Generators?

[Lucky13]

Have any of you tried your luck with the harbor freight generators? These are the 2 I was looking at....

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

Need something for in the toy hauler....

[Twistedtrik]

I honestly think you can do a lot better and stay in those prices. You don't need that much juice for a hauler. I have an Onan 4K Microquiet in mine and it powers my welders, compressor etc. Stay with a name brand, you won't regret it.

[Lucky13]

To run an AC I have been told on numerous occasions I'm gonna need min5k?

I must be lookin in the wrong spots though because everything I can find in that price range is like an 800 watt.....guide me in the right direction? lol

[Lucky13]

Ok lets try this...How do I know if they are gonna be super loud to where my neighbors applaud when I shut it off....or if it's gonna be fairly quiet?

Here is a few on CL that I found...can you give me your opinion?

5,000 Watt Generator

Must Sell 5000 Watt Coleman Generator

E3500 HONDA GENERATOR

5000 watt Generator

[Twistedtrik]

Any of those would be fine. Like i said mine is a 4K and will run my A/C and microwave + lights with no issue. A good 4K will put out more reliable power than a "cheap" knock off. Plus it will last longer too. As far as sound, they are all loud when external. Mine is mounted in board so it's quieter.

[Twistedtrik]

Forgot to mention, the non digital gens are loud. The small digital gens are really quiet and really $$$$$$.

[Big_Gunz_]

All the generators you're looking at will be loud. If you have a place to install a generator in your trailer, go ahead and spend the extra $ and get the Onan 4K Mircoquiet. The Onan 4k will run everything in your trailer without a problem. I have a lot of friends with the Onan 4k installed and they work great.

If you don't wish to get the Onan 4k installed and you buy one of the loud ones, I suggest you bring some plywood to help reduce the sound level. I've seen people build a "three sided" box around their generators and it does help lower the sound level.

[Lucky13]

I have a spot on my trailer for it.....I'm gonna have to measure the opening though, some of those look awfull big for the compartment.....

I have about 1k to spend on the generator....not sure what those onan's run.

Do i have to have this thing installed and hooked up or is this something I can do? In the spot for the generator there basically just looks like 2 battery cables?

[zilla68]

honda is another good choice, they are very quiet. Lucky, go over to glamisdunes.com and go to forums, then go to rv/trailer technical and read up on those posts. Those guys are way into what your looking for, and there is lots of good reading there. Also if yours has battery power, think of upgrading to the 6 volt battery set up. They say that is the way to go for batteries, 4 batteries wired in a series. let me know if you can't find it over there. You don't have to join to read the posts, but maybe to see the pics. It is another really cool site with tons of rv technical advise.

[Big_Gunz_]

A new Onan 4k will run you about $2,000.00 but you might be able to find a used one for half the price. Most toy haulers should have a compartment big enough to fit a Onan 4k. As far as the install, I would pay someone to do it. The two battery cables might be from your batteries to start the generator, but its the wiring to the rest of the rig that you need to worry about.

I have a Onan 5.5k in my toy hauler. Its wired to an automatic transfer station (switches back and forth between batteries and/or generator without loss of power). This way if I have anything turned on (TV, lights, heater, refrigerator) and its running off the batteries and I need to power up the generator, the transfer station will change power supplies to all the above without flipping a switch. And when I turn the generator off, it switches back to battery power without skipping a beat.

I also have a small Kipor 3k generator I run most of the time (very quiet). It runs everything in the RV but the two AC. I have it sitting in the bed of my truck and plugged into my shore power outlet. I have this because it only uses about 1 gallon of gas in 8-10 hours. The Onan 5.5 uses about a gallon an hour.

Another thing, will you need an inverter along with a good battery charger installed in your rig?

Inverter=converts DC power to AC power (so you can run stuff like tv's off your batteries)

Maybe it would be easier to just get one of the loud ones and build the three sided box around it. LOL