Generator

[spook]

Hi folks I'm looking into getting a generator for camping 2000 watts model ,iv been looking at those Chinese ones on eBay don't no much about these, has anybody bought one of these units or no anything about them,thanks Luke..

[wardy1]

Please, if you really have to buy a generator so that you can take everything you have at home camping with you....... camp a long way from US!
Sorry mate, you might be the exception, but I get really annoyed when I get to somewhere to enjoy the peace and tranquility and all I hear is the noise of a generator.
What is it that people just MUST take away that requires a generator? Surely we can live without a TV, or a microwave for a few days/weeks? We have, and continue to do so for over 30 years.
BTW, before everyone jumps all over this and says "bet he didn't have kids". We trekked all through the high country with our kids till they were in their teens and they were NEVER bored.
Didn't mean to hijack your thread.... but I just had to say something.

[Blknight.aus]

only reason I carry my small genny is to charge the batteries enough to get a start (IF I cant bum a jump/push/tow/roll start) I only carry the big one (2800w) if Im going to be running the power tools but then Im generally doing work that people will make an exception to having a genset running or they're expecting it.

Sine wave inverters and decent battery setups with smart use of what youve got and converting to 12v systems is the way to go for camping.

[DeeJay]

[QUOTE=wardy1;1307285]
What is it that people just MUST take away that requires a generator? Surely we can live without a TV, or a microwave for a few days/weeks? We have, and continue to do so for over 30 years.

Then don't get sleep apnoea & need a CPAP like me :D

I generally use a powerpack that will go 1 night, but if I'm not moving - ie recharging the battery, then the generator has to run.

Sorry, but you did ask. I lasted 30 years without one too:angel:

The chinese ones don't have a good reputation BTW.

[spook]

Please, if you really have to buy a generator so that you can take everything you have at home camping with you....... camp a long way from US!
Sorry mate, you might be the exception, but I get really annoyed when I get to somewhere to enjoy the peace and tranquility and all I hear is the noise of a generator.
What is it that people just MUST take away that requires a generator? Surely we can live without a TV, or a microwave for a few days/weeks? We have, and continue to do so for over 30 years.
BTW, before everyone jumps all over this and says "bet he didn't have kids". We trekked all through the high country with our kids till they were in their teens and they were NEVER bored.
Didn't mean to hijack your thread.... but I just had to say something.
Mate i do agree but i have a fridge to keep my beer cold and when you go away for long perids well your second battery will be flat generator is for this reason only dont have tv or mic and wont have one.:)

[spook]

only reason I carry my small genny is to charge the batteries enough to get a start (IF I cant bum a jump/push/tow/roll start) I only carry the big one (2800w) if Im going to be running the power tools but then Im generally doing work that people will make an exception to having a genset running or they're expecting it.

Sine wave inverters and decent battery setups with smart use of what you've got and converting to 12v systems is the way to go for camping.
Thats what i need one for just the battery's i am on 12 volt and gas it would just be a handy tool , 93 range rover 2inch lift 33inch muddies ect,thanks Luke.

[Bigbjorn]

[QUOTE=wardy1;1307285]

The chinese ones don't have a good reputation BTW.

I have had one of the $99 600 watt chinese generators for six years. I put a vibratory hour meter on it when new and it had done >500 hours when I had another use for the hour meter. This was over two years ago. I use it run my fridge and lights when camping and at swap meets. I used it at home to run the TV and a standard lamp once when we lost power from a thunderstorm. Never had a problem other than putting too much oil in the fuel mix. I now stick strictly to the 50:1 required. I once thought the Chinese spark plug looked dodgy so changed it for a Champion equivalent, N21, which oiled in two hours. Changed back to the original which is still performing faultlessly.

I have not come across anyone with a Chinese generator who is unhappy with it.

[Disco44]

Please, if you really have to buy a generator so that you can take everything you have at home camping with you....... camp a long way from US!
Sorry mate, you might be the exception, but I get really annoyed when I get to somewhere to enjoy the peace and tranquility and all I hear is the noise of a generator.
What is it that people just MUST take away that requires a generator? Surely we can live without a TV, or a microwave for a few days/weeks? We have, and continue to do so for over 30 years.
BTW, before everyone jumps all over this and says "bet he didn't have kids". We trekked all through the high country with our kids till they were in their teens and they were NEVER bored.
Didn't mean to hijack your thread.... but I just had to say something.
X2 it's easy to set up a good camp using 12 volts,gas stoves & lights etc.
Generator noise is a pain in the arse.

