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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 713
 
Location: ND | What are the best kinds for the money? And also what size to run a small LQ (AC, Lights, Fridge, Microwave, water pump)? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
 
Location: Do I hear Banjos? | I prefer the Honda's if you go with a portable unit. The AC and the Microwave are the big current draw items. I have a Super quiet 7000 inverter model. It is more than I need for the trailer (need maybe a 4000 for what you are talking about. But it is also a backup gen for things in the house during long power outages we have had with winter storms. The electric start is so nice too.
Onan Generators are great for a built in if your trailer can accommodate one. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
 
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Mine is an Onan 4000 and will not run the microwave and a/c at the same time without throwing a switch. |
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 Ms. Poutability
Posts: 2362
Location: In my own world | We have a Onan 5.5. It's bigger than what is usually put on a trailer. I didn't want switches flipping. Only draw back is its tall and sits on top of the trailer. So from the ground to the top of my generator is 12'6". I've only used it twice. Like it so far. Trail Boss did my LQ |
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Veteran
Posts: 276
| IMO if you are going to spend any money at all, spend more and get a Honda. They are small, crazy-quiet, and perfect for running horse trailers. I'd rather go without power than fight with the bulky, loud, cheaper ones that wont start half the time. I'm pretty sure you could use them several years and sell them for almost what you pay for them new. I was looking for a used one when we bought ours and just broke down and bought a new one because there weren't any for sale! |
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| I have a Honda 3000 it has sometimes thrown out when running microwave TV and ac at same time but it can handle two out of the three no problem! I've had it for 10 years. My husband rebuilt the motor once for a few hundred bucks. The thing is a champ and runs great! I wish it had an hour meter on it so I knew how much it had on it but same time... I probably really don't want to know lol! |
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Location: Montana | We have the EU 3000 Honda with remote start. Works like a champ and runs everything plus a friend pluging in to it also. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Kgirl - 2015-05-20 4:53 PM I have a Honda 3000 it has sometimes thrown out when running microwave TV and ac at same time but it can handle two out of the three no problem! I've had it for 10 years. My husband rebuilt the motor once for a few hundred bucks. The thing is a champ and runs great! I wish it had an hour meter on it so I knew how much it had on it but same time... I probably really don't want to know lol!
It may depend on how big your air and microwave units are. Mine are large and draw a lot of wattage. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 372
| Three 4 Luck - 2015-05-20 3:13 PM
Mine is an Onan 4000 and will not run the microwave and a/c at the same time without throwing a switch.
you got something else going wrong then.
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| Three 4 Luck - 2015-05-20 6:06 PM Kgirl - 2015-05-20 4:53 PM I have a Honda 3000 it has sometimes thrown out when running microwave TV and ac at same time but it can handle two out of the three no problem! I've had it for 10 years. My husband rebuilt the motor once for a few hundred bucks. The thing is a champ and runs great! I wish it had an hour meter on it so I knew how much it had on it but same time... I probably really don't want to know lol! It may depend on how big your air and microwave units are. Mine are large and draw a lot of wattage.
It may we just purchased a new trailer this year that has an onan on the hay rack. So far the onan is doing fine but I haven't tried running everything yet. My Honda is now on my hubby's work truck still running :) |
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Ms. Poutability
Posts: 2362
Location: In my own world | arion - 2015-05-20 7:23 PM
Three 4 Luck - 2015-05-20 3:13 PM
Mine is an Onan 4000 and will not run the microwave and a/c at the same time without throwing a switch.
you got something else going wrong then.
I don't think she does. It was my understanding from Trail Boss the 4000 would blow a fuse if you ran too many things at once. People like them because they are smaller, will fit in a manger set up. Where as the bigger one I got will not |
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| Portable generators are not built to be used with everything running as if you were at home. Whether you are an RV camper or LQ owner ... you use your common sense and don't overload your generator by knowing how many watts everything uses .. especially what the peak surge is when you turn it on.
Most Air Conditioning units will surge 18... 22+amps and settle back to 15 amps running unless you have one of the Coleman Power Savers that runs at 10 amps. 15 amps is 1800 watts ... then add your running microwave another 1200 watts when you have a max running power on a 4400 watt generator of 3500 watts .. even buy your tv based on watts it uses and have a switch to totally turn it off because the ghost power loss of the remote control inside the tv remains on all the time and will drain your batteries ... lot for you to learn .. like buy LED bulbs for inside use and charging ipads etc ... when running generator ... you can find about anything on youtube or google to answer your questions or check your owners manual ..
The generator is self protective ... if the surge of turning something else on ... the safety switch will kill the engine ... so know how many actual running watts your gen has and what you are using... you have to choose what you have on ...
