Inverter Gennys

[Mark_K5LXP]

The early EFI's on harley's were open loop and basically the mixture curves were set empirically. Guessing with a fixed RPM and a little bit of smarts in a genset it can do OK without an O2 sensor. If you're into science experiments you could measure HC or maybe put the hurt to it for 5 minutes, kill the engine and see how the plug looks (if you care).

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[DonTom]

The early EFI's on harley's were open loop and basically the mixture curves were set empirically

Many of the first EFI motorcycles had no closed loop. But I assume today they all are closed loop after a short warmup because of the much tighter emissions specs today for newer vehicles.

you could measure HC or maybe put the hurt to it for 5 minutes, kill the engine and see how the plug looks (if you care).

I have no reason to care as long as they are running well--which they are. I am quite happy with my new toys, but I am not sure if they will get used much.

One thing I still do not understand is the advantage of the larger, more expensive 3,600 RPM Onan gennies compared to these inverter gennies, now that I see both are rated for a 100% duty cycle.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

If they make it 20 years and thousands of hours we'll know the answer.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[DonTom]

If they make it 20 years and thousands of hours we'll know the answer.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

I am very unlikely to make it 20 years and thousands of hours. IOW, I will never know.

But it probably has something to do with Onan being made in the USA instead of China.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Something to consider is your baseline of performance is with a 20 year old unit, which when it was new was a 10+ year old design. It's not a stretch to think that after 30 years there'd be some advancements in technology and fabrication that can equal or surpass a legacy machine. You're complaining your Yaesu FT101 doesn't perform as well as your Kenwood 890. Hard to say how much reliability has been designed into or exists inherently with these things, today's obsolescence cycle is pretty short so how long does it really need to work. You experienced a configuration change (DIN connector) in current production. Anymore you're lucky if the thing doesn't go obsolete before the warranty runs out, much less have an expectation the thing will still work or be supported 10 years from now. So run it like a rented mule, there's no prize for pretty when it hits the landfill.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[DonTom]

Something to consider is your baseline of performance is with a 20 year old unit,

Even the Onan in my 2022 RV is an ancient design. But Onan now manufactures inverter gennies:

They are built here in the USA--not China:

"Onan inverter generators are built in the USA, with manufacturing facilities located in Minnesota, Indiana, and Georgia. They are also "Buy America" certified, meaning they meet all the requirements for products made in America."

I wonder if they will make these for permanent motorhome installations someday. And hopefully EFI with MAP sensors and all that good stuff.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Tom_M1]

This is a rebranded Westinghouse iGen5000. Both are made in China.

iGen5000

Onan P4500i

 

[rvlifer]

This is a rebranded Westinghouse iGen5000. Both are made in China.

iGen5000
View attachment 178799

Onan P4500i
View attachment 178800

I own one. Liked the honda it replaced better. The honda was quieter

 

[DonTom]

This is a rebranded Westinghouse iGen5000. Both are made in China.

iGen5000
View attachment 178799

Onan P4500i
View attachment 178800

I wonder why it says online they are made in the USA. But that was when I asked and got an auto-reply. When I go to the actual website, where it gets its information from , it says this:

"Cummins Onan generators are manufactured by Cummins Power Generation, a subsidiary of the Cummins Inc. corporation. The company is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States.

However, they have production facilities and distribution centers all over the world, including in the United Kingdom, China, India, and Singapore."

And the word "inverter" is not even mentioned in the entire article! So now I know to NOT trust those auto replies.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Firstime RVer]

Even the Onan in my 2022 RV is an ancient design. But Onan now manufactures inverter gennies:

View attachment 178795
They are built here in the USA--not China:

"Onan inverter generators are built in the USA, with manufacturing facilities located in Minnesota, Indiana, and Georgia. They are also "Buy America" certified, meaning they meet all the requirements for products made in America."

I wonder if they will make these for permanent motorhome installations someday. And hopefully EFI with MAP sensors and all that good stuff.

-Don- Reno, NV

Been using my Onan 4500i for the last 6 years. It starts every time and still runs like a champ. Runs everything in my 30 amp service TT. Love the remote start and run time on a full tank. Reasonably quiet and does the job.
Its got my vote

Safe travels and all the best.

 

[DonTom]

In case anybody cares (which I doubt), I received my adapter cables yesterday (Monday) by USA mail from GenMax.

They sent me two of them.

They each look like this:

Two pin male side:

Four-pin female side:

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

Been using my Onan 4500i for the last 6 years. It starts every time and still runs like a champ. Runs everything in my 30 amp service TT. Love the remote start and run time on a full tank. Reasonably quiet and does the job.
Its got my vote

I was just reading the specs on yours. I see it wights 119.0 lbs. And is 3,700 running watts.

My two are 3, 600 running watts each and they weight 58 lbs each. And I assume mine will do better at a higher elevation than yours because mine are EFI, unless you have the "carb kit" (whatever that is. Jets for a higher elevation?) I see that is required when above 2,000' elevation. Pricetag on yours is more than $300.00 than what mine cost (today's prices).

I wonder what I am not seeing in your Onan specs that justifies the higher pricetag.

