Champion Power Equipment has been supplying durable, quality generators for many years. With this experience, comes the knowledge of what consumers need. Some of you may be looking for a generator for recreational use, perhaps for your RV or yacht.
Others may want to back up your home in times adverse weather – when the grid power fails you. Many may require a portable generator for business purposes. Building contractors, farmers, and the like, depend heavily on portable generators and want a powerful workhorse that will run reliably day after day.
A generator with a running load capacity of 3000-3500 watts is usually enough to keep all your essential household appliances powered up. This would include air conditioners and refrigerators that draw quite a high load and require extra power when they start.
In this article, we’ll look at a number of Champion portable generators that fall within the 3000 Watts -3500 Watts range. Here’s a list of the models that we’ll be looking at.
Champion Generators in the 3000 Watt Range
| Generator Model | Starting Watts | Running Watts | Weight | Fuel Capacity / Run Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Champion 3800 Watt 76533 | 4750 Watts | 3800 Watts | 132 Lbs | 3.4 Gallons 9 Hrs (@ 1/2 Load) |
Champion 3500 Watt 46539 | 4000 Watts | 3500 Watts | 139 Lbs | 3.8 Gallons 12 Hrs(@ 1/2 Load) |
Champion 3500 Watt 46597 | 4000 Watts | 3500 Watts | 117.5 Lbs | 3.8 Gallons 12 Hrs (@ 1/2 Load) |
Champion 3500 Watt 100302 | 4000 Watts | 3500 Watts | 91.9 Lbs | 2.9 Gallons 12 Hrs (@ 1/4 Load) |
Champion 3400 Watt 100263 | 3400 Watts | 3100 Watts | 110.5 Lbs | 1.6 Gallons 7.5 Hrs (@ 1/4 Load) |
As you can see, Champion Power Equipment has very wide range of products with specs and prices to meet the needs of anyone in the market for a portable generator. The company manufactures more generators than these that we’re reviewing here – from relatively small 1200 Watt units all the way to powerful 9000 Watt models.
Because this article is focusing particularly on portable generators of around 3000W-3500W, we’ve selected only these. All of them are quality products, offering different features for the various models. From a basic very affordable 3500 Watt generator up to a sophisticated inverter generator and a number of hybrid options, you’re guaranteed to find the perfect generator for your home, recreational, or business needs.
1. Champion 3800 Watt Dual Fuel RV Ready 76533 Portable Generator
One of the main benefits of this Champion 3800 Watt generator is its dual fuel capabilities. These generators are commonly referred to as hybrid generators and can run on gas, like any other generator, or you can use propane which burns cleaner and is, therefore, preferred by people who are environmentally conscious. Other benefits of using propane are that it’s easier and safer to store and transport. Propane storage is also more compact and you’ll need a lot less space to store and transport a propane tank compared to taking a standard gas can for the same running time.
When it comes to power, the Champion 3800W Dual Fuel is a beast with plenty of it. The 224cc engine will provide 3800W continuous power and give you a peak load of 4750W, this is ample current to start induction electric motors, like those used in refrigerators
and air conditioners. This engine is both EPA and CARB compliant and meets all emission standards in fifty states.
Using the Champion 76533 3800 Watt dual fuel generator is as easy as it gets. An electric starter means it just takes a push of a button to get it started. You can connect your power using the 30A (TT-30R) RV socket, a 30A (LS-30R) locking socket or one of the two 20A standard 120V household outlets. All these power sockets are protected by circuit breakers and VoltGuard protects your equipment from voltage surges (I presume this is some form of AVR). It has an intelliguage, which is a fancy name for a digital display. This gives you all your essential information on an easy to read LED screen.
The gas tank holds 3.4 gallons and will provide up to 9-hours of running time, you should be able to expect around 5-hours under most heavier operating conditions. It has an inlet that allows you to connect the pipe leading from your propane tank when using this as a fuel source. This is not specifically designed for silent running but, none the less, noise levels aren’t too bad – 68dB from 23 Ft away.
A generator of this size with a sturdy steel cage is never going be too light. The Champion 76533 dual fuel model weighs 122 LBS. Strong wheels and a retractable handle, make it quite easy to move the generator around and the roll cage also provides plenty positions for easy grip when lifting it.
A highly durable and powerful generator with the benefits of dual fuel and electric start. As with all Champion Power generators, it’s built to last and will take a few knocks without hindering its ability to supply reliable electrical power for many years to come. A three-year warranty offers you good peace of mind.
2. Champion 3500 Watt RV Ready 46597 Portable Generator
The Champion Power 3500 Watt RV ready portable generator offers excellent value for money. It’s as durable as the more expensive Champion generators but costs a good deal less. This does mean that you’ll forego the luxury of electric start and you don’t get the option for dual fuel operation. On the up side, Champion’s cold start technology means you won’t be tugging on the recoil starter repeatedly in cold weather.
