Running A Generator While On The Road

I run mine in transit all summer long. Nice to get to the destination and be nice and cool inside.

Most people run with the propane tanks left open.
Those that close off the propane tanks are concerned with being in a wreck with an open propane tank.
Something to consider. . .

Answer to question,is yes you can run jenny while towing,but as most have said ,do'nt do it just to run the outside frig.If you have at least 2 good batts you could see amp draw on little frig and get small inverter to run it .Truck will help charge batts as you drive, so it should make it.It would work this way when boondocking also.You could also get 12v/120v unit and replace the little frig .That is what I did and it is a great improvement.A little pricey but 125 cans of 30 degree is nice...

turbojimmy wrote:
Sounds like the outdoor kitchen has a dorm-style fridge which is presumably electric only. I would keep everything in the propane/electric fridge if possible and run that on propane. Transfer what you need outside when you're hooked up to shore power. The generator will be using a lot of fuel to run that little fridge.

And, like others have said, there's no reason you can't run the generator while you're moving but the question is whether it's efficient to do so. I only run mine for the A/C, not the fridge. Although if I happen to be running the genny for the A/C I'll switch the fridge to electric.

Ditto on the above.

Only time I'd likely use the small outside fridge is when connected to shorepower, or if I had a huge battery bank, inverter and large solar array.
Running the gen just to power that small outside fridge is an inefficient use of propane.

I'd have no problems running the gen while going down the road.

06Fargo wrote:
We have run our generator to run the furnace when travelling in cold weather

Why would you do that? My furnace runs on propane with a bit of 12V. Truck's alternator provides the 12V. You need the generator?

The outside fridge is the 110V dorm-style fridge. Probably the only thing out there will soda, water, and adult beverages. The dealer is installing 2x 6V golf cart batteries. I hadn't really considered having the AC going while in transit but I can see the benefits. Would running the genny with the trailer plugged into the TV possibly damage the converter?

No, it won't damage converter. On the two 6v's. There are batteries and then there are batteries. Don't get some just because they are 6v. Many like Trojan brand. I went Lifeline because they are AGM. They are more expensive but the best you can get.

I'd get a 1000 watt inverter, mount it close to the batteries and run an extension cord or a power circuit to the fridge. Your batteries will be charging as you are driving, probably enough to keep up with the inverter. Or, as others have said, load it up and turn it on 1-2 days before your trip. Keep the door closed and it'll still be cold when you get there.

The charge wire off your 7-pin connector has a lot of loss due its small gauge and long run length. Although it is good for a trickle charge, it is easy to draw more power than it can provide. Your truck has plenty of reserve charging power so you can run heavier gauge dedicated runs on the truck and trailer with an Anderson connector between them.

Everybody has their own configuration. I was a RV technician long before I ever got my first RV.

Running the generator while traveling is just fine. If you are traveling a good distance (all day), I would stop about 2 hours before the destination, and fire up the generator, and the A/C units so it's cool when you get there. If it's cold, obviously you don't want to do that.

A generator in good repair, and tuned, and all components in good working order, should use about a gallon of gas an hour, under load. For a motorhome, it's so much cheaper, and more efficient to run the generator and roof A/C's than to run the dash A/C. The dash unit cools the front of the coach, and nothing else. And......it uses more than a gallon an hour, as your traveling.

I've had a 40' toy hauler, a pop up, and now I'm on to motorhomes. I run my generator almost all the time.

If you wanted to get an inverter, as somebody suggested, look into a solar panel for the roof. It will charge batteries as you travel, and sit in a park. You could use a small inverter just big enough to power just what you need and not the whole 5er.

Another subject that ALWAYS brings out the gloves, is 6 volt batteries. If you have the room, and can run 4 6 volt batteries, with a solar charger, you'll be hard pressed to run those batteries down. Unless you have an inverter big enough to run a street.