[spook]

[quote=DeeJay;1307329]

I have had one of the $99 600 watt chinese generators for six years. I put a vibratory hour meter on it when new and it had done >500 hours when I had another use for the hour meter. This was over two years ago. I use it run my fridge and lights when camping and at swap meets. I used it at home to run the TV and a standard lamp once when we lost power from a thunderstorm. Never had a problem other than putting too much oil in the fuel mix. I now stick strictly to the 50:1 required. I once thought the Chinese spark plug looked dodgy so changed it for a Champion equivalent, N21, which oiled in two hours. Changed back to the original which is still performing faultlessly.

I have not come across anyone with a Chinese generator who is unhappy with it.
cheers mate thank you for answering my question pretty simple for some, only need the gen for my batteries thanks Luke.:)

[d2dave]

Mate i do agree but i have a fridge to keep my beer cold and when you go away for long perids well your second battery will be flat generator is for this reason only dont have tv or mic and wont have one.:)

Solar panels. I camp for two weeks at a time and run a few 12V lights and a 40L Engle with no problems.

If you only want the geny to charge a battery one of the smaller 700 watt jobs will do the trick. Another alternative for battery charging is this.

The Christie Engineering Petrol Powered 12V Battery Charger | Australias Premier Online 4wd magazine - Offroader (http://www.offroader.com.au/2008/12/15/christie-eng-12-volt-petrol-powered-battery-charger/)

Although a little noisy very light weight and ideal for battery charging and running 12V stuff.

Dave

[Utemad]

Mate i do agree but i have a fridge to keep my beer cold and when you go away for long perids well your second battery will be flat generator is for this reason only dont have tv or mic and wont have one.:)

If you only want to be able to charge your battery to run a fridge then buy a solar panel.

No moving parts, no fuel required, no noise, no maintenance, less weight etc.

[spook]

If you only want to be able to charge your battery to run a fridge then buy a solar panel.

No moving parts, no fuel required, no noise, no maintenance, less weight etc.
there no good unless you spend big bucks for the amps to charge my batteries if you no anything about solar

[spook]

Solar panels. I camp for two weeks at a time and run a few 12V lights and a 40L Engle with no problems.

If you only want the geny to charge a battery one of the smaller 700 watt jobs will do the trick. Another alternative for battery charging is this.

The Christie Engineering Petrol Powered 12V Battery Charger | Australias Premier Online 4wd magazine - Offroader (http://www.offroader.com.au/2008/12/15/christie-eng-12-volt-petrol-powered-battery-charger/)

Although a little noisy very light weight and ideal for battery charging and running 12V stuff.

Dave
Thanks mate i have looked into these things have used a Honda one it was great, but i thought a generator would be more handy thanks Luke.

[roverrescue]

"What is it that people just MUST take away that requires a generator?"

How about a 1500W 100L brine freezer running at -18. Gets the drinks down to temperature in minutes and perfect for the crabs post boiling... But dont worry Wardy I can guarentee you will never be camping near us, nor anyone really!!!!

I can vouch for Honda 2kVa gennies. Plenty of poke for powering the house during cyclone season when needed and good for fishing camps. Oil change is a breeze, cylinder is serviceble and all round good unit.

Not in the "touring" set up but for stationery camps makes life easy in the north.

Steve

[spook]

"What is it that people just MUST take away that requires a generator?"

How about a 1500W 100L brine freezer running at -18. Gets the drinks down to temperature in minutes and perfect for the crabs post boiling... But dont worry Wardy I can guarentee you will never be camping near us, nor anyone really!!!!

I can vouch for Honda 2kVa gennies. Plenty of poke for powering the house during cyclone season when needed and good for fishing camps. Oil change is a breeze, cylinder is serviceble and all round good unit.

Not in the "touring" set up but for stationery camps makes life easy in the north.

