Run AC while towing

[RussRat]

We are planning a week long vacation, and we have a dog that may not be allowed in certain places we will stop. The dog will be riding in the cab of the truck while traviling, but I want to run the AC in the tt while going down the road, so the trailer will be cold inside whenever we stop to see attractions. I plan on putting the genny in the bed of my truck and run the shore power cord to it. Can I do this? What about back feeding the 12 charge line into the truck with the genny running? Thanks.

[Aguyfromcalg]

How fast will it cool down your trailer once you stopped? Just thinking that may work too .

[Triker56]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aguyfromcalg How fast will it cool down your trailer once you stopped? Just thinking that may work too .

Probably on a 90º day it should cool down in 3-4 hours or so.

[wa8yxm]

Can you do this: Depends on your truck & trailer (And generator, I hope it's something like a Honda Inverter type and not a contractor's) but no technicial reason you can not.

Depending on where your RV's power cord is you may have some issues running the power cord is all (Frame rails up to the tong (on the side of the rails) and lots of zip ties is my suggesition, 30 amp cord minimum)


As to back feeding the 12v from the converter to the tow vehicle.

Do not worry about it, nice thing about DC is that phase angles and such do not apply so the worst case is that one or the other "Source" (Converter/Alternator) takes a well deserved vacation.. assuming of course you have a 3 stage converter instead of something like a Magnetek 6300. If you are worried about it, trip the breaker for the converter and shut it off. But I see no problems, in fact even with a 6300 (Which never goes on vacation) I see no problems. The tiny charger in that thing won't meet the needs of the tow vehicle engine so the alternator will still have to contribute and it's regulated.

[RussRat]

Thank you very much that is JUST the type of info I was looking for. My shore power cord is near the front of the tt, so I plan on zip tieing it to the A frame up into the bed of the truck. Yes, I have a Honda Eu2000i genny. I have ran the trailer for weekend trips and it handles the ac just fine. It is going to be in the 90's here during the trip, and don't want to put the pup into a hot trailer. Not sure if we will HAVE to do this, but just wanted to check before we left. Thanks again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm Can you do this: Depends on your truck & trailer (And generator, I hope it's something like a Honda Inverter type and not a contractor's) but no technicial reason you can not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm Depending on where your RV's power cord is you may have some issues running the power cord is all (Frame rails up to the tong (on the side of the rails) and lots of zip ties is my suggesition, 30 amp cord minimum) As to back feeding the 12v from the converter to the tow vehicle. Do not worry about it, nice thing about DC is that phase angles and such do not apply so the worst case is that one or the other "Source" (Converter/Alternator) takes a well deserved vacation.. assuming of course you have a 3 stage converter instead of something like a Magnetek 6300. If you are worried about it, trip the breaker for the converter and shut it off. But I see no problems, in fact even with a 6300 (Which never goes on vacation) I see no problems. The tiny charger in that thing won't meet the needs of the tow vehicle engine so the alternator will still have to contribute and it's regulated.

[Chuck 1935]

Why tell them you have a dog? If you leave him in the trailer while you are gone just turn the radio on to keep him quiet, unless he's a barker then all bets are off. I always give minimal information, 2 Adults, thats it. Name, Rank and serial number.

[tvman44]

I do it all the time, no dog. I just do it so the 5er is not so hot when we arrive because DW has trouble breathing when it is hot. Especially lately when it is so hot, works great.

[RussRat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck 1935 Why tell them you have a dog? If you leave him in the trailer while you are gone just turn the radio on to keep him quiet, unless he's a barker then all bets are off. I always give minimal information, 2 Adults, thats it. Name, Rank and serial number.

It's not that we are trying to hide the dog from a RV park, but there may be times that we would stop to shop or site see. Where "no dogs allowed" would be the norm.