Generator - weight?

mickietucs

Amazon has a "deal of the day" on the Wen generator/inverter and I might snag it. Only concern I'm grappling with is weight. I realize they're all in the 40-50 lb range. Do you think it's possible to open up the back of a pick-up truck (has a camper shell), leave the generator in there to run it? Not sure if I'd be able to lift it in/out all the time.  Thanks.

Tabaz

I'd be very concerned about the exhaust because of the camper shell creating a semi-closed environment.  Also, wouldn't you have to hop up into the bed to pull the starter rope on the generator?  Do you have enough clearance for your arm on the pull within the shell?

John_and_Kris

In addition to OutbackAZ comments  you could have a fan inside the bed to move the exhaust around. Also I saw a lift adapter that goes into the hitch and you can pulley your gen up and swing it out and lower to  ground
We have added the Aluminum Platform from LG to our T@B Max S and plan to have the generator secured there and just lift down to ground and run it from there or move to where exhaust is not an issue

mickietucs

Good points. John - can you send me a link regarding the "lift adapter"?

John_and_Kris

Ok let me see if I can find it again

John_and_Kris

Michele: It is from Northern Tool  and has a few pictures John

Ultra-Tow Hydraulic Hitch Mount Crane — 30in. - 84in. Lift Range, 1,000-Lb. Capacity

Item# 38363

jkjenn

John&Kris said:

In addition to OutbackAZ comments  you could have a fan inside the bed to move the exhaust around. Also I saw a lift adapter that goes into the hitch and you can pulley your gen up and swing it out and lower to  ground
We have added the Aluminum Platform from LG to our T@B Max S and plan to have the generator secured there and just lift down to ground and run it from there or move to where exhaust is not an issue

I will follow how this works for you. I would love to find away to make this useful for overnight parking. I wonder if there is some type of swing away option that could be added to the Outback platform?

John_and_Kris

Jenn:  The Honda 2000i we have is 45 lbs. The height from the Platform is only about 2' and  Kris & I can lift it alone and I have a back back hip and knee brace. John
You could look and West Marine I believe they have a device that mounts on a railing that they use to pick up and lower outboard motors. We used one several years ago to lower our outboard down to our small tender . I believe you could attach it to one of the outboard arms on the Platform. I would still go to Camping World and try picking one of the 2000i's up first. John

mickietucs

Guess I'll hold off (that crane is quite the contraption and adds to the cost of the generator) -- perhaps I'll save my $$ to get the 27lbs Yamaha (although that one is the 1000w model).

John_and_Kris

Michele: Go to Camping World and see what lifting 45lbs Honda 2000i is like. They may even bring one out to your TV to try.

Tabaz

Michele - Confirm the 1000 W Yamaha has the parallel port feature so that you can add another 1000 unit if you ever need the added capacity.  This photo shows two connected.

John_and_Kris

Michele Here is  lift I was talking about

John_and_Kris

A company called Defender Industries carries different models.

Tabaz

Oops - upon closer examination, that may be a photo of two 2000W Yamahas (even though I Googled the 1000 model).  I also can't find any mention of the parallel feature for the 1000s.

Tabaz

Another truck bed crane idea (only $79 with their 20% discount):

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-capacity-pickup-truck-crane-60732.html

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f30/lifting-the-generator-and-other-heavy-items-24601.html

mickietucs

All super ideas. And that truck bed crane isn't that much and seems to fit neatly to the side. I will take the idea of going to CW (close to my work) and get a feel for the weight. I will bookmark this page for future reference. Unfortunately the Amazon Deal of the Day is closed - but I'm confident some other deal will pop up.  I've eyed that Westinghouse too.

jkjenn

John&Kris said:

Jenn:  The Honda 2000i we have is 45 lbs. The height from the Platform is only about 2' and  Kris & I can lift it alone and I have a back back hip and knee brace. John
You could look and West Marine I believe they have a device that mounts on a railing that they use to pick up and lower outboard motors. We used one several years ago to lower our outboard down to our small tender . I believe you could attach it to one of the outboard arms on the Platform. I would still go to Camping World and try picking one of the 2000i's up first. John

Thanks, John, I am actually not too worried about lifting, more about the look of camping versus overnight parking, if that makes sense. I would want to be able to swing it away to prevent exhaust creating a health issue.

I am having more success of locating some non-Walmart overnight parking stops, but it would be nice to have an a/c solution for Walmart nights on really humid nights.

Ratkity

I have a flat tonneau cover over my GMC Canyon truck bed and the Honda 2000i fits right under it (with anti-theft handle). I have to open the cover all the way to access where I keep the generator locked (close to the cab).