Steve
thanks mate

[d2dave]

there no good unless you spend big bucks for the amps to charge my batteries if you no anything about solar

I know a fair bit about solar. A 2KVA geny in a good brand(Honda, Yamaha) is going to set you back about $2K+. For this coin you can get about 400 watts of solar which is about 25 amps!

Dave.

[roverrescue]

Just to clarify thats the EU 2kVa. I have built a gennie box for it that is square and strong and waterproof, fits 50m of lead plus power boards etc into it. Just walk out till the cord runs out, plonk it down and fire it up.
The square box also helps when packing the tray as you can chuck stuff on it and around it etc.

S

[spook]

I know a fair bit about solar. A 2KVA geny in a good brand(Honda, Yamaha) is going to set you back about $2K+. For this coin you can get about 400 watts of solar which is about 25 amps!

Dave.
Thanks Dave but I'm not asking about solar generator was the question.

[Blknight.aus]

there no good unless you spend big bucks for the amps to charge my batteries if you no anything about solar

80w of solar panel stays in front of my old engle for about 3-4 days, longer if I turn the engle down a bit or let the trailer battery top up off of the dual battery in the car.

how many batteries and what are you drawing off if 140w (thats about 10A @12v well 13.5v for charging or about 70Ah for a 24 hour period) of solar cant keep in front of your batteries.

Im at about 200w worth in total and its only cost me about $70. 90% of the time I only take the single 80w panel. I usually use a 12v500mA panel that I bought from a garage sale for 50c 7+ years ago to charge/top batteries when they're not in use, and it gets fozzys starter battery from flat to startable in a day.

remind me when I get back from townsville to get you a pic of my $0 12v battery charger.

[d2dave]

Fair call, point taken.

Dave.

[hiline]

Hi folks I'm looking into getting a generator for camping 2000 watts model ,iv been looking at those Chinese ones on eBay don't no much about these, has anybody bought one of these units or no anything about them,thanks Luke..

i've had mine a couple of years now..........
been happy with it so far :D

[Utemad]

The good thing about forums is you don't just get answers you also get options.

I paid less than $400 for 2nd hand BP solar panels including a new regulator. 120 watts worth.

Having used a generator when we camped years ago (a good quality Kubota 400w unit which we still have) I love my solar panels!

Unless you have serious power needs or camp somewhere there is not much sun, then solar wins.

[PhilipA]

Unless you have serious power needs or camp somewhere there is not much sun, then solar wins.

A big caveat!! It can be dull for days in the tropics.

I just bought a second hand Yamaha 750watt 4 stroke continuous and a 20 amp 240Volt smartcharger (total cost $400) to charge my second battery on the occasions that the nights are very hot and the Engel works hard.
I reckon I will be able to charge the second 95AH battery 90% in 2-3 hours during the day when most are away. My plan is secure it to the front axle of the car.

I may also get one of the cheap solar setups but I gather many are stolen if left out by the big chains I have seen attached.LOL.

Also in my experience /observation, most sites have partial shade from tall trees and often it is impossible to have more than a couple of hours of full sun without shifting the panels. Not good if you want to go away from the site, which for me is almost every day.

Also my experience in several tropical caravan parks/camping grounds was for unpowered sites I would be asked did I want a shady site or one in full sun. When I asked why would anyone want a full sun site in the tropics I was told, Oh the solar panel people need full sun.

Many National Park sites have quiet and genny areas, so in this case I will drive a couple of minutes to the genny area and run it up.

I think that you can have a good compromise either way but a generator does not necessarily have to be a damn nuisance to others. maybe its the character of the people who need their microwaves etc , that they have no consideration for others.
Regards Philip A

[vnx205]

I think that you can have a good compromise either way but a generator does not necessarily have to be a damn nuisance to others. maybe its the character of the people who need their microwaves etc , that they have no consideration for others.
Regards Philip A

There are people who own generators who are fully aware of the need to be considerate of other campers.

A few years back, I was camped in the little bit of Gregory National Park that is between a creek and the main highway. The only other person there was in a quite large mobile home about 100 metres away. Late in the afternoon, he approached me to ask me if I would mind if he ran his generator for an hour or so to charge up a battery.

