How do transport your generator while camping? One example and a poll.
Everyone,
I just saw on the Rockwood Mini Lite group about the near loss of the generator off the back of their trailer. Please read this post and answer the post below. I really want to learn about your experiences taking a generator on camping trips. – Mike
Just posting so others don't do the same as I did. This weekend (boondocking trip) I put my 4500 champion inverter generator on a carrier on the back of my 22FB and strapped it down for travel.
After 100 miles I could see in my rear camera that after hitting some huge pot holes and rough road the generator had flipped on its side and was just flopping all over the place. I pulled over and repositioned it and strapped it down better.
The bigger issue was when I left it on the carrier when I used it. Nothing major happened but it sure made for a sleepless night as it felt like my entire rv was vibrating all day and night. This thing ran all night as I needed the a/c due to the Texas heat and humidity. My entire rv felt like one of those cheap 70's hotels when you put in the quarter for a massaging bed but only worse. Also one of my bungee cords melted and was trashed in the morning from the heat. I went to harbor freight and bought proper straps and avoided the exhaust.
My generator is almost 100 pounds and I had help getting it on the carrier, no way could I get it down by myself and back up. Guess I will just put in my truck bed and keep the bed cover off but you live and learn and move on. - Michael C.
Please take these two polls!
Do you carry a generator on camping trips? And how do you transport it? If you have an alternative way to stash a generator in or on your trailer or motorhome, please post it in the comments below.
Thanks for your help and let’s play safe out there… Mike
Smaller RV = smaller generator. Then you can set it on the ground and eliminate the vibration.
We rarely use our generator (2KW) since we installed 600W of solar and 300AH of LiFePo batts, so don’t bring it on shorter trips anymore.
Same here, but we take our Honda eu2000i all the time, just in case. With an electronic soft start on the ac, I can run the 1350 Coleman with the generator on the ground behind the truck chained to the frame so it doesn’t walk away.
My comment is on the noise of inexpensive generators, especially contractor intended generators.
Don’t go cheap and irritate all your neighbors with the noise.
I agree. Read this: https://rvelectricity.com/whats-all-this-noise-about-generators
My Honda 3000 is installed in a military equipment case on a front receiver hitch of my Diesel truck with camper Yes, it does interfere with airflow to the vehicles heat exchangers causing the transmission to run warmer. It is only a problem when towing. Being one of the quietest generators on the market, it is not audible inside the camper over the fan noise. You can’t expect the cheapest contractor grade generator which is designed for jobsites and residential power outages to be tolerable in a quiet environment like camping. Also, any kind of mass at the end of a trailer (or front of a vehicle) needs to be mechanically fastened via metal brackets. My bracketing required extensive welding.
My generator has its own compartment in the tack room of my live in horse trailer.
I did the same with my wife’s mobility scooter. Bumper supposedly rated for 500 pounds so didn’t think weight was an issue. Scooter rode fine but what I did experience was trailer sway. Trailer weight distribution was fine. I’m pretty mechanical but not an engineer. I believe that 100 pounds cantilevered 2feet off the back end acts kind of like a lever/fulcrum problem whenever we hit any bumps. Trailer sway wasn’t massive but any sway is dangerous. Moved it to the bed of the pickup beside the generator. It’s a hassle but much safer. Also less stressful from the drivers seat.
Tom,
It’s the pendulum effect from the scooter mass being out on the end of a fulcrum. Heavy items in a trailer should be loaded as close to and just forward of the axle(s) to minimize this effect. Have you checked your trailer’s tongue weight with a scale? Ideally it should be around 15% of your total trailer weight. My 6,000 lb (loaded) GeoPro trailer is happiest with 900 lbs of tongue weight and a Weight Distribution Hitch.
Yep I’ve double checked, redistributed the weight to make sure, and reweighed the trailer, and tongue weight and tows great otherwise. I agree it’s the pendulum effect. Doesn’t cause porposing just a little sway that makes me uncomfortable. Thanks for your response and appreciate all the information you provide.
Even though I don’t claim to be an expert on towing, I have a lot of experience towing and hauling very heavy loads of pro-sound gear for concerts. Plus we always had to stop at commercial weigh stations, which can be rough when you’re overloaded. 🏋️♂️
We carry a Honda 2000. We have 2 lithium batteries, 300 watts of solar on the roof and a 100 watt portable panel. We only use the generator to charge the battery when the sun doesn’t shine.
We truly loath those with cheap contractor grade generators.
Class A has a built in generator. We carry dual Honda generators in the “basement” when extended boondocking or need off-site power.
Honda was the lightest weight, could be mechanically “paired” for greater loads, and quietest. Not the cheapest, but well worth the $$!
When we had a tongue-trailer, the BIG generator lived in the truck bed and was run sitting on the tailgate (careful of wind carrying exhaust into open windows).
I have a factory installed rack on the back of my RV and when I was towing with a SUV I purchased a large tough container from HD and bolted that to the rack. My generator and gas cans went in there. Problem was I couldn’t lift the generator out of the box! Now I have a truck and put that box in the bed of the truck. It keeps all the generator stuff contained together and I can lift it out to put in bed or on the ground.
We carry two Champion inverter types that we can parallel if necessary. They are lightweight enough that we can place them on the ground when using them. Very handy, economical to operate and lightweight.
We have a built in propane fueled 3.6KW Onan generator but it’s so loud and uses so much fuel that we use our Honda 2200i for all of our generator needs.
The original poster should consider two smaller/lighter inverter generators running in parallel versus a single much heavier generator. I have a 3000-watt Champion dual-fuel that I like but, it is too heavy for me to lift. I use two 2000-watt Honda generators in parallel for several reasons: 1) Redundancy…very rare to not have both generators fail to start. 2) Weight…I can lift the 40-pound generators into and out my truck bed without much effort. 3) Noise…the generators are very quiet when running. 4) Safety…I can move the generators a safe distance from my trailer and minimize the risk of CO entering the rig and poisoning the occupants. 5) Economy…only use one generator if that is all that is required.
I will leave it up to the mechanic engineers to opine on the structural and safety concerns with hanging a heavy load on the back of a trailer.
I have a truck camper. I carry on front receiver hitch or in back seat floor board.
I have a Champion 3000 generator but have never used it with my Bigfoot truck camper. I have 400 watts of solar with a 100 aH Lithium battery that replaced a 200aH lead acid battery. I have no inverter and have gone as long as six days without plugging in. I have no air conditioning and no real need for it. I don’t boondock in temperatures that require the furnace running all the time. Other things I don’t have and don’t want: No microwave, no toaster, no coffee maker, no hair dryer! I might install a small inverter to run a blender and a few tool battery chargers.
This is why I sold my Predator and bought the Honda.
I sometimes carry a small generator in the winter if I’m going to be dry camping and don’t want to listen to my on board diesel generator for protected periods. I carry it on a cargo carrier. My rule for carrying things is always have redundant tie downs in case one or more comes loose. There are heavy duty cargo nets available too. I use a surplus military one a lot when I carry firewood on the external cargo carrier.