Our dream come true!!

We are picking up our TM this Thursday at Custom RV in Anaheim, Mat and Gena have been great.. i have been reading all the threads.. day and night ... but one question.... in regards to the a/c do you have to have a generator that puts out 3000kw to run it??

Where will you be using the AC ( state/elevation). There are lots of threads on this. Generally 3Kw will run it with little else running. The critical condition is a restart after running and shutting down. There is still some pressure in the lines and the compressor has to overcome that. I like 2 2KW generators connected together. That way you only need to bring one if no AC is required.
I am sure you will get lots of different opinions.

Thank you for the reply!!!

We will be in the State of California for the rest of the year, most likely nothing higher than 4500 ft. We did think of the 2 2k together, and most likely will purchase.

Many folks have found that a Honda EU2000 will not do the job reliably, even at low altitudes, though a few folks (not many) have found that it will start it once or twice. However, I have recently been reminded that there is a device called a "hard start capacitor" for retrofit in the air conditioner. This device is not snake oil, and it might very well help. Use the Search tool on the term - we have discussed it extensively. I don't think we have any reports of "hard start capacitor" PLUS "generator", though.

I have also been told that using synthetic oil will help. Again, no reports on this forum. How 'bout one of you folks with the EU2000 try out these fixes and let us know? Yes, this is a challenge! I bought a EU1000 because "an EU2000 won't do the job, so why buy the extra capacity". Can someone make me rethink my decision? I would love to!

I think we have had several good reports about the capability of the Yamaha 2400 in this regard. Apparently that little bit of extra capacity gets you over the hump. But it is a beast ...

Bill

Bill, I guess I don't quite follow - "I bought a EU1000 because "an EU2000 won't do the job...". Isn't the EU1000 a 1 kw output, and the EU2000 a 2 kw generator? If a 2 kw won't do the job, why get a smaller one?

I have been told (even by our TM dealer, who uses their larger units as we will our 2417), that two 2 kw generators in tandem work quite well with the AC. I have looked at the Honda, and Yamaha, and both say they will run the AC fine, when run in tandem.

Does anyone have bad experience with either Honda or Yamaha pairs of 2 kw generators?

LoveToCamp said:

Bill, I guess I don't quite follow - "I bought a EU1000 because "an EU2000 won't do the job...". Isn't the EU1000 a 1 kw output, and the EU2000 a 2 kw generator? If a 2 kw won't do the job, why get a smaller one?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure I understand the question. If neither one will run the air conditioner, and if either one will do everything else, why would I buy the bigger one? So I bought the smaller one. In other words, if a 2000 watt unit won't run the air conditioner, and if a 1000 watt unit will do everything else, then there is no reason to buy the 2000-watt unit. Or so I thought.

But I still have the same question. If I had installed a hard start capacitor in my air conditioner, would a 2000-watt generator run it? If so, then buying the 1000-watt unit would have been the wrong decision.

And yes, a 1000-watt unit won't run a 1500-watt hair dryer or electric frying pan, and a 2000-watt unit would run them. But we don't use those when we camp, so a bigger generator has no benefit for us. Your needs may different, of course. But for us, 1000 watts was perfect.

Bill

Okay, now I understand your decision. I guess I was thinking that running the AC was the intent. We have been told to get two 2 kw generators, hook them up in tandem, then we could use the AC when we are dry camping (which is how we plan to camp for the next 10 years, for the most part).

An expensive way to get AC, so we have not gone that route, yet. It is cool enough in Colorado that we don't need AC, but if we head south, or to lower elevations, AC would be nice.

I have the Yamaha EF2400i and it will not run the A/C at our elevation (5000').

Keith

My Honda 2000 will start, but not restart, the a/c at sea level.

If I turn off all breakers in the TM except for the a/c then I can restart the a/c at will as many times as I had the patience to do.

The Honda 3000 comes on wheels. I do not think I could roll it into my truck by myself.

The Yamaha 2400 as a pair of handles. You carry it in front of you with two hands. My back would not survive that.

The Honda 2000 has a single handle on top. I can carry mine with one hand alongside me. If I ever get a second Honda 2000 then I can carry them both at the same time, one in each hand. Well, at least for a few more years.

I am in California as well as the OP. I have no use for the a/c in California. If I think I need to run the a/c then I camped too low. Next time I will camp at a higher elevation. We normally camp between 5,000 and 8,000 feet.

I have no information on other brands. Some people like the Bolly (not sure of the spelling) but I have never seen one. There are also a few others. One debate about different brands is where to go for repairs when you are on the road. Honda and Yamaha seem to be the easiest to find repair shops for them.

There are two companies frequently referred to regarding the best price. Wyse Sales is one and I don't recall the other one.

Thank you all for your feedback!

Check Prices @
Mayberry NJ Free shipping 800 696 1745

and

Speedway Sales 888 617 7333

thank you Bob!

Well I guess I went a little overboard but consider some of this info that I'm about to say comes from the day I owned my Coleman tent camper without an AC unit.

When I owned the Coleman, I purchased a Honda 2000i. It did everything and allowed my friends to plug in at the same time and charge their batteries. It also was a nice unit for when the power went off in town and it ran my furnace without blowing the furnace control board.

But after a few years I got tired of the 2000i size wise and purchased a Yamaha 1000 quiet unit as my second generator. It fit inside my Coleman and I took it on every trip. We always boon docked with the Coleman.

Then in 2011 we purchased the TrailManor. I was tossing several ideas around about selling my Honda 2000i and my Yamaha 1000 to purchase the Honda 3000i.

My Dad offered to let me use his Honda 2000i unless he needed it back for power outages. So I built a parallel kit and kept my own Honda and Yamaha and when I want to use AC I parallel the two Hondas. If I don't anticipate needing the AC, I leave the two Hondas at home and grab the Yamaha 1000.

I realize not all of us can own two generators and have a elderly Dad who can do a permanent loan of his Honda but by golly this arrangement can offer a lot of flexibility to my boon docking style camping. The Yamaha 1000 has been great for hunting camp too.

By the way, I make no claim that the Yamaha is no better or worse than the Honda units. They are both fantastic units and the inverter technology is worth every penny.

There are some cheaper inverter technology generators out there made by other manufacturers but the cheaper ones often do not have the added technology of lowering engine RPMs. They run at the loudest RPMs regardless of the load and well, what good is that?

Ditto PopBeaver's reply. I have 2 Honda eU2000 gennies, one with the RV setup and they work great in tandem for running the AC in hot Texas. This setup gives the flexibility to use one or both as needed. I got one from Mayberry's and the other I found on Craigslist. I'm a small person and can easily lift and carry one at a time as they weigh only around 40-45 lbs. each. They are a reliable source of quiet, efficient, clean power. Only downside is the cost - about $800 or $900 each, plus a parallel kit to connect them. You can also add an aux fuel tank to run them for a much longer time between refills.

Betty

I have the Honda Handi 3k - the one on wheels and it works very well. Will easily run AC as well as a number of other needs at the same time.
Could I combine enough electrical devices at the same time to exceed its capacity, like the AC and a hair dryer, yes, but it is rare to need two heavy demand devices at the same time. If I needed to do so, I'd just switch the AC to fan for a few minutes. Also wired it to work as emergency back up at my home and it has worked well there when storms have caused an electrical outage.

moaboy,

I don't see what TV you have. The bed of my truck is about waist height. Even with a ramp O doubt that I could roll it up by myself.

What technique do you use?

Honda Ody or Toyota Venza.
Both pretty low to the ground so I can just put the gen inside.
Although someday I won't be able to do so by myself....