Opinions on generators

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Bouch70

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Joined
Jan 14, 2018
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20
Opinions needed! Our onboard generator went kaput and we can either replace it or just buy a portable one. The new onboard gen would be 4000 watts, it's convenient, charges the coach batteries, uses gas from gas tank, can start it from inside but would probably end up costing us $8000 CAD. A portable one is about 3000 watts, ultra quiet and light, needs to be carried in cargo as well as extra gas for it. Probably couldn't use it at a Walmart or other rest stops. The cost to us would be about $4000 CAD. The gen is needed to run our AC. It gets very hot here in the summer.
We are very new at RVing, we will be taking several trips a year from 2 days to 2 weeks. We have a new to us 2008 24' Gulfstream. We are looking for experienced RVers... what do you recommend? Onboard or portable?

Edited to add: we did look at getting it repaired but the gen guy wanted over $2000 just to remove and reinstall the generator. We live in a small city so our options are limited. Other shops want the generator removed before looking at it.
 
$2,000 :eek: He sure didn't want the job very badly, that is ridiculous. Some shops see a mh pull in and kaching kaching, they know you are wanting to be in and out quickly and have money. It seems a shame to condemn a generator for what might be a fairly simple repair, after having it you likely won't be happy with a portable.
 
Yep, I would do the repair if possible. Mainly because it's already installed and don't discount the convenience of starting and stopping it from inside the rig, and not having to mess with extra gas. The guy you talked to sounds like he's not too savvy, so he wants extra in case he takes longer to figure it out.

That being said, I have in the past installed a Honda 3000 in the front of a fiver that I had. It worked well, but I had to design and build a exhaust system for it as it was too heavy to lift in and out of the front of the rig to use it. When I did run it, the front door always had  to be open for safety (exhaust fumes) and that creates a possible theft issue.

Do you know how many hours are on the on board gen that you have? That may give you an idea of the practicality of repair vs replace. In a different rig, I did have a gen installed that I bought on Craig's list from a guy that had his RV destroyed and was able to salvage the gen. It was way cheaper than buying new.
 
We are going to try and call around some more for repairing it but it doesn't seem like anyone wants to look at it unless it's off the RV. So we'd have to pay someone to remove it and install and pay someone else to look at it and fix it.  We are very new to RVing.
 
I would find a place that repairs RV's and see if they do generators or can recommend someone. The generator needs troubleshot them decide what you want to do. Do not just replace it. If it is determined that the repairs exceed the value of the generator try to find one at a RV salvage facility, they may even install it. You are mobile so you can go to where the service can be performed you are not stuck local.
 
sc4668 said:
I would find a place that repairs RV's and see if they do generators or can recommend someone. The generator needs troubleshot them decide what you want to do. Do not just replace it. If it is determined that the repairs exceed the value of the generator try to find one at a RV salvage facility, they may even install it. You are mobile so you can go to where the service can be performed you are not stuck local.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what we did. We went to an RV dealership, they just brushed us off saying at least it worked some of the time so we found an RV tech repair guy and he checked everything out, sent us to a generator repair place who quoted us a ridiculous amount.
We kind of are stuck with our long working hours and just being off weekends and our 2 weeks vacation being booked for a 3000 kms trip. We were hoping to have this all resolved by mid august before we take off on our big trip.
 
Many electric motor shops will work on the electrical section of generators.
 
Bouch70 said:
That's exactly what we did. We went to an RV dealership, they just brushed us off saying at least it worked some of the time so we found an RV tech repair guy and he checked everything out, sent us to a generator repair place who quoted us a ridiculous amount.
We kind of are stuck with our long working hours and just being off weekends and our 2 weeks vacation being booked for a 3000 kms trip. We were hoping to have this all resolved by mid august before we take off on our big trip.
Click to expand...

My suggestion is if you are in a time crunch go ahead and buy the "Honda" 3000 watt genny for this up coming trip. After you come back and have the time
you can have the onboard unit checked out by someone else to see about the feasibility of fixing it. You will have NO trouble selling the Honda near full price
so you won't be stuck with it and your trip can proceed without worry. jmho
 
Yeah, I'd also look for other quotes to get it repaired...for all teh reasons Sarge and others mentioned.  $2000 just to remove it seems silly, make a vacation trip to a bigger city that has a factory service center for your brand...probably Onan I'd guess.

I will say though, that I find what James at fitrv.com did very intriguing!  he has tons of video about it, but in a nutshell... he removed the genny and LP tank and used the space and the saved weight for a massive sized Lithium battery, inverter, and a monster alternator on the chassis engine to charge....add in a bit of solar and it seems like a good thing to me....except their off grid AC capability is probably a bit short for a larger RV, but something to consider if a person has deep pockets.
 
Butchiiii has a good suggestion. If you do not have time to perform repairs this will get you thru the trip. Also was rereading your initial post. What is not working? Does the generator not start or is there no power output when it is running?
 
I would stick with the Built In if I could find a way to afford it.. Many advantages to having a built in generator.

