For sufficient power at a decent price, the Predator 3500 is hard to beat. Just be sure to keep the oil changed and use a good quality synthetic. It gets good reviews. It will run the AC with enough capability left over to run other appliances at the same time.

We have a Generac iX2000 which is sufficient to run the generator, but not if other loads are running at the same time. That includes the converter trying to charge the batery. I added a Micro-Air Easy Start to our AC to add soft-start capability to the AC which really helps. We already had the iX2000 though. The Predator 3500 was not available when I bought the Generac. If it had been, I would have gone with the Predator for the additional capacity. However, I just can't justify buying it while the Generac is working.

I know the Predator 3500 is quiet. I have stood right next to two of them running and been able to carry on a conversation in normal voice and still hear everything clearly.

As StephenH says, an Easystart allows the Honda to start and run the a/c just fine. While it is true that you can't run the microwave at the same time, I don't find that to be a hardship at all. Turn off the a/c for the few minutes a day you're running the micro. The Honda will run the charger and the microwave at once unless the battery is really deeply discharged, in which case, again, you can turn off one or the other for a little while.

One thing to consider is what you plan to do with the generator. In most every campground, you have nighttime quiet hours so you wan't be able to run any genny at night for the a/c. That might or might not be a consideration for you, it is for me here in NC summer. 

1. You can't buy a 'regular' generator and not make enemies of your neighbors in the rv park.

2. Like most of life, this requires trade-offs. A 3500 watt generator is gonna weigh around 100 pounds but I bet it will run just about everything in the pod. That weight may not be a problem for a healthy young man, but it might be a major one for a lightly built woman (to say nothing of an out of condition middle-aged man). 

3. Honda and Yamaha are the two most respected brands. I believe (but may be wrong) that a 75 pound 2400 watt Yamaha will run the a/c but you may have to shuffle some things around to run a hair dryer or cook a pie at the same time. 47 pound 2200 watt Hondas may not be so successful because they're not quite as powerful.

3. Two smaller (and lighter) generators can successfully be put in parallel, but the total cost is higher.

This topic generates a lot of opinions so you may want to balance all of our comments very carefully before you buy to get something that will meet your needs well. 

Well, for sure everyone is entitled to their own opinions,  but not to their own facts. What you get is in the end a matter of opinion, but it is objective fact that an Easystart allows a Honda 2K to run a 13.5K RV roof air. Many of us do so on a regular basis. 

The dual small genny approach is spendy for sure but if I felt I had a need for more power that's what I'd do. Its waay cheaper and more fun than back surgery.  50 lbs is the standard OSHA single worker lift limit BTW, so its not just for "out of shape" middle aged ppl. 80% of Americans have suffered from back pain at least once. I sure wish I had followed the 50 lbs rule when I was younger and stronger....

The Honda fuel leak issue will certainly be fixed, you can depend on a Honda or a Yamaha to correct those kind of problems, they have way too much invested in their brands not to.

Well … In my opinion, there are several things wrong with this response.

#1. It displays slipshod reading resulting in going off half-cocked.

I said that the Honda 2200 watt “may not be so successful” as the more powerful Yamaha, as-is. This is an incontrovertible fact. That’s why some people have chosen to go with things like the over $300 Easystart (not counting installation) to enable their 2200 watt Honda to operate successfully.

 

#2 “People are entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts” is a derogatory statement entirely foreign to the R-Pod Forum culture. You are in effect saying, “I’m so smart and you’re so stupid”.

When I first joined this forum several years ago, the regard for others and respect for their opinions was noteworthy. Even when provoked, as in a notorious episode when Techntrek was accused of being involved in benefiting from a conflict of interest, the response of the forum was measured and reasonably polite.

 

#3 This is not the first time that this disparaging attitude towards others was displayed by Offgrid on this forum. It is hoped that others will not emulate this attitude or ‘newbies’ will become very hesitant about participating and this forum will lose much of its singular appeal.

 

I considered a private message ,or even a separate topic about this, but decided putting my views here was best. I have no interest in further controversy and I will therefore ignore any further notices on this thread.

 

I have my own quote about the permanence of facts that I am very fond of, by Keynes – “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?”