The Honda generators run about 65db and the one below runs at 69 db ... all are measured at 23 feet away when running ...
I have two of these and they are known as HONDA KNOCKOFFS .. Chinese copied the Honda motor and features ... the bad thing about the Honda's is simple they are made with plastic shells that make them light weight and they are very easily stolen ... so have you a chain and lock on any kind of generator not bolted to the trailer ... lol
Buy one of these .. learn to use a generator and where you are going to carry it and then buy you a more expensive one or another one of these cheapies ... mine have worked without any problems ...
One other thing NO REGULAR EXTENSION CORDS ... make sure your trailer has a 30amp plug in going into trailer and buy you a 25ft 30 amp RV extension cord to plug into trailer and into the generator ... about $50 .. the special plugs on these are used in RV parks etc etc ... should keep you from having problems due to cord over heating or electrocuting yourself ... loll
This one is electric start and also has a pull rope if battery is down ... if battery is good it will recharge after you start it with the pull rope ... read the ad just keep scrolling down ... they tell you everything about this DURASTAR 4400E ..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DuroStar-4400-Watt-Quiet-Portable-Electric-...
Edited by BARRELHORSE USA 2015-05-20 10:52 PM
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| I have a Honda 5500 that I use during power outages at the house. It is too heavy to take anywhere. I bought a 4400 at TSC for about $250. It will run what I need to run. Pretty quiet. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | Three 4 Luck - 2015-05-20 6:06 PM
Kgirl - 2015-05-20 4:53 PM I have a Honda 3000 it has sometimes thrown out when running microwave TV and ac at same time but it can handle two out of the three no problem! I've had it for 10 years. My husband rebuilt the motor once for a few hundred bucks. The thing is a champ and runs great! I wish it had an hour meter on it so I knew how much it had on it but same time... I probably really don't want to know lol!
It may depend on how big your air and microwave units are. Mine are large and draw a lot of wattage.
Had a Honda 3000 for over 10 years. It was the best generator. You can't run the ac full blast with a microwave or hair dryer at the same time. But that's no biggie you just turn it down while using them. Anyways it finally up and quit one day. Went and bought a brand new one. Now for some reason the new one has issues running the tv and the ac at the same time. It will run but it will like surge and drop power for a second and the TV will shut off. So if you try to watch a movie you have to start back over again. Had the same everything with the old Honda 3000 and never had this issue. Other than that they are awesome generators. I am kinda disappointed that the new one does this though. |
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| Barrel horse usa
I know my Honda is an old one (10 years) but it is not plastic or lightweight! It takes two people to manuver it around. yea i can drag it but def not pick it up! My husband can barely pick it up on his own and he's no weakling.
TheDutchMan
thats a bummer to hear about the new Honda's having that issue :( gotta have AC and TV at the same time! lol! |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Kgirl - 2015-05-21 8:00 AM Barrel horse usa
I know my Honda is an old one (10 years) but it is not plastic or lightweight! It takes two people to manuver it around. yea i can drag it but def not pick it up! My husband can barely pick it up on his own and he's no weakling.
TheDutchMan
thats a bummer to hear about the new Honda's having that issue :( gotta have AC and TV at the same time! lol!
My old trailer didn't have a built in generator, so I would have to borrow the farm's Honda 5500. We used a fork lift to load that baby. No way was someone going to just walk off with it tho.  |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 372
| livinonlove&horses - 2015-05-20 8:30 PM
arion - 2015-05-20 7:23 PM
Three 4 Luck - 2015-05-20 3:13 PM
Mine is an Onan 4000 and will not run the microwave and a/c at the same time without throwing a switch.
you got something else going wrong then.
I don't think she does. It was my understanding from Trail Boss the 4000 would blow a fuse if you ran too many things at once. People like them because they are smaller, will fit in a manger set up. Where as the bigger one I got will not
Yeah,
you're right.
Hell if trail boss says it, it has to be so.
My bad.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | Kgirl - 2015-05-21 8:00 AM Barrel horse usa
I know my Honda is an old one (10 years) but it is not plastic or lightweight! It takes two people to manuver it around. yea i can drag it but def not pick it up! My husband can barely pick it up on his own and he's no weakling.
TheDutchMan
thats a bummer to hear about the new Honda's having that issue :( gotta have AC and TV at the same time! lol!
Absolutely.....can't watch tv in a hot box lol most of the time we don't really have time to relax and watch tv but on occasion we will get done early. My dad messed with it and his best fix was to use a cigarette converter and plug the TV into the battery. It works but I still wish it would run both at once! |
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| OK .. let's compare the Honda generators we were supposed to be talking about ..