I think he took the generator around to the other side of his mobile home, but I don't know how long he ran it because I couldn't hear it above the sound of the birds, the breeze in the trees and the crackle of our cooking fire and the occasional passing vehicle. If he hadn't come and asked me, I don't think I would have noticed it was running at all.

Perhaps if all generator owners were as considerate as he was, there would not be such an instinctively hostile reaction to the mere mention of the word "generator". Maybe he is a member of a small minority.

[Tank]

I have a 1Kv generator it's a Kirpor, bought off a mob called Novasmic on eBay for $375 delivered. It is an exact copy of the eq. EU Honda, side by side the only external difference was the name and instruction transfers. When I take this genny away I site it at the end of a 15amp H/D lead 35 metres long in the scrub. This genny emits 35db of sound, same as the Honda, which is the equivalent of 2 people speaking normally. I find that the nearby river makes more noise as does the wind in the trees and birds, I actually have to keep an ear out to make sure it hasn't run out of fuel, so noise is Not a problem. Yet a lot of people think it is sacrilege to take a genny bush, so I only take it now if everyone agrees, I have solar panels to recharge the batteries, but you need sunshine and you need it all day long, so there are Pro's and Cons to both methods, happy camping, Regards Frank.

[fraser130]

there no good unless you spend big bucks for the amps to charge my batteries if you no anything about solar

I disagree.

I have one 125watt panel, it can run all my lights, music, Charge my laptop and run my 70litre fridge, and have my second battery fully charged by around midday.
I can camp as long as I want with no generator.
the panel was $1200, regulator was $200.
so $1400 and a little effort to set it up, and I never have to hear a generator (or anyone else for that matter)

Fraser

[spook]

There are people who own generators who are fully aware of the need to be considerate of other campers.

A few years back, I was camped in the little bit of Gregory National Park that is between a creek and the main highway. The only other person there was in a quite large mobile home about 100 metres away. Late in the afternoon, he approached me to ask me if I would mind if he ran his generator for an hour or so to charge up a battery.

I think he took the generator around to the other side of his mobile home, but I don't know how long he ran it because I couldn't hear it above the sound of the birds, the breeze in the trees and the crackle of our cooking fire and the occasional passing vehicle. If he hadn't come and asked me, I don't think I would have noticed it was running at all.

Perhaps if all generator owners were as considerate as he was, there would not be such an instinctively hostile reaction to the mere mention of the word "generator". Maybe he is a member of a small minority.
cheers mate thanks

[spook]

I disagree.

I have one 125watt panel, it can run all my lights, music, Charge my laptop and run my 70litre fridge, and have my second battery fully charged by around midday.
I can camp as long as I want with no generator.
the panel was $1200, regulator was $200.
so $1400 and a little effort to set it up, and I never have to hear a generator (or anyone else for that matter)

Fraser
seems like a lot of money to spend on solar and if it rains for days then what no sun no power or very little.

[Redback]

seems like a lot of money to spend on solar and if it rains for days then what no sun no power or very little.

You save in the long run, you could always set it up so a drive in your car for an hour or 2 will replenish things, that's how we have set up our system, just another option for you to look at.

Baz.

[Blknight.aus]

seems like a lot of money to spend on solar and if it rains for days then what no sun no power or very little.

take the car for a drive. Its better than finding out that your expensive generator has vibrated itself into the ground filled its bearings with mud killed them and on the way has picked up a heap of water and shorted itself out.

lets just say that siting the genny in the dead ground was a good idea when it wasnt raining and once it started raining forays out from under tarpmahal were soley restricted to getting the next round of drinks out of the car, to haul more wood to the fire or to take a slash.

[LandyAndy]

I have got an old Honda 5 kva genset,its as noisy as,and take a fullsize chest freezer on the trailer,flood lights and a house entertainment system.
Its the easiest way to make sure you have room in a small campground.You drive the neighbors out.

