Honda EU2000i generator vs Yamaha 2000?

[bovine]

I'm looking at throwing down for a small generator to use with our truck camper for this winter's ski safaris to come.

We're pretty set on a Honda.

Any reasons we should go with a Yamaha (aside from a mega-killer deal on one)?

New, the Hondas are actually a bit cheaper through Wise generator sales in Indiana-about $900.00.

Any better prices out there?

Thanks

[GeezerSteve]

Dunno anything about the Yamaha. I've had a EU1000i for 6 years and it has performed great to charge my pop-up camper cabin battery. I've talked to several EU2000i owners, all of whom have good things to say. I got the Honda because there's a local shop that stocks parts and is experienced with repairing EU1000, 2000 and 3000.

[hutash]

From my research it is a push between the two, I'd go with the best deal.

Depending on your power needs, I would consider a smaller generator. The 2000 is a bit bulky and heavy. I have a similar size, non-Honda type and it is a PITA to move around. It is not that heavy, but heavy and big enough to be inconvenient.

Once I have the spare cash I am getting a 1000. Plenty of power for my needs and a lot smaller, lighter, and quieter. Too bad they don't make the 700 any more, that things was incredibly quiet, small and light.

[Snow Dog]

If all you want is battery charging then 2000 is too much. For that you only need about 250W. For hunting we used a Honda 350i for years. It doesn't seem to be around any more. It was a 2-stroke and the size of a large lunch box.

[Todds]

Amazon has a lot of reviews for the Yamaha that compare it to the Honda. Probably worth the read. Lots of details about the subtle differences.

[BigDaddy]

I've been using Honda 2000i for three years and it's been great. Enough to power a party for over 100 maggots.

[bovine]

If all you want is battery charging then 2000 is too much. For that you only need about 250W. For hunting we used a Honda 350i for years. It doesn't seem to be around any more. It was a 2-stroke and the size of a large lunch box.

We'll be using it to charge batteries, run our boot dryers, inverter w/tunes,possibly an additional dry-air heater during waking hours. We've debated over a 1000 vs a 2000 but have heard from several in the know that it's better to have too much juice than not enough.
Plus, if our house power goes down, we can run the fridge off it and a couple extra things.

[hutash]

I've been using Honda 2000i for three years and it's been great. Enough to power a party for over 100 maggots.

You have a generator the has an out put of hookers and blow adequate to power 100 maggots? Impressive!!!

[GeezerSteve]

Figuring power needs is pretty simple. 1000 watts = 120V x 8.33 amps, 1 horsepower = 744 watts, etc. etc.

Running boot dryers and heaters off a generator is very inefficient. If your camper has a furnace, your boots may dry out fine on their own. Or bring two sets of liners, allowing a day and a half between uses.

[Snow Dog]

We'll be using it to charge batteries, run our boot dryers, inverter w/tunes,possibly an additional dry-air heater during waking hours. We've debated over a 1000 vs a 2000 but have heard from several in the know that it's better to have too much juice than not enough.
Plus, if our house power goes down, we can run the fridge off it and a couple extra things.

You'd be suprised how little power most stuff draws these days. I bought an AC watt-meter to measure stuff like my boot dryer (31W) and battery chargers (1 - 5W). We always stored the generator inside when we were out and about -- otherwise they wander off -- so imagine moving it in and out of the camper or truck cab a few times a day. I have a 5,000W/240V generator to light up the house so having a tiny portable generator is fine.

Propane boot dryers work fine but they're for outdoor use only.

[bovine]

Figuring power needs is pretty simple. 1000 watts = 120V x 8.33 amps, 1 horsepower = 744 watts, etc. etc.

Running boot dryers and heaters off a generator is very inefficient. If your camper has a furnace, your boots may dry out fine on their own. Or bring two sets of liners, allowing a day and a half between uses.

Good info to know- we're not totally set on a 2000 size. The camper we have is a small hard sided six pac camper. We've rigged it up w/two 6 volt golf cart batteries. It has a good furnace and we're planning on using reflectex to insulate it for winter bc/lift-served ski missions-so the whole winter usage thing is new to us.

The outfit has no fridge (took out icebox for storage)- so the only power drain will be off the lights, fantastic fan, furnace fan, and using an ipod/inverter for music.

