running portable generator while towing 5er?

[SuperEagleMN]

I was thinking about mounting a 3000w inverter generator to my bike rack or in the bed of pickup and running it to power the trailer while driving. Mainly for A/C for when we stop and make a sandwich, take a break etc....


Has anyone attempted this? Any real world feedback would be great and appreciated.

[Foretm]

I’ve not done it personally, but I’ve seen plenty of folks who have done it. They make a mount over the tongue for the generator as well. If I were going to do that, I would consider this mount.

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Cargo/St...SABEgI9g_D_BwE

I think if you route the electrical properly and make sure the generator is mounted well, I see no issues with it.

[Magnolia Tom]

I have done it with my trailer. I put it on a rack on the back of the trailer which is installed in the accessory hitch. Works great. I am thinking of installing a transfer switch and a second shore power connection at the king pin so I can have the generator in the truck versus the back of the trailer. The reason is we can’t have the bike rack and the cargo rack on the trailer at the same time.

[SuperEagleMN]

Did you have any issues with the generator shutting off or having trouble with the bumps and bruises along the way? What generator are you running? I'm looking at the Champion 3150 with remote start.


I have a bike rack that slides out on the back and a receiver hitch. Might be able to rig something up that works for both.

[Magnolia Tom]

No issues at all. I have the Champion dual fuel 3400 generator. The only “issue” I had early on was the power cord would sometimes vibrate out of the outlet. I rigged up a strap to hold the plug in place.

[SuperEagleMN]

Got it, good tip. Sounds good man, I appreciate you sharing your experience with it.

[Packerbacker_TX]

Originally Posted by SuperEagleMN

I was thinking about mounting a 3000w inverter generator to my bike rack or in the bed of pickup and running it to power the trailer while driving. Mainly for A/C for when we stop and make a sandwich, take a break etc... Has anyone attempted this? Any real world feedback would be great and appreciated.

3KW from an inverter generator should get you off to a good start and some campers have a solid 2" receiver hitch that will allow for some weight on the back (bikes, coolers, stuff, etc.). Just make sure you're using a receiver hitch and not some bumper clamp on gadget as you don't want all that bouncing around to shake the bumper (and all your stuff) loose. Personally, I wouldn't have it running while in transit. Just allow a few minutes to crank it up and get the AC blowing before you eat lunch.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Packerbacker_TX

snip...
Personally, I wouldn't have it running while in transit. Just allow a few minutes to crank it up and get the AC blowing before you eat lunch.

What he said ^^^^

Our generator is at the rear of the truck bed and we could run it while on the road if necessary, but it hasn't been necessary. Keeping the air flowing through the trailer when traveling made a huge improvement.

We have MaxxAir vent covers over both our trailer's ceiling vents and started leaving the window over the kitchen sink open when on the road. When we stop, the trailer is at about ambient air temp. With the trailer closed up or the window over the sink closed, the trailer was much hotter when we stopped for lunch etc.

[sgrol50]

I carry a Honda 2000 in my truck bed. I wired up a power cord from the king pin area to my mid 15K A/C with a transfer switch to power the a/c on normal power or Honda power. I just plug a short extension cord from Honda to king pin connector and crank it up. Will run a/c as long as it has gas to burn.

[Kahoneys]

We run it from the bed of our truck while traveling and have had only 1 issue of our power cord getting too close to the exhaust and melting some of the coating. I fixed it and made a mental note to route the cord away from the exhaust and never had an issue. We have the Champion 3100 with remote and love to turn it on 1/2 to 1 hour prior to arrival and then have a cooler rig and the beer gets even colder

[Siamese]

I see no problem with it. We regularly cruise down the road while running a 375 horsepower V-6 that's bolted into the front end of our tow vehicle. Can't see why a little 8 horse in the back would make a difference.

[Duke4857]

WOW, This has never crossed my mind to run the gererator while driving. I have never needed it. I can see in the back of my mind how to do it, never needed to.

[Ladd]

Originally Posted by Siamese

I see no problem with it. We regularly cruise down the road while running a 375 horsepower V-6 that's bolted into the front end of our tow vehicle. Can't see why a little 8 horse in the back would make a difference.

Now that is funny!