In 4 weeks taking the trailer up to Allegheny National Forest , I could not get a site with electric hook up . So i`m looking into a generator because one guy has a C Pap machine and i don`t think that will run on Dc from the battery and with our heat wave it would be nice to run the A/ C at night. So the trailer uses a 30 Amp service for shore power so at 120V that`s 3600 watts. So a 4000 watt generator should work or do i need 5k ? And any brand recommendations out side of Honda( very good but pricey )

 

Don’t count on anything made in chinee land to actually pull the claimed wattage.

 

There are a lot of guys on the racing forums that swear by the Predator generators from Harbor Freight. I personal purchased a smaller Firman from Costco, so far it's been a good unit but you would need a bigger version. A 4000W invertor generator won't be cheap.

https://www.harborfreight.com/3500-w...tor-63584.html

 

$799.00 is too bad considering the Honda is twice as much, I probably won`t use that often . Thanks for the suggestion.

 

If you're staying at an actual campground, I would be willing to bet you won't be allowed to run the generator all night. If you're remote enough to where you won't bother anyone, then I'd give some consideration to how loud the generator is. What may not seem overly loud during the day could end up being very obnoxious to try to sleep through. I think it's smart to get one that will power the A/C so hopefully it will drown out some of the sound. One of the reasons the Honda's are so expensive is they are really quiet. For camping, I'd also consider an inverter generator. Most typical generators, when you start them, they just run full bore. Inverter generators are more expensive but will adjust the throttle input based on the load applied. So if you only have your CPAP machine hooked up, it will barely be off idle.

It may not be a popular solution, but i'll throw it out there anyways. If the sole or primary reason to purchase a generator is to power a CPAP machine, your friend can look into a battery powered CPAP. I have one and have looked into them for camping as well since the places I camp generally don't have power hook ups and I'm not permitted to run a generator all night.

 

Yes its a site within a campground but surrounded by trees and not close to other sites. The one in post 3 is an inverter and specs say 57 db, not sure if that`s loud . Found this

 

https://audiology-web.s3.amazonaws.c...5.32730330.pdf
Check out that chart. Tough to determine what's 'loud', but when it's dead quiet at night, the sound level of normal conversation can be a lot more intrusive than one might think.

 

I bought 2 of these and they power my 15k ac without any issues... they are 369.99 each from Jegs, and I got a coupon for 10% off which makes it even less. Also installed a Supco SPP6 on the herm side of the capacitor in the AC to help.

https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/81963/10002/-1

 

Costco has champion inverter generators that have a good reputation.

When talking about decibels, the rule of thumb is that every 3 db is a "noticeable" increase, and 10 db is 2x the sound energy (because it's a logartihmic scale).

Your math on "needing" 3600W is faulty, because while your trailer may have a 30A 120v cord to hook up, you don't need all that power longer term. 2000W will be plenty for your CPAP, the fridge, and a little charge for the batteries. Unless you are running your AC at the same time I guess.

 

I wouldn't get anything less than 3000W. The Predator do have a good reputation and I thought about getting one but the Champion I bought was on sale for less.
The inverter generator posted above from Jeg's would be nice because you can buy two and run them in parallel, getting 4000W, when needed and still not be breaking the bank.

Check with the campground though. Many do not allow generators to run after certain hours.

 

I found a reference to the allowable noise level being 60 Db s at 50 feet from the source for National Forest lands. I will want it to run the A/ C for sleeping purposes . And i can use the generator for other things especially at hunting camp. I need to check with the Forest Service about the rules for the campgrounds i guess. Thanks to all who answer.

 

I have the Champion 2000W inverter generator and it's a nice little unit. I bought it for camping but only to recharge plug-in items during longer stays. It will not run the camper's A/C. I like it because it's a briefcase-style generator so very compact, relatively quiet and powerful enough for my use. I have a larger 4k watt propane generator for home use.

 

Woot.com has the Wen inverter/generator on sale today. Get it while you can. Not the greatest generator, but less expensive than a Honda.

https://tools.woot.com/offers/wen-56...t_tool_dly_img

Most campgrounds would not allow a generator to run all night long. The dB level doesn't matter. It's just a rule. The dB rule certainly comes into play if you're running a contractor generator all day that annoys all your neighbors.

Boondocking, nobody cares if you're running a generator 24 hours a day.

 

Predator 3500 Watt Inverter Generator. I had mine since 2017. Has about 165 hours on it now. Changed the oil after 8 hours and then at 25. Since then change out the oil every season. No issues starting up. Runs my trailer without an issue. I get around 12 hours with the AC going the whole time. More with ac not going as much. There is an eco mode which will run the generator at a lower more quieter speed. Speaking of which, It is super quiet. When I got mine, it was on sale for 629 but I know you can find a coupon for it around 689 when on sale.

Speaking of quiet, I had one of my camping buddies would read me the riot act if I ran my generator at night. He is in a pop up and i'm in a trailer. After a long night of drinking and partying, I forgot to kill the generator. So my trailer was ice cold. He walked by my trailer in the morning and realized it was still running over night. He goes to me, any time I want to run it over night I can. He never heard it in his pop up. The next year he bought the 2000 watt model for his pop up since he was impressed with my 3500.

The other option is to find a used inverter generator. I heard of people buying the Hondas for 1/3 of retail price on line market place sites. Needing some work ie a new carb or something because people do not properly maintain the unit. Toss on the part fresh gas, oil change and a spark plug later the unit is running.

good luck...

 

So after talking over with the guys , I decided to pass on the generator for now . As the guy who uses the C pap said we tent camped without electric for years. I think next year i will pick up the Predator.