Our goals are to minimize condensation, dry all our ski gear(skins, boots...) before we go to bed, and keep the inside of the rig comfortable to sleep in while it dumps outside. The generator idea is for extra insurance while in remote areas, charge batteries, run possibly one extra item off.

[Snow Dog]

If the furnace is forced air it'll suck a typical 85AHr RV battery dry in 3-4 days. If it's an old radiant heater (no power required) then consider adding a recirculation fan to pull the hot at at the ceiling down to the floor. A 12V computer fan and some ducting will work.

[bovine]

The camper itself is a 2007 model-so-pretty new with a good furnace and tight build. I figure a couple rolls of reflectex, some foam insulation tape and insulate two of the 3 top vents. Our strategy will be: when we get back from skiing, minimize snow brought into camper, hang skins, and any wet gear, crank the heat while using the fantastic fan to suck out as much moisture as possible.

Do this for 3 or so hours while we slurp down some cocktails and eat dinner... And hopefully, our stuff will be dry before bed time so we can get up and tour again the next day.

First trip we have in mind will most-likely be a southern co. safari: ski wolf creek, a day touring on the pass, then head over to silvertonia and hit up some unguided stuff, then some touring up on red...ahhh-the san juans...

[kona12]

The camper itself is a 2007 model-so-pretty new with a good furnace and tight build. I figure a couple rolls of reflectex, some foam insulation tape and insulate two of the 3 top vents. Our strategy will be: when we get back from skiing, minimize snow brought into camper, hang skins, and any wet gear, crank the heat while using the fantastic fan to suck out as much moisture as possible.

Do this for 3 or so hours while we slurp down some cocktails and eat dinner... And hopefully, our stuff will be dry before bed time so we can get up and tour again the next day.

First trip we have in mind will most-likely be a southern co. safari: ski wolf creek, a day touring on the pass, then head over to silvertonia and hit up some unguided stuff, then some touring up on red...ahhh-the san juans...

Welcome to the TC club! Be careful, it is adicting!

The forced air house furnace is the biggest battery killer in the camper. Based on your plan above (to run the furnace and fantastic fan at the same time) my guess is you will drain your batteries in hours, not days. You will definitely need a generator if you go that route.

FYI, for power saving, swap out your lights for led's and for more efficient heat, check out catalytic heaters.

[NmbrdDays]

As an electrician I've used more Hondas than Yamaha. I think the Honda is a better gen. A lil quieter and I think they are just a better gen. They can stand up to our use on real big jobs, they get tossed around on the trucks, stuff gets thrown into them, they take a lick and keep on ticking IMO.

[NmbrdDays]

As an electrician I've used more Hondas than Yamaha. I think the Honda is a better gen. A lil quieter and I think they are just a better gen. They can stand up to our use on real big jobs, they get tossed around on the trucks, stuff gets thrown into them, they take a lick and keep on ticking IMO.

[Sparwood Dave]

I have used the eu 1000 for the last 8 years with no problems. However I always put it in storage as per the instructions that come with it.
Glad you have decided to use your furnace. Definitely the way to go especially if you do the Intellipower upgrade I mentioned in a previous post.
I made a two boot dryer out pvc pipe- one cross pipe and four shorter down pipes. Put it at the heater outlet (not too close) and boots dry perfectly quite quickly. Our heater output temp didn't bother our Intution liners.

[bovine]

I have used the eu 1000 for the last 8 years with no problems. However I always put it in storage as per the instructions that come with it.
Glad you have decided to use your furnace. Definitely the way to go especially if you do the Intellipower upgrade I mentioned in a previous post.
I made a two boot dryer out pvc pipe- one cross pipe and four shorter down pipes. Put it at the heater outlet (not too close) and boots dry perfectly quite quickly. Our heater output temp didn't bother our Intution liners.

Based on your power usage, any regrets on the 1000 vs a 2000? Are you using the generator to simply charge your batteries or do you have several other things pulling juice?