Slightly less powerful than the model that we’ve just reviewed, this one produces 3500W running power and a peak load output of 4000 Watts. This is still a good deal power and you’ll have no problem running a 15000 BTU air conditioner on this generator. The generator is powered by a 196cc engine and with this smaller engine you could easily get up to 12-hours of run time from a tank of gas.
The Champion 3500 Watt 46597 generator model has the same power outlets as the 3800 Watt dual fuel model, just with one less 20A outlet (30A RV outlet, 30A locking outlet, and a single 20A standard outlet). These circuits are protected by breakers and VoltGuard technology. Another little luxury that doesn’t come on this model is the digital display, instead, it has an old-fashioned analog volt meter.
The Champion 3500W generator is a little lighter than 3800W model and weighs 107.8 LBS. It has the same fold out handles and tough wheels as the larger model. The Champion 3500W also has a 3-year warranty.
3. Champion 3500 Watt RV Ready 46539 Portable Generator with Wireless Remote Start
This is basically the same 196cc 3500 Watt generator as the one that we’ve just reviewed. It costs a bit more but for this money, you get a few extra features. Firstly, this generator has an electric starter which includes a remote control that enables you to turn the generator on or off from up to 80 Ft away. This can be very handy if you don’t want to go out into the cold or after dark.
Another upgrade on this 3500 Watt 46539 generator model is in the same user panel as you’ll find on the 3800 Watt model. So unlike the cheaper 3500 Watt generator, this one has two 20A outlets instead of one and you get the digital display.
In all other respects, the two Champion 3500 Watt generators are the same, except that this one weighs slightly more because of the electric starter and battery. I’m not sure why, but the Champion 3500 Watt with remote starting has a 2-year warranty, unlike the cheaper one that has a 3-year warranty. It has the same robust cage and build quality as the other model and I can’t see that this one should be any less durable – despite a shorter warranty period.
4. Champion 3500 Watt Digital Hybrid RV Ready 100302 Portable Generator with Quiet Technology
One of the biggest complaints when it comes to using a generator in a camp site, or even at home, is noise levels. The Champion 3500 Watt Digital Hybrid generator is designed for quiet running (64dBA from 23 FT away). However, this is not the only advantage that this generator has over the others.
It also uses inverter technology. By using an inverter, the Champion 3500W 100302 digital model provides a stable current. Meaning that you get a sine wave with less than 3% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), making it perfectly to safe to power sensitive electronic equipment – like computers and TVs. Another advantage that comes with this technology is parallel connectivity. This means that you can use this generator with any other Champion Power generator with parallel connection ports, allowing you to increase your power output to that of both generators.
This generator uses a 224cc hybrid engine so it will run on gas or propane. Power output is 3500 Watts running power and 4000 Watts peak power. For an inverter generator, this remarkable – generally, inverter generators don’t go much higher than 2000 Watts. Despite having a larger engine than the other Champion 3500 Watt generators and a fuel tank that only holds 2.9 gallons, you’re likely to get better time from a tank of gas. This is yet another advantage of using an inverter, as it allows for an economy mode that will reduce the engine revs at lower loads.
This model also includes a 12V (car lighter-type) outlet with two USB adapters for charging cell phones and other USB devices. Yet another impressive spec of the Champion 3500W digital generator is its weight of only 81.6 LBS. Because this one is so much lighter than the standard models, it doesn’t have a wheel kit, so it has to be carried.
This is a very impressive piece of machinery and is one of the most powerful inverter generators on the market. The Champion 3500 Watt digital generator comes with a 3-year warranty.
5. Champion 3400 Watt Dual Fuel RV Ready 100263 Portable Inverter Generator with Electric Start
Although slightly less powerful than the previous inverter generator, this model has a few other advantages. It produces 3100 running watts and 3400 peak watts, which is still quite adequate for most RV, home, and work applications.
It looks very different from the other Champion generators that use a standard roll cage design. This inverter generator has a very modern looking design that encloses the whole machine. The main benefit of this design is even lower noise levels (59dBA). It’s also more compact and includes wheels – which is just as well, because this model is a bit heavier than the other inverter generator that we’ve just reviewed - 95.7 LBS. Fortunately, it also has a well-designed pull out handle to make it very easy to move. There’s a good reason why this inverter generator is heavier than the other one, this model has an electric starter – so there’s the extra weight of the starter motor and battery.
Like the other inverter generator in this review, the Champion Power 100263 model also has ports for parallel connection and a 12V outlet with the dual USB adapter. You get all the other inverter benefits like low THD (less than 3%) and improved fuel efficiency thanks to an economy mode. Like all the Champion Power generators, the 192cc engine on this model is fully CARB and EPA compliant in 50 states. It also has a 3-year warranty
Leave a Reply