"Second Tier" Generator recommendations?

FastEddieB

FastEddieB

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Messages
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Location
Lenoir City, TN/Mineral Bluff, GA
Display Name
Fast Eddie B
Home Airfield
Big T Airport (80TN)
I posted before that we bought some property adjacent to a runway in E TN near Lenoir City - "Big T" airport - 80TN.

It's hard to always get our solar panel in direct sun, so last trip we dragged along our Honda 2000i generator to top off the batteries when they got low.

30537260880_e06b127c1e_z.jpg


I'm now searching for a generator to keep up there. Right now we're boondocking and it might be a while before we have power there. Plus it will serve as a backup if and when the power fails. The Honda is great quality and reliable, but I'd like something that can run the air conditioner yet be somewhat cheaper than the Honda/Yamaha brands.

I see a lot of the "Powerhouse" brand generators on the back of work trucks and they seem to get the job done.

Here are some of that brand and others that come up on a quick Tractor Supply/Northern Tool/Harbor Freight search:

30770651051_4686e08765.jpg


30770651651_19d9fa6ea9_z.jpg


30770651391_d240248f37.jpg


30742491402_bd48b9c0de_z.jpg


Any thoughts or experience regarding any of these? Remember, it would rarely be hauled around, just used at the new property.


Thanks in advance!
 
I have a 3500W 'Champion' since 2004 and it works well. Can't complain for $199. When the carb gummed up I called the 1-800 number and they mailed a new carb for $21. As cheap **** from China goes, this is on the better side.

There is a 'trifuel' generator occasionally sold at Costco that can run on bottled propane or gasoline. For a backup generator that can be a good option.
 
Pay attention to noise ratings. My experience (albeit limited) is that the cheapies are noisy! When the power fails, you may need long run times = long noise times. Hondas are quiet! :)
 
As long as you don't care abut the noise, any of those should do just fine.
 
When i was racing, there was no other way to **** off your fellow pit mates than to fire up a CHAMPION or HF genny. Louder than standing next to a 707 at full power run up.
If you put some plywood around them to deflect the noise, its tolerable.
The ones at Costco are good, I had a rigid (yamaha powered) that was loud but not the worst. If you want peace and quiet while your there you may ahve to spring for a Yamaha/Honda, otherwise one of the cheapies will work, but bring along some sort of sound insulation.
 
Acrodustertoo said:
This^
Spend the money to buy a real one, Miller, Lincoln, Q-power etc. If you do not want to spend that kind of money then buy a Honda. Honda are the gold standard of generators and very quiet. Worth every penny.
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Those surplus gen sets I linked to, well you're going to pay more for shipping than what you'll end up winning the auction for, the one I posted a pic of is diesel, 10kw 110/220 and is built on aluminum skids, it will sell for less than the new Chinese made gas junk.
 
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James331 said:
Those surplus gen sets I linked to, well you're going to pay more for shipping than what you'll end up winning the auction for.
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I wasn't implying that they go through an auction for surplus but the generator you posted would be an incredible investment. Great machines and the diesel will last forever.
 
Thanks for the input! Had not really considered the noise factor, and the ones I've been looking at don't seem to list db in the specs.

Probably not too hard to build an enclosure and line it with ice chest foam or acoustic tiles or the like.

Weird that this is an issue - how hard/expensive would it be to add a few baffles to a slightly larger muffler to cut down on the noise? Or does the noise emanate from elsewhere?
 
If noise is the only complaint there's nothing magical about a muffler if the generator will be stationary. Fabricate your own or have a muffler shop fix you up. Nothing wrong with going cheap on a convenience item that isn't going to see much use.
 
You get what you pay for. The best gennies are diesel. My 6kw diesel is quieter, more economical, and more reliable than my Yamaha 4000 gas generator, but I keep both side by side and find use for both. My well is 220v and isn't wired to my battery bank so it requires a generator. For short duration runs I use gasoline. For longer use I use diesel. My inverter has a 120a charger built in and that likes the diesel gennie. That said, when I added a power switch and backup gennie at the house I chose a Honda 6000w inverter unit. Surge output handles near 10k watts for furnace motors and such. Mine runs everything including the hot tub.
 
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Edit - had to add "I believe" or "I've heard that" ... On the small portable gensets, the majority of the noise is not engine/exhaust - it's the generator portion. Honda/Yamaha et al Inverter gennies don't have a lot of the noise making parts.

I've not tried to quiet one down, but that's what I've gathered by reading up on the RV forums on experiments with hush boxes.
 
Buy a Lincoln or Miller diesel powered generator. You also have the added bonus of the worlds best welders as well. just a thought.
 
I have several generators and while all are high quality and are far quieter than the cheaper brands, engine noise is what you hear. No question.
 
