Honda 2000

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

I can't help but say a little about the Honda 2000 I bought back in July 2006. This little machine really does the job. Before buying it, I had a pretty good idea that it wouldn't run the monster sitting on the roof. Why would they put a 13,500 btu air conditioner on a small 18ft trailer? It's cheaper. I swapped it out for a Polar Cub at around 8000 btus and the Honda runs it just fine. However, some things didn't change. The droning sound and the vibration on the roof, same we had with the Trailmanor, plus it turns the trailer into a refrigerator that you just can't set at a comfortable generator.

The Funfinder has a big window on the side at the end of the bed. I made a plastic cut out to put in the window held by clips, and a shelf that hangs right on the window ledge. I have never refined it so it looks a little cha chi but hey, it works. I wouldn't hook it up in a top drawer rv park but in the middle of nowhere on a 100 degree afternoon, I could give a ----!

I plugged in a 5000 btu window unit and the results were phenomenal. First, no more noise or vibration. Second, the cooling size is just right. The Honda has two settings, normal and economy. With the switch on economy, the window unit will run on one tank of gas (an incredible 1.1 gallons) for 12 to 14 hours. Gasoline costs 7.53 pesos per liter at 3.8 liters to the gallon, this thing is a worthwhile investment. Also, because the draw is only 520W, the generator never revs up, it burps for a second when the compressor comes on. I built a heavy duty extension cord so I can hide the generator to reduce the noise although it is a very quiet unit. I plug the a/c directly into the generator and if the trailer needs a charge I plug it in also in the second outlet.

One thing I would do differently; the air conditioner I bought doesn't have flow vents that move up and down. This can make it a bit cold at night as the air blows across the bed.