Mounting a pair of Honda 2000 generators on the rear bumper.

[pigman]

We love our Sportsmen 202SRB travel trailer and purchased it as a rather basic unit that we could upgrade as we saw fit.  I can make another thread about the upgrades we did if anyone is interested, but this thread is about generators.

Our goal is to use the A/C unit when shore power is not available.  That isn't a problem with our two generators that when hooked in parallel provide enough amps.  The problem is the best way to transport said units.

One way would be to put em in the back of the Tundra truck bed and then haul em out, secure em to something and then power up and turn on the A/C.

I have thought of security issues by getting the metal handle covers and a good security cable that should keep the mostly honest people from walking away with the generators.  I also got a appropriate extension cord so I don't need the generators right next to the TT where exhaust fumes might be a problem.

I was looking at the rear bumper on my rig and was wondering if I could put some kind of bumper extension or even cutting off the bumper itself, then using identical frame material, extend the frame enough for the generators to fit between the rear of the rig and the end of the relocated bumper.

My brother owns his own body shop and has access to plasma cutters and welding equipment so that won't be a problem.  I am wondering about the extra 100 pounds of weight on the rear end though.

Would it make it tail heavy or would it be ok if I kept the white water tank full for ballast?

Has anyone done this?  Like to hear your comments.

 

[Rene T]

I don't see where 100 lbs. would make any difference. Just make sure they are locked real good and that you don't open any windows near them. Even better, remove them when you need to run them. Keep them 20 to 30 feet away.

 

[pigman]

Yes ... (about moving em away when running)  That's why I purchased the appropriate extension cord from Camping World.  One other reason for this would be to run the generators while going down the road.

If everything was secure enough I don't see how this would be a problem.  Why would I do that?  Well we travel with two cats.

I have heard of people who do this to run the A/C to cool down the rig for even a short rest stop.

I.E.  You have a 8 hour drive and wish to stop at a rest stop about 4 hours in.

So about an hour before the rest stop (or shorter if the rig cools off fast) you pull over and fire up the generators and then the rigs A/C.

I am not sure of the safety of doing this as you wouldn't know if the generators would start on fire or if one would stop and then not have enough power to run the A/C.

It seems like a safety issue to me but people tell me they do it all the time. 

I guess it would be easy enough to mount a camera to "watch" the generators from inside the truck but it still gives me an uneasy feeling.

 

[Sam!]

I have seen them set up on the truck bed and ran from there, maybe secured to a truck bed tool box and open lid to run them that would keep them mostly out of site and save you from moving them around as much

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The extra 100 lbs far behind the trailer axle will lift about that same amount of weight off the tongue of the trailer, quite possibly affecting handling (cause increased sway) if the tongue weight is already at the 10% minimum. Counter-balancing with some more weight on the tongue would be a good idea. Since you clearly expect to be camping off-grid anyway, how about adding a battery up front? That would give you more amp-hours of power without genset and nicely balance out the weight in the back (a Group 27 battery is typically 60-66 lbs ion weight).

 

[Rene T]

The extra 100 lbs far behind the trailer axle will lift about that same amount of weight off the tongue of the trailer, quite possibly affecting handling (cause increased sway) if the tongue weight is already at the 10% minimum.

Gary, I would totally agree if the trailer axles were positioned in the center of the trailer but typically they're not. I would be guessing but I would think that 100 lbs on the back may remove 25 to 35 lbs off the front.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Your guess is as good as mine, Rene, and you are right that axle position is a major factor.  However, the trailer is a small one (22 feet overall) and the tongue weight modest, so even 35 lbs difference could affect it enough to be noticeable. Compensating for the weight seems [to me] to be a smart move.

 

[Rene T]

Your guess is as good as mine, Rene, and you are right that axle position is a major factor.  However, the trailer is a small one (22 feet overall) and the tongue weight modest, so even 35 lbs difference could affect it enough to be noticeable. Compensating for the weight seems [to me] to be a smart move.

I'll buy that. 

 

[pigman]

Thanks to all of your who replied.  First of all I already have a pair of batteries up front and of course a pair of propane bottles too.

I have a 30 gallon white water tank under the bed which probably is close enough to the front of the rig to add some tongue weight.

The reason for the generators is to run the A/C unit in the very hot summers in Nebraska.

I have never weighed tongue weight but it sounds like it wouldn't hurt to do that before I add the generators and then check it after.

The actual reason for this is a weird one in that I am not doing this primarily for dry camping but for another use of a TT.

Recently my wife's father passed away and we need to go to his house in Nebraska for several weeks to deal with his house and all possessions.

Won't be there long enough to get an electrician to install a 30 amp outlet on the house so we will need to power up our own unit for a few weeks.

Plenty of room so no problem with generator noise and I did get a 25 foot proper extension cord so once we get there we can move the generators off the rig and as far away from the rig as possible.

