Picking the perfect generator?

[emapples]

So, I have the need for a generator, for two reasons:

1: these last few winters, losing power and just with the general idea of being prepared for everything. I would like to be able to power a few lights, maybe the blower motor for the heater and intermittently run the fridge enough to keep things from going bad.

2: soon I’m building a small teardrop trailer. Going to be primarily boondocking. Would like to have a generator to be completely off grid indefinitely if I chose to go on an extended trip. Would be running an ac unit occasionally, run my cpap if I can ever get the back to send me through a sleep study, charge some electronics occasionally, who knows what else. The majority of things would be run off 12v.

taking those things into consideration, I’m gonna need a quiet generator, I don’t want to listen to it run all night or disturb others in the great outdoors. I would also like something portable/reasonably compact.

How important is it that I match fuel sources? For example, I want to get a diesel truck next. Is it going to be a perk to keep the fuels the same between the tow vehicle and the generator? Will I be seeing benefits from having a diesel generator over gas in terms of reliability, fuel economy, and maintenance?

How should I go about picking the output for the generator? Should I pick a really nice one that will work for the lesser, but more frequent use on the trailer, while leaving myself underpowered when needing to power the house? Or buy the higher output generator for the “maybe” use of powering the house, and have way more generator than I need on the trailer?
suggestions on brands? What would you guys do/go with? Am I missing anything?

HONDA

 

[Hodrod]

I almost picked up a Honda, but for the price couldnt turn down the 3800w Wen. Supposedly runs around 57db, fuel,load, and hour gauge, electric and pull start, RV plug and USB in the front, carrying handles, transport handle and wheels, and it has an auto shutoff feature that drains the carb. Seems like a winner. Just got it today. Pulled it out of the box and looked at it, read the manual. I’ll get it set up in a week when I get back from a little trip to the mountains. Build quality seems pretty nice, everything fits together and feels nice, the manual is one of the better manuals I’ve received in a while, they even flush cut the zip ties, which is a big deal to me. Somebody took some time with the manual too, there’s a full wiring schematic, parts breakdown and numbers for literally everything, power charts, someone even decided to crack a joke about the in-laws!View attachment 244418View attachment 244419

nice unit....let us know how it functions

 

[harley128]

Love my Honda 2000

 

[PBramble]

I've got the Generac version of the 2200. It's been a good little generator. And cheaper than the Honda.

A friend has the wen 3500 that Holechit has. We used it camping during deer season. It works great and is relatively quiet, but definitely louder than most inverter gensets I've heard.

 

[HoLeChit]

nice unit....let us know how it functions

Will do!

 

[ICanFixIt]

Love my Honda 2000

When someone named Harley tells you to get a Honda, wise people will listen.

 

[cowadle]

just for information purposes. i recently tested the harbor freight inverter copy of the honda 2000 against the much cheaper harbor freight non inverter type generator. the inverter type was always tripping out for overload and the standard gen would just pull down and chug for a little them overcome the load. i can buy several of the non inverter types for the same money. the downside is that the non inverter is more cumbersome to move around. i was surprised how quiet the non inverter type has become over the years. also the power was plenty clean for my purpose

 

[Master Carper]

I picked up a Predator 6500 from Harbor Freight when it was on sale for $399 and it has been perfect for my uses.

Skil Saw, drills, big air compressor, nail guns, table saws, lights, heaters, air conditioner, 220 volt welder, etc., to running everything in the house when the power went out.

The best $399 I ever spent!

Here is a list of specs it:

• Runtime up to 14.5 hours @ 50% load
• Heavy duty 1-1/4 in. steel roll cage
• Low oil indicator / low oil shutdown
• 301cc / 8 HP air-cooled OHV gas engine
• UL listed circuit breakers
• (2) 120v duplex outlets, 3 prong, (1) 240v twist lock outlet, 4 prong, (1) 12v DC outlet
• Recoil start
• GFCI outlets

It's a little on the heavy side, so I keep it in the back of the truck when I am going to be using it.

It's also a lot quieter than a lot of other generators that I have been around, and even sitting idle for a week or two, it always starts on the first pull.

 

[cowadle]

seems that the weak point on the chicom generators is the voltage regulator. so i got on the google and found some spare regulators just in case. i was surprised to see the commonality between the wen and the harbor freight and other gens. the regulators are real cheap. another handy trick is to use a hand drill to recharge the residual magnetism in the gen head. i bet there are alot of these thrown away or sold cheap just cause they lost magnetism.

 

[garytx]

How is everyone connecting the generator/convertor to your house? To individual appliances, breaker box or at the meter?