Generators

Well we have decked out our trailer with what we think we will need and I am positive we will find more gear to buy but for now we are focused on "power". Our trailer has a 50 amp and 30 amp connection as well as the basic battery system. It has propane (LP gas) hot water,fridge (refer) and stove but we will need batteries for lighting and the furnace fan, and of course there is a limit to the batteries. We have never boondocked before however we are keen to try it once our confidence builds. So this begs the question if we boondock how long will it be for? Our understanding is that the on board batteries will do the basics but for any long term camping we will need a generator. So after much discussion we decide that we will purchase a generator. We are sure we will use it and of course we could wait to buy one later but we do not want to be in the position of "let's go Boondocking" and then spend many hours and countless miles looking for a generator. So let the search begin!

So where do we start? Well first you need to know how much power you need to run things in your trailer. The most power hungry item is the air conditioner on start up, this is the watts needed to "kick" it into gear, but once running the power needed drops significantly. This of course will not be running all the time but it's important to know what size generator you need, my thoughts, plan to need as much power to at least start the air conditioner, after all we do plan to stay at Big Bend National Park. Then of course there are the usual items, microwave, lights etc. There are sites which have tables to advise you of how many watts your appliances will need and in our case we new our air conditioner was 13,500 BTU or 2500 watts at start up.

Camping World was a good place as well as John who provided us with a brand that a friend of his uses, then of course there are forums a plenty. So in the end you have three choices, cheap, middle of the range and of course top shelf! Top shelf are the Honda's and Yamaha's and of course they are great generator's, and there is not a bad word about them, but for us price was a concern.

For us we had to weigh up the cost versus the time of our trip, and to be honest at this point we are not sure if we will sell it all on completion or go back (I like the go back option). So as usual I spent many hours researching generators and to find out some parks won't allow generators over a certain db rating was significant, we don't want to be known as those dam Aussies with the loud generator!

For the Honda we could have gone the companion set, two 2 thousand watt generators linked together for about $2000-00 they run at 58 db. The cheaper what I call the bangers run at 78 db, keeping in mind db has a doubling effect so they are quite loud. Then I came across a generator called the "Boily", now I know it's not made in the good old USA but its price, output of watts and low db made it a good proposition, not to mention it was getting good reviews on forums. I rang Tommy from Bottom Line Trading and he was very helpful, had a brief chat and it pretty much confirmed which way to go, as with all things you have to trade off. We spent twice as much as you would on a "banger" but half as much as the cost of a Honda and at 3300 watts it suited our needs.

I payed by pay pal and the generator was delivered in three business days! How is that for service and that was from Texas to Ohio so from the bottom state to the top, UPS what a great service.

- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Brisbane