Andrew

[spook]

take the car for a drive. Its better than finding out that your expensive generator has vibrated itself into the ground filled its bearings with mud killed them and on the way has picked up a heap of water and shorted itself out.

lets just say that siting the genny in the dead ground was a good idea when it wasnt raining and once it started raining forays out from under tarpmahal were soley restricted to getting the next round of drinks out of the car, to haul more wood to the fire or to take a slash.
only if your a dope and don't no what you are doing yes that could happen, anyway solar is a good idea but not for me,i just wanted to no if anybody has bought one of these cheap Chinese inverter generators and what are they like, not what i should be taking camping that's my business full stop.

[LandyAndy]

Spook
The AGR Machinery mob on ebay has Honda copies at a quater of what I paid for my Honda EU20.Around $600 delivered.If you arent pushing it to its limits its worth the gamble in you cant afford spending the $$$ on the Honda.Love mine,yet to take it camping.Its helped no end in a couple of power outages.
Andrew

[Blknight.aus]

has bought one of these cheap Chinese inverter generators and what are they like, not what i should be taking camping that's my business full stop.

if you're looking at the same cheap jap crap 2000w gennies that I looked at for about $250 on ebay I got some bad news for you. They aint inverter, thems old school governed engine spinning an alternator type gennies and they are the penultimate of WOFTAM. They make as much noise as a pollie pre election and have a power output about as stable as decade old nitro.


Just remember if your all out of battery and your genny wont start your in a worse position than the bloke with solar, even on overcast days the solar panels will give something and he can just wait it out for the sun.

[PhilipA]

i just wanted to no if anybody has bought one of these cheap Chinese inverter generators and what are they like, not what i should be taking camping that's my business full stop.

I guess I didn't answer clearly, but I decided to buy a second hand good quality Yamaha 1000 4 stroke generator rather than a new Chinese one. I was lucky to get one with almost no hours for $300. It is not inverter but has a stable output. Downside is that it is 24KG rather than 14 for an inverter and is 60DB vs 52db.

I have read mixed reports on the Chinese ones from terrible to good. My impression is that it is a bit of a lottery. Super Cheap now sell one that looks OK and their warranty support should be good.
Regards Philip A

[spook]

if you're looking at the same cheap jap crap 2000w gennies that I looked at for about $250 on ebay I got some bad news for you. They aint inverter, thems old school governed engine spinning an alternator type gennies and they are the penultimate of WOFTAM. They make as much noise as a pollie pre election and have a power output about as stable as decade old nitro.


Just remember if your all out of battery and your genny wont start your in a worse position than the bloke with solar, even on overcast days the solar panels will give something and he can just wait it out for the sun.
your looking at the wrong ones.

[spook]

I guess I didn't answer clearly, but I decided to buy a second hand good quality Yamaha 1000 4 stroke generator rather than a new Chinese one. I was lucky to get one with almost no hours for $300. It is not inverter but has a stable output. Downside is that it is 24KG rather than 14 for an inverter and is 60DB vs 52db.

I have read mixed reports on the Chinese ones from terrible to good. My impression is that it is a bit of a lottery. Super Cheap now sell one that looks OK and their warranty support should be good.
Regards Philip A
Thanks i have been doing a fair bit of finding out about these Chinese gens on the net on other forum sites and i will leave them alone might look at the Honda battery charger one its only small and can pump up to 55amps not that you do that to your battery, anyway thanks for the help.:)

[LandyAndy]

This would be the one Im talking about.
MTM Inverter Generator Silent 4.2kVA Camping Caravan - eBay Guns, Sprayers, Painting Supplies, Building Materials, DIY, Home. (end time 15-Aug-10 15:15:36 AEST) (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/MTM-Inverter-Generator-Silent-4-2kVA-Camping-Caravan-/130410826487?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Building_Materials&hash=item1e5d174af7)

I bought my block splitter from this mob.It did fail and I paid for repairs rather than return to base for the warranty.They could have told me to go shove it as I didnt send the machine back,but they did come to the party and paid me a portion of my costs,A win win in my opinion.
They were EXCELENT in communicating the whole way thru the situation.
Andrew

[Blknight.aus]

buy a 35A alternator from a wreckers. a whipper snipper and hook the 2 together with about $5 in scrap steel and youve got a home brew version of the honda 55a battery charger, I knocked on up just on a "I wonder" basis

[d2dave]

I disagree.

