How to keep portable generators from being to portable

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Len and Jo

Len and Jo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2005
Posts
1,442
I was going to post this in the Conversion Van section but this easily applies to travel trailers, pop-ups, and other small rigs.  I am thinking of getting a Honda 2000 for use with our van in the early spring and late fall.  Our heater is a 1000w- 1500w electric unit.  Our early and late season camping is now limited in the most part to places that have electrical hook-ups.  If we had a portable generator it would extend our season. 

The problem is keeping the portable generator secure for our use and not having it walk off.  Have seen people with travel trailers park the unit under their trailer, by the door and chain it to the trailer axle when it was in use.

Those of you that use portable generators, how do you make them usable yet keep them fairly safe??  What is your experience?

 
I don't like having the gen too close to the trailer. When I did that, I could smell fumes inside. I keep the gen on the front edge of the pickup bed and secured with a chain lock to the truck tiedown. My RV electric cord is long enough to plug into the gen so I leave it in the truck.
 
A neighbor and friend of mine built a reciever hitch on the back of his 5ver.  than we built a platform on a sqare pipe that would fit the reciever.  Mounted the generator to the platform and locked it to the reciever.  It is also quite easy to bring the trailer power cable out and plug it in as well.    We had a full can area on the platform as well for carrrying a can of fuel when traveling than had a local tarp maker build a cover for it. 
 
You know,, I've seen some very secure portable generators grow legs and walk off.  Folks now go around with cable cutters so even a 1/2 inch aircraft grade cable is not secure.

however a dog leash can do a fairly good job.. Epically if there is a rotweiller on the other end of the leash.
 
John,

Thats an idea.  A large heavy dog chain with a pair of very large stainless steel dog dishes near its end and close to the generator.  It also seems to me that a "quite" generator set up in a not so visible place can only help.  I agree the heavy chain would probably only buy you 10 seconds of generator life.
 
I have a cargo carrier that fits in to my receiver on the back of my class C.  I have the carrier locked on to the receiver and the generator locked on to the carrier.  When it is in use, it is either locked to a tree or picnic table or something else as far away from the camper as practical.
 
My 1000i travels locked in the truck tool box out of sight.

In use, in the campground I use a bicycle chain - actually a plastic encased cable - and tie it to the hitch in the truck, the front stabilizer or rear bumper.

The 1000i only weighs 30 lbs.  The chain is to avoid tempting a honest man, not to stop a determined thief.

If your 2000i would be visible and unattended outside a campground you might want something more substantial.

Joel





 
John In Detroit said:
You know,, I've seen some very secure portable generators grow legs and walk off.  Folks now go around with cable cutters so even a 1/2 inch aircraft grade cable is not secure.
Click to expand...

Maybe case-hardened 3/8 inch chain with a good quality hardened shackle padlock would be.  Take look at http://www.imakerope.com/products.asp?catid=210.  Bikes now cost in the thousands, so they have a disappearance problem too.  Here is one an article on bike riders' security problem  http://www.bicyclefixation.com/security.htm
Particularly note this paragraph from the latter website

Find a good hardware store or metal yard and ask for some Campbell Security Chain. This stuff is 3/8" thick made from Boron-alloyed steel and is Case-Hardened. It is almost impossible to cut--it destroys the jaws of bolt-cutters. You can get through it with a torch or diamond grinder but it takes a while. Ask the hardware store clerks if they can cut it a little shorter for you--if they say YES, then this is not the right chain. You want them to say "NO, we just sell it in pre-cut lengths." It sells for $5.00 to $7.50 a foot, depending on whether you buy it from a steel yard or a hardware store.

No security provisions are 100% thief proof.  But a good chain and padlock setup can make a thief awfully discouraged.
 
Thanks Carl,,

Good thoughts on that chain.  We were in Northfield Minn. at Jesse James Days and saw something like this firsthand.  They clear their main street before staging the Jesse James bank robbery.  Someone had left a bike chained up.  The police tried 2-3 different bolt cutters for 10-20 minutes to move it but no luck.  Finally this old pickup from a local gas station was called and pulled up. A grease covered man took a pair of tanks and a cutting torch out of the back.  Lit the torch and one minute later got the bike free and put it in the back of the pickup.  Everyone waiting for the programmed show to start had a great time with this side show.  The gas station owner got a big cheer from all who were gathered. :D :D ;D ;D :D :D
 
I tried to find a source for Cambell Security chain but could not locate any.  So I sent an e-mail to Cambell and received the following reply:


"Lowell,
We use to manufacture the case harden security chain which we no longer
carry. Only on special orders in large quanities would we make.
We can offer our System 7 transport chain size 3/8 but it is not case
harden.

Thank you for your interest in our product.

Pat

Pat Lasky
Lead Customer Service Rep/Apex Chain Group
Cooper Tools/Campbell Chain
Phone 888-4476326 ext 4301
Fax    888-2563226
[email protected]
www.cooperhandtools.com
 
I bought a VERY beefy cable lock from this place below:  It's so beefy that I'll need to make sure that it'll fit through the handle on whatever portable genset that I decide to buy.

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/
 
Kryptonite locks look better than they are, HOwever to a thief with a set of cable cutters (Bolt cutters) ... It's just another cable

Like I said, a nice heavy cable with a rotweiller on the other end.. need not be a live dog but, .. Live better
 
You got that right Ron, You got that right.

You know they say "Crime does not pay"

Well, I'm here to tell you it does.. If not for Crime they would not need police

If not for Police they would not need police dispatchers

And I get paid every month for having been a police dispatcher

Thus crime does, inddeed pay.... Those who fight it :)
 
Ron said:
Cables, Chains, or locks only keep honest folks honest.
Click to expand...

Not really.   Chains and locks, like yappy dogs serve to present a potential aggravation prompting thieves to move on to the next spot where the target presents fewer difficulties.    Case hardened locks or chains serve to deter grab and run thievery.    If your trailer was set up in the middle of nowhere all by itself, a thief might invest some time and aggravation to drag out a diamond saw or a cutting torch, but  even then he might not.  In the middle of a campground would be another thing entirely.
 
I think there has to be levels of security.  The low end being a bright orange portable generator setting on a table with a sign on it saying: "I'm expensive", "I'm easy to carry".  The other end would be a generator that is build into the side of a Class "A' with a locked door over it.  I can't have the last since I am using a 'B' and I hope I am smart enough not the former.  So I am looking for ideas somewhere in between.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,273 (members: 34, guests: 1,239)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,969
Posts
1,388,419
Members
137,721
Latest member
Dmac3003
Back
Top Bottom