The main issue is what specific things do you "need" to run at the same time. If you need to run the AC, then you need to be able to sustain about 16 amps continuously. That is right at what a 2000 watt generator can provide. There are two problems then: (1) The startup current for the AC will go over that for a very brief period, and (2) Pretty much anything else can not be running at the same time.

If you go up to a 2200 watt generator, that will give you a little bit of headroom, as it will be able to sustain about 18 amps continuously. That means that it will be slightly easier to "start" the AC, but once started you might be able to run something very small. Maybe a few lights. Not much more.

If you go up to a 2400 watt generator, you "might" be able to start the AC (but it will be close). It will be able to provide about 20 amps continuous, which will provide a little more breathing room over the 2200.

At 2400 watts and below is the range most would consider "small and light". Once you get above this, you're going to get into heavier generators that will become a different sort of burden.

Personally, if we were going to carry a generator, I'd probably limit my search to 2400 watts and below. I know I can handle the weight, and I know how to do power management.

However, if you absolutely NEED to run the AC AND the microwave, then you should be looking at generators in the 3400 watt and above category. Understand that this will be heavy and a different sort of burden.

I especially like the dual fuel, because, though it's a little bit less efficient, I don't have to mess with gasoline for the generator.  Just plug it into one of the spare 5 gal. LP tanks I carry.  The exhaust isn't as stinky and I won't have gasoline spills.  As for the generator being a little heavier, my wife and I never go camping with out the two of us and she's really strong. Between us, the generator is easy to get in and out of the truck.  The noise level of the Champion is, as measured in dB's, right in the same league as the Honda and the Yamaha, but it cost less than half the price.

As others have stated, generators under around 3.0-3.5Kw will not reliably and repeatably handle the start current required by our 13.5Kw roof airs without some type of soft start system on the compressor. Something smaller might start the air conditioner on a cool day with no back pressure but as lostagain says, on a hot day and the second a/c cycle the start current increases significantly. As is, without a/c start system mods, neither the 2.0, 2.2, or 2.4kW generators are sufficient. 

So, to have confidence, I agree with the many posters who recommend a minimum of about 3.5kW total generator capacity with no modiifcation to the a/c start setup. That capacity could be a singular generator or dual parallel generators. 

With a good soft start system, the startup current drawn by the a/c only miminally exceeds the operating current, so generators as small as the Honda 2.0 will start and run it reliably, if that is the only significant load on the generator. 

What constitutes a good start system? The Microair Easystart is known to work well. Others have tried using simpler more inexpensive approaches, with, as lostagain has observed, mixed results. A/C soft starts are not a difficult FYI install project, takes about an hour. 

If it is desired to run the battery charger at a high output level and/or the mircrowave and the a/c simultaneously, a higher power rating genny will be needed. The microwave requires about 1400 watts and the wfco charger at peak output (which it won't stay at very long) takes about 1kw. The a/c uses about 1700 watts while running.  Add up the total you want to run simultaneously to size your generator capacity.  If you want to run all of it at once you'll need about 4kW, but note that you might still need to turn off some of the other loads to be able to start the a/c, or add a soft start system. 

Very cool idea, but I think I'll just pour gas. 

Originally posted by StephenH For the truck, I was thinking a simple ramp would help with a heavier generator The other option is the hitch mounted hoist made for hoisting deer.

Deer hoist, huh?  Love that idea!  I have never seen one before. 

I have a Briggs Powerboss 3500/5250 (there's no way it could ever flash 5250 watts.  That's 7.8 HP from a 6.5 HP engine).  I bought it long before I had an R-Pod, but it has, conveniently, a 30A RV plug.  It will start my supposedly unmodified A/C the first time so easily you barely hear it.  After that each restart makes a lot of exhaust noise for 2 to 3 seconds and then it is back to normal loafing.  Inside the trailer, the A/C runs and cools like it was plugged into the house.  It weighs 101 pounds sans fuel and I can lift it in and out of my SUV, but a deer hoist would make east work of lifting it. 

My brother has a Predator 3500 watt inverter and likes it.  I don't know how much use it has had, so I know nothing about its reliability.  He says it is comfortably quiet. 

Were I you, I'd go for a single 3500+ running watt generator, for efficiency and simplicity.  Briggs also makes a 3700/4500 watt inverter generator that will be quiet.