$1099.OO
Honda 2000 ad is deceptive ... they tie two units together and give you a rating of 4000 watts with 3200 running watts ... which means 1600 watts of running power with only one unit ... it will not run your air conditioner per their data at 1/4 speed .. it may if it is running full blast all the time ..... also on gas usage they rate at 1/4 of maximum running power instead of the normal procedure of running constant at 50% power output ... to pretend it has low gas usage ..... this one weighs 47 lbs!!
http://www.wisesales.com/eu2000ia-companion-honda-generator.html
$2295.OO
Honda 3000 ad is deceptive like the one above ... it may run .."most 15000 air conditioners" but nothing else at the same time ... they also rate this one's gas usage at 1/4 of maximum running power of 2600 watts instead of the normal rating of 50% of running power ... to pretend it has low gas usage .. this one weighs 78 lbs ...
http://www.wisesales.com/eu3000ia-handi-honda-generator.html
Either one of these can be picked up with one arm by a thief and no one will ever see them do it ... lol .. a normal bale of hay weighs 65 lbs ... lol
$399.00
DURO STAR .. 4400 peak max watts ... 3500 running watts and weighs 135 lbs .. gas usage is at 50% running power and has 4+ gallon gas tank where Honda as less than 2 gallon tanks ... means you will be out there refilling the Honda's constantly ... you can wheel this thing in and out of the front stall of your trailer to the ground very easily or mount it without the wheels in the back of your truck with the heavy duty trailer padding to stop any viberating resonance that might occur ..
As I stated above .. buy the cheap one to learn on... then go buy you a high priced one that is not as powerful and leave the cheap one at home for emergency use on fridges and lights ...
GOOD LUCK ..
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| BARRELHORSE USA - 2015-05-21 11:37 AM OK .. let's compare the Honda generators we were supposed to be talking about .. $1099.OO Honda 2000 ad is deceptive ... they tie two units together and give you a rating of 4000 watts with 3200 running watts ... which means 1600 watts of running power with only one unit ... it will not run your air conditioner per their data at 1/4 speed .. it may if it is running full blast all the time ..... also on gas usage they rate at 1/4 of maximum running power instead of the normal procedure of running constant at 50% power output ... to pretend it has low gas usage ..... this one weighs 47 lbs!! http://www.wisesales.com/eu2000ia-companion-honda-generator.html $2295.OO Honda 3000 ad is deceptive like the one above ... it may run .."most 15000 air conditioners" but nothing else at the same time ... they also rate this one's gas usage at 1/4 of maximum running power of 2600 watts instead of the normal rating of 50% of running power ... to pretend it has low gas usage .. this one weighs 78 lbs ... http://www.wisesales.com/eu3000ia-handi-honda-generator.html Either one of these can be picked up with one arm by a thief and no one will ever see them do it ... lol .. a normal bale of hay weighs 65 lbs ... lol $399.00 DURO STAR .. 4400 peak max watts ... 3500 running watts and weighs 135 lbs .. gas usage is at 50% running power and has 4+ gallon gas tank where Honda as less than 2 gallon tanks ... means you will be out there refilling the Honda's constantly ... you can wheel this thing in and out of the front stall of your trailer to the ground very easily or mount it without the wheels in the back of your truck with the heavy duty trailer padding to stop any viberating resonance that might occur .. As I stated above .. buy the cheap one to learn on... then go buy you a high priced one that is not as powerful and leave the cheap one at home for emergency use on fridges and lights ... GOOD LUCK ..
Agree! I have a more inexpensive generator too and think it is a great way to start out. It is a Champion 3500/4000 and I've used it for 2 years now and it works great. Runs everything I need to and it was affordable. I keep it in the front cut of my trailer and wheel it out the back when I want to use it. Easy peasy. Starts right up and runs all night on one tank if I need it to. I know the ones with an inverter are quieter and are intended for camping but I cannot even hear mine when I'm in the trailer. Plus, most of the time if your generator isnt loud....your neighbors is.
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Veteran
Posts: 171
| We have only had onans and HATE them - hard to get serviced and expensive - seems like we are always throwing the cheap honda in the back of the truck because something is wrong with the onan. |
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  A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | All I have is a rooftop AC unit for my dressing room. We made the investment into a 5500 from Harbor Freight after borrowing a friend's 2 years ago. It's a hefty thing (I call her Bertha) but she runs the AC with ease. Also ran an electric heater we use in the winter along with charging phones/tablets.
We went bigger since we live near the coast in NC and hurricanes are a given. We grabbed it on sale too. Yes, it's loud but I actually don't mind it from inside the trailer. Makes good ambient sound to sleep to. Drowns out the noise from all the late night drunks too. Lol.
