BASCO P4500 ?

[glandreman]

My wife and I recently purchased a 20' trailer (2009).  Of course it doesn't have a generator so I started looking at choices.  I wanted something (at least) 3000 watts and quiet.  Not wanting to put $2000 in a honda I started looking at alternatives.  I monitor some of the online auction sites and saw a Briggs and Stratton p4500.  It was listed as "damaged" so I took a risk and it paid-off.  I purchased it for a fraction of the $1200 list on Amazon.  The damage consisted of a smashed wheel and some small cracks to the case around the damaged wheel.

After recharging the internal battery, I then discovered it had zero hours.  I'm suspecting it was damaged during shipping (probably to a customer) so it ended-up on the auction site.  I filled it with oil and gas and, after a couple of failed starts (pushing the start button) it fired-up!   It's VERY quiet.  I haven't heard the Honda 3000 so I can't really compare.  Our HR Endeavor has an Onan 7000 and it runs quieter than the Onan.

I'll be connecting it to the 20' camper in the next few days.  We have some work to do in the camper and, with 90+ degree weather here in Cincinnati, the AC will come in handy 🙂 I'll report back after we get some hours on the P4500 and let you know how it works out.

[dickandlois]

14 hours ago, glandreman said:

My wife and I recently purchased a 20' trailer (2009).  Of course it doesn't have a generator so I started looking at choices.  I wanted something (at least) 3000 watts and quiet.  Not wanting to put $2000 in a honda I started looking at alternatives.  I monitor some of the online auction sites and saw a Briggs and Stratton p4500.  It was listed as "damaged" so I took a risk and it paid-off.  I purchased it for a fraction of the $1200 list on Amazon.  The damage consisted of a smashed wheel and some small cracks to the case around the damaged wheel.

After recharging the internal battery, I then discovered it had zero hours.  I'm suspecting it was damaged during shipping (probably to a customer) so it ended-up on the auction site.  I filled it with oil and gas and, after a couple of failed starts (pushing the start button) it fired-up!   It's VERY quiet.  I haven't heard the Honda 3000 so I can't really compare.  Our HR Endeavor has an Onan 7000 and it runs quieter than the Onan.

I'll be connecting it to the 20' camper in the next few days.  We have some work to do in the camper and, with 90+ degree weather here in Cincinnati, the AC will come in handy 🙂 I'll report back after we get some hours on the P4500 and let you know how it works out.

Welcome to the FMCA Forum !

Your feedback will be welcome as are all the posts made on the forum. You will, if you have not already realized. That not all the members have had same experiences or luck with even the the make, model and year of RV. That I attribute to personal expectations. 

        Regarding the use of generators, one should always be sensitive to others even though we have opinions. The one item to always be vary aware of is the generators exhaust and the danger of CO-2, for all including ones self. So if your trailer in this case does not include a working detector - make sure your's works.

Noise levels can be annoying to others, so sometimes modifications like exhaust spark  suppression and how the exhaust is directed need to be considered.   

Rich.