Where to carry a Honda EU2000i generator?

[Durango1]

So for various reasons (don't have solar yet, like to camp in shade, need a back-up way to charge truck battery since we travel solo and mostly because I want one) I am going to buy the Honda EU2000i for our crew cab Ram 2500 with a FWD Hawk camper.

I don't want to carry the genny in our camper and I don't have any outside storage boxes mounted. So my question is can this generator be carried safely inside our cab tucked down on the floor behind the passenger's seat? (I can carry the extra gas stored through the access ports in the Hawk that go to the attachment points of the PU bed.) If the gas tank lid is well sealed will it smell inside the cab?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Steve, do you really need the 2000? I take a Yamaha 1000 with us when we travel to places where I don't think solar will keep up. It's only 29 pounds. I do keep it in the camper, with no odor issues. Gas on the other hand can be stinky. I kept a 1 gallon container in the side storage box (last year), and the plastic box liner still has a feint gas odor. It should be ok between the camper and bed wall, but could get really dusty.

Another gas option is to carry it in a rack basket on top. I'm considering getting a rotopax, and carrying it flat.

 

[PaulT]

Steve,

I have the EU2000i and have carried it in the cab behind the front seats. No odor if you close the vent in the gas cap. Unless you really need 2kw for other things, the 1kw should be plenty & 30lbs is much better than 60. With either you will need an AC battery charger to get more than 8 amps DC out of it.

Paul

 

[Durango1]

Steve, do you really need the 2000? I take a Yamaha 1000 with us when we travel to places where I don't think solar will keep up. It's only 29 pounds...
Another gas option is to carry it in a rack basket on top. I'm considering getting a rotopax, and carrying it flat.

That is a good point. I considered the 1000 but the 2000 is only 200 bucks more. The extra weight doesn't bother me and we have the room on the floor behind Sioux's seat. Will the 1,000 keep your batteries charged up using the 110V connection? Will it put a 12V charge on your truck battery if for some reason it goes dead in the middle of nowhere? If so, I'll do the 1000.

 

[Alley-Kat]

The Honda EU2000i has an excellent gas filler vent that can be closed so absolutely no vapor escapes, if you actually remember to rotate the cap lever to the correct position.

I always carried my Honda EU2000i in the far forward position on the camper floor. I am hesitant of having any flammable liquids (in any type of container) in the passenger compartment in case of an accident that compromised the integrity of the passenger compartment. I didn't want to be splashed with a flammable liquid.

If I had taken the effort to drain the gas tank of the Honda EU2000i, I could have felt better about carrying it anywhere, including the passenger compartment.

Just a note on intermittent use of the Honda EU2000i. I found several YouTube videos (by an Eastern European guy, I think) on how to insert a gas shut off valve in the carburetor gas line. This allows you shut off the gas to the carburetor, and to run the engine until the gas is emptied out of the carburetor. That action keeps the carburetor clean and dry, thus making the next start up an easy task. Worked great for me.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

That is a good point. I considered the 1000 but the 2000 is only 200 bucks more. The extra weight doesn't bother me and we have the room on the floor behind Sioux's seat. Will the 1,000 keep your batteries charged up using the 110V connection? Will it put a 12V charge on your truck battery if for some reason it goes dead in the middle of nowhere? If so, I'll do the 1000.

Yes, the 1000, using the 120 connection keeps the camper and Airstream batteries topped off nicely. I would be cautious about using 12 volt from any generator directly on a battery. Reports of frying batteries if used too long.

Both of my Yamaha generators (1000 & 2800) have fuel shutoff valves, so that is not a concern. I know, as mentioned above, that some Hondas do not. A word of caution with any generator. If not used for more than a week or so, run the fuel out of the carburetor. I also use Stabil in every tank. These generators have a tendency to gum up if you leave gas in them too long, and it's a pain to pull them apart.

 

[NoPlanMan]

I'm much like you. Solo, F250 crew cab and carry a e2000 on the back fold out metal plate (folds out when back seats are up). The cap allows zero fumes out if vent is turned off. You can place it toward the middle, wrap a rope or climbing web through the handle and keep it from tipping and off you go. That's what I do and it works for me. The 2000 is a good buy and having more capacity is good when the power goes out at home. The weight and price difference is not much compared to the usefulness you get from the thing when the power goes off.
You can run a lot of scenarios where the gas could be dangerous, ex., You could have it mounted in an external container, get hit at that point start a fire and you are incapacitated or cannot get out. I raced open wheel cars with the fuel tanks ( filled with aviation fuel) on both sides of your legs and still had fun. Don't make things too complicated.
Enjoy.
Ps. Honda's running a sale on their products right now.

 

[Durango1]

So is anyone else besides Sasquatch using the Yamaha generators? I like Hondas but I'm not fixated on them and I really like the fuel shut-off valve idea. (Yes, I know I can rig one up but still...)

The Yamaha EF2000 appears to be the same as the Honda but 15# lighter AND with a fuel shut-off valve. What say you all...

Thanks,
Steve

 

[PaulT]

Not so much for camper use, but I found a replacement gas cap for my Honda EU2000i that plumbs to either my 6 gallon or 3 gallon boat kicker tanks. This allows for running for days. It is part of my kit for our annual power failures that have gone as long a week. I depend on the generator for keeping my fridge and freezer cold. I add the Marine Stabil to all my storage tanks.