Those milsurp gensets are a great hobby.
 
I have a Powerhorse 4000 rated w. Quiet enough, runs a well pump, furnace and fridge without bogging down, light enough to throw on the back of the truck to use in the field. has 120 and 240v outlets. Nice big fuel tank. Starts first pull. Compared to my old 5hp Briggs powered Chicago Electric, the thing is silent.

I'd buy it again. Popular with the contractor crowd, probably get one cheap at a pawn shop.
 
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gkainz said:
Edit - had to add "I believe" or "I've heard that" ... On the small portable gensets, the majority of the noise is not engine/exhaust - it's the generator portion. Honda/Yamaha et al Inverter gennies don't have a lot of the noise making parts.

I've not tried to quiet one down, but that's what I've gathered by reading up on the RV forums on experiments with hush boxes.
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Engine exhaust is one form of noise. the valve train, genny, etc can also make a ton of noise. You can build a box and line it with foam, just make sure its oversized (not real tight to the genny) and put in plenty of air vents for cooling.

What you really need, as a pilot with airport land, is an old 290 GPU based genny. That would be worth the noise...
 
Eddie, if there's any chance a generator might sit unused at the new place for a few weeks at a time, you might want to consider a hybrid that will run off propane as well as gasoline. No worries about propane going bad or gumming up the motor if it sits for a while.

Thinking ahead, if your eventual house or cabin will use propane for heating or cooking, you could have a large tank installed now and not have to worry about hauling generator fuel back and forth.

Just something to think about.

FWIW, I have a Generac and it's worked well, though it's a bit noisy. When the 2004 hurricanes knocked out our power I put the generator out in our pole barn and fed the house through the barn's sub-panel. That got the noise and fumes well away from the house. Otherwise the noise would have driven us nuts.
 
I had a noisycheap one and took it back. The Honda's are the quietest ones I know of. Really good and worth it.
 
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I have a 5400 Champion we use for the fifth wheel when needed. Hàve had it for about 6 years and always works well. A tank of gas will run about 10 to 12 hours, runs the air conditioner plus about anything else we want. For the money (about 300 dollars at the time) it was pretty quiet for a long time. It has got louder over time, probably needs a new muffler. Never fails to start, and we have run it for a straight week a couple of times to keep lights, freezers, refrigerators running when we have lost power after a storm. Having said that, when time for a new onr I will opt for a Honda, mainly because of the engine. We have the Honda engine on a pressure washer, rototiller, and snow blower. Reliable, very quiet, and we'll worth the money.
 
I looked at the cheap no name generators and decided to spend the money for a 4500W Generac from the local hardware store. I want something that I can get parts or service locally if it craps out during an extended outage. I also have a small 650W Honda at the cabin.
 
Go Honda or Yamaha. Whisper quiet. I have a Yamaha and love it.
 
What is the easiest way to size a generator? Are those online tools about the best?

Do all generators make pretty clean power now ie for computers and electronics?
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
What is the easiest way to size a generator? Are those online tools about the best?

Do all generators make pretty clean power now ie for computers and electronics?
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Dunno about now but Woodward governor used to make bolt on governors just for Honda generators to clean them up. Frankly, buy a hella big power supply for the computer and it prolly won't matter. Even better buy a conditioning uninterruptible power supply and it won't matter at all.
 
Think outside the box.
I have a BIG Lincoln arc welder. It generates 9KW at 220 VAC enough to run the entire house, and you can also use it to weld when you aren't using it to watch "Walking Dead".
 
Clark1961 said:
[snip] Even better buy a conditioning uninterruptible power supply and it won't matter at all.
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:yeahthat: Most computer supplies are pretty good any more and most generators are pretty good any more but this is the best insurance.
 
I've always had a hankering for an old Lister powered generator. :yes:
Our Lister CS 6/1 Diesel Generator built to run our machine shop, usually both a mill and lathe. Self contained unit with own radiator, multiple exhaust boxes to reduce sound, in a purpose built block building. Runs on filtered waste diesel oil.
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500+ rpm legacy British diesels. Looks like a number of clones coming out of India, too.


http://utterpower.com/listeroi.htm
http://slowspeedeng.tumblr.com/
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
What is the easiest way to size a generator? Are those online tools about the best?

Do all generators make pretty clean power now ie for computers and electronics?
Click to expand...
They cheap ones can be suspect. inverters are much cleaner. I would definitely use some voltage protection on a cheap genny, probably a good idea on any genny. sensitive electronics may not like a HF type cheap genny.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
What is the easiest way to size a generator? Are those online tools about the best?
Click to expand...

Someone who knows how to use this:

https://www.instrumart.com/products...IYmD607pZyJaoI_jhTHX9xoCMQXw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

...and a pocket calculator.

