Community Forums

Ret.LEO · 02-21-2019, 04:51 PM

Considering a new Grand Design TT. We had been considering a Class C but the extra room and amenities of the Grand Design 2970RL TT changed our minds. One of the good things about the Class C was having a Gen. built in. With the TT it presents more challenges for the gen use and transport. To pull the TT I will most likely add a Ford F-250 with the Crew Cab, short box with a topper for the truck bed. Thinking of a Champion 3550 Wireless Remote Start or a pair of small Honda's that we can hook together. The GD 2970RL has a HUGE front storage area that we love.
Questions:
How do you transport your Gen? Rack on front? Rack on the rear of the TT?

The Honda's I can lift, the larger single Champion I can't (spinal issues)

How do you run your Gen. when the weather is bad. I can't imagine rain/snow would be good for a Gen. Could it be ran with the rear window of the topper up with tailgate up or down?

Would you be able to run the gen in the large front storage area of the trailer?
I intend to go heavy on solar with a pair of Lithium Batteries so the gen(s) would be mostly used to run the A.C. or to recharge the Lithiums if we have a cloudy streak. We will be doing a lot of boondocking as crowded CG's is a complete turn off to us.
Thanks!

**Spdracr39** · 02-21-2019, 06:21 PM

I leave my generator in the bed of my truck. I can run the shore power cord to it when I need to use it. Running it when traveling isn't practical for me. I have a soft bed topper for when I'm not towing the fifth wheel and the fifth wheel keeps the weather off of it mostly when I am towing. I don't worry about the weather if I need it I just roll the topper back and run it. The Champion 3100 I have is about 90 lbs and is manageable for me but it is heavy. If I had to do it again I would get two smaller ones and parallel them together to make it easier to move them. In my case with 2 a/c's it isn't really big enough to run both and half the times I have used it I could have gotten by with only one of the 2000 watt ones. 2 2000 watt genny's will run both a/c's. You cannot run the generator in the storage area because it isn't vented/sealed properly and fumes would go into the living area.

AWOL2014 · 02-21-2019, 06:26 PM

Questions:
How do you transport your Gen? Rack on front? Rack on the rear of the TT?
Answer: In the bed of the truck, the GD rear bumpers are not very strong at all. You can add a rack to the tongue https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KR7CPEY...v_ov_lig_dp_it

The Honda's I can lift, the larger single Champion I can't (spinal issues)
Answer: Me too. Had a Champion 3500 inverter (100 lbs. w/ fuel) now have a Westinghouse Pro 2500 (Honda EU2200i Clone) and a MicroAir EZ start for the AC.

How do you run your Gen. when the weather is bad.
Answer: I put it on the tailgate under the shell rear window.

Would you be able to run the gen in the large front storage area of the trailer?
Answer: I don't think so, limited ventilation in the front storage area and highly likely the CO2 would find it's way into the TT.

Be sure to check out the Grand Design Owners Forum www.granddesignowners.com

theoldwizard · 02-21-2019, 06:45 PM

You can run a generator in the back of a pickup with a cap with the window open, but you have to be very careful about anything nearby. It likely will melt or even catch fire. Much safer on the ground, which does rule out the bigger generator.

Depending on the size of the A/C unit you might be able to run it with a single 2000W generator with Micro-Air EasyStart.

The latest Honda generator is rated at at 1800w/2200W. Yamaha has a new generator available in Feb 2019 also rated at 1800W/2200W. Then there is the Westinghouse rated at 2200W/2500W

Champion (#100478) and Harbor Freight (Predator 2000), both rated at 1600W/2000W.

jelag · 03-04-2019, 04:30 PM

I found that the (2) Honda's wasn't enough if we had the AC running and the wife wanted to turn on the Microwave or was in the bathroom and wanted the hair dryer... just not enough power... in addition we found we almost always ran the (2) units instead of the planned, run one and turn on the second one if needed... I just couldn't predict what the wife would do... And I didn't expect to have that much load running....

As an example when the batteries are low, my converter needs 7 amps to charge the batteries... that's 840 watts, 1/2 of what one generator puts out...

So I upgraded to a larger unit.... we again chose a Honda... and got almost 90% of what we'd paid for the 2000 watt units on CraigsList...

I mounted it on the rear on a custom bracket and looked at the wiring and wired in a remote start for inside the coach.... I chose Honda for the reliability and how quiet they are....

theoldwizard · 03-04-2019, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jelag

So I upgraded to a larger unit.... we again chose a Honda... and got almost 90% of what we'd paid for the 2000 watt units on CraigsList...

I mounted it on the rear on a custom bracket and looked at the wiring and wired in a remote start for inside the coach.... I chose Honda for the reliability and how quiet they are....

Generators are a choice target for thieves ! I hope it is mounted in such a manner that it will take "Louie Lightfingers" a long time to remove it. If not it could be gone after a lunch break on the road !

KD4UPL · 03-05-2019, 07:26 PM

I'm not saying it's not a bad idea to keep the weather off the gen but it isn't absolutely necessary. There are thousands of generators used by contractors in the rain and snow all day long all the time. People using them to power their homes during outages often just let them sit outside. I'd try to keep it protected when your not using but how often are you really going to have to run it in the rain? A couple hours a year? Big deal, it will be fine.

Jay D. · 03-08-2019, 01:11 PM

probably a little to involved but I mounted my 3500 champion w/ remote start on the rear bumper of my T/T. I first cut the rear bumper off the frame mount and built new mounts. that moved the bumper back apr. 3-4 in. and put the load of the gen centered over the bumper tube. I also cut the spare tire mount off and mounted it centered on top of the tube. then I built an aluminum davit that fits into a socket on the bumper tube that I use with pulleys to lift the gen from the rack on the bumper tube. it lifts easy and swings out so I can set it on the ground if wanted. I can run the gen on the bumper or set it on the ground and run it. I have a lock that locks it on the rack. we used it for a month last year and it worked perfect you should really consider the remote start gens its the only way to go. I wouldn't worry about a little weather they are made to use outside I did make a small flap to cover my dash on mine.
Jay D.