Community Forums

rhandley · 05-16-2005, 02:56 AM

Reading these posts only seems to muddle my brain more than it already is...

I have the opportunity to accquire a household John Deer Generator, Mod. JD 440G circa 2000 year, manufactured for the Y2K scare. I have a few questions.

Can I use this generator to power my 5th wheel?
What, exactly is a Converter?
What is an Inverter?
Do I need one or the other? Or, Both?
Will I need more than one battery?

Your help will be greatly appreciated

rhandley · 05-16-2005, 02:56 AM

Reading these posts only seems to muddle my brain more than it already is...

I have the opportunity to accquire a household John Deer Generator, Mod. JD 440G circa 2000 year, manufactured for the Y2K scare. I have a few questions.

Can I use this generator to power my 5th wheel?
What, exactly is a Converter?
What is an Inverter?
Do I need one or the other? Or, Both?
Will I need more than one battery?

Your help will be greatly appreciated

Ken Lenger · 05-16-2005, 03:46 AM

Yes, the generator will power your RV.

A converter converts 120 vac power to 12 vdc power to run the 12 volt appliances and charge the battery on the RV.

An inverter does just the opposite of a converter. It changes 12 vdc power to 120 vac power to run the AC appliances when you do not have external power available. Note that running high power appliances from an inverter can quickly discharge the battery.

Your RV should already have a converter. They are standard equipment. An inverter is optional, and only necessary if you want to run AC appliances from battery power. You do not need an inverter when running from generator power because the generator produces 120 vac.

Additional RV batteries are nice if you camp without external power of some type for longer than 1 night or when camping in cold weather when the furnace fan runs a lot, but is otherwise not required.

I have several web pages on RV electrical systems in my signature that might be of interest.