Best Alta Generator

[Whymee]

Great answer Whymee!!

Where can you find THD ratings on each generator?

I'm going to keep looking.

In your case Matt, the answer was in the questions asked section of the link provided. Most of the time you have to call the mfg. They do not want to publish such "dirty" information.

 

[Whymee]

@Whymee Doesn't a pair of Honda Eu2200i gens meet your requirements above?

While the 2200i genset certainly meets the sound requirement, 2 in parallel do not put out 240V.

Read about generator sizing in my build thread. I go into a little detail on noise (dB), THD, and running watts. (my 3 requirements).

 

[Scott]

If you are buying a used generator you can use a volt meter like this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KXX2OYY/?tag=sce0f-20 which can test the Hz output. Be sure to test it under load by plugging in a space heater or two as that can make the Hz output change if the generator is not up to the challenge.

 

[Whymee]

I did not knw that some meters could measure hertz. I guess that is why they call them multi-meters!

It is a good day, I learned something new!

 

[MattB]

I had three Honda 2000's at one point, I sold all of them. Maintaining all three generators as well as hooking up the extended run tank, cords, etc etc.... was all a pain. My camper is a 46ft 5th wheel toy hauler that really needs 50amp service. On top of that, I really want to use the Alta fast charger on 30A/240v.
My 5th wheel has an on board Onan 5500 which is a bit shy of running everything in the camper and still only provides 46A/120v. I currently have a Predator 3500 as a backup Gen which performs fine for slow charging the Alta.

 

[snydes]

I had three Honda 2000's at one point, I sold all of them. Maintaining all three generators as well as hooking up the extended run tank, cords, etc etc.... was all a pain. My camper is a 46ft 5th wheel toy hauler that really needs 50amp service. On top of that, I really want to use the Alta fast charger on 30A/240v.
My 5th wheel has an on board Onan 5500 which is a bit shy of running everything in the camper and still only provides 30A/120v. I currently have a Predator 3500 as a backup Gen which performs fine for slow charging the Alta.

I'm in a similar situation with my Onan 4k. 30a 120v. Bummer because they are top notch generators. If you find yourself in a park with hookups and they have the 50 amp plug on the panel as well it's like hitting the jackpot.

 

[MattB]

I'm in a similar situation with my Onan 4k. 30a 120v. Bummer because they are top notch generators. If you find yourself in a park with hookups and they have the 50 amp plug on the panel as well it's like hitting the jackpot.

Agree 100%, I love the 50A spots! Paradise!

 

[strider]

Personally, I do not think the "perfect" gen set for our Alta's have been manufactured yet. May never be.

The problem being, in the USA, no one makes an acceptable Inverter generator, that is 240V capable, with at least 4000 to 4600 running watts.

Doesn't the Honda EU7000iS satisfy all of your needs (although it is expensive). 5,500 running watts, 240V/30A plug for the Alta plus some 120V outlets for other things (2 Kubergs and an Oset for the kids/wife in my case), 58dBA at 5,500W.....

Honda EU7000i Model Info | Super Quiet 7000 Watt Inverter Generator | Honda Generators

 

[Whymee]

Doesn't the Honda EU7000iS satisfy all of your needs (although it is expensive). 5,500 running watts, 240V/30A plug for the Alta plus some 120V outlets for other things (2 Kubergs and an Oset for the kids/wife in my case), 58dBA at 5,500W.....

Honda EU7000i Model Info | Super Quiet 7000 Watt Inverter Generator | Honda Generators

Absolutely the EU7000i checks all the boxes, except price.

Personally I see no need to spend 1/3 the price of the Alta on a generator. YMMV

That is why i bought a used EU6500is.

 

[MattB]

Yeah, that price tag is a bit excessive for me as well. However, I might be able to justify it if I used the Honda 7000 for the house, camper, and Alta.

 

[Whymee]

Yeah, that price tag is a bit excessive for me as well. However, I might be able to justify it if I used the Honda 7000 for the house, camper, and Alta.

Those circumstances certainly would make the purchase more acceptable.

Still though, with the exception of price, the EU6500/7000 series as well as the Yamaha EF6300 series of gensets are the only ones I would consider at this point.

And that is why I said in my earlier post, the perfect genset has not, or may never be produced. The price of the above genset recommendations are expensive as hell.

I was looking at the Predator series from Harbor Freight. Too bad they do not make a 4500 running watt 240V inverter genset. Although I did call & ask about the THD spec. Item # 43966 6500/5500 genset, they could not even tell me the THD spec. Disappointing to say the least.

I also asked the spec on the 3500 inverter (item# 63584) they said less than or equal to 15%. This is NOT acceptable for an inverter generator. Should be less than or equal to 6%.