I often find myself on the road with out enough "DASH AIR" to keep cool. so fire up ye old Onan and the twin 15000's on the roof kick in about a minute later.. Much cooler.
 
Further to Sarges suggestions, if you're not towing another vehicle and you're not opposed to having a rack sticking out of the back of your motorhomes hitch receiver, consider a heavy duty rack.  We have one that is welded steel which makes it pretty heavy but also very secure.  The bolt together racks might be a bit light duty considering the weight of a 3000 Honda generator bouncing down the road.  Then put the geny on the rack and plug your 30 amp cord into the geny.  The 3000 has a remote start and you could probably rig a separate gas tank next to the geny.  You would need to build a cover to protect it from the elements, but that would probably minimize exhaust fumes getting in the RV. 
 
blw2 said:
Yeah, I'd also look for other quotes to get it repaired...for all teh reasons Sarge and others mentioned.  $2000 just to remove it seems silly, make a vacation trip to a bigger city that has a factory service center for your brand...probably Onan I'd guess.

I will say though, that I find what James at fitrv.com did very intriguing!  he has tons of video about it, but in a nutshell... he removed the genny and LP tank and used the space and the saved weight for a massive sized Lithium battery, inverter, and a monster alternator on the chassis engine to charge....add in a bit of solar and it seems like a good thing to me....except their off grid AC capability is probably a bit short for a larger RV, but something to consider if a person has deep pockets.
Click to expand...

Our generator is a Generac which is obsolete. We contacted an onan dealer and they quoted us the same amount for removing it and installing it back in... $2000.
If we were mechanically inclined, that sounds very interesting from James.
 
butchiiii said:
My suggestion is if you are in a time crunch go ahead and buy the "Honda" 3000 watt genny for this up coming trip. After you come back and have the time
you can have the onboard unit checked out by someone else to see about the feasibility of fixing it. You will have NO trouble selling the Honda near full price
so you won't be stuck with it and your trip can proceed without worry. jmho
Click to expand...
This is a good idea! thank you.
 
sc4668 said:
Butchiiii has a good suggestion. If you do not have time to perform repairs this will get you thru the trip. Also was rereading your initial post. What is not working? Does the generator not start or is there no power output when it is running?
Click to expand...
In the fall we had it serviced and then stored. In the winter we exercised it and it worked fine. In the spring, it started great and runs great but would not always power the coach (microwave/outlets) and finally it just doesn't power at all anymore. It runs great though.
 
I dream of the day when I finally have an onboard generator.

I own an ECHO Bearcat Inverter IG3500E. Great generator, very quiet, too heavy for me to lift solo. I tote it in my trailer or strapped to my hitch carrier basket. It is efficient, gets the job done, and is a PIA.

The Honda 3000 probably weighs about the same.

About $2000 will buy you 2 Honda EU2200i. They will do the job well but are much lighter. I should have gone that direction.
 
A couple thoughts...

1. This appears to be a small-ish Gulfstream Class C. The onboard generator in that size & type of rig is really buried and getting one disconnected and physically removed is no small chore.  The C$2000 hurts, but probably isn't outrageous for the task. It's a lot of labor and hourly rates are not low at either RV dealers of generator shops.  Maybe a general mechanical shop would tackle it at lower rates?  Even if it took them a bit onger?

2. I understand Canadian prices are 30%-35% higher, but $4000 for a 3 KW portable seems high, even for a Honda 3000is.  Other brands, e.g. Champion or Wen or Briggs should be half that. Is there any way you good shop the internet, or perhaps pick up a 3KW portable in a larger city  hopefully with more price competition) during your travels?
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
A couple thoughts...

1. This appears to be a small-ish Gulfstream Class C. The onboard generator in that size & type of rig is really buried and getting one disconnected and physically removed is no small chore.  The C$2000 hurts, but probably isn't outrageous for the task. It's a lot of labor and hourly rates are not low at either RV dealers of generator shops.  Maybe a general mechanical shop would tackle it at lower rates?  Even if it took them a bit onger?

2. I understand Canadian prices are 30%-35% higher, but $4000 for a 3 KW portable seems high, even for a Honda 3000is.  Other brands, e.g. Champion or Wen or Briggs should be half that. Is there any way you good shop the internet, or perhaps pick up a 3KW portable in a larger city  hopefully with more price competition) during your travels?
Click to expand...

Yes, exactly, it does seem like it would be labour intensive. They told us it would be 8 to 10 hours to remove it at $100 an hour which is the going rate for all machine/engine repair shop. We did call around and we got the exact same quote from an onan service shop. Our Generac has 3200 hours and the onan tech said they think they could repair but can't say for sure.
At this point, what I'm looking for is getting the on board replaced or buying a portable. We really don't want to spend $1000+ to just have it looked at and if they tell us they can't repair it, then we have to buy a portable or get it replaced after all and be short at the very least the $1000. From reading online from the experienced RVers, it does seem like an onboard genny is much more preferable than a portable. I think we might just bite the bullet and go for full replacement.
 
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