Just takes two of us to load it up into the back of the trailer to haul to the big shows. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 372
| CarpeDiem - 2015-05-21 12:23 PM
We have only had onans and HATE them - hard to get serviced and expensive - seems like we are always throwing the cheap honda in the back of the truck because something is wrong with the onan.
you won't have to worry about that any longer
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 656
| Any body else have the champion generator from tsc? |
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Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| sport565 - 2015-05-30 9:10 PM
Any body else have the champion generator from tsc?
I bought one a couple of years ago on sale. Never took it out of the box. Tornados, no electricity. Big fancy Honda needed servicing so got it out of the box added some oil. That thing is so easy to start and is way quieter than the Honda. Light enough I can struggle and get it in the truck to take with me.(I am 65) it is the 3500-4000 peck generator. I think it was $200 on sale.
Edited to add that it will run everything in my trailer. I have a roof AC/heater.
Edited by streakysox 2015-05-31 12:26 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 656
| I have heard more good than bad and for the price I'm going to try it. Just sold my trailer with on board onan and a generator is a must for me. |
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Ms. Poutability
Posts: 2362
Location: In my own world | arion - 2015-05-21 8:35 AM
livinonlove&horses - 2015-05-20 8:30 PM
arion - 2015-05-20 7:23 PM
Three 4 Luck - 2015-05-20 3:13 PM
Mine is an Onan 4000 and will not run the microwave and a/c at the same time without throwing a switch.
you got something else going wrong then.
I don't think she does. It was my understanding from Trail Boss the 4000 would blow a fuse if you ran too many things at once. People like them because they are smaller, will fit in a manger set up. Where as the bigger one I got will not
Yeah,
you're right.
Hell if trail boss says it, it has to be so.
My bad.
You have yet to list any credentials that impress me.
So yeah I'm going with what Trail Boss said
Considering LQ is what they do for a living |
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Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| sport565 - 2015-05-31 10:24 AM
I have heard more good than bad and for the price I'm going to try it. Just sold my trailer with on board onan and a generator is a must for me.
That Champion has some nice features. Gas gage. Low oil cut off. RV plug. Does what I want it to do. |
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 Morale Booster!!
Posts: 1459
| arion - 2015-05-21 6:23 PM
Three 4 Luck - 2015-05-20 3:13 PM
Mine is an Onan 4000 and will not run the microwave and a/c at the same time without throwing a switch.
you got something else going wrong then.
I agree. We have had an Onan 4000 in the last 3 trailers we have had. I have never had any trouble with the air conditioner and microwave running. We always have the tv on also. Just bought another trailer and it had a diesel generator in it. Took it out and bought a new Onan 4000. Runs like a champ. :) |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | I have a Honda 3000 and it runs everything in my LQ trailer. It sets in my truck bed most of the summer and that's where it is when I'm running it at night when I sleep. It's THAT quiet that you can't hardly hear it. |
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Expert
Posts: 1956
Location: Ky | Every built in generator we've ever had except for one has been the 4000 Onan inverter.
I've had everything from 8' shortwalls to 16' stright walls. The Onans would run everything. We could be running the AC, using the microwave or coffee maker or anything we wanted.
We did have a service issue with one after 2000 hours and they loaned us a Honda 3000 while they had the Onana out. The Honda wouldn't run anything with the AC running at the same time. Had to tuen the AC off to run the coffee maker or microwave.
I would always get an Onan if I get another built in.
The exception on the built ins was a Generac. That was the biggest piece of junk I've ever owned. Contantly overheating. Worse than the Honda on power. Just flat out junk. I wouldn't put a Generac in a trailer if the builder was giving it to me free. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 372
| jd&ez - 2015-06-01 7:55 PM
Every built in generator we've ever had except for one has been the 4000 Onan inverter.
I've had everything from 8' shortwalls to 16' stright walls. The Onans would run everything. We could be running the AC, using the microwave or coffee maker or anything we wanted.
We did have a service issue with one after 2000 hours and they loaned us a Honda 3000 while they had the Onana out. The Honda wouldn't run anything with the AC running at the same time. Had to tuen the AC off to run the coffee maker or microwave.
I would always get an Onan if I get another built in.
The exception on the built ins was a Generac. That was the biggest piece of junk I've ever owned. Contantly overheating. Worse than the Honda on power. Just flat out junk. I wouldn't put a Generac in a trailer if the builder was giving it to me free.
This is unpossible, the other poster said so.
Also they no longer make an RV Generac so you will never have to worry about someone putting one in your tailer.
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Generators??