The extended run systems are available for Yamaha and other gensets.

Search for "generator extended run gas cap"

Paul

 

[NoPlanMan]

Paul's nailed it. Buy for the camper and the other things at home. High quality, sealed caps allow you to run for days off of aux tanks. Go for the big generator. All are powered by gas, and all carry the same risk/reward. EU 2000i is a good deal....in my opinion.

 

[idahoron]

I am also using a 2K honda. I have my house wired on a transfer switch so I can run most of my house with it. I used to be scared to put it in the camper because of gas smell. I have carried the generator in my camper for almost two years now and no smell at all. I camp where there is never anyone there. At the end of the day I turn on the generator. If it is cold out I have a small 1500 watt max electric heater I use. It warms the camper up nice. I plug a movie into my lap top and watch a movie and recharge the batteries. I don't go anywhere without my generator and camper.

 

[fish more]

When I had camper built, I had Stan make the cabinet under the roll over couch built taller so that I could put my Honda 1000 in cabinet. It is not too often I bring the Honda 1000, unless I am fishing and need to charge my batteries in my boat for the Minn Kota trolling motor. The Honda 1000 has more than enough output for the camper when needed. The larger Honda would just take up that much more room needed for storage.

 

[Foy]

I purchased a Honda EU2000i Companion unit for use with the camper trailer (Rockwood hardside A-frame popup) and for general utility use around home and elsewhere. I will be purchasing a second unit to be connected to the first (Companion) to boost me up to a continuous output level high enough to run the household refrigerator, some lights, the thermostat and furnace blower fan, and a small TV at home, and also enough power to run the camper's A/C or heat pump (although I have no notions of ever running a gennie overnight--would have to be absolutely solo in a camping area to do so).

On a test run to a "no hookups" camping area two weeks ago, I found the single 2000i would run my 12 amp max charge battery charger hooked directly to the house battery on the "Eco" throttle mode, and that the new-ish battery would come to full charge within 15-30 minutes following a full day's use of the Fantastic Fan on low setting and some minor use of the interior and exterior lighting.

I am also impressed with how well the fuel tank's vented cap eliminates fuel smell when carried inside the camper or in the pickup's bed (under its fiberglass shell cover). Transport of the fuel supply is strictly outside, where our unit has a "toy hauler" platform forward which allows for secured carry of such items.

I don't need it for this purpose, but my front-mounted 2" receiver hitch and a hitch-hauler can be used for fuel can transport. Mine rides high enough to not affect the approach angle badly, though YMMV.

Foy

 

[Riverrunner]

My buddies have the Yamaha i2000 and it works fine. It's what I'll get when I get one. Nothing wrong with Honda but I like the less weight and the shut off. I have other Yamaha products and all have been reliable.

When we have a larger group we do group meals and run a griddle that can pull more than 1000w at start so the 2000 is better for our use.

 

[idahoron]

When I carry my generator but I don't want my trailer for some reason I built a hitch mounted gas can holder.

 

[JJ1]

FWIW, I've heard that running a small engine dry and storing it that way risks drying out all the seals and gaskets inside. So I don't run mine dry.

I always use non-ethanol gas with stabilizer in it. Then when I'm storing it for a while I run it at least once a month with some kind of load on it. I try to use it for something I'm already doing, like plugging my air compressor into it when I fill up my tires. If the gas is getting old, I'll run it dry and then put in just a little bit of fresh gas and stabilizer to keep everything lubed up. Using non-ethanol gas means there's no ethanol to break down the rubber and plastic, and the stabilizer keeps the gas from varnishing.

But I don't claim to be an expert...that's just how I take care of my equipment.

 

[idahoron]

I do the same thing.

 

[Joel Deutsch]

I just read thru this thread looking for ideas for an outside container to carry my new Yamaha EF 1000 generator. It looks like I will not need one. That's great!

Now I need to find some sort of a gas can carrier for the outside of my Hawk. Ideally, I would like to find something that could be mounted on and flip out from the rear bumper of my F-150. I know I've seen a number of gas carriers that mount to the exterior of a camper around -- I don't think that I've seen one on an FWC -- they look like a triangle in front of a square and carry a way too large gas can.

I have an 85 watt solar panel and two Group 34 AGM batteries, so the need for a generator or shore power is borderline -- but, it does exist. The Yamaha is supposed to have a 12 hour run time on .6 gallons of gas, so if I carry a one or two gallon tank for the generator I think that will be plenty. I'm not looking to re-invent the wheel, but for a place to buy something -- a full tank carrier, that will fill this need.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[idahoron]

What I did is over kill for your application. After putting on my camper I found that my on board gas tank is too small for me to go into the back country for chukar hunting. I bought two Rotopax 4 gal containers and I made a mount to my hitch. I made it so I can get into the camper and I can use it as a step.

 

[huskyrunnr]

Mr. Idahoron, I love the idea of running a 1500 watt heater off the honda. Sounds much cheaper than trying to rig up a propex or an atwood since I already have the generator. No way I'll run my Olympian all night. Too dangerous.

Have you run the heater all night? Will the generator last all night without the gas cap mod to a bigger tank?

Great info, I think you're going to save me a significant amount of money.