Forum Discussion

HaulinBass02's avatar
HaulinBass02
Explorer
Jun 28, 2016

Where to put generators?

We've had 5ers for most of our RVing days but are going to a TT with our Suburban due to increased family size......anyways, I've always been able to put my Champion Inverter generators in the bed of my truck but that's no longer an option.
I've seen so many people lose stuff off of racks on the back of the TT due to bounce and it makes me a little (lot) leery about putting the genny's back there.
I don't relish the thought of having gasoline or the genny's in a closed compartment and that really isn't the best/smartest choice anyway.
Do I really have any other options other than a rear rack? How are you mounting your stuff to keep it secure back there? Am I worrying too much because someone probably failed to properly secure their stuff?
  • hohenwald48's avatar
    hohenwald48
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2016
    I can't even tell the generator is running on mine. The a/c causes more noise and vibration than the generator. You may be more sensitive to it than I am. Even when the a/c is off I can barely tell the generator is on. I just have it on the factory feet and those are compressed some due to the mounting bolts I used.
  • HaulinBass02's avatar
    HaulinBass02
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2016
    westend wrote:
    HaulinBass02 wrote:
    The gens, are 20" long by 13" wide and I have to orient them to be able to reach the control panel which means they have to be placed length wise front to back so I can place them side by side on the tongue. Other than a rear rack, the front tongue rack actually seems to be the best bet. I don't relish the thought of getting them in and out of the back of the sub any time I want to use them. I have secure storage at my house so theft at home isn't a big deal so I am fairly sure one of the over the tongue racks or a custom variation thereof is how I'm going to do this with the gennys bolted and locked down to them.

    Before you bolt them down, I'd suggest to test run them in that location. You may find that the noise or vibration is something that you can't endure, inside the trailer. I've found that running a generator bolted to the trailer is way too much noise.


    This is a good idea and I've thought of that. The gens already have rubber feet on them and I have some fairly soft rubber pad that I was going to insulate them with. I might also use some thin rubber on the mounting points to insulate/isolate from the trailer frame. But we will see how this all works out.
  • hohenwald48's avatar
    hohenwald48
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2016
    I never researched it but someone once told me it was illegal to have things mounted on the front of your vehicle. I don't know if that's true or not. I do know a lot of folks do it.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2016
    HaulinBass02 wrote:
    The gens, are 20" long by 13" wide and I have to orient them to be able to reach the control panel which means they have to be placed length wise front to back so I can place them side by side on the tongue. Other than a rear rack, the front tongue rack actually seems to be the best bet. I don't relish the thought of getting them in and out of the back of the sub any time I want to use them. I have secure storage at my house so theft at home isn't a big deal so I am fairly sure one of the over the tongue racks or a custom variation thereof is how I'm going to do this with the gennys bolted and locked down to them.

    Before you bolt them down, I'd suggest to test run them in that location. You may find that the noise or vibration is something that you can't endure, inside the trailer. I've found that running a generator bolted to the trailer is way too much noise.
  • HaulinBass02's avatar
    HaulinBass02
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2016
    The gens, are 20" long by 13" wide and I have to orient them to be able to reach the control panel which means they have to be placed length wise front to back so I can place them side by side on the tongue. Other than a rear rack, the front tongue rack actually seems to be the best bet. I don't relish the thought of getting them in and out of the back of the sub any time I want to use them. I have secure storage at my house so theft at home isn't a big deal so I am fairly sure one of the over the tongue racks or a custom variation thereof is how I'm going to do this with the gennys bolted and locked down to them.
  • myredracer's avatar
    myredracer
    Explorer II
    Jun 29, 2016
    If tongue weight is a problem, you could always relocate the batteries somewhere to offset the weight.

    Depending on the size of the generator and the shape of the front cap, the genny might fit down between the A-frame tubing where the batteries normally go. On a previous TT, I was going to install a trailer tongue storage box that was 14" front-back and fit between the A-frame tubing.
  • HaulinBass02's avatar
    HaulinBass02
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2016
    pira114 wrote:
    I like that front mounted tray as a solution. If your trailer's power cord is long enough, you don't need to remove the gen while using them. I might look into this.


    I've got a 25' 30A extension cord.....had to use it when the gennys were in the truck bed, so the front rack mount may have mine bolted down to them and under a cover like the other one I have seen. There isn't a window on the front of the TT we are looking at so I don't think we will have to worry about exhaust fumes while in use.
  • HaulinBass02's avatar
    HaulinBass02
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2016
    I'm not too keen on the front rack thing on the front of my suburban, I just don't like something sticking out like that. I may end up having to put some bikes up there anyway. Roof won't hold as many as I will need to, some will end up in the camper anyway if I don't put them on the front....

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