My truck bed has a thick rubber mat as a bed liner. The generator pulls well (gotta keep a foot on it when pulling the cord though). Even with the tonneau cover all the way folded back (it's a "BackFlip model"), the exhaust still can accumulate low in the bed. I pointed the exhaust to match the wind direction and could still smell it. Echoing or increased noise was not an issue. The genny did not move from where I put it (still locked to the bed too).

There's a wheeled cart you can buy just for the Honda 2000i. It's a cute little thing, but the handle does not fit under my tonneau cover. You can run the generator on the wheeled cart (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CSBUXJW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00). Still have to lift it into the truck bed though.

Pop-T@B

Boo, I have Westinghouse WH2000iXLT , it is very quiet, very easy to pick up one handed. If you can pick up a 5 gallon water tote, you can pick this generator up. I am very pleased with it, out of the box added the oil and gas, started on the first pull. Has a super long run time on a tank of fuel. 

ChanW

Pop-T@B,
Quiet.... Do you know how it compares to the Honda for noise? I've heard the Honda, and it's pretty quiet, so it seems to be something of a standard.

Pop-T@B

I have also heard the Honda, if they were sitting side by side I don't think you could tell the difference. I also like the longer run time and the money savings over the Honda

Tabaz

Pop-T@B said:

Boo, I have Westinghouse WH2000iXLT , it is very quiet, very easy to pick up one handed. If you can pick up a 5 gallon water tote, you can pick this generator up. I am very pleased with it, out of the box added the oil and gas, started on the first pull. Has a super long run time on a tank of fuel. 

There was a negative Amazon review stating it would not work above elevations of 7,000 feet:

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful

Seems to be an excellent inverter generator design

By David on June 16, 2015

Verified Purchase

Seems to be an excellent inverter generator design. I did have to re-gap the spark plug before it would start on one or 2 pulls as advertised. The specs called for .032 inch gap and the product came with the spark plug gapped at .028 inches. After re-setting the gap it starts easily. Now, however, I have to try and return it for a refund. Why? Well I purchased this as a source of power to go camping with. I live in the
Denver area and it runs fine here. However, the camping is in the mountains and I just learned the reason it would not start this weekend was that it can't run above 7,000 feet! We were camped at 7,500, and most places we travel with our RV are 8,000 and as high as 9,500. Westpro Systems tells me there is no replacement carburetor jet to fix this mixture issue, and therefore it's of no use to me. It would have been nice if their product information on-line, or the specifications on-line made some note of this altitude issue. If you live or play at altitude, buy something else.

ChanW

Thanks Pop-T@B. That's just what I needed to know. That price is good.

Anyone know where the engine comes from, ie: who makes it?

Honda small engines and generators have had an excellent reputation for as long as I can remember, which is the justification for paying so much. It'd be great if I could find that this company (whoever this particular "Westinghouse" is now) came from good genes, as well.

I'll do some digging and see what I can find about their history in this industry.

Nomad

In my travels, it's almost all Honda - Once in awhile a Yamaha - Lots of red everywhere you look.
In my current campground, 100% Honda.

jkjenn

The altitude performance reviews are also a factor that has held me back on the Wen generator.

elmeaux

I ordered the Wen yesterday. I've been wanting to have some sort of generator for a long while for hurricane season anyway. Once my electrical issues on the T@B are sussed out I'm sure I'll be testing it to see how/if it handles the little Kenmore A/C.

Nomad

So, are you never venturing west boo?

Nomad

boo - then it works for ya - nothin wrong with stayin east.

kybob

Two Honda EU1000i's can be hooked together also. It is not as economical as the EU2000i, but the 1000 is a lot easier to move around for me than the 2000. Also, I don't know if this is a feature only on the newer Honda's, but mine has a screw that can be turned to drain the corroborator after the tank has been run dry. I think I read somewhere that this feature was on Yamaha generators but not on the Honda.

mash2

There are lots of places in the west that would work (just not all).  So for instance, while Bryce campground is at 8,000 ft, coda chrome, just down the road would be fine (5,800 elevation).  While you would have to do some planning, if you decided to venture westward, you could find sites that would work with your generator (in Yellowstone, Mammoth and Madison are both below 7,000 sf).  

I'm sure there are some areas, particularly in utah and colorado) that you'd have to plan carefully, but in general most of west has campground areas that are located within the limitations of the generator.   Would just take a little more planning to  make sure there isn't an issue.  Just recognize it's a potential constraint on sites and include this in your planning.