This is kind of a quadding question...but maybe more of a camping/quadding question about generators.

We are looking to join a campground that we will be quadding at, I know Honda generators are generaly the quietest and theoretically best generator on the market BUT I was looking on Amazon and saw a lot of Colemand, Honeywells, Generac, and Briggs and was wanting to know peoples take on these different brands if you have experience ...or had to camp next to a person with one and got to listen to it for an extended period of time...what are your opinions.

 

Of the generators you mentioned, they will all be good just stay away from the offbrands aka chinese crap. A couple things to consider is running wattage not peak wattage. Manufacturers like to boast the max wattage the generator can handle on the side or packaging. That doesn't mean you would want to push it that high for extended periods. Look at the decibel ratings. When camping very few like to listen to a generator blaring all day or night long. I can remember one trip quading someone at a nearby camp had one running their camper at night and was obnoxious to the point that a few considered sneaking over to the camp and sabotaging the damn thing. And one last thing to consider is fuel consumption/ runtime per gallon. Many generators can have the same output ratings but some are hogs on the fuel.

 

I've had a Honda EU2000 for 10 yrs and have used it extensively for my tt when I was working Katrina and I use for work also. No other generator compares. Eco throttle feature only runs the gen. as hard as it needs to,easily ran my 30'tt minus ac for 12 hrs.Rated at 59db I think which is very quiet.

 

quiet is a key for me...then comes fuel economy...many do advertise the fuel consumption but not may mention its decibal rating....and I know the "i wanna sabotage that thing" angle...I too have had to listen to ppl's loud generators..not fun. never did but sure planned iit over a few beers...lol...Thanks for the decibal number...I will use that for a benchmark. Honda is a goal but are pricey.

All god info for my search, thanks.
Keep the input coming cuz i sure do want one.

 

Yamaha generators are every bit as quiet and dependable as Honda. There are some off brands worth looking at. RV.net has a lot of good info too.

 

Let's not get crazy.Yamaha generators are pretty quiet and fuel efficient also,I had a 1000watt Yamaha that served me well.But a Honda generator is the best you can get.As far as off brand goes,I wouldn't buy one.Lots of times they don't put out clean,consistent power which screws with cell phone chargers,laptops,etc. You get what you pay for. Buy a good one and you'll have it 30 yrs..

 

are y'all forgetting about Onan generators? those are good also. like others have stated, decibel levels are advertised heavily. some of the manufacturers "hide" some of their testing. it may say 60 decibels or whatever, but in the fine print, it'll say at 25' or more. pay the extra and get a name brand which will be dependable with normal care. as also stated, peak wattage is ok, but sustainable wattage is better.

 

From my experience as a long time rv'er / camper...

grab a propane generator- a lot quiter than a gas gen.
plus- no stale gas / ethenol issues with the rubber & storage, propane burns 10x cleaner, virtuallly no exhaust odor (very little) & much quiter, just about every campground has a propane refill station instead of humping your gas in & out of the camp ground- spill a little gas near where you're camping and all you'll smell is that damed gas all day long!

And- BJ's or Costco's will refill 35lb tanks for around $12-$14 - and the tank will last you a good week (we only used our gen maybe an hour or two per day)

We used to have a small 1kw 2 stroke honda gen for camping and a 7kw dewalt gen for the house-
Now our camper and our house both use propane generators and I couldn't be happier.

 

I hadn't seen much advertised on propane generators but I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a Honda EU200i (1600 watt) generator last nite...I know ya cannot go wrong with a Honda for almost all applications...not htat I would own a Honda pick-up if they made one but you know what I mean....MC's, cars, generators...they make'em right.
Thanks for all the input..
Even though i already purchased one I probably will investigate a propane model...not too late to cancel the order, but with the accessibility of gasoline that fuel seems right for me and my needs. Being a "quad trip" camping generator I willl have gasoline around all the time so it fits. For general camping I can see not carrying many gallons of fuel with me that could spill and smell.

 

you might consider returning it-
propane is so much more cleaner, quieter and easier to use.
like I said- every camp has propane on site because it's what every RV uses.
You'll need to carry another 5 gallons of gas- Gas is a pita- keeping it around for the gen, keeping the area free from gas fumes and gas exhaust- especially if you're around other campers and kids.
you won't even have to bring fuel, just grab a tank from the camp office when you show up- less to pack. I've been there & done with the gas gen's- just so much nicer with a propane gen...

honda make a few- like this one. This is a larger 10kw model for $1900-but you can get them smaller- around 4.5kw at half the price.