I could understand the higher pricetag if your Onan were USA made. Or perhaps it is only because I am looking at it on a CW website. I have not yet checked anywhere else.

Since you had yours for six years, was it then made in the USA?

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Boat Bum]

RE: I wonder what I am not seeing in your Onan specs that justifies the higher pricetag.

Convenience. He pushes a button and then has full power. You on the other hand will have to pull out your two gennies, makes sure they're fueled up, tie then together, and any other adapters applied for ultimate connection to your RV.

Also, you'd be a fool to price something like from CW (the Onan) and your comparing his older technology to your new, not a fair comparison.

 

[DonTom]

He pushes a button and then has full power.

I was comparing ONE of my inverter gennies to his. Each close to the same power spec. Both as new today.

Two of mine are 7,600 continuous watts and then also has 240 VAC, but are easily separated. And I was comparing the current price, but my quick search landed me on CW, where it probably costs more.

I thought perhaps . . .

So now I check Amazon and see around the same price as CW:

Compare to:

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Sunnyfalls]

We love our propane modified Honda EU2200i generator...ultra small, lightweight, quiet and runs our 14,000 BTU air conditioner using a MicroAir EasyStart. But given how and where we camp, we rarely need to take it and use it, so it will far outlive us. And when the day comes that pulling the cord to start it becomes an issue, we will stop camping.

 

[DonTom]

We love our propane modified Honda EU2200i generator...ultra small, lightweight, quiet and runs our 14,000

I have heard nothing but good stuff about the Honda gennies. If they had what I wanted, I would have gone with Honda just because of the 100% positive I have heard from everybody who has used them.

I am happy with my Genmaxs, but I have no way to compare the noise to the Honda. I hear the Hondas are very quiet for the amount of load.

I find mine to be very quiet at very low loads, especially with the "low idle" switch on, but quite loud at 3KW loads and above.

BTW, the series cable (for 240 VAC when there are two of them) on my two gennies is "patent pending" so I assume it cannot be found for any other make gennies. I did a lot of genny searching and found it nowhere else. Also, the EFI is hard to find in inverter gennies. I did get everything I was looking for in the Genmax.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

. And when the day comes that pulling the cord to start it becomes an issue, we will stop camping.

While mine has a starting cord, it is only for backup when the battery is weak and I never even tried it. My Genmaxes can be started several ways. I normally use the small wireless remotes.

They also can be started by a pressing a button on the genny. Or by a remote wire closure, at least the one with the 4-pin aviation connector.

Does your Honda have a battery in it? What does the genny weight?

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Boat Bum]

I was comparing ONE of my inverter gennies to his. Each close to the same power spec. Both as new today.

I missed that, I have both portable and onboard and convenience is certainly a big factor of remote push button start. I applaud your creativity.

 

[Sunnyfalls]

While mine has a starting cord, it is only for backup when the battery is weak and I never even tried it. My Genmaxes can be started several ways. I normally use the small wireless remotes.

They also can be started by a pressing a button on the genny. Or by a remote wire closure, at least the one with the 4-pin aviation connector.

Does your Honda have a battery in it? What does the genny weight?

-Don- Reno, NV

No battery...which we wouldn't want because of additional weight it would add. Plus it is PIA to keep generator batteries charged. The Honda EU2200i weighs 47 pounds...which enable Gayle carry it with one arm... It is so quiet it can't be heard at all from inside our trailer when it is operating just outside our trailer. Even when we sit outside right next to it, we can play backgammon and converse without even raising our voices at all. And since it uses propane from our propane tank farm, it doesn't have any noticeable exhaust smell either. We can fit it (and likely two more) in the locked underbed trunk of our Honda Ridgeline.

 

[Firstime RVer]

I was just reading the specs on yours. I see it wights 119.0 lbs. And is 3,700 running watts.

My two are 3, 600 running watts each and they weight 58 lbs each. And I assume mine will do better at a higher elevation than yours because mine are EFI, unless you have the "carb kit" (whatever that is. Jets for a higher elevation?) I see that is required when above 2,000' elevation. Pricetag on yours is more than $300.00 than what mine cost (today's prices).

I wonder what I am not seeing in your Onan specs that justifies the higher pricetag.

I could understand the higher pricetag if your Onan were USA made. Or perhaps it is only because I am looking at it on a CW website. I have not yet checked anywhere else.

Since you had yours for six years, was it then made in the USA?

-Don- Reno, NV

I started out with a couple of champion 2000's weighing 40lbs each. They had a limited run time (1 1/2 to 2 hours per tank full) and were a pain to unload and hook up with the parallel rig and took up about half again as much space as the Onan.
I shopped around and found the Onan for aprox $800. Almost the same cost as the cost for the two champions.

With a front hitch mounted cargo carrier, the genny is relatively easy for me to load. I can still lift it, but a short ramp will do the job nicely when I can no longer do so. Handles all the electrical loads on my `30 amp service.
Its also quieter than the two champions.

Love the remote start stop and electric start. None of which were available on the champions.
I'm not sure where it was manufactured and I'm sure there are better choices but this one does the job for me.

I suspect the differences in weight might have something to do with the difference in price, but that's just my guess.

Couldn't be happier with mine. Best of luck with yours.

Safe travels and all the best.