I recently bought a Champion 3500 watt portable generator, and I can't get a straight answer on one thing -

Do I need to ground it? It has a neutral floating, as opposed to a neutral bonded to frame. (For some technical reason that I can't figure out this seems to be an important point.) There is a grounding point on the generator. I wrote to Champion on their site, but never got an answer back.

The generator will not be on a transfer switch with the house power. It will use grounded extension cords to power selected appliances.

From the instruction manual - A ground terminal connected to the frame of the generator has been provided. For remote grounding connect 12 AWG minimum . . . to copper rod driven into the ground. We strongly recommend . . . consult with a qualified electrician to insure compliance with local code.

However, I did talk to an electrician and he didn't think it was necessary.