Re: [VAL] building your own generator

["Jim Clark" <jec1938@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tom:
I went through a phase of wanting to build my own and finally decided that 
it is hard to end up with a "better than what's available out there" end 
result... I bought the Honda 3kw quiet model and have not been sorry... If 
you can do without air conditioning when boondocking or Walmart camping, I 
would suggest the 2Kw model that is easier to carry and runs everything 
except the air ... The smaller model was not available at the time and the 
3kw model takes up a good portion of the back of our truck..

If you have all the pieces needed for the home built, you can probably get 
an acceptable unit together, but if you need to buy an engine, an 
alternator, shaft couplings, and a few special parts, you will spend a good 
chunk of the $999.00 it takes to buy the 2Kw Honda quiet model... and you 
will not have any kind of warranty, other than the piece part warranty 
which is difficult to collect on when they can claim that you are not using 
the unit in the manner it was intended to be used..(like the 
alternator)....and I am willing to bet it will not be quiet... and the 
output might run your electric drill just fine and your computer and or 
television not at all...

I am big on "do it yourself" and remember a number of projects that were 
just to see if I could do it... A lot of them were replaced "upgraded" to 
the item I should have bought in the first place...

Take a close look at the Honda 2kw and if you feel the need to see if you 
can "make one" , go for it... sometimes the joy is in the doing not the end 
result... I always believed that there were three parts to the joy of 
anything... looking forward to having/building/ buying the item... 
selecting and actually building or buying the item... and telling/showing 
all my friends what I had added to the mix...

I for one would like to hear what you decide and what the outcome was...by 
the way, there are pictures of a couple of really nice generators in 
housings mounted on trailers...lets hope some of the all electric folks can 
help...

Have fun...

Jim