Generator for camping and tailgating? (1 Viewer)

[e9999]

I used my 2000EUi to power all the essentials of the house during a long blackout. Including the fridge, lights, internet, furnace etc. Main limitation was extension cords rather than the gen. I don't think a 1000W would have done it as easily (remember the big starting surges on electric motors like the fridge etc).

sure the Honda is expensive and part of the extra cost is the quietness and packaging which is not essential for house use, but there is more to it than that, the terrific reliability is also priceless if you will depend on it to keep the freezer going with all the Prime Beef in it. Some of those cheap gens are just that, cheap, and less than solidly reliable.

I'll also add that having a readily portable gen is also great to have if you have to work with power tools away from the house.

And again, you can likely resell your used Honda for the same price you bought it, which makes it a better deal than a cheapo in the long run.

 

[Mace]

I'm getting this for camping/batteries: Solar Panel Kit - Save on this 45 Watt Solar Panel Kit This is one of HF's 'new' products, and should be much higher quality. (hmm...at $160 right now, I may order today...hhmmm)

I purchased my Honda EU2000 a year ago from my True Value local hardware store for $999...they had them on sale last week for $899...that's a GREAT price on these.

Look into those, From what I have read/talked to people about them, about all they are good for is keeping your battery charged when it is not being used.
And, because they are glass, they are pretty easily damaged.

That being said, I'd love to find out I am wrong and that they work great..

 

[e9999]

Look into those, From what I have read/talked to people about them, about all they are good for is keeping your battery charged when it is not being used.
And, because they are glass, they are pretty easily damaged.

That being said, I'd love to find out I am wrong and that they work great..

that is probably underestimating the power quite a bit. If it's 45W with full insolation and with a controller efficiency of, say, about 90-95% you'd get then a bit over 40W DC to the battery. That is 3A or so, which is probably just a bit under what a 12V fridge would use when running. So even with less insolation than max it'd be quite a bit more than just keeping the battery topped off when not in use. For the latter, you'd only typically need 0.1 amp or so.

Yes, rigid glass is indeed an issue. I probably would not want to have to move it around and store it in the truck with other junk. But a fixed mounting on the roof rack might be an attractive proposition.

 

[Mace]

2 amps is about the max I have read of them producing at full light (do not know where that was tho, it may be better out here in the desert).

I was under the impression that the deep cycle batteries discharge at approximately .1amp just sitting there.

 

[Elbert]

you'll have to figure out what you want to do. I wanted a portable generator that I could pickup easily, was very portable, had reasonable power output, was very quite, and was dependable. The Honda does all of that without issue. (the 2000 watt version I listed). If you want something like this...then get the Honda... Yes the Honda is $$, but it is a quality device that is quite and dependable and works. Its a small package, it cools off fast, is easy to pack...no real down side.

If you get into a long term situation like I did with power off for mulitple days....then the honda can save your @$$. I don't regret the honda purchase at all even though it was around $1K at the time.

 

[Trollhole]

Most I have been down was a day so that isn't much running in the grand scheme of things. My thought that if your main use is camping and tailgating then why haul a generator around when the vehicles battery and a small light weight inexpensive inverter will do the job.

As far as needing a big generator. IMO you can never have too big of a generator. With a 8500w gen I can plug it in to the house and forget about it. No extension cords, no worrying about what to run and what not. In the summer it's a life saver, since it can get to 95-100 degrees. It's nice having A/C.

For those with heat pumps you can forget running heat in the winter using a 2000w gen. Something to think about.

 

[Elbert]

For camping and tailgating:

That to me spells out a couple of requirements. Portable, quite, dependable, fuel efficient, easy to pack...etc. You have to stick with your premise for buying the thing..

As power output increases the noise and weight also increases...very quickly you get into something that you can't move by yourselt, and that is loud and while it might power untold number of devices..you have lost the functionality / characteristics you were looking for in the first place.

To the extent I know Honda generators are some of the best avaliable...not just the honda powered generator but the true honda brand generator. Ease of use, quatlity, portability, form and function are almost impossible to beat , at least thats the way it was when I was looking. The only negative I can think of is the price.

 

[woody]

My thought that if your main use is camping and tailgating then why haul a generator around when the vehicles battery and a small light weight inexpensive inverter will do the job.

Depends on your camping. I got caught in a blizzard in February 2011 in Nebraska, and ran my Honda from noon until 4am (with a couple fillups) to ensure the camper heater fan kept blowing and lights stayed on and I didn't freeze solid. I awoke with snow over the gooseneck tires.

The generator is definitely overkill for many situations. But for the times it's needed, it's worth every penny.

 

[Trollhole]

Bet that was an interesting sight.

 

[woody]

Bet that was an interesting sight.

Enroute to KOH with the RZR and HZJ75 loaded...I was in a group of 4 pickups/trailers holed up in a busy truckstop with a Denny's...

they were out of 20# propane tanks...glad I carry a full spare...or it would have been colder...

 

[rusty_tlc]

I had an older 1500, it had a three way valve on the fuel that let you run from the on board tank or from and external tank. Do they still have that feature on the newer generators?

Getting up in the middle of the night in a snow storm to re-fill a 1.1 gal tank sounds like something less than fun to me. On an RV set-up it would be pretty easy to add a gravity feed aux tank from a 5Gal can.

BTW I see adds in QST (the ham magazine) all the time selling eu200's for around $900 with free shipping.

This place
http://www.mayberrys.com/honda/generator/html/maingenerator.htm

 

[AdventureToolCompany]

Honda Gen

I love mine. It's helped keep us cool in the summer (AC) and warm in the winter (Furnace fan). It's so quiet that the NP Rangers commented that we could keep it running after the curfew as long as none of the other campers complained...

Good luck!

 

[e9999]

I had an older 1500, it had a three way valve on the fuel that let you run from the on board tank or from and external tank. Do they still have that feature on the newer generators?

Getting up in the middle of the night in a snow storm to re-fill a 1.1 gal tank sounds like something less than fun to me. On an RV set-up it would be pretty easy to add a gravity feed aux tank from a 5Gal can.
snip

you can buy or make a special tank cap that will allow for a larger tank to be connected.

 

[Sput]

I'm very happy with my ENGEL SHX 1000, powered by Honda.

You can see it here.

 

[Elbert]

honda does have some options on using a larger external fuel tank...you would have to check on their or other suppliers web site. I do recall seeing sometihing and as I recall it was something like a modifed gas gap that allowed a secondary connection and the hose and tank that worked with that.

 

[marius]

From northern tool

 

[Elbert]

I have not seen one in person (external tank kit) but I suspect its somethign very similar to what is used for marine applications outboard motors.

 

[Travis22]

Another Honda fan here. I never thought id see the day that we'd have one ourselves then out of the blue prior to our 'Outback trip' this year the wife decided we should by one.

We went with the EU10i, with space more then anything a premium. That and 99.999% of the time the 10i is more then we need. It's primary use is running a 12V charger on our Aux batteries.

I was lead to believe that it isnt healthy to constantly run a generator well under its capacity, doing so could lead to glazing the bore?

Travis.

 

[Mace]

Glazing the bore? never heard that one..

 

[Bogo]

Cylinder glazing is an issue with improper break-in. It would lead to shortened life of the rings, pistons, and cylinder walls etc due to lack of proper lubrication. How hard an engine is run after proper break in has little chance of producing it. Not enough lubrication could produce it in a post break in engine as it is a function of cylinder wall wear.