Yamaha Generator Evaluation
Well, we're back from a warm, 6-day break in Prescott, AZ -- camping at Hilltop campground beside Lynx Lake.
We sold our Honda 2000 generator on Craigslist a month or so ago and bought a Yamaha EF2400is generator in its place. We wanted something that could power the AC unit on our '07 2720SL.
I was told from a ranger that our exact elevation was 5507 ft. He had recently GPS'd the campground. The generator started on the first or second pull each day and did not falter for a moment when the AC was turned on. The outside temperature was 90+ degrees and we ran the generator for about 1-2 hours each day to give ourselves a comfortable break from the heat. I didn't add much additional load when the AC was running --- only things like the water pump, and recharging our portable DVD player and cell phones. Of course -- the TM was also using power to recharge our Trojan 6 volt batteries. I believe that one would have to rejet the carb at any greater elevation (but then you probably wouldn't need the AC). The Yamaha was cabled to a tree about 10 ft from our pullout bed. I didn't want to hook an additional 30 amp cord to the TM's existing cord in order to cable it to a more distant tree. So we decided to keep it up close and personal. I'd have to say that the generator noise was not at all annoying even at that close proximity. When the load kicks in -- the generator doesn't seem to rev as high as the Honda and it actually seems quieter than the Honda. We cabled the unit through both handles and did what we could to shield it from passerbys on the loop. We covered it (when not in use) with a plain brown, canvass-like chair cover. The bright blue Yamaha cover seems likely to be an additional signpost for thieves. The camp host told us that someone had recently entered the camp at night and used a bolt cutters to make off with some poor soul's Honda 2000. Hey, it's a bit harder for a thief to run off through the trees with the 80 lbs (fueled) Yamaha but don't count on the additional weight to be a deterrance. I believe the Yamaha is supposed to run about 8 hours under load on about 1.5 gals of fuel. Don't expect that kind of performance if you're at elevation. I think we got about 6 hours on a tank. Maybe the run time will improve with more break-in time ?? We absolutely love the Yamaha BUT if you have to lock the unit up inside your TM each time you leave camp -- its going to be a bit of a weight challenge. We had great neighbors but any generator a tempting target. I'd really like to find a way to add a small, battery-powered alarm that could be set for "disturbance or motion" when sleeping or way from camp. Got any ideas on security measures ? Eric
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