Generator carrier with bike rack used in 2" Receiver hitch

[UGADawgs]

Your "generator in the truck" comment does give me an idea! Has anyone installed a second additional 50 amp plug into the front of their 5th wheel? I'm curious if I could add one, and then simply just leave the generator locked up in the truck bed and run it while we drive.

I installed a 30 amp plug in the front of our 2500RL. Ran a 10 gauge wire in conduit (was able to remove a few screws holding the coroplast up at both ends to feed conduit above coroplast) to a mechanical transfer switch mounted next to the electrical panel inside trailer. I can switch from front or rear plug as needed. On our desert lot I leave the generator in the pickup and plug it in when we come back to the trailer for the night. I don't have to worry about the generator disappearing while we are away. I run our Honda eu3000 in the canopy with the door opened up, it really cuts down on the engine noise. When the canopy is not on the truck I have ran the generator while driving and it works really good. Secure the cord really well. You could do the same with a 50 amp setup.

This thread has a couple guys that did the same thing with installing a front 30amp connector and transfer switch, but run their trailers off the F150's built in geny, and while in motion too!

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/thr...wering-a-trailer-while-driving-it-works.6462/

 

[440scout]

The automatic transfer switch makes a lot of sense, I like that option. Thanks for this information! Our Momentum 350G had one, though I never had to deal with it. The generator had to run for about 30 seconds before it'd cut over to it for AC input.

Is there any brand that you'd recommend you've found superior to others when dealing with the vibrations of being in a travel trailer?

This is how I would do it. Its the simplest and really makes sense. Even though the OP has a 220 amp alternator in his tow vehicle running just one A/C through the inverter can pull 129 amps off the campers batteries. I know because I have the same go-power 3000 watt split phase inverter-charger powering a 15-k Coleman Mach A/C with a soft start. So, using a 60 amp DC to DC charger would help keep the batteries alive. And if you've got a substantial (1600 watts) solar system, the combination of both systems charging the batteries could allow one A/C to run at least 6 hours on a cloudless day. Thats almost enough amps but considering the A/C would eventually cycle on and off with the t-stat set to mid 70s, that setup might keep the batteries reasonably charged. The transfer switch should come with a schematic that should show a shorepower input and a generator input. The one output should go to your inverter input. Of course the inverter output goes to your breaker panel power input. The transfer switches Grand Design uses seem to be pretty good, check with Grand Design on line parts. Just tighten up all internal connections every year or so because they can loosen from road vibration and mostly from heating under loads and then cooling. There are several posts about it. Good luck.

 

[Sborders]

Remember that a generator needs oxygen to run and produces carbon monoxide in the exhaust. This "breathing" involves far more than meets the eye. After an ice storm took out ALL electricity in the county I bought a generator and built a garage for it (well, garage, shop, and generator area). I had two two-foot-square openings in the generator area, so I thought I had plenty of airflow. Wrong! In 15 minutes the generator was out of oxygen and the generator area of the building was full of exhaust. In order to actually use the generator I had to drag it out onto the deck.

Back when we had that S&B and generator I thought about putting the generator in the truck and powering the a/c that way while driving. We ended up buying a motor home that had a generator designed to power the two air conditioners, so I kind of forgot about that idea until this thread came up.

The other thing to think about is that generators aren't exactly light. Will you have enough rear axle weight capacity to handle another couple hundred pounds in the bed? Yes, you could get a smaller one that will power only one a/c, but then it is easier for someone to take it for a walk.

I cured that with a lockable, retractable bed cover. Obviously, that won't work with a fifth wheel.

 

[montana-todd]

Hey all. Just checking back in. I've decided to go with the following solution.

1) Add 2 more 6v pairs to add a 25% capacity boost to my battery capacity

2) Add a MORRyde generator tray to my rear storage compartment to house my generator

3) Add an exhaust with a quick disconnect to the generator so I can run it in the rear storage compartment while closed, and safely port the exhaust away from the trailer both stationary and while driving.

4) Add a 50 amp automatic transfer switch to the system to switch between the external power plug, and the generator automatically

5) Add a Carbon Monoxide detector in the RV directly above the generator in the living area.

I've already done 1) and 4). Just waiting for the parts on the generator exhaust to complete the job. I'll upload the build instructions with some pics after I'm done!