[Sparwood Dave]

Good question.
I don't regret going 1000 rather than 2000 but I don't run 110 v electrical accessories especially anything producing heat with electricity. My wife even has a 12 volt hair dryer which is lots of wind and a little heat. One application where the 2000 would be nice is for our roof airconditioner but I'm not sure it would work even with the 2000 unit. The AC draws 1650 watts (110v x 15 amps) when running but the start up draw is much much larger than that and I'm not sure even 2000 would handle it. Big RVs use 3000 watt generators for their AC.
I use the EU 1000 pretty much just for charging two 6 volt batteries like your setup. I have the 40 amp Intellipower converter/charger with Charge Wizard which means I can charge the 240 amp hours capacity batteries in 6 hours from dead flat not that you want them dead flat as that will ruin batteries fast. 40 ampsX12 volts = 480 watts. The EU 1000 puts out about 900 watts in constant mode so theoretically the 1000 shoul be lots and it is but if the batteries are quite low I have found I must switch off the Eco Mode to prevent generator overload. BTW A stock converter/charger outputs only 6 amps so the same amount of charge would take 40 hours of generator run time and after that it would start to boil them dry if it's not a 'smart' charger.
For short bursts of 110 v power like a margarita blender (wahoo!!)I have a 600 watt inverter with 50 amp circuit breaker on the 12 volt input side.
I hope that helps

[hutash]

For the uses you describe the 1000 seems more then enough. I have used stacked 12V car batteries to run lights, furnace, music, et ceteria even in winter (24' trailer) and the battieries last a few days. We just run the generator for a few hours morning or evening to recharge. That is with two adults and two kids, so a lot of lights, kept pretty warm, even during the night. The furnace is propane, but of course the fan is DC. Our frig is AC/DC/propane, so mostly in propane mode.

I am currently using a van with stacked 6v golf cart batteries, no furnace, but frig is ac/dc only, and we still go a week with charging most trips. The biggest draws are air conditioners (which we never use unless hook to a land line), and electric heaters. The few AC needs are supplied via inverter, but we keep that use low.

As noted above, you tend to move a gen inand out multiple times on a trip, so weight is an issue, and being a camper size is as well. If we are in one spot of a long time we just lock the gen to a tree or the trailer. Still it is a pain to move around.(and I am lazy.)

[TWINS]

I use this one at work.Fairly quiet and purchased a 2 year warranty for anoither $30.00
Just bring it back to the store for a new one no questions asked.
http://www.harborfreight.com/engines...tor-66619.html

[GeezerSteve]

The cabin battery (12V, deep cycle, medium size) in my FWC Hawk requires recharging after an 8-hour night of furnace use in cold (e.g., 10F) weather, assuming we keep the thermostat at 55F or so. In cold weather, we usually run the generator to top off the battery just before we go to bed, and then run it again in the morning. Most of our use is in milder temps (trailheads for spring tours, etc.), where a charge will last a couple nights. Nonetheless, I will likely put in a second battery, either another 12V in parallel (likely, cuz my current 12V is pretty new) or two 6V in series (reportedly the better set up).

Catalytic heaters emit lots of condensation, so much that they are impracticable in some conditions.

Another option is to use a Buddy Heater or equivalent to get the camper warm and then use the furnace to keep it warm.

[hutash]

I use this one at work.Fairly quiet and purchased a 2 year warranty for anoither $30.00
Just bring it back to the store for a new one no questions asked.
http://www.harborfreight.com/engines...tor-66619.html

This generator gets mixed reviews, but it is pretty damn cheap. Here is a coupon for another $30 off (or $99 cost)
Only 99.99 with coupon 69810031
Add item to cart to redeem coupon

http://www.harborfreight.com/800-rat...MTk0NSJ9%0D%0A

[davieboot]

I went through a similar dilemma when I first built my travel trailer (teardrop). I ended up with the Honda 2000 (over the 1000) and think I made the right decision. I would turn it on after skiing to dry the boots, charge up batteries, etc (usually 90 minutes), then turn it off. It has an "eco" mode, which considerably turns down the noise and fuel consumption. It is quiet, and only pushes as hard as what you need from it. That mode is not good if you have a microwave or A/C switching on and off, but for your purposes, it is fantastic. Plus, on the rare occasion I needed more than 1000W (the aforementioned party), I had it ready to go. The only drawback is the slightly larger size and higher cost. But it was well worth the trade in my opinion.

[hutash]

I just bought a Honda 1000 from Wise, anybody find any better prices? Honda is pretty good at suppressing their prices without having to give out too much info to websites.

I was going to wait, but California just changed sales tax laws and is collecting sales tax from out of state vendors which adds another 8% to all sales.