Champion Generators?

[N-Smooth]

They’re using predator 3500 inverters at Supercrawl and Ryan commented on how quiet they are.

 

[thefirstzukman]

I have one of these, I have had it for so long I couldn’t even guess but at the very least 10 years. It is super quiet, way fuel efficient and will do pretty much everything you need in a trailer accept run AC. Get 2 of them and a bridge kit for when you need to run the AC.. switch between them when you don’t need AC so they both get used.

You couldn’t force a pile of shit Honda on me. The predator stuff doesn’t scare me too bad. I have never had anything with an engine run as good as the little champion though.

 

[Die Blaue Ziege]

I'm prob going to get roasted but I have been running the cheep-o hf gen for four years, I converted it to a trip fuel and run it mostly on propane ( $25 carb off Amazon) and have loved it. It will power my ac on my trailmanor, it's quiet and it sips fuel. My dad had a champion, we ended up replacing his rv charge controller because the generator was not an inverter style. And it was loud, it filled the valley with noise while camping. https://www.harborfreight.com/3500-...RXrkDY0ljQM_d8wkj5avQiVmdJRsgZSBoCxnwQAvD_BwE

 

[Hickey]

The Predator line has an impressive following with great reviews. I wouldn't discount their viability.

 

[Jeepj667]

Costco's Firman 2000 is cheaper than the Predator 2000 right now.

 

[DesertRam]

Another reply from me. I spent the weekend with my folks, who unbeknownst to me acquired a 3500 watt inverter Champion. It's quiet, easy to start, and doesn't do too bad on fuel. It'll run one fifth wheel AC (15k btu) and everything else, though if you start the microwave when the AC compressor is kicking in, you'll be resetting some breakers. After listening to that little generator all weekend, I'm ready for one. Dad reports that it has run hundreds of hours with only regular oil changes.

 

[Greg]

Another reply from me. I spent the weekend with my folks, who unbeknownst to me acquired a 3500 watt inverter Champion. It's quiet, easy to start, and doesn't do too bad on fuel. It'll run one fifth wheel AC (15k btu) and everything else, though if you start the microwave when the AC compressor is kicking in, you'll be resetting some breakers. After listening to that little generator all weekend, I'm ready for one. Dad reports that it has run hundreds of hours with only regular oil changes.

Awesome, that's some great info! Thanks for sharing.

I'm going to move forward with purchasing a Champion Inverter Generator.

 

[Greg]

Apparently due to elevation and jetting, a generator loses 3% of it's rated output for every 1,000 feet of elevation gained. We live at 4,500' and will probably do most of our camping around that elevation, but there is a chance we will take it up to 9,000-10,000 feet in the future. We probably won't need the A/C at that elevation, but I think if I'm going to buy a generator, I'd best buy something with a little extra power for higher elevation. I was looking at a 4,250 watt generator, but may go for a 5500W just for a little buffer.

 

[Hickey]

Apparently due to elevation and jetting, a generator loses 3% of it's rated output for every 1,000 feet of elevation gained. We live at 4,500' and will probably do most of our camping around that elevation, but there is a chance we will take it up to 9,000-10,000 feet in the future. We probably won't need the A/C at that elevation, but I think if I'm going to buy a generator, I'd best buy something with a little extra power for higher elevation. I was looking at a 4,250 watt generator, but may go for a 5500W just for a little buffer.

Just make SURE it's an inverter. You will hate it if not.

 

[Greg]

Just make SURE it's an inverter. You will hate it if not.

Yeah, for sure.... just said that. ^^^

 

[jeeper]

Size becomes a BIG factor when going to larger generators. Get one that you can lift and move by yourself. When our Geni struggles to start the A/C, I just get the fan going first, then kick on the compressor.. No problems doing it that way.

 

[Spork]

Size becomes a BIG factor when going to larger generators. Get one that you can lift and move by yourself. When our Geni struggles to start the A/C, I just get the fan going first, then kick on the compressor.. No problems doing it that way.

Is that the reason for the 2x 2000w generators everyone seems to do? or is that a you bought a too small unit and needs just a bit more to power everything?

 

[Greg]

Size becomes a BIG factor when going to larger generators. Get one that you can lift and move by yourself. When our Geni struggles to start the A/C, I just get the fan going first, then kick on the compressor.. No problems doing it that way.

119#'s for the one I purchased, my plan is to keep it semi-permanantly mounted to a hitch hauler on the back of the trailer. It'll get bolted down, so it doesn't wander off.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/champion-4000w-inverter-generator-with-remote-start

 

[anderson750]

Is that the reason for the 2x 2000w generators everyone seems to do? or is that a you bought a too small unit and needs just a bit more to power everything?

The single Honda 2000 is only a 15 amp unit. When you buy the companion and parallel them, it gives you a 30 amp circuit which is what is needed to run an AC.

 

[Johnny Quest]

since nobody has mentioned them yet, go with a Predator 3500; we're on our 3rd season with ours and we've never had an issue

 

[Greg]

So far, so good with the Champion 5500W inverter generator! It arrived yesterday, unpacked it today, added oil and ethanol-free gas and it fired right up on the 3rd pull! On EcoMode it's very quiet, when you turn it off the RPM's increase a bit as does the noise... but it's not loud at all. On EcoMode it's very quiet, I'd have no issue hearing it run in a campground with other campers. The build quality seems great, it has a couple LED lights for seeing the gas fill & control panel in the dark. The remote start is awesome, I wasn't going to get it, but I think it'll be super handy.

A couple years ago I built a hitch mounted carrier for hauling firewood, car parts or whatever... and it just happens to be the perfect size for the generator! Our travel trailer has a hitch on the back, so it should be a great all around fit. (tossed it on the Gladiator since it was handy)-

 

[jeeper]

Youll want to make sure that the hitch on the back of your trailer is pretty secure. When they are just mounted to the square tube they get pretty flimsy. By the time you add in the bounce from the truck, the tongue of the trailer, tires of the trailer, and then all the way back to the rear bumper, that generator is going to be doing some serious bouncing and rocking and rolling. I have tossed bicycles off of very secure bicycle racks before.

 

[Greg]

Youll want to make sure that the hitch on the back of your trailer is pretty secure. When they are just mounted to the square tube they get pretty flimsy. By the time you add in the bounce from the truck, the tongue of the trailer, tires of the trailer, and then all the way back to the rear bumper, that generator is going to be doing some serious bouncing and rocking and rolling. I have tossed bicycles off of very secure bicycle racks before.

Yeah, for sure. It has a 600# rating (IIRC) and is mounted directly to the frame, but I'll make sure it's good to go. I'm pretty confident in the rack itself, since I built it.

 

[Greg]

The Champion 5500 watt generator was awesome the last few days, we camped at over 8000' elevation boon docking and it had no problem running our A/C for a cool down after a hot drive up. The remote start was a very welcome addition as well, the Keurig coffee maker draws a lot of power (heating element) and tripped the breakers on the battery alone. Hit the remote start in the morning and we're making coffee!

 

[Hickey]

Morning coffee is exactly why I love that remote start. Although, we've switched to a pour-over coffee setup and just use propane to heat the water.

A quiet morning in the mountains with a fresh cup of coffee is one of my most favorite things.