Okay time to play :)

[TheNomad]

So I have spent 18 weekends in the trailer (175RD) and have learned a bit about it ...
My generator is waaay too small ... it is 2000 watt peak so I cannot use my AC or microwave. Is there a fix (slow starter?) or do I just need to by a new one for boondocking ? also my battery is only good for about 3 hours ... is this right (it is new)

So my tow vehicle is usually one found on the back of most trailers not the front, I am using a 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited ... I have only actually towed the trailer twice ... once from the dealer and once to the place that I will be storing it (all tolled about 150 miles) I was able to maintain a comfortable road speed (65) in north texas ... but I have been told not to even attempt any type of higher terrain or bad weather ... The indication was the jeep could be hazardous in some conditions. Any one have a insight on this ?

We are looking to start getting out a bit with our new caravan ... so any ideas will help ... Thanks

[farnik78]

Unless you are running all the lights with the radio furnace and water pump running constantly your battery should last way longer than 3 hours

[michael.g]

The short wheelbase of the Wrangler makes it an unstable tow vehicle. In ideal conditions, it will probably tow okay, but add some wind, pot holes and some big rigs and you will probably find it difficult to control the trailer at highway speeds.

I do agree with farnik78, you should be able to get better than 3 hours of battery use if it was fully charged.

-Michael

[Subaru297]

Your 2000 Watt generator should be able to run your microwave or your AC without issues. Only one device at a time though. Do you know what size AC unit you have?

What is probably happening is that your battery is dead so your converter is drawing power to charge your battery and your fridge may be switching over to AC when the generator is starting up. Add your AC or microwave on top of those loads and you will run out of power.

Our 2000 watt generator will run our 13,500btu AC unit but everything else has to be off in the trailer. Switch off your converter at the breaker and make sure your fridge is off or on propane and test your generator again. And make sure your generator is not in eco mode if it has that mode. If your AC is the same size it may or may not be able to run the AC. Ours is borderline and we did add a hard start capacitor similar to this...
https://www.amazon.com/SPP6-Capacito.../dp/B0002YTLFE

As for the battery you should definitely get more than 3 hours use out of it. I would bet you are never getting a full charge on it and if it has been run down multiple times it probably needs replacing.
Do you disconnect it while in storage?
Are you ever plugged in to shore power? Even plugged in your battery will probably take 12-24 hours to fully charge.

[DonaandDon]

Your lucky to have the toys in the rear. Front loading a trailer is unwise.

18 weekends and only towed twice? You should be a full timer. Shorter wheel bases are unstable by them selves. I tow at 60mph, most pass me by but my brakes are good and I don't have white knuckles while driving.


Arrive alive.

[ttavasc]

I would agree with Subaru297. If you have the wall-mounted A/C unit that would be 8K BTU and your 2000 watt generator should handle that. Our Champion 2000 watt does fine with the 8K BTU wall mount in our 195RB provided we are careful about what else we are using. You would definitely need the hard-start capacitor or a Micro-Air Easystart if you have the optional 13.5K BTU roof-mounted A/C unit.

What I find online regarding that year Jeep Wrangler is a max 3500 tow capacity and a wheelbase of 93" to 104". So immediately a couple of concerns to be aware of. The GVWR of the 175RD is 3750, so 250 over the max for the Jeep. My experience with the 195RB which has the same GVWR is that even with just 2 of us we always run very close to the GVWR - like ~3700. The other concern is the short wheelbase. The general rule of thumb is that for a 20' trailer the minimum recommended wheelbase for the TV is 110", then for every 1' of additional trailer length you add another 4" of TV wheelbase. The short wheel base will have a tendency to be more unstable even with a properly balanced trailer, especially in an emergency situation.