Generators

Old Dog, you are going to get lot's of opinions. Mine is a KIPOR 2600. They sell for around $1100 now, when I bought mine 6 years ago (yellow version) they were $1700. Good reliable units now distributed by Primus (blue version). Mine has done around 5-600 hrs without a problem. Nominal rating 2.3kva compared to Honda 1.6kva. Max rating is 2.6kva compared to 2kva. I'd be wary of the $500 specials on E-bay. Many of are rated at 5000 rpm and very loud.

Cheers

Old dog,
Reliability is but one part of the equation.
I notice you have said you want to run it at night.
Noise should be another consideration, as should 2 stroke or 4, size of fuel tank, method of generating 240V, and many other variables.

Many places have bans on generators after certain hours, and even if free camping with others, they may dictate when it gets turned off if its noise is obtrusive.

It pays to test them all out running with a load attached.

But remember, the better ones are usually the pricey ones.

http://www.australiandirect.com.au/shop/caravan-camping/generators/1309

Old Dog I have a 2.4 Yamaha happy with that, you need to add up all your potential current draw and check that against the constant output of the generator. This is what it will handle under constant load for example the 2.4 Yammy will output 2kva constant and handle surge to 2.4 the 2kva honda will take 1.6 constant and handle 2 on surge (surge- the max output that the generator will handle for a short time). For what you describe in your post the 1KVA will suffice but bear in mind if you add load on you need to wok out if you are not over loading the machine.

Old Dog there is a lot to choose from it is a decision only you can come to be as realistic as you can about the use you will put it to. I went with a brand name as i have in the past owned a lot of generators some large (25KVA three phase) and some not so big 2kva, with all of them i have had to do work to them, perhaps they were not as reliable as the modern machines or perhaps the constant work i put them under just wore them out, anyway in my experience the brand names were less hassle to fix and keep running and had better support.

We stayed at a Central Western Australian coastline camp two years ago.

We are self sufficient and only carry our Honda 2Kva gennie as a back up. Have not used it the last two years.
However a very paranoid camp mother at this particular site approached some people who had camped at this site for many years, saying they could not use their blue Gennie as they only allowed Honda's. This was before they even got a chance to unpack and set up. It appears the "host" had spotted the blue contraption on the back of their flat deck.

Anyway, they borrowed our gennie as they needed this with an 8 months old baby on board.
Just shows you the mind set of some people.

Yes, noise is a big factor in considering your purchase.

cheers, Case

Hello Old Dog, just went the reverse and sold my 1Kva Honda. A good unit reliable and fairly quiet for a gennie. Need to look at unit weight, size, and fuel also. They are not light to carry.
We usually move around a fair bit and now rely on decent batteries and solar panels...much more serene.
However I acknowledge there are circumstances where the gennie is definately handy.

I don't have any reviews to rely on but saw the following recently and thought this looked a decent buy with good after sales warranty.
http://www.kulkyne.com/au/Kulkyne-Inverter-Generator-KG2000is.html

Hi Old Dog,

I would seriously consider going solar if it were me making the decision.

I have a genny and of course it weighs according to its output but I only bought it to run the airco in the van.

All other uses, such as running the Waeco for drinks, powering the van with lights, pumps, radio, TV, DVD players, phone chargers etc, etc, etc, I use 12 volt batteries and solar. And I use as much power as I like with no problems.

I have 280 watts of fixed solar and 240Ah of batteries and never run out of power, in fact the power is always showing above 98 % in the mornings and from 10am on it shows 100%. Mind you I run the main 3 way fridge on gas always, unless in a van park.

The thing with solar is that it will cost less than those gennies and will continue to save you money.

Just my observations and experience here.
Forget the genny unless you have your heart set on one.

Solar panel 200 watt = $215 (Bit Deals - Ebay = Best dealer)
30 Amp Solar Regulator
Regulator is the same as mine.

This is more or less what I have (1 X 200 watt and 1 X 80 watt) and it beats a genny hands down. So dam quiet too.
The neighbours love it when I am camping.

Cheers, Bruce.

Don't know about bush power but I bought a cheap blackridge one via supa cheap and it was garbage. I ended up taking it back and paying $1230 for the Honda one. Do some research but you get what you pay for at the end of the day.