I have one 125watt panel, it can run all my lights, music, Charge my laptop and run my 70litre fridge, and have my second battery fully charged by around midday.
I can camp as long as I want with no generator.
the panel was $1200, regulator was $200.
so $1400 and a little effort to set it up, and I never have to hear a generator (or anyone else for that matter)

Fraser

You can now buy that for about a third of this now.
As for parking in the sun I have a 20metre lead for my panels so I park in the shade and put the panels in the sun.
They still work when cloudy just not as well.

Dave.

[Bigbjorn]

At Toowoomba Swap meet in 2009 a bunch on the site behind mine bitched and moaned about the noise and fumes from my generator so I moved it up to the front of my sites with the exhaust blowing out over the road.

This pack of iceholes drank, played loud music, and coo-eed into the early am. Next morning I moved the gennie right down to the edge of my site with the exhaust blowing right into their shelter and let it rip. I got a couple of visitors to take their bikes down next to the gennie and park there whilst they had a look around and then gave a really good rev up. Nothing like 12,000rpm from an MV Agusta Evo2 for a hangover cure accompanied by the nice steady beat of a couple of Harleys.

[fraser130]

You can now buy that for about a third of this now.
As for parking in the sun I have a 20metre lead for my panels so I park in the shade and put the panels in the sun.
They still work when cloudy just not as well.

Dave.

I know, the prices have really dropped!

I think solar is by far the the best option for most camping applications, but there is a little more work in setting it up, and some people just don't have the setup sized correctly, but it's not for everyone.
One thing that annoys me is a 2Kva genny running for hours at maybe 2% load, just to run some lights and a fridge. waste of fuel/wear on the genny, annoying to others.
The number of campers I've seen trying to charge their batteries with a 4 amp charger on a 2kva is unbelievable.

Anyway, I have a Kipor 2Kva, and have never needed to use it camping, and I never stop for less than a week, and it's usually with 3 families, and I supply all the power for lighting (12v compact flouro's and LED's), music, and our 70 litre autofridge, recharging the portable DVD players, recharging torch batteries, running my laptop, charging the UHF handhelds.

But this is one of those topics that people seem to be destined to never agree on.......:D

[Pierre]

If you have a need, go solar panels for charging batteiy sets. And if you do need 240V to power tools, etc, then inverter technology may not get you all the way. Check out the Kulkyne Kampers site for some info.

But like Wardy remarked, please keep the noise at home. On topic, we have used an el-cheapo Sino gen set for emergency work at home, a 2 stroke, run about 230 hours in 6 years - not a single drama.

HTH

Pete

[d2dave]

I know, the prices have really dropped!

I think solar is by far the the best option for most camping applications, but there is a little more work in setting it up, and some people just don't have the setup sized correctly, but it's not for everyone.
One thing that annoys me is a 2Kva genny running for hours at maybe 2% load, just to run some lights and a fridge. waste of fuel/wear on the genny, annoying to others.
The number of campers I've seen trying to charge their batteries with a 4 amp charger on a 2kva is unbelievable.

Anyway, I have a Kipor 2Kva, and have never needed to use it camping, and I never stop for less than a week, and it's usually with 3 families, and I supply all the power for lighting (12v compact flouro's and LED's), music, and our 70 litre autofridge, recharging the portable DVD players, recharging torch batteries, running my laptop, charging the UHF handhelds.

But this is one of those topics that people seem to be destined to never agree on.......:D

Couldn't agree more here. It would not worry me if my camping neighbor asked would I mind if he ran his genny for an hour to charge his batteries as someone pointed out in a previous post. Putting some real grunt into them for an hour would do the trick and if set up properly would get you through the night and up to the point of needing another hour again

As you pointed out I hate the ones that as soon as dusk hits, on goes the genny to run a couple of lights and stays on till they go to bed. This is at a time when the area is usually at it's quietest (night time) and the hum from a genny can be heard(and annoying) from 300 metres away.

Dave.

[Fluids]

I sell the Honda EU's at work. Don't waste your $$ on the cheapie chinese ones ... especially the 2 strokes!! ... apart from the damage I've seen, parts are usually non existant ... ymmv :) The 2 stroke chinese ones are throttle controlled for voltage ... that's just an accident waiting to happen ... I recently had one in that was putting out 384 volts & 118Hz !!! .... sure made the pedestal fan run fast on low ... buyer beware.

