Generator for Escape

[Jim Bennett]

Mark, that is a great gen set, but it sure would add a lot of weight to the tongue. A lot would depend on the allowable hitch weight of your tow vehicle. The 3000 weights 3 times what the 2000 does. I have heard of many folks using the 2000 with most A/C units, but some have had to add a soft start to the A/C, as it is just the starting draw that is the issue, not running it.

I have a Yamaha 3000 which is near identical in specs to the Honda, and I really don't want to have to haul it around, it is big and heavy. The 3000's for the most part need 2 people to handle them.

[gbaglo]

And, then there is the issue of noise. You're probably gonna want to be able to move it away from your trailer, closer to the guy listening to heavy metal, since he won't notice.

baglo

[Jim Bennett]

Those 3000's are not too bad for noise, but to have it mounted to the front of the trailer might get bothersome for sure. I think Glen is right, that you would want to move it away, even if just a bit.

[greybird]

Thanks for the reply Jim. There were a couple messages from Doug earlier on this thread where he said that the Honda 2000 watt model won't be big enough for the new AC that Reace is using.

Bad news the new Carrier low profile 13,500 BTU air conditioner draws 13.4 amps
and the Honda EU2000ic generator can supply a continuous 13.3 amps so the Honda is out
for me as I first of all wanted it to run the AC, pump etc.

When ever you start a compressor there will be a higher draw.
The Honda 2000 will power the AC unit Reace was putting
inside the 17's but not the new roof mounts he's using.
This is a bummer as I think Honda still makes one of the
best gas powered generators.

Jim, are you saying you think Doug may be mistaken, and with a soft start it may work? Before buying a generator, ideally it would be nice to know that someone had already tried the specific combination of generator and AC unit. But with this new AC unit, that may not be possible.

I have no worries about tongue weight right now, I have a big Duramax truck. But Tammy mentioned that extending the rear bumper may be the way to go anyway. She's going to get back to me later on that. And it would be nice to have the option of using a smaller vehicle in the future. And of course, balancing the weight overall is important.

Baglo, I'll try to point the muffler in the most appropriate direction. :-) However, the nice thing about the Honda 3000 is that it is even a little quieter than than the 2000 watt model -- both are very quiet. We're very heat tolerant, so I would only need to run the AC and the generator when it's so hot that anyone nearby will be doing the same thing. ;-) We'll also need it to recharge batteries of course, when boon docking.

--mark

[greybird]

I could be wrong about the noise -- thanks for the warnings about that. But if I need a 134 pound generator to power the new AC unit, then I'd rather not be moving it around a lot. So mounting it may be worth the annoyance of the noise, for the times we need to use it. It's a trade off...

[Jim Bennett]

Mark, i am not certain at all whether the 2000 could run the A/C on the 19, but I know that others have run others with the same BTU rating. I don't remember Doug mentioning installing a soft start kit, it just might work.

There is also the option of using 2 2000's hooked together. It will double there capacity, cost about the same as a 3000, still weight less, and give you the flexibility of only using one when required.

[gbaglo]

Well, it pays to think things through and explore all avenues.

I got that Sirius satellite radio, then I got the dock for the trailer, then I found that I needed a DC input to run it off the grid, then I learned that the only source I could find was in the U.S. and charges $15 for the charger and $26 for shipping, plus I'll get dinged for sales tax here, and then I'll have to have a DC outlet installed in the trailer. And, of course, Sirius ( US ) is in bankruptcy.

But, other than that, everything is going smoothly.

If I make it through this, I'll be referring back to this thread for a generator purchase, assuming my employer didn't declare bankruptcy this afternoon.

baglo

[Eddys]

I've asked Tammy and Reace about ways to extend the bumper or use the tongue to mount the generator. Tammy said that several people have asked about that, and I'm sure they'll come with something good.

