Best Generators for Food Truck

Are you in the market for a food truck generator? Then you have come to the right place! Based on a combination of personal experienced, recommendation from food truck owners and many hours of research – we have written this guide to help you find the BEST generator for your food truck!

What to consider when buying a food truck generator:
– Generator Size: How much power do you need?
– Generator Type: Standard Generator or Inverter Generator?
– Types of Fuel: What fuel to use?
– Noise Level: How loud is your generator?

Generator Size: How much power do you need?

To know what size generator you need, you have to know which appliances you will be running, take all their watts and add them up to find out how many running watts you need for normal operation. Furthermore, appliances like refrigerators need extra power to start their motors before they settle into their running wattage. For such appliances, you use their starting watts instead of their running watts during your calculations.

Here’s a sample wattage calculation for some appliances:

You can use this formula to calculate the total wattage:
Amps x Volts = Watts or Amps = Watts / Volts

So in the example above, we need a generator with at least 5350 watts. It’s recommended to go at least 15% higher as older appliances needs more power and due to power surge. So in this case, we need a generator with 6000 watts

Where do I find watt or amp in my appliances?
All the information about the wattage can be found on the appliance itself or on its user manual. If you can’t find it there, contact the dealer or the manufacturer.

Generator Type: Standard Generator or Inverter Generator?

You have a choice between using a standard generator or an inverter generator. Both have their pros and cons, but a lot of mobile restaurant operators use inverter generators as their preferred option.

Standard Generator: These are your normal generators that use a motor attached to an alternator to generate AC power.

Pros:
– Affordable when compared to inverter generators
– They provide more power output
– Can run for an extended period of time

Cons:
– Larger and heavier than inverter generators
– They produce more noise and vibrations than inverter generators
– Engine speed fluctuations affect the amount of power generated

Inverter Generator: Inverter generators have only recently appeared on the scene, but they have gained popularity over standard generators. They generate AC current, just like standard generators, which they then convert to DC, and then generate “pure” electricity by “inverting” the DC to AC again.

Pros:
– Great for electronics that need “clean” electricity, such as Laptops
– Fuel efficient
– Portable and light weight
– They produce less noise and vibrations than standard generators

Cons:
– Costs more than a standard generator
– Aren’t available in large sizes for heavier loads
– Expensive to repair

Types of Fuel: What fuel to use?

No matter what size or type of generator you use for your food truck, they will use the following fossil fuel types: gas, diesel and propane. And you need to select the best fuel type that will suit your needs.

Gas
Gas, also known as gasoline or petrol, generators are the most commonly used, due to their low prices and the wide availability of gasoline. These generators are suitable for frequent use and easy to look after, making them suitable for food trucks (considering the fact that you can even hook them up them up to share a fuel source with the van).

Diesel
Generators that run on diesel are more fuel-efficient and typically have longer life spans than gasoline generators. This means they offer better value for every hour of use and are suitable for extended use. They just tend to produce more fumes and are noisier.

Propane
Propane is another fuel source that is widely available. It’s clean, efficient and very convenient (chances are you will be using a propane cylinder to cook the food anyway, so the generator can be hooked to that). Additionally, since they have a separate tank with fuel that can be stored for months without degrading, you don’t need to clean the tank regularly.

Just your typical food truck…

Noise Level: How loud is your generator?

Depending on where you set up your generator, there might sound restrictions to consider. But to be on the safe side, a quiet generator is always the best bet (even though it might cost more than a noisy generator), so that people don’t complain and your operation doesn’t get shut down. The noise levels for generators are measured in decibels (dB). For a generator to be considered quiet, its noise levels have to be less than 70dB.

As you can see, just choosing the size and type of generator can be a bit of a daunting task. Another, daunting task, though, is choosing the model you want. We have gone ahead and looked at some generators for you and picked the best three that are suitable for a food truck.

1. Generac 5975

This gas generator is built to last and has an impressive running watts of 5500 (6785 watts at peak), meaning that it is surely up to the task of running most of your appliances. It is loud, but not too loud for a food truck operation. It produces noise levels of about 85dB, according to user reviews.

Pros:
– Affordable and reliable
– Highly durable due to its framed cradle
– Large fuel tank capacity
– Automatically shuts down when oil levels are low

2. Briggs and Stratton 30663

If you need clean and efficient electricity for your appliances, then this unit is for you. It can produce 7000 running watts on gasoline (reaching 8750 watts at its peak). It is also a bit loud and reaches noise levers of over 85dB, according to users who tested its noise levels.

Pros:
– Provides clean electricity
– Suitable for small to mid-sized loads
– Can run for 9 hours on a half tank

3. Honda EU2000I

This unit is a gasoline powered inverter generator. Its peak and running watts are 2000. This makes it suitable if you are running a small operation, since you won’t be able large appliances. It’s also very quiet, with the smallest noise levels reaching 53dB and the highest reaching 59dB.

Pros:
– Light weight and portable
– Very quiet, making it suitable in many environments with noise restrictions
– Has circuit protection to protect the generator and your appliances from damage when overloaded

To prevent your generator from becoming deadly during use, good safety standards are a must. Consider the following safety tips when using a generator in your food truck:

– Make sure the generator is properly installed by contacting a professional to do it for you
– Conduct maintenance and repairs regularly
– Avoid overloading the generator by not plugging in unnecessary appliances
– Make sure the generator is located outside, where fumes cannot suffocate you
– Before shutting down the generator, make sure that all the connected appliances are off
– Always keep a fire extinguisher nearby
– Avoid touching areas of the generator that get hot too during use
– Never refuel the generator while it is still running
– Make sure the generator is properly grounded

Here’s a great video with some tips and advice on running your generator:

Hope this guide helps you out!
In this post we have aimed to help you choose the best generator for your food truck operation. Having sufficient power is vital to your entire mobile restaurant business and should not be overlooked or underestimated, since this will make sure that your business is operational on a daily basis. This why choosing best generator is fundamental to the success of your food truck business.