If it's just for standby use, then for my money if you're on a budget, buy a used Honda EU10i off Ebay, and a 240v 15A-25A (or larger) smart charger ... the EU10i will comfortably run a 50A 240v battery charger. You get 1000w of 240v & a quick recharge for your house batteries ... anything that needs 240v to recharge should be connected at the same time. They are quiet, use minimal fuel, and you'll get parts/repairs almost anywhere australia wide.

If you need more ... get an EU20i, same deal as above.

The onboard battery charging of these units is NOT suitable for anything other than a quick BULK charge into a flat cranking battery as it is limited at 12vdc ... it'll never fully charge a deep cycle, lead acid, agm battery. Never!

If you want a price for an EU, PM me. AULRO subscriber discounts apply.

Kev..

[Bigbjorn]

Don't waste your $$ on the cheapie chinese ones ... especially the 2 strokes!! ... apart from the damage I've seen, parts are usually non existant ... ymmv :)
Kev..

I paid $99 for mine when new. I don't expect to repair it or have to buy parts as repairs of any kind professionally performed would exceed the price of a new one. It has performed flawlessly for six years now. If it dies I will buy another the same.

[Fluids]

Like I said Brian ... ymmv ! :)

... it's not a 1000w or 2000w unit is it ?

One of the 650/850watt ones ? A 2 stroke ?

Do you run a laptop or other sensitive electronic devices off it ... or just lights, or a power tool ?

Thanks!
Kev..

[Bigbjorn]

Like I said Brian ... ymmv ! :)

... it's not a 1000w or 2000w unit is it ?

One of the 650/850watt ones ? A 2 stroke ?

Do you run a laptop or other sensitive electronic devices off it ... or just lights, or a power tool ?

Thanks!
Kev..

A 650/850 two stroke. Runs camping fridge and lights. Has charged car batteries, and has been used for 240 volt lights and TV during a blackout. Easily runs my 3/4" AEG drill but will only operate a heat gun on low setting.

Great value for money. Economical, runs 9 hours of fridge and lights on 4 litres fuel. It has over 600 hours on it now. Starts easily, one or two pulls. I would buy another any time.

[d2dave]

I have an 850 watt GMC which I bought for $99. Had a black out once about half an hour before Bathurst started. A mad panic followed to get the genny running. My $2500 plasma telly did not like it and the thing shut down. I pood myself thinking that I had destroyed it. Luckily when the power cam back the telly worked.

Dave.

[Fluids]

Thanks Brian! Your's is one of the few success stories I've heard ... normally we get people bringing them in only when they've fried something or the genny won't go ... never hear the success stories very often.

Dave ... you're a braver man than I :p

Kev..

[spook]

I sell the Honda EU's at work. Don't waste your $$ on the cheapie chinese ones ... especially the 2 strokes!! ... apart from the damage I've seen, parts are usually non existant ... ymmv :) The 2 stroke chinese ones are throttle controlled for voltage ... that's just an accident waiting to happen ... I recently had one in that was putting out 384 volts & 118Hz !!! .... sure made the pedestal fan run fast on low ... buyer beware.

If it's just for standby use, then for my money if you're on a budget, buy a used Honda EU10i off Ebay, and a 240v 15A-25A (or larger) smart charger ... the EU10i will comfortably run a 50A 240v battery charger. You get 1000w of 240v & a quick recharge for your house batteries ... anything that needs 240v to recharge should be connected at the same time. They are quiet, use minimal fuel, and you'll get parts/repairs almost anywhere australia wide.

If you need more ... get an EU20i, same deal as above.

The onboard battery charging of these units is NOT suitable for anything other than a quick BULK charge into a flat cranking battery as it is limited at 12vdc ... it'll never fully charge a deep cycle, lead acid, agm battery. Never!

If you want a price for an EU, PM me. AULRO subscriber discounts apply.

Kev..
Thanks for the info didn't realise the 12v charging systems on generators wont charge a deep cycle batteries the small Honda might be the go..