Tow rig is a Toyota Tundra so the gens could go in the truck bed, but the wife don't want the gas smell of the non running generators in there as we will have suitcases and will need that space for other purposes.

 

[Rene T]

I take it you must have a truck cap. How about putting each generator in a heavy duty trash bag and seal it real good with duck tape or a tie wrap (zip tie). It's only going to be for the trip out and back.  You could even double up on the bags.  That would be much easier and cheaper than trying to mount them to the rear of your TT.

 

[Lou Schneider]

If you're not interested in using the generators for boondocking, I suggest letting an electrician install an RV outlet for you.  If you're parking adjacent to the house, all it takes is running a circuit to an outlet mounted on the outside wall or even inside the garage if you can then reach it with the RV's extension cord.  Shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred dollars, versus a couple grand for the EU2000s.

 

[Rene T]

That isn't a problem with our two generators that when hooked in parallel provide enough amps.  The problem is the best way to transport said units.

Lou, sounds like they already have the generators.

 

[Lou Schneider]

In that case, the plastic bags probably are overkill.  Just turn the switch on the fuel cap to OFF and it seals the fuel tank.  Run the engine until it stalls from vacuum buildup in the tank, then pull on the starter rope until you feel resistance - this means both valves are closed and the cylinder is sealed.  You won't get any fuel smell from the generator.

 

[pigman]

I take it you must have a truck cap. How about putting each generator in a heavy duty trash bag and seal it real good with duck tape or a tie wrap (zip tie). It's only going to be for the trip out and back.  You could even double up on the bags.  That would be much easier and cheaper than trying to mount them to the rear of your TT.

YES .. that is a very good idea and is probably what we will end up doing as I really don't want to start cutting up the frame and changing things I am not sure about.

In the last 4 years we have only parked at state parks that have full facilities so running off generator power won't be that common.

I did like the idea of being able to stop anywhere and run the A/C but it's not going to happen all that often.  The Fantastic Fan I installed does a really good job unless it's boiling hot outside.

 

[Rene T]

In that case, the plastic bags probably are overkill.  Just turn the switch on the fuel cap to OFF and it seals the fuel tank.  Run the engine until it stalls from vacuum buildup in the tank, then pull on the starter rope until you feel resistance - this means both valves are closed and the cylinder is sealed.  You won't get any fuel smell from the generator.

I wonder if there would be any exhaust smell?

 

[pigman]

In that case, the plastic bags probably are overkill.  Just turn the switch on the fuel cap to OFF and it seals the fuel tank.  Run the engine until it stalls from vacuum buildup in the tank, then pull on the starter rope until you feel resistance - this means both valves are closed and the cylinder is sealed.  You won't get any fuel smell from the generator.

You guys are great with good suggestions.  I think I will combine both ideas of sealing off the tanks and engine valves AND THEN put em in a plastic bag.

This should keep "Her who must be obeyed" happy.  This would also help with keeping the generators safer from theft as my truck cap has windows that are pretty dark so the contents in the truck bed are not easy to see.

BTW I love my Honda e2000i generator which I purchases a few years ago.  It came in handy when a 3 day power outage happened this winter.

I recently purchased the Honda e2000 EU companion and have tested them out with the special cable that allows them to run together. 

I am amazed at how long they can run on 1 gallon of gas.  I read that they have a 90cc Honda engine in there and remember by first MC which was a 90cc Honda.  (FYI I now own a 1200cc Harley).

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

 

[Rene T]

Glad we could help. Safe travels. 

 

[lone_star_dsl]

Yes ... (about moving em away when running)  That's why I purchased the appropriate extension cord from Camping World.  One other reason for this would be to run the generators while going down the road.

If everything was secure enough I don't see how this would be a problem.  Why would I do that?  Well we travel with two cats.

I have heard of people who do this to run the A/C to cool down the rig for even a short rest stop.

I.E.  You have a 8 hour drive and wish to stop at a rest stop about 4 hours in.

So about an hour before the rest stop (or shorter if the rig cools off fast) you pull over and fire up the generators and then the rigs A/C.

I am not sure of the safety of doing this as you wouldn't know if the generators would start on fire or if one would stop and then not have enough power to run the A/C.

It seems like a safety issue to me but people tell me they do it all the time. 

I guess it would be easy enough to mount a camera to "watch" the generators from inside the truck but it still gives me an uneasy feeling.

I'm one of those "I do it all the time" people when it comes to running the generator for AC use a couple hours before we get to our destination. We like the fact that the rig is nice and cool when we arrive.

Regarding issues with exhaust and CO gas, unless you have an air intake or vent into the trailer that is right next to the generators, I don't see how leaving them on the rear of the trailer is any different than those of us who have generator exhaust pipes dumping out at the bottom of our trailers or motorhomes.  If the exhaust needed to be 30' away, we would all have 30' lengths of pipe to route our exhaust fumes away.