generator for running down the road

[deardorffs]

I'm considering a new Bighorn 3970RD, a big trailer for only two a/c's in the Texas summer.

So I wanted to ask if anyone has had any luck in running at least one a/c from a generator in the truck bed.

I like the Champion Inverters because they are only 18.3 inches tall and will fit under my truck bed cover when I'm not hooked up to the trailer. Its rated at 3500 watts starting/ 3200 watts running. Should be enough to start and run one 15000 btu roof air.

I was thinking if I order the generator prep I could tie into those wires and run a line to the generator in the truck bed.

Anyone know which side of the breaker box is the generator prep wiring hooked to or more specifically is it hooked to the side with the main cabin a/c or the side with the bedroom a/c.

Or better yet has anyone had a separate shore power connector installed at the front of the trailer by a dealer or electrician, should be cheaper than the generator prep option.

I thought that getting two Champion Inverters and then connecting them together with the parallel kit would give me enough power to run both roof a/c, but it turns out the parallel kit while it has a 14-50L 50amp connector, its doesn't provide 240 volts or 2 legs of 120 volts like shore power at an rv park does. So even though its got enough wattage, it does the same thing as the generator prep wiring does, only gives you one leg of 120 going to the breaker box.

thanks for your thoughts

 

[porthole]

I have run my onboard genny multiple times while traveling.

At the Lake George rally one member had a RV plug connector in a weather resistant box that he could plug his genny in that was sitting in the bed of the truck.
The receptacle was mounted on the top of the pin box and was wired into the factory installed gen prep box.

Simple plug and play for AC use while traveling or just to make some coffee when stopped.

 

[danemayer]

The Transfer Switch has inputs from shore power and from the generator junction box. Both inputs have L1 and L2 along with Neutral. The output to the circuit breaker panel also has L1 and L2 along with neutral.

If you plug shore power into a 15 amp output that has only one hot leg, the adapter between the receptacle and your shore power cord creates a Y so that both L1 and L2 are powered from the single hot leg.

The same would apply with your generator. If using a generator that supplies a single hot let, you need an adapter that creates a Y so that power flows to both L1 and L2 in the generator junction box, and on to the transfer switch and circuit breaker panel.

Having done so, you can run anything in the RV as long as you have enough power.

 

[deardorffs]

the adapter between the receptacle and your shore power cord creates a Y so that both L1 and L2 are powered from the single hot leg.

I'm confused by what you mean about the "adapter between". What is that? Is that something I have to add or built into the trailer.

 

[porthole]

I'm confused by what you mean about the "adapter between". What is that? Is that something I have to add or built into the trailer.

You don't need an adapter if you build your system correctly. It will depend on what genny you use and what type of wiring receptacle is available on the genny.

 

[MandA]

I have a interest on this as I have a residential frig. The truck can't completely keep up with batteries on an all day driving. I would like to have a ac plug on the front so I could run a gen when needed to boost batteries and like someone said make a pot of coffee. I'm thinking of the Honda 2000 with the 30 amp plug. My trailer is a key largo and does not have gen prep.

 

[HornedToad]

I was thinking if I order the generator prep I could tie into those wires and run a line to the generator in the truck bed.

Anyone know which side of the breaker box is the generator prep wiring hooked to or more specifically is it hooked to the side with the main cabin a/c or the side with the bedroom a/c.

Or better yet has anyone had a separate shore power connector installed at the front of the trailer by a dealer or electrician, should be cheaper than the generator prep option.

If you hard wire the generator to the electrical box you'll need the generator prep with an automatic transfer switch, just in case you forget to turn the generator off before you plug in!!!

A simple solution would be to take a 30 ft 30 amp power cord, plug it into the side of the trailer, run it up into the UDC and feed it through the front bay and out along the pin box securing it to the 7 way plug up into the bed of the truck to be plugged into the generator. Try not to drill any holes then it would be just as temporary or permanent as you like. When not in use you could feed the plug end back into the UDC. But before you try my advice remember... I'm lazy & I'm cheap!!!

I run my Onan on the road all the time to keep the dogs cool in the garage.

 

[deardorffs]

i've read, but I'm not sure its correct, that you cannot count on your truck to trailer - 7-way connection to maintain the drain on your trailer batteries that are running your resid frig off the inverter, because once the truck battery is fully charged, the alternator only puts out a trickle charge.

Plus there simply is not enough gauge of wire going to the rear 7pin on the truck to supply enough amperage to charge the house battery to offset its drain due to the inverter.