Location of generator in fifth wheel trailers?

janegowest wrote:
Doesn't putting in the front cause it to be under the bed? Wouldn't that cause you to have to sleep on top of the noise, like in a gas motor home?

In addition to what other said, it's not necessarily a good idea to sleep while an onboard generator is running. Carbon Monoxide coming inside under slides, etc. is a vulnerability, even with the best laid out exhaust.

LIke all new RV'ers we wanted to have a generator to run our whole trailer. Reality very quickly sets in and then we started planning on what we really could do generator wise... Large generator setup is not for everyone... Sometimes storage space is more important for other things. This is no different for the small POPUP trailer setup like we have or the big 5th Wheel trailers.

I carry my 2KW with me covered and secured in my truck bed all the time. Basically my small generator is only used to run the trailer's on-board smart mode converter when camping off the power grid to charge up my battery bank each morning when allowed to run generators at the camp sites.

Where we camp here on the East side of the US it seems most public camping places including the Natl Forest areas all seem to have generator run time restrictions. With this in mind we elected to reduce our battery drains, beef up the battery system, and only run the items we wanted to have operating from INVERTER and Batteries for the one day/night run. Then re-charge the batteries the batteries the next morning using the smaller generator so we can do it all over again for the next day/night run off the batteries..

To use I plug the trailer shore power cable into the 2KW Generator 120VAC Receptacle using a RV30A-15A LONG "DOGBONE" style ADAPTER.

I would never leave my 2KW Honda Generator unattended around my trailer. To big a thief issue for me..

Roy Ken

janegowest wrote:
Doesn't putting in the front cause it to be under the bed? Wouldn't that cause you to have to sleep on top of the noise, like in a gas motor home?

My FW has a bathroom and closet up front. but I would guess on those with front bedroom Yes. (if you ran it at night)

Over the years I have seen a few 5th wheel users, mount the generator in a semi permanent location on the front of the trailer. They fabricated a mount that attaches to the top of the 5th wheel pin box. The generator then has it's weight setting over the pickup bed. Easy to see it in your rear view mirror and somewhat safe from theft, if locked down. Main problem I see would be getting the generator connected to the trailer power box.
Even though I have several generators here at the house, including a Honda 2000i, I don't carry any with us when traveling. Our 5th wheel is a campground queen and in three years of use, has always been plugged in at night to campground power. My truck camper does have a built in propane generator which we seldom use. Has less than 40 hours on it and most of that is from monthly exercising it. Our previous Lance was used by us as living quarters after 3 hurricanes for a total of 30 days, parked here at the house. It had a smaller AC unit and would run off our Honda 2000i so that Honda has about 400 to 500 hours of run time on it.

On edit: found this photo with a google search. From 2010 RV.Net posting

janegowest wrote:
Doesn't putting in the front cause it to be under the bed? Wouldn't that cause you to have to sleep on top of the noise, like in a gas motor home?

Note that many posters *carry* the generator in a front storage compt - which doesn't necessarily mean they run it right there.
It can be as far away as the length of the RV's power cord, which is about 30-36 ft.

The permanent (factory) mounted gens *are* (usually) in a compt under the front of the 5th - under the bedroom area.
No gen there - it's just another storage compt.

As others have noted - campgrounds that do *not* have hookups will have quiet hours -no gens running - at night, usually 8PM - until morning.
(If you have campground power - no need to run a gen).

Like biscuit, many carry our gens in the bed of the pickup - and leave (and run) the gen/s in the pickup bed.

If you're wondering if you need a gen or not - purchase a 5th "generator ready" - without the gen.
Then, if you feel the need - add it later..;)

~

janegowest wrote:
Doesn't putting in the front cause it to be under the bed? Wouldn't that cause you to have to sleep on top of the noise, like in a gas motor home?

Shush quiet hours..don't run them at night :B

Yes they are under the bed area.
Front compartment, side compartment......only places LARGE enough to install a generator.

Portables....can be transported in compartments, on back rack, in truck bed etc. and set up just about any where to run..........provided you have a cord long enough


My generator is truck bed mounted in it's own self contained enclosure.
Power cord with twist lock plug is 14' long.
I have shore power receptacle front AND rear so I can connect at either.

Doesn't putting in the front cause it to be under the bed? Wouldn't that cause you to have to sleep on top of the noise, like in a gas motor home?

DRV puts them in the front, even runs the wiring if you bought the prep
That said I added gensets to 3 others and they all went in the front.

Last place I'd want one is the back bumper, too much road spray when wet. Not sure about you but my RV is a rain magnet.

bpounds wrote:
The first question is, mounted or portable? It seems like most of us use portables of various brands and sizes. Mounted units are most often in the front compartment. On the largest fivers they sometimes design them into other locations.

I carry my portable in this manner. Forward curb side compartment.

X2. I store two Yamaha 2000i gens in my forward compartment. Light and easy to remove-stow.

janegowest wrote:
Thanks, everyone! Where do you plug it in?

the generator to the RV? usually there is an adapter cable from the gen and you plug the RV cord into that.

I am working on adding a propane gen to my front compartment that will have an automatic transfer switch to toggle from ground to gen power.
for serviceability I will have an outlet near the gen with a cord & plug to mate.

my normal shore cord connection point is the left rear of the RV.