Inverter generators.

[Humble pie]

Just looking for feed back on if anyone has tried one of the Honda or generac inverter generators? Even one of the harbor freight predator generators. I ended up without an apu on the new truck. It does have shore power and an espar heater. I’m thinking of getting one of these small gensets to put on the truck.

 

[Duck]

What do you mean by inverter generator? Do you mean an engine that spins a 12 volt alternator for primarily DC power but has an inverter to provide AC power for your George Foreman?

Because I built one, a crude testbed type thing but it works well with a Predator and a 78 amp Delco.

I think 6.5 hp is nearly twice the amount of horsepower I need for that alternator. But since a car alternator will eventually burn up with a heavy load (it got too hot to touch powering my trolling motor whole also charging the battery) if I was going to build one for a truck I would use a big-truck alternator so it can charge 4 dead truck batteries if I needed it to. And I'd use an electric start engine so I can start it from inside the truck.

 

[Humble pie]

What do you mean by inverter generator? Do you mean an engine that spins a 12 volt alternator for primarily DC power but has an inverter to provide AC power for your George Foreman?

Because I built one, a crude testbed type thing but it works well with a Predator and a 78 amp Delco.

I think 6.5 hp is nearly twice the amount of horsepower I need for that alternator. But since a car alternator will eventually burn up with a heavy load (it got too hot to touch powering my trolling motor whole also charging the battery) if I was going to build one for a truck I would use a big-truck alternator so it can charge 4 dead truck batteries if I needed it to. And I'd use an electric start engine so I can start it from inside the truck.

Yes, they have a small alternator and an inverter built in. The are smaller and more portable than most conventional generators. They also are more fuel efficient and as a rule run much quieter. The 2000 watt Honda sells for around a grand and the 2200 generac sells for $800ish.

 

[Duck]

Yes, they have a small alternator and an inverter built in. The are smaller and more portable than most conventional generators. They also are more fuel efficient and as a rule run much quieter. The 2000 watt Honda sells for around a grand and the 2200 generac sells for $800ish.

Well if you want quiet, I'd say get the Honda. I've never owned one but I've seen them run under load and they're pretty quiet.
Definitely quieter than a thermo king reefer unit, the kind with the closed bottom.

 

[mndriver]

I have this one. Got it off Craigslist for $250. Guy was getting rid of it because it came with his ice house and he had a 3500w that he’d planned on using.

I haven’t bothered to fix it, but it now needs a new recoil rope. Went to start it this spring and it broke. The design is crap. Pull at a harsh angle out of the recoil to the case. The Honda’s are the same way.

The pulsar is a clone of the Yamaha inverter and uses the same cap for the extended run tank.

For the extended run systems to really work you need to have fuel pump on the generator.

Something the pulsar doesn’t have, but a honda does.

The pulsar would power the camper all night long with two cpap machines running.

With the extended run tank (6-gal boat fuel tank) primed and actually siphoning to the generator, I could run the camper and a battery charger for the boat for a weekend.

The 2000 w genset won’t power the ac on the camper, but it will do the rest. You’d need a 3500 or bigger for that.


Sound is around 58-63 dB checking with the phone. Honda or the pulsar.

 

[silverrado]

Honda is $1900. Harbor freight one that is similar to Honda $800 but is junk wont last 12 months. But you can exchange it for another if you want to drag it to them every 12 months. I have a Honda on my camper going 4 years. New sparkplug every year and still starts on first try.

 

[silverrado]

Also, Westinghouse makes a 3500 gen with peak of 4000 that is quiet as Honda. You can get for $1000. It also has remote start on the key fob. How reliable i don't know ? Purchase through amazon. Even comes in different colors to match truck if that matters.

 

[SueAnn]

Just looking for feed back on if anyone has tried one of the Honda or generac inverter generators? Even one of the harbor freight predator generators. I ended up without an apu on the new truck. It does have shore power and an espar heater. I’m thinking of getting one of these small gensets to put on the truck.

Yes I just had a 3000W one installed. If you have one installed pay a little extra and have them install the wall outlets to use and not an extension cord from the unit into the truck. If you overload the extension cord, it will catch fire. They can wire and install wall plugs to use that are safe.

 

[Humble pie]

Well if you want quiet, I'd say get the Honda. I've never owned one but I've seen them run under load and they're pretty quiet.
Definitely quieter than a thermo king reefer unit, the kind with the closed bottom.

From youtube videos the generac is just as quiet. The Harbor Freight might be a hair quieter, but I doubt it would last as long as one of the other two.

 

[Duck]

Yes I just had a 3000W one installed. If you have one installed pay a little extra and have them install the wall outlets to use and not an extension cord from the unit into the truck. If you overload the extension cord, it will catch fire. They can wire and install wall plugs to use that are safe.

If you overload those outlets, the wiring to the outlets will catch fire as well.

 

[Wore Out]

I would go with the Honda personally. We used alot of them little suitcase rigs we called them on pipeline jobs. They rode in the back of them line trucks and got beat to death and never gave trouble. The biggest problem was the damn hands would steal em bout every 6 months

 

[mndriver]

The new Honda’s are no longer made in Japan. I want to say they’ve been moved to Korea for production. I’d have to go find a picture of a new box.


But the quality has since gone downhill.

 

[krelithous]

i have a honda 6500 watt inverter genset even under full load. you can still hear your wife cussin at ya . there very quiet and reliable. i don't know about now since they may be being made elsewhere though. my second pick would be a yamaha inverter genset. there easier on fuel to over the honda's

 

[Johndeere4020]

Yes, they have a small alternator and an inverter built in. The are smaller and more portable than most conventional generators. They also are more fuel efficient and as a rule run much quieter. The 2000 watt Honda sells for around a grand and the 2200 generac sells for $800ish.

Man I hate to say this but that setup Hurst has was pretty sweet

 

[Humble pie]

Man I hate to say this but that setup Hurst has was pretty sweet

What did he have? I don’t remember

 

[Johndeere4020]

What did he have? I don’t remember

He had a 3000 watt Honda and had a nice box built. This is the only picture I can find, it has a locking lid that goes over it with a vent plate he pulls out to run it.

 

[Oxbow]

He had a 3000 watt Honda and had a nice box built. This is the only picture I can find, it has a locking lid that goes over it with a vent plate he pulls out to run it.
View attachment 72483

I think someone else did something similar.....tugtoy maybe?

 

[Johndeere4020]

I think someone else did something similar.....tugtoy maybe?

Could be, I do remember several people talking about it, Martin or leftlanetrucken I think he went by might have had one too.

 

[MJ1657]

I have a Honda 1000 and a 2000. I dont use them a lot just for an occasional power outage, deer stand build and when we sleep on the ice. Both have been reliable.

 

[Humble pie]

I have a Honda 1000 and a 2000. I dont use them a lot just for an occasional power outage, deer stand build and when we sleep on the ice. Both have been reliable.

Do you have the cables to hook them together?