Generators

[Takeem406]

Looking for a small genny to have in my truck back at the trailhead to recharge my Quiet Kat batteries and my Dark Energy packs.

I know zero about these and I can't even tell the difference between wats and amps lol!

I know these Quiet Kat batteries need quite a bit of juice to charge so I ruled out using an inverter in my pickup.

I looked at the mid size Goal Zero solar genies but they are expensive and weigh a lot. Then they need the sun to recharge in the field... 8-16 hours of it...

So I'm thinking a small gas unit would be best. Use the topper on my truck and leave it locked in there then when I get low on juice I can make a burger run and let them charge.

Any suggestion on brands or size would be great. I'd like to get something for a few hundo or less.

Even tried just charging my Dark Energies last year off the truck and it seemed to take forever!

Can you jump start a pickup off a genny like those jump packs?

Thanks

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[Desk Jockey]

My generators are a bit bigger so no thoughts to offer on makes or models. I will say, be careful about gas fumes from the generator in your truck bed when it is stored and exhaust when it is running. I put mine in the back of a toy hauler and it got warm in the sun. The tank vents so the whole camper smelled of gas until it was good and aired out.

 

[missjordan]

There isn’t a goal zero product out there that will safely create enough consistent power to safely charge an ebike battery. Or really any solar product for that matter unless you want to take the risk of possibly damaging your battery. E bikes need a consistent power source to charge which is smart that your looking into gas generator.

My suggestion is to purchase a Honda EU2200i or something equivalent. Honda generators are about as high end as you get and are extremely quiet as well. This model is rated to 1800 Watts. I wouldn’t know if you could jump start a pickup off a generator like this. Yamaha and Champion are also very reputable brands to look into as well.

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[rhusby28]

Honda EU2200i. Sells for about a $1,000 at my local Fleet store. Very quiet and makes clean power. You can buy a kit to hook up a portable gas tank to extend your run time. It has a sturdy handle which I like to put a chain and paddle lock to secure it. You can buy cheaper, but Honda makes one of if not the most reliable generators.

 

[*zap*]

2nd on the Honda, I kept mine inside full of gas all winter with the cap vent closed and never smelled anything. Now its in my work van full of gas and never smell any gas. They start and run well.

 

[kopmantrey]

energizer makes one that is about half the price of the Honda. don't know how long it will last

 

[Whitetaildown215]

I agree on the honda, however if you are looking cheap I have had very good luck out of my predator generator I got from harbor freight. Used it for a week straight at deer camp this past year in the midwest running lights, heater, phone charger etc in my enclosed. I think I spent 350 for it and its 3500 watts. They make one like the honda but I cant comment on the operation of it as I have not used it.

 

[muddydogs]

For what you want to do with the genny I would pick up the smaller Harbor Freight genny, https://www.harborfreight.com/engin...63cc-2-cycle-gas-generator-epacarb-63025.html for $110. It will do what you need and is cheap enough that if someone decides they need it more then you your not out much. If the one I linked isn't to your liking a see quite a few people running one model or the other of the Harbor Freight Predator brand gennys to power up there campers. Sure there not as quiet as some gennys but what do you care for what your doing.
While the Honda is a great genny theirs no way I would spend $1000 on a genny for what you want to do or to leave locked in a pickup topper at a trail head.
It's probably not the best idea to run a genny in an enclosed topper while driving down the road, if you do do this open the side topper windows and maybe leave the topper door open a bit so you get some air flow through the topper when driving to help flow the exhaust fumes out. It's probably unlikely that the fumes will make it into the cab of your pickup but many a guy has died from carbon monoxide fumes that they didn't think would be a problem in an enclosed space.

 

[passinggas33]

I bought a predator generator from harbor freight and have been beyond impressed with it. Is it a Honda? No. Is it half the price and works pretty darn good? Yes. And as previously mentioned, if it gets stolen I’m not a bit sad about it. My brother in law actually returned his Honda and bought a predator because they were so close in every aspect, except price. Any of the generators above mentioned though would serve your purpose. I would be looking at amps needed though to make sure you have enough, but my guess is any 1000 watt generator would do enough amps to charge your batteries.

 

[tdhanses]

I’ll also say the small harbor freight generator gets the nod, I’d get the inverter and just lock it down with a cable. Plenty of google comparisons with it and the Honda and it costs 60% less. Also search for coupons!

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Honda doesn’t impress me, my mower only lasted 2 years before the drive system failed and then the next year the motor started acting up. Oh and the pull starter came apart, $800 piece of crap, yeah warranty covered it but I expect Swaro reliability out of Honda not vortex.

 

[Silveroddo]

I'll vouch for the Champion generators. I had a Honda 2000 but switched to a Champion 3200 Watt when we got into RVing to run the A/C in the fifth wheel. Very happy with the performance and price. Amazon has the 2000 watt inverter Champion generator for about $480 at the moment.
Whatever you buy try and stick to an inverter generator so you can run your more sensitive electronics if you ever need to. Some of the cheapies produce pretty sloppy power, had one years ago that would trip the GFCI in the fifth wheel, took awhile to figure that one out.

 

[fmyth]

I have a Honda eu2000 that's 9 years old. I've changed the oil, air filter and spark plug once. I use it a couple times a month and it starts on the first pull every time. It will run for 8 hours on a gallon of gas and is extremely quiet. You can buy a similar Chinese built generator at Harbor Freight for half the price of the Honda but will it be as reliable and worry free 9 years from now?

 

[BeaverHunter]

I have a Honda eu2000 that's 9 years old. I've changed the oil, air filter and spark plug once. I use it a couple times a month and it starts on the first pull every time. It will run for 8 hours on a gallon of gas and is extremely quiet. You can buy a similar Chinese built generator at Harbor Freight for half the price of the Honda but will it be as reliable and worry free 9 years from now?

According to Consumer Reports, yes. I was going to buy the Honda until I researched and read the article by Consumer reports and decided to go with the Harbor Freight model. And it's half the price. Ultimately only time will tell, but I love my small Predator so far and I paid $450 for it.

 

[*zap*]

The Honda has a fuel pump so it is e-z to use my 6 gallon marine tank for a larger fuel tank.

 

[Smithb9841]

Just another brand to look at is WEN. They have them on amazon quite a bit cheaper than the Honda I have the larger model for my camp trailer and is very quiet for the size but they have a 2000watt model that would work for what you need.

 

[Wmmichael20]

Generac also makes a suitcase style inverter generator like the Honda that's quiet and goes on sale at Menards from time to time that's slot less money than Honda.