I want to buy a generator for my 5th wheel which has one AC unit on it. Both the Yahmaha and Honda are around the same price$1850. Does anyone like to add their 2 cents which one they woud buy. My gut says Honda, but the 500 watt "boost" feature on the Yahmaha is inviting. Supposedly, the Yahmaha gives you 3500 watts for the first 10 seconds to start heavy loads, like an AC compressor then kicks back to its rated wattage. Both are rated at 2800 watts continuous.
Here are the specs for both:

2006 New Yamaha EF3000iSE/B
Type Brushless, Inverter Maximum AC Output 3000 watts (+ boost on EF3000iSEB) Rated AC Output 2800 watts Rated / Maximum AC Current 23.3 / 25 amps @ 120V Engine OHV, Air-Cooled, Four-Stroke, Single Cylinder Displacement / HP 171cc / 5.5 hp DC Output 12 volt 12 amps Ingnition System Electric w/Recoil & Auto Decompressor Overall Length 26.7\" Overall Width 17.5\" Overall Height 21.9\" Dry Weight 147.4 lbs. / 151.8 lbs. (EF3000iSEB) Fuel Tank Capacity 3.4 gallons Continuous Operation at 1/2 Rated Load 20.5 hrs. @ 1/4 load Noise Level 51 -57 dBA Warranty 2 Years Limited Warranty

2006 New Honda EU3000IS
Specifications
Engine 6.5 HP, Single Cylinder, Overhead Valve, Air Cooled
Displacement 196 cc
AC Output 120V
3000W max.(25A)
2800W rated (23.3A)
Receptacles 20A 125V Duplex
NEMA Plug Number:
5-20P

30A 125V Locking Plug
NEMA Plug Number:
L5-30P
DC Output 12V, 144W (12A)
Starting System Recoil, Electric
Fuel Tank Capacity 3.4 gallons
Run Time on One Tankful 7.2 hrs. @ rated load
20 hrs. @ 1/4 load
Dimensions (L x W x H) 25.8" x 18.9" x 22.4"
Noise Level 58 dB @ rated load
49 dB @ 1/4 load
Dry Weight 134 lbs.

Dude! you should buy the Honda one and put one of those big exhaust tips on it!

(sorry couldn't resist) I actually don't have a clue but I will give you a bump!

Don't know much about the Yamaha's reliability. I have a small Honda
1000 and love it.

First thing you need to know is the draw load for the air unit. While running it may only draw 1400-2400 watts (11-20 amps) but might require 3-4 times that for startup. Better to buy a bigger unit than to buy one that is too small and find out it won't do what you want.

I just bought a Onan ele start unit to replace the pull start unit on Harvey the RV

Here's a link with some useful info from Onan http://www.onan.com/pdf/rv/f-1362.pdf

Thanks for the great link...it's full of good info. It looks like, at least by paper, my AC could use that extra 500 watt boost at startup from the Yahmah. I'm just not to sure how much louder the Yahmah is than the Honda (original post). It is a little louder at 1/4 power, but I'm wondering if that curve continues when the generator is working much harder? If it too loud, I won't want to run it in a campground which defeats the purpose of having one. I might as well go down to the Honda 2000 which is 1/2 the price and quiet and do without AC.

the big seller with honda's are that they use "square wave technology" meang that you get very clean electircity generated and you can use all kinds of electrical devices like computers, laptops and TV's with no electrical noise interfearance.
I love my honda EU1K's and have actually welded with them linked together with a factory linking cable to double their capacity out in the middle of the desert in a little emergency. =-) they have built in thermal protection and will not self destruct if over loaded. i've tripped my protectors a couple of times welding with them and they still perform like champs with years now in extreme conditions at sea level and at over 7K feet elevation. they suggest having it rejetted if you use it full time at higher elevations. i also ran one of my gen's while not sitting level and the low oil cut off worked and saved the little thing's life. =-) honda's are tested tough.
maybe i'd try to find someone with a yamaha and see what they say about them.

We bought the blue unit to replace a red one for our auto cross club, and have been nothing but satisfied with the Yamaha. The wheels are a nice feature, even though the unit is relatively light, its VERY quite, which is good too. We run PA systems, 3-4 different timing computers, timing lights, etc and have had no problems with "dirty" power.

Huh? My hope would be that they DON'T use 'square wave technology'!! The expensive inverters are sine wave. Smooth sine wave with no harmonics. NOW you're talking clean.

The square wave inverters will chew up anything with a motor.

I'm sure the Yamaha is a very nice quality unit, but I've seen several Hondas that run so well for so long that they defy belief. I know the honda is also very very quiet. It also weighs a little less, so that always helps if you plan to keep it portable.

You really need to look at the load your a/c puts out and don't forget to consider where you plan on using it. In high temps a/c's will pull considerably more current than at what the mfr rates them at. Once it gets over 100 degrees they start pulling quite a bit more. The startup load probably won't change too much though.

The honda may also have extra capacity on startup that they just don't publish. Some mfrs are more conservative than others.

Honda - they are designed to start on the first pull - and they do !!!

The Honda is state of the art...their generators are even better than their cars...

I use the Honda eu3000 and it works great. I believe it is a sine wave output and inverter rated.

whoopsie.... i meant to say sine wave technology.

also note that the honda has a bigger displacement engine with same fuel consumption.

Don't get me wrong, I currently ride a Yamaha WR500 dirt bike/FMF fatty pipe and have owned many Hondas. =-)

After weighing in all the coments and reading a bunch of RV boards as well I decided to go with TWO Honda200i generators and a parallel kit. I found a reputable dealer to sell both generators and the parallel kit with no tax and free shipping to CA for $1969 about the same price as the Yahmaha or Honda 3000 units.

With each unit only weighing 43 lbs they will be easy to tote around by myself. I can just run one of the units on trips that don't require the AC. If the temp goes through the roof, I'll just whip out the other one and have 4000 available watts, which is more than adequate to fire up a 15,000 btu unit at any altitude.

Thanks for chiming in .