Those online calculators are trying to sell you the biggest generator possible and just add up all the loads. Motor loads like air conditioners and well pumps draw higher currents during startup and the generator has to be able to provide that, but you won't run 4 cooktops, the wellpump and the AC at the same time.
 
Hmm I have one of those, but you'd have to run it over a day to see the peak draw, I'd think. A one time measurement is only going to give you a snapshot. Or, you could check it as someone flips on the heat pump, well pump, and hot water tank at the same time; something that could easily happen.
 
On the noise thing...I can tell you first hand that the published noise rating of the "off" brands of generators are 100% full of crap. We use all levels of generators all the time for entertainment event production where noise is mission critical. One of my vendors decided to save a few bucks and bought two of the larger put put generators, one from Costco and one from Harbor Fright where we would normally just pull in a 25kw trailer mounted unit. On paper they looked comparable to a Honda Whisper Watt for sound levels...in the field they were like a jack hammer in an empty dumpster. We could not physically muffle them enough with plywood and foam while placed behind a truck for them not to be a distraction.

Building an full enclose will just turn it into a subwoofer and amplify the low end rumble.

Those are great for emergency use or construction...I can tell ya if it was gonna be running for your application...spend the dough and get a good quality whisper unit.
 
Shawn said:
Building an full enclose will just turn it into a subwoofer and amplify the low end rumble.
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And cause it to overheat and shut down.

I rented generators as part of my lighting business for 20 years. We had everything from 1kw up to 165kw. In the portable gas powered put puts, Honda is the only way to go. Stone cold reliable, great parts support and as quiet as it gets. I don't have any experience with the Yamahas because they didn't exist when I started and I stuck with Honda. I have had Yamaha Jet Skis and they have been great, so I imagine their portable generators are good as well.

To the OP- if you insist on going with the cheap Chinese big box store noise makers, spend a little extra for cable and just drag the racket a couple hundred feet out into the woods and if you can put it behind something it helps. Don't build an enclosure. It just makes them overheat and die even faster. This is the unit you need-

eu7000-Handles.jpg


You can also safely run electronics and computers with this unit. The cheap ones, forget about it.
 
Will you eventually need a tractor at your new place? (Doesn't every XY?)
Then consider a generator run off the tractor's PTO. No reason to have more power plants than needed.
 
FastEddieB said:
I posted before that we bought some property adjacent to a runway in E TN near Lenoir City - "Big T" airport - 80TN.

It's hard to always get our solar panel in direct sun, so last trip we dragged along our Honda 2000i generator to top off the batteries when they got low.

30537260880_e06b127c1e_z.jpg


I'm now searching for a generator to keep up there. Right now we're boondocking and it might be a while before we have power there. Plus it will serve as a backup if and when the power fails. The Honda is great quality and reliable, but I'd like something that can run the air conditioner yet be somewhat cheaper than the Honda/Yamaha brands.

I see a lot of the "Powerhouse" brand generators on the back of work trucks and they seem to get the job done.

Here are some of that brand and others that come up on a quick Tractor Supply/Northern Tool/Harbor Freight search:

30770651051_4686e08765.jpg


30770651651_19d9fa6ea9_z.jpg


30770651391_d240248f37.jpg


30742491402_bd48b9c0de_z.jpg


Any thoughts or experience regarding any of these? Remember, it would rarely be hauled around, just used at the new property.


Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
 
Bill Jennings said:
There is a companion unit to the 2000i, together they supply 30A and it has a receptacle to fit RV plugs. Maybe try that? Only run as much generator as needed for the job? The Hondas are quiet.

http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/models/eu2000i-companion
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I would consider something like this. Yamaha has a similar set up.
http://www.yamahagenerators.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=EF2000iSv2_Combo
Another thing to consider is the fuel flow of those larger generators when you're only running lights and your TV. No reason to run an O-540 all day when all you need is a Rotax 912! Yamaha says the EF2000iS units can run over 10 hours on a tank of gas(1.1 gallons). Bring the 2nd unit online when you need to run your AC. I have the EF1000iS and it's a great little unit.
 
topgun260 said:
Another thing to consider is the fuel flow of those larger generators when you're only running lights and your TV.
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If you aren't putting a load on the unit the flow difference involved in just keeping the engines turning is pretty modest.
 
Thanks for all the learned responses. I was definitely not considering the noise aspect, nor the advantages of an inverter type.

As such, I just ordered this:

30946298181_27f967cc9c_b.jpg


Certainly not the be-all-end-all of generators, but being on a budget will do for now.

Thanks again.
 
Give us a Pirep on the Champion Generator, I know several people with the 1500 and 3500 Watt models. They are very happy with them, one uses their 3500 for a food booth and mobile kitchen, they have been running about 8 years now. They are about as quiet as you can get without going to the Honda.

Brian
 
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