Forum Discussion

joelyn's avatar
joelyn
Explorer
Dec 13, 2014

securing a genny ??

looking to buy a small genny (honda, yamaha champion etc) for our new to us 21 ft TT. want it so when traveling and stop at night we have power for A/C etc>
MY QUESTION...........looking for suggestions as to how you secure your genny to the back of your trailer? was thinking of putting some type of shelf on the back bumper that the genny can sit on but how do u secure the genny to keep it from getting stolen during the night.
how do u secure yours and if possible any pictures would help/
thanks
  • I am very happy with my HONDA EU 1000 . I secure it with a quality bicycle U lock. I would consider a Yamaha if it were me. They are the quietest I know of and least offensive to the neighbors. If you mount it on a platform buy the cover.
  • You will need 2 smaller 2000 watt generators to run AC. Just one will be questionable. If you are serious about your idea you will need a dedicated enclosure of some sort to truly secure your gensets.
    If you are relying on locks and chains there will always be risk.
    Once upon a time I carried my genset in an enclosed diamond plate box. It worked very well.

  • I keep mine locked in the back of my P/U when not in use.As mentioned out in the open it says steal me.
  • My opinion, having a red or blue one out in the open is like having a sign that says "steal me". RoyB's idea as a first line of defense being concealment, is by far your best alternative.

    And in conjunction with that using one of THESE. :B

    I actually carry mine inside the TT while in transit (48 lbs,) & chain it to the rear bumper when being used. I have a duffle type zippered bag with handles that fits it perfectly for in transit & acts as a cover concealing it while outdoors. I had a Tent & Awning company cut & sew a small slit in the "bottom" corner of the bag, then just invert the bag & the chain lock goes through there to the trailer rear bumper & frame.

    And my third line of defense is.... "mine is yellow" :E
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    I have been hauling my 2KW generator in the tail gate corner of my truck for a few years now. Its a 2KW and is not big enough to power up the 13,500 roof air conditioner. I use it to power up the trailer shore power cable to allow the on-board converter/charger unit to re-charge my batteries every morning around 8AM when allowed to run the generator. It takes around three hours to get my batteries back up to their 90% charge state.

    This is my 2KW Generator in action at a public campground that allows the use of generators...


    My generator sits secured to the inside bed area and is covered with my lockable FOLD-A-COVER bed cover. When I need to run the generator I just pull it out onto the tailgate and point the exhaust away from things... Being out of sight for me is the best defense for keeping the generator safe. I would not dream of leaving the generator unattended sitting on the rear bumper or anywhere around the trailer in plain view. My 2KW Honda goes where I go... A thief can remove almost anything they want to steal in just a few minutes using the battery powered cutting tools available these days... A generator sitting unattended on the rear of a trailer or on the ground unattended chained to the trailer would be a perfect target for them.

    We have found that most public campgrounds including the Natl Forest public areas have generator run time restrictions in place and does not allow the use of generators all night long... With all of this in mind we went the beefing up of the BATTERY SYSTEM of our OFF-ROAD TRAILER to run all the things we want to have running using the battery bank. No generator involved here.

    Pulling off the road on trips might work. Actually I very seldom hear anyone running their generator at rest stops or WALMART parking lots...

    Out West where more DISPERSED camping is allowed in the wide open areas perhaps more folks can use the generators when they want to...

    Of course at any private owned places like fishing camps or NASCAR you can do whatever you want as long as the property owner agrees to it I reckon...

    Seems like everyone want to have their air conditioners going all the time. We only do this at Electric camp Sites and really don't need much of that when camping off the power grids like we normally do.

    Just my thoughts
    Roy Ken
  • first thing those TT bumpers will not hold much weight, have a frame bracket welded on for the genny, then buy security bolt nut combo to latch it down, and I agree a motion alarm is a great idea.
  • big chains, strong locks, and insurance. also hope yours will be harder to steal than the neighbors.
    bumpy
  • A small generator may not power your AC. You might need two. But to answer your question, I keep mine in the bed of the truck and use bicycle locks to the tie downs in the bed. I also have a $10 motion detector from Walmart that will alert me if anyone gets near my truck bed.