks

Bluewater · 03-15-2014, 09:30 AM

Don't settle for anything less than the quality of a Honda or Yamaha plus you will make more campground friends with their very quiet operaton.

**JRTJH** · 03-15-2014, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluewater

Don't settle for anything less than the quality of a Honda or Yamaha plus you will make more campground friends with their very quiet operaton.

While the two brands you list are great generators and likely "lead the field" in reputation, when it comes to reliability and technology, they are not the only members of the generator team. Champion builds a trememdous 2000 watt inverter generator that costs less than half as much as a Honda and is equally quiet. Owners of Champion generators report reliability similar to Honda. There are other brands available that also offer similar specifications and stack up well when compared to Honda and Yamaha.

There are many other options that fit nicely into the "budget minded" camper's option list.

Not everyone wants to spend $1000 for a generator that won't run the air conditioner but has a great reputation.

denverpilot · 03-21-2014, 01:04 PM

Having heard the Honda and the Champion side by side, the Champion is more annoying sounding. Didn't bring a sound pressure meter, but I'd say it was louder, too.

That said, the owners of both like their personal choices of gensets. Neither was unhappy.

A local airplane club also uses a Champion, but they weren't exactly going for "quiet" on the airport ramp area. They like that it's been extremely reliable, even in cold weather.

**JRTJH** · 03-21-2014, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by denverpilot

Having heard the Honda and the Champion side by side, the Champion is more annoying sounding. Didn't bring a sound pressure meter, but I'd say it was louder, too.

That said, the owners of both like their personal choices of gensets. Neither was unhappy.

A local airplane club also uses a Champion, but they weren't exactly going for "quiet" on the airport ramp area. They like that it's been extremely reliable, even in cold weather.

You didn't say which Champion you were comparing to the Honda in that side by side comparison. The Champion 2000 inverter (the square box) is so close to the same as the Honda, I couldn't tell them apart from the other side of the RV. Now the Champion 4000/3500 like the one I have is quite a bit louder, but nowhere near as loud as most "industrial generators". Mine is about 60 dB and most are 70 or even louder. When I set my "home built" foam box around it, it's much quieter. Where we camp, there's nobody within 500' of us, so it's not loud enough for the "camping neighbors" to even hear it much less complain about it. I wouldn't however, use it in a crowded campground, but even then, it wouldn't be any louder than the diesel truck idling in the next spot.

It really depends, I suppose, on what you want, what you can afford and what you can justify. To each his own.

Cnc_hemi · 03-21-2014, 02:10 PM

Honda says that the 3000iS will run a camper with a single 12000 btu a/c. I have one for home stand by and it is super quite. A bit heavy to just grab and go but a very nice and strong unit. Ran it at the house for a hurricane a couple years back and it ran 2 5000 btu units, ref,freezer, and a couple lights and a fan. And would run for over 10 hours on 3 gallons. I originally picked it up to run my old Laredo it had a 12500 btu unit and had no issues running the camper.

LSU TIGER FAN
2013 FUZION 310
2012 GMC 2500 HD SIERRA DURAMAX 6.6L

Stublejumper · 03-27-2014, 08:07 PM

I use a honda 3000 inverter ,runs everything ,including a 15 000 btu ac no problem.

cjm · 03-28-2014, 09:38 AM

I use a 3000w kipor inverter, and love it. I've had a couple of the Kipor's and Honda's and have been just as happy with both. The Kipor is quite a bit cheaper and running the honda and the kipor side by side, I can't tell which is quieter.

It's just a matter of how thick the wallet is and personal preference.

Katana · 03-30-2014, 02:35 PM

Another vote for Kipor's. I've got a IG 6,000 watt and is very quiet. Full tank lasts me 24-26 hours when running at low idle

Sent from my GT-P7500R using Tapatalk

Badlands Dog · 04-05-2014, 03:00 PM

We have two Honda 2000iu, one being the Companion model so we can hook up the two and run the AC if we need to. I bought only one generator first and made it work for a couple of years and then bought the second one when we could afford it. The logic behind this was, 1) I had the efficiency of a 2000 watt when I didn't need AC; 2) It is cheaper to have both generators than buying the Honda 3000; 3) They are much lighter than a larger generator; and 4) they store easily in our Cougar 327RES. I have never regretted this decision and they work very well for us. Last summer, I added an extended run tank-6 gallons; so nice when running both gennys.

I went with Honda because of historic reliability and misers on fuel and very low decibels; I haven't heard much of the Champions until this thread, but it looks like some of the people here like them-certainly a very good option. There are a lot of good options to choose from so do your due diligence!

I'd strongly recommend the inverter technology so you can safely run flat screens, computers, or anything with a computer chip in it without the fear of burning out the device.

Woodsrider · 04-05-2014, 07:18 PM

Very happy Powerhouse 3100iU owner here. It's every bit as quiet as my friends Honda EU3000 and 50 pounds lighter. Remote start from inside the trailer is a nice feature too.
I was skeptical at the dealer, so the parts guy prepped one and hooked it up to my trailer while the tech was setting up my hitch. As soon as I heard it running under the load of my ac unit I was sold. For $950 less than the Honda, I am very satisfied.

Whitewolf · 04-06-2014, 02:36 PM

We used to have a Passport 195RB. Like Badlands Dog we had the same setup for the same reasons. The gens would fit in our pass through storage perfectly. I just had to tip them a bit to get them in and out. But with their light weight and size, it wasn't a problem.

I got the bright idea to sell them and get a Honda 3000 Handi. Big mistake. While boon docking at an archery shoot one warm weekend, the overload tripped on me a couple of times. If I had had the two 2000's for a total of 4000, that wouldn't have happened. Not only that, but the 3000 Hani wouldn't fit in the storage. Had to out it in the bed of the truck.

One more thing. One of the best investments I made was to get one of those special caps that connect to a marine gas tank. You're not trying to fill the tank on a hot generator and you can go much longer between fuel refills. The one I picked happened to be made by a disabled vet. Nice guy.

denverpilot · 04-06-2014, 09:18 PM

I'll buck the trend here and share.

We decided on the Honda 3000, added a nice set of fat wheels to it, and it fits with about an inch to spare in the pass-through of our 5er.

Confident that it'll be used for years.

It's a bit of a lug to lift up in there and I'll have to build in some tie-downs and make a couple of small chocks for it.

I found it fits better sitting with the wheels fore/aft after I took the photo.

Also found that if it shifts, the generator cover put on it will protect from cosmetic damage.

Really like the wheel kit. It's just one of the many on eBay. Seller welds some angle iron with appropriate holes in it for the bolts on the genset and interference with other protrusions to a tube used as an axle and four typical small cart tires. Took about ten minutes to install.

Makes moving it around easy, but does add some height and weight, of course.

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