This article appeared a couple of years ago but was lost in the “crash”, I am rebuilding it from notes with some editing.

So I am looking for a higher capacity generator than my Honda U2000i.

Here are some things I am looking for:

1. Affordable
2. 4,000 – 5,000 running watts.
3. Dual fuel (gasoline & propane).
4. Electric start.
5. 30a RV plug.
6. 2 x 110 – 120v household outlet (15a or greater).

Here are some things that I would like:

1. Quiet run technology.
2. Inverter power

Here are some things that would be icing on the cake:

1. 240v outlet
2. Remote start.

After the house is done the unit will probably sit in a corner of the shop somewhere gathering dust and not used much. Maybe a back-up to my solar system. Or rather, a back-up to my back-up. My Honda will be my first back-up.

I did think about a “companion” to my Honda EU2000i, effectively doubling my power capability. But I decided against it due to other considerations.

I also wasn’t real worried about noise…I have my Honda EU2000i for “stealth” running but I also don’t want to be heard in the next county over…or maybe even at the next property over.

So after a lot of searching and comparing and reading reviews I went with the Champion Model #100302 4000-Watt Open Frame Inverter.

The good, bad, & ugly:

1. Afford it at $565.
2. 3500 running watts…500 – 1500 watts lower than I was looking for.
3. Not factory ready for propane, but a conversion kit exists,
4. Not electric start but all reviewers claim 1 – 2 easy pulls and it starts Evey time.
5. 30a RV plug
6. Two 15a 3-prong household style outlets
7. Quiet run technology
8. Inverter style
9. No electric start
10. No remote start

Here are the specs and info on the unit…

• Advanced Open Frame Inverter Design – 50% quieter and 20% lighter than a traditional Champion 3500-watt generator, plus our Economy Mode feature saves fuel and extends engine life,
• No GFCI Outlets
• Quiet Technology and Extended Run Time – 64 dBA is great for RVs, tailgating, your next project or home backup, with 4000 starting watts and 3500 running watts for up to 17 hours run time on gasoline
  Clean electricity for sensitive electronics
• RV Ready with a 120V 30A RV, plus two 120V 20A household outlets with clean power (less than 3% THD) and 12V DC outlet with dual USB adapter
• Parallel Ready – Increase your power output by connecting up to two 2800-watt or higher inverter or digital hybrid with the optional Parallel Kit
• Champion Support – Includes 3-year limited warranty with FREE lifetime technical support from dedicated experts.
• No Voltmeter.
• Voltage: 120V AC and 12V DC
• Start Type: Manual
• Engine: 224cc Champion OHV
• Fuel: Gasoline
• Quick Touch Panel – all controls on one panel
• Economy Mode – save fuel, extend engine life

I followed the break-in procedure to the letter. I used a hair dryer for the “load”, using the various wattage settings on the hair dryer to successively increase the load on the generator for each break-in phase. I also changed to the high altitude carburetor jet. The customer service folks were very helpful getting that to me for free.

With the initial addition of the crankcase oil I added a tablespoon of Lucas Oil TB Zinc Plus. Most oil today has zinc processed out of it. But, zinc is a really good oil additive that helps lubricate an engine…especially helpful with small engines to extend their life.

After the initial break-in I used fully synthetic oil. I also use Lucas Oil TB Zinc Plus with every engine oil change.

Update #1 – About a month after the generator purchase…

I wavered on buying the wheel kit or not. I’ve never been a big fan of those cheap, mostly useless, wheels on things like generators, etc. They never seem to be right for what I want to do. But, I had to be able to move the generator around easily since I will be using it at my house-building job site and later when I need to roll it out as a back-up power supply. So I had to do something.

Then I remembered being at a nursery and using a cool cart to move my plants around. So i researched it out and found this…

It cost $127 but I felt it would be worth it. I was right. When I was done mounting the generator to the cart my rig looks like this…

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