smaller generater

landy · Guru

smaller generater

Woody n Sue · Guru

Years ago we made up a little Honda 2.5 hp I think it was and fitted an alternator with a built in regulator to it and clips to attach it to a battery worked well was reasonably quiet because it was only a small motor and run at mid speed , think the alternator got nicked for the Ute and never got put back on the motor .

If your handy with your hands that might be an idea for ya

Woody

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

200 watt . Your alternator on tug would supply Easy enough being that most are Atleast 100 amp these days . Or fit an extra alternator off a wrecker similar to what is already fitted ? Your engine is possibly quieter ? Hardly a fuel consumption issue if used 10 - 20 min at a time .

Brenda and Alan · Guru

Car engine alternator would need to be run at at least a fast idle for any useful output.

Alan

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

1200 rpm is enough . In my case on Fuso with Lexus 140 amp alternator . The Fuso had 200 amp brushless 24v which could have near powered a house .

Jaahn · Guru

landy wrote:
Been looking for a while with no success to see if any one makes a really small and quiet genny. Seems to me that A generator that could supply maybe 200 WATS that was proportionally small and quiet would be far more appropriate for topping up batteries on a cloudy day or supporting batteries at hi usage times and could possibly be built into the van or motor home.
Just a thought Landy

Hi landy smile

There is an aussie made 12v generator that will do what you want. A small Honda motor and an alternator set up for battery charging. There are several models available small and larger and 12 and 24V. Not cheap rubbish but quality made and designed.

http://www.christieengineering.com.au/products.html

Or you could use the tug alternator for a quick top up. A "brick" on the accelerator for a faster idle.

Jaahn

Mike Harding · Guru

I've often thought the same Landy.

I've looked at making one a couple of times (small engine and alternator) but I decided the final physical size of a home made unit would end up being similar to a small commercial gen.

The Christie unit is OK but seriously overpriced and not that small anyway.

E-bay holds a few possibles if you feel like taking a chance on an unknown Chinese unit:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Baumr-AG-Inverter-Generator-2-0kVA-Max-1-2kVA-Rated-Portable-Camping-Petrol/380834128446?hash=item58ab7ba23e:g:bc0AAOSw4P1asEnF

I would not run the vehicle regularly as a battery charger due to the possibility of bore glazing.

Juggenaut · Veteran Member

Try Outbax camping. they make an 800watt Genmax inverter generator, only $289, weighs only 10kg. gotta be worth a look

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

I have one.....
www.caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.php

If you have the budget, the EFOY is the way to go. About the noise of a compressor fridge, virtually zero pollution and can run it inside, fully automatic.

Cheers,
Peter

landy · Guru

Had thought about making something up as suggested but could end up in a lot off time and expense and still not end up ticking all the boxes. I could pull the Honda 2kva we carry out of the back of the tug as well but its using a hammer to crack a nut and although its relatively quiet compared with others, their all to noisy, and heavy to get out and putt away again. I haven't followed the two links to commercial units but I will do so with interest.
Landy

oldtrack123 · Guru

Brenda and Alan wrote:
Car engine alternator would need to be run at at least a fast idle for any useful output.
Alan

YES biggrin & for more than a few minutes

oldtrack123 · Guru

A loong time ago [some thing like 30years ]Honda did make a little 250W 12V Dc unit suitable for battery charging , & it worked quite well & very quite.[4stroke motor][Only sold it recently]
But have not seen one on sale for a long time.

KJB · Guru

A bit of useless historical Genset info..

Honda made a - 70Watt. - Genset in late '60's early '70's. It's target was Honda Mini Gen set.jpg the Camping market at the time. About the size of a lunch box or transistor radio of the time......!

The product did not really "take off" but showed what Honda could do if they wanted to...

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Heâs only wanting very low wattage .

T1 Terry · Guru

Wouldn't a couple of portable solar panels make more sense? Even if it's raining you do get something out of a solar panel, well not at night but one would hope the generator won't be run at night either. The aim was 200w, so roughly 16 amps @ 12v. 4 x 100w light weight semi flexible panels would give that sort of output even in light rain as long as they were angled to the sun and realigned regularly.
The other alternative is a 20 amp DC to DC charger run from the tow vehicle start battery, or a 40 amp unit to increase the load a bit, or an inverter with alligator clips onto the start battery and an extension lead to the built in battery charger. Turn the tow vehicle air con on and that will both lift the revs and add some load to avoid the bore glazing, although that was only a problem back in the carby/mechanical injector pump days.
Lots of ways to do the job without the need to carry around a generator that would get rarely used.

T1 Terry

landy · Guru

Love the look of the EFOY but i fear it would be to dear and to specialized for me. The two little genys mentioned by oldtrack and KJB are on the right track I would think built into a soundproof box on the A frame or bumper they would be almost silent and very useful wouln't think they would weigh a lot either. As far as using the tug goes I think it works hard enough in the day without using it for generator as well got to look after the poor old girl.
Landy

oldtrack123 · Guru

KJB wrote:
A bit of useless historical Genset info..
Honda made a - 70Watt. - Genset in late '60's early '70's. It's target was the Camping market at the time. About the size of a lunch box or transistor radio of the time......!
The product did not really "take off" but showed what Honda could do if they wanted to...

Same Style as mine, but even smalller