And Another Question: Where Do You Stow the Generator?

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E. Graham

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Mar 21, 2006
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I know that we can't stow a generator, filled with gasoline, inside our tow vehicle.? I think that we shouldn't stow it inside the travel trailer while we're driving --- but perhaps we could?

There's not much room on the tongue of a 17' Casita to stow a generator but if we learn from your responses that this is the right and proper place, we will install a platform and tie-down points.

With much thanks for your help,
Elisabeth and John Graham, proud parents-to-be of Le Mini-Lapin

P.S.? It is Elisabeth that is writing all of these questions.? She's also the one who backs up the trailer as needed, to the astonishment of 99.9% of our fellow campers.
 
You are quite correct that stowing a generator, filled with gasoline inside the tow vehicle is not a good idea, in fact towing it ANYWHERE that is not well ventelated is not a good idea.  That said, I can't tell you where to stow it, perhaps on a roof?
 
Elisabeth (and DH what's his name ;D),

P.S.  It is Elisabeth that is writing all of these questions.  She's also the one who backs up the trailer as needed, to the astonishment of 99.9% of our fellow campers.

Not surprising here. Many of our Forum members' wives do the driving chores, or at least share them - parking no exception. Hey, they're good! :)

If you must stow the genset inside, drain the fuel tank as much as you can, then start it and let it run dry. Open the filler cap, let it air out completely, then close it back up before stowing. Don't forget to use rags or something else absorbent to catch any wayward oil drops.
 
I know that we can't stow a generator, filled with gasoline, inside our tow vehicle.  I think that we shouldn't stow it inside the travel trailer while we're driving --- but perhaps we could?

Dumb question:  Why a generator?  In an itty bitty travel trailer???  Why not a pair of good AGM batteries on the tongue and a solar rig on the roof?  You are not going to touch a generator for less than about US$1000 and you can buy a fair amount of solar for that.
 
I assume we are talking about one of those baby-suitcase sized Honda or Yamahas here - nothing too big or too heavy.  But I'm with Carl - why bother? An extra battery will probably handle all your needs, except for a/c (does La Mini Lapin have one?). Should last you a couple days, anyway, and longer if you are frugal. Adding solar will extend it further, but at substantial cost. But a genset is substantial cost too.

Does your trailer battery charge while you tow it? The standard 7 pin trailer plug has space for a charging circuit from the tow vehicle, but it is not always hooked up by the hitch & lighting installers.
 
Two questions:

-What are you towing with? My 1000w Yamahan fits nicely in the tool box of my pickup.  If you're towing with a sedan, station wagon etc I'd say forget it - what Carl said.

-How long do you plan to camp without hookups?  And where? Good batteries will do you a night or three.  Quartzsite has lots of sun. 
 
Wow!? Thank you for all? of the helpful responses.

Charging with the car engine:? When our Casita is delivered (in mid-June), we'll need to have brackets installed for the torsion bars; I'll have the hitch shop confirm that we can charge our trailer battery through the 7-pin --- or set it up, if necessary.

Generator size:? Yes, we are thinking of buying a small Honda 2000Ui.? We have considered solar but I know from experience --- living on an island --- that you really do need a lot of sun to bring a battery up to full charge.? If we have multiple days of rain, we're hooped.? Whereas a Honda 2000Ui will run for 6 to 8 hours on a gallon of gas.? We would need only five to six hours every four days.

Why might we need a generator or solar?:? We plan to do mainly weekend camping and don't expect that we'll use much 12-volt power over two nights and days.? However, we also plan a 3-week trip in late summer and hope to dry-camp most of the time.? We'll be dependent on 12-volt for the lights, water pump, and furnace blower (we're heading for the Canadian Rockies and it can snow in August --- actually, it can snow in any month).? As well, we would also (eventually) like the option of using the A/C (standard on the model we're buying) when we return to Utah, Arizona, and southern California, even when we're dry-camping (we hope to dry camp more often than not) and for that we would need a generator.

Apart from the A/C issue, I really like the suggestion that we buy a second battery.? I'll explore that some more.

Thanks to all of you!

Elisabeth
 
If your TT has propane tanks, there are portable generators like Yamaha that can run off of propane. That solves the problem of traveling with any fuel in the generator. I know there is a kit available for Honda also.

Dennis
 
You probably need a second battery anyway if you need to run the furnace very much while in the Canadian Rockies. We've been there and know how cold the nights get!  The furnace fan draws a lot of juice and can run a single battery down in one night. Depends on how much it runs, of course, which means it depends on your thermostat setting and the insulation of your trailer too.

Other than that, one battery will probably see you through, based on what you described.

I'm guessing a Casita will have only one, size 24 12V battery as standard. Might not even have space for a second battery or a larger single. A size 27 instead of size 24 would help quite a bit (about 25% more capacity).
 
Our car: ? we're towing with a Toyota 4Runner V6.? We towed our 21' TT with it for 9 months in 2004.

Thank you for the caution about running down the battery while using the furnace!?

E.
 

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