We have given some consideration to getting a small generator for back up, just to charge the batteries really, as Reace is installing a solar panel on our 19' and I want to be prepared for one of those week long cloudy/rainy situations that every once and a while we encounter. We are not getting an air conditioner and we do not use a microwave, so our electric usage is less than most. We will have LEDs as much as possible.

However, what have people come up with for storing and transporting one of these little marvels? I presume it's not cool to carry it in the tow vehicle ( 4 runner) and the only other solution that occurs to me is in a plastic tote on the shower floor. Aside from the bumper extension mentioned above ( which would be great!) any suggestions?

Ian

[Jim Bennett]

Ian, I have not really delved into it with Reace yet, but I did mention it. It would be great if they come up with a solution.

I am still a bit undecided as to what to do. I do mostly boondock, don't plan on A/C yet though likely will when doing longer trips a few years into the future, so a gen set does make more sense then solar for topping up batteries. If I do solar, I am considering using a portable system, which has lots of pluses but a few negatives too.

I had asked about turning the propane tanks sideways, but I guess that they would interfere should one want to use am equalizer hitch. I don't plan to right away, but may if I need to. Honda recommends to not use one.

As I had mentioned before, one thing I am thinking of doing is to build some kind of locker with diamond plated aluminum that would house the propane, and have a compartment above its own separate door to house a 2000W gen set. The reasoning here is to keep the weight back from the tongue as far as possible, and there is lots of height under the front window. I would make sure this locker (I use this term for lack of a better one) looks real nice and works with the trailer lines.

The other thought is to turn the tanks sideways if the could be a way found, and put a compartment in front of them to house the gen set.

I may just end up doing the mods myself later if it can't get sorted out in time, unless it is something to do modifying the frame itself, then I don't want to mess with that.

I don't really want to carry the gen set in my Pilot, besides I would likely set it up to run on propane too. And, i would like it to have a permanent storage spot. Maybe if one could get a good sealed container to go under the bed, or something. Though, I would much prefer to access it from the exterior.

I had thought of using the bicycle hitch at the rear to hold a small box for the gen set, but I might actually want to use it for bikes.

I too am open to other ideas, should anyone else have some good (or just different) ones.

On a side note Ian, what is your scheduled date to pick your new baby up?

[Eddys]

Jim-
Thanks for the input. It might make it easier to solve this if the propane tanks were side by side in that there might be a bit more room, but you are right about the weight dist. hitch attachments getting in the way - at least that would be the problem with the Casita we have just sold. I have a friend that is a truck camper person ( yes, we're still friends :-) ) and he is able to store his small generator in a locker on the side of his camper - a built-in. It would be pretty neat if an enclosed locker with outside access could be fiberglassed in under the bed for storing that sort of thing. A bumper modification seems intriguing, though I'm not sure how much room is available factoring in the spare tire. I'm sure Reace will have some ideas.

Not having seen the 19 and actually seeing the space available it's hard for me to imagine what can be done. I know that it has been a massive effort on the part of Reace and crew to push the 19 from idea to reality, especially with the specter of the Humdinger show hovering over all their efforts. Jenny and I have been captivated by the pictures of its development and we are eagerly awaiting an extensive pictorial from those who will be attending the show. Tammy has indicated that ours will be ready on the 7th of May - we will be leaving so Vermont on the 30th of April to drive out and pick it up. In the meantime, Jenny and I have been saving up a bunch of questions for R&T, but I really wanted to wait until Humdinger was "in their rearview mirror" so to speak and that they have a brief chance to catch their breath .

As a side note, the first sentence of my post was a quote from Mark and I thought that copying and pasting would result in the purple highlight - obviously not! I guess I'll have to work on that. Ian

[Jim Bennett]

I definitely would not even try to contact Reace or Tammy until mid week next, I bet they are quite busy. They have a second 19 well under way now too.

What size of gen set were you thinking of getting, the 1000W is a bit smaller then the 2000W, and could be stowed away even easier. It sounds like your trailer will be ready at the same time as ours. We are headed to the Fort Langley egg meet that weekend to give her a whirl. It is only an hour away from the Escape shop.