I can only venture to guess, that their regular gensets, THD is going to be very high, maybe around 25-30% THD if their inverters are 15%. Not acceptable to me. YMMV.

 

[rtf]

Will this generator work with the standard charger? I follow Teslas pretty close, and I know this generator is one that works with them due to the clean sine wave and its grounded. It's also parallel ready.

iQ2000 Portable Inverter Generator

 

[Scooter584]

So where does the Briggs and Stratton Q6500 stand?! I know there's a member on here that has one and ot seems to be ok.....any input as I too am looking for a genset

 

[Whymee]

Will this generator work with the standard charger? I follow Teslas pretty close, and I know this generator is one that works with them due to the clean sine wave and its grounded. It's also parallel ready.

iQ2000 Portable Inverter Generator

I do not know what the requirement is for the standard charger (amps/watts).

The iQ2000 checks off several boxes:
Quiet
fuel efficient
light weight
The total harmonic distortion for the iQ Series units is less than 5%

It potentially leaves one box unchecked:
Watts/amps

At 1600 rated running watts that is 13.3 amps. If you take 80% of that figure and leave 20% for headroom, that leaves 1280 Watts and 10.6 amps. If the draw of this charger is 11 amps or less @ 120V, I say you are golden.

This is my opinion. Not to be confused with somebody else's opinion.

 

[Whymee]

So where does the Briggs and Stratton Q6500 stand?! I know there's a member on here that has one and ot seems to be ok.....any input as I too am looking for a genset

I considered this gen set when I was doing my research. It ticks off several boxes also:
Power- 5000 running watts/ 20.8amps @240V
quiet
price
Sips fuel
Light weight for a 240V gen set (128#)
USB port
Clean power - less than 3% THD
purty unit

On paper this Gen set ticks off ALL the boxes. This is the cheapest 240V generator that puts out exceptionally clean power. I almost sprang for one. But I did not.
27% of the reviews on amazon were 3 stars or less. I am not going into issues as to this rating from users. You can read about that. Bottom line, I did not get a warm fuzzy after reading the reviews, & decided on a used EU6500is.

That is not to say the EU6500/7000is series of gen sets leave some boxes on the table too.
Weight
Price
If I did not find an EU6500 kinda local for 1200 bux, I probably would have bought a new Q6500. And from what I have seen, the EU series of gen sets are reliable as a sledge hammer. And much quieter too!

Once again, this is the opinion of an old, fat, not to mention slow, senior rider. But I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express once...

 

[Mark911]

If you race MX (or any format where the pits are tight) you need the quietest unit possible or you'll suffer the wrath of your pit neighbors! After some mods my Q6500 is much better in this regard, but it can still get on folks nerves during a long day. The big (expensive) Hondas and Yamahas are the BEST from a noise standpoint. I don't trust ANYBODY's advertised DB ratings! You gotta hear them in action.

 

[TCMB371]

If you race MX (or any format where the pits are tight) you need the quietest unit possible or you'll suffer the wrath of your pit neighbors! After some mods my Q6500 is much better in this regard, but it can still get on folks nerves during a long day. The big (expensive) Hondas and Yamahas are the BEST from a noise standpoint. I don't trust ANYBODY's advertised DB ratings! You gotta hear them in action.

My Harbor Freight Predator 4000 is quieter than a typical 4-stroke dirtbike. Even so, i still choose to place the generator on the side of my truck, opposite of where i'll be sitting, with the exhaust pointed 180* away to lessen the perceived sound output while i'm resting. I can have conversations with people with the generator running, albeit with a raised voice. Its not bad and hasn't bothered anyone so far.

 

[BenEXR]

My Harbor Freight Predator 4000 is quieter than a typical 4-stroke dirtbike. Even so, i still choose to place the generator on the side of my truck, opposite of where i'll be sitting, with the exhaust pointed 180* away to lessen the perceived sound output while i'm resting. I can have conversations with people with the generator running, albeit with a raised voice. Its not bad and hasn't bothered anyone so far.

That is a great price for a new generator. I might have to get one.

 

[Speedkills]

While the 2200i genset certainly meets the sound requirement, 2 in parallel do not put out 240V.

Read about generator sizing in my build thread. I go into a little detail on noise (dB), THD, and running watts. (my 3 requirements).

So even though it will put out the watts needed by the rapid charger for the exr, you're saying it won't charge full speed because it's 120v instead of 240v? I'm a bit confused, I thought parallel hondas was the setup Alta had Lynden use when testing the EXRs in Europe.

 

[Fog 25]

That is a great price for a new generator. I might have to get one.

As with any generator meter the output of the plugs. My Harbor Freight 4000 12 volt plug was putting out 17.2 volts.