If you click on the 'QUOTE' button at the top right of someones post it will quote it in the purple highlights.

[Eddys]

[quote=Jim Bennett ]
We are headed to the Fort Langley egg meet that weekend to give her a whirl. It is only an hour away from the Escape shop.

Jim-
We were looking at the Honda 1000, but it is now listing for $1079 US now. Northern Tool has several 750 - 1000 watt from $149 to $500 or so, but I'm not familiar with the brands. My truck camper friend (TCF) has a Yamaha 1000 and he seems pleased with it. I'm not totally sure what the extra $5-600 gets you.
We will be looking for a place to shake down Houdini - egg meet huh? We had thought about the nearby campground mentioned in one of the threads for our initial stay... just in case we had some questions. Ian

[Eddys]

Dang it! I'll eventually get this quote thing worked out... Ian

[Jim Bennett]

Ian, you just need to keep your post outside of the quote tags from quoting me, and you have it nailed.

I truly believe that you get what you pay for with most things, generators are no different. Yamaha or Honda are tops in my mind, plus you can easily get good service for them. One properly maintained will last you forever, I have seen most of the cheaper ones fail in relatively short order. I have owned the Honda 3000 (was stolen) and now own the Yamaha 3000. Both are great gen sets, but WAY more then I would want to bring, I can barely load one in a truck myself, they are over 150lbs with fuel in them.

HERE is a link to the Fort Langley meet. It is filled up, but we have a pull through site and they allow doubling up there and we would have no problem with that if you want. A couple sites over is another fellow from Calgary that has a 13' Boler that is willing to share a site too. I look forward to seeing all the older eggs that people have worked on there. I had originally planned to buy a 16-17.5 ft older used egg to rebuild into something that would fit our needs, but I just don't have that kinda time. I am in the middle of a major renovation of my house which need a lot of my attention.

Besides, if you have any questions to be answered by Tammy and Reace, they will be at the meet.

[wpski]

Hi all
FYI I just bought a sportsman 4000 generator for our 19 ft coming on aug 17 from home depot on sale for 299.00 usd it weighs 102# dry and is 17" tall and will fit in the back of my 2007 tacoma with the folding cover down it has 4000 watt surge and 3250 running watts 9hr run time. Its a bit loud at 79 dcb but I think I can replace the Muffler to quiet things down a bit or make a folding cover to quiet it. It also will be handy at the house for those times we have power outages here in florida (you know hurricanes and such) better to have too much than not quite enough in my book. have a great day.
Walt and Linda

[wpski]

Hey All

The sportsman generator came today so I filled it with oil and cranked it up. To my surprise it started on the first pull and it purrs like a kitten.
It is a bit loud on the ground so I placed it in the back of the truck and closed the lid now it is probably less than 50 dcbl inside so all I have to do is fabricate an exhaust hose down through the bed. I was impressed for under 400 bucks and now have 4000 surge watts 3250 running watts and a 9 hr run time. I live in fla and we love it out west in the desert so running the ac is paramount to us.

Walt & Linda

[PGDriver]

Well we finally decided on a generator for our trailer, after looking at some
of the cheaper knock offs of the Honda etc. we are going with this Yamaha
should have lots of power and hopefully last for years.....
http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/products/...ass=33&group=G|&LANG=en

Forgot to mention there is a $125.00 rebat on this model until May 31

[Hokie Escape]

Doug, check out this tri-fuel Yamaha http://www.generatorsales.com/triple...FQVxFQodPX9b9A

[PGDriver]

Originally Posted by HokieEscape

Doug, check out this tri-fuel Yamaha http://www.generatorsales.com/triple...FQVxFQodPX9b9A

Hi Dan

That sure is interesting, the only problem is getting it shipped up here to Canada
that normally makes things to pricey what with shipping and duties.

[Hokie Escape]

Got any friends in Northern Washington? Might buy it, ship it to someone getting their Escape soon, they can leave it at Rease and Tammy's, and you pick it up with your baby