Add a 3.6 Onan Generator LP or Diesel?

Poppy's 5th Wheel wrote:

Housted wrote:
Poppy,
I think the chrome tip on the exhaust pipe is pushing it!!! :B
Looks good.

Housted

I thought it was a cool touch! Once a hot rod guy, always a hot rod guy :)

Shoulda got an old Hooker sidepipe... :)

Lyle

I would setup a honda3000 or champion 3200 in the bed of the truck and use gas, easy to get and any time there is a station open...Then if you find yourself dry camping quite often go with 4-6v batteries and put 1 or 2 large solar panels on the rv roof and on nice weather your batteries can stay charged during the day for night time use...

Housted wrote:
Poppy,
I think the chrome tip on the exhaust pipe is pushing it!!! :B
Looks good.

Housted

I thought it was a cool touch! Once a hot rod guy, always a hot rod guy :)

Poppy,
I think the chrome tip on the exhaust pipe is pushing it!!! :B
Looks good.

Housted

Housted wrote:
We have a 50amp coach, but I put a 3600LP gen set in it since we don't have but one A/C unit. The 3600LP is a lot lighter than the 5500LP. The 3600 runs our 15K A/C just fine. Works great for quick stops on the road to either cool the unit or to heat-up a hot lunch in the microwave. We used to have a pair of Honda 2000 gen sets but they were a pain to get out and setup, not impossible just a pain. I also got rid of the portable solar system in favor of 300 watts on the roof.

Housted

Exact same story here. I was done with dealing with the 2 Hondas. They were fine and very efficient when dry camping in a site for an extended period but if you do much moving it just became too much hassle to get them in and out of the truck, etc. When I bought our new trailer I got a quote from the dealer to add an Onan for over $9,000. Well, nothing was worth quite that much. I ordered my Onan 3600 LP generator and all the ancillary parts (automatic transfer switch, remote start, etc.) and had a mobile repair tech install it all and I came in at about $6,500. We are very happy with our decision.

I also added a 1,000 pure sine wave inverter and connected it through an "either/or" switch to 2 circuits off the main panel to run my entertainment center and a few other outlets.

Solar: AM Solar

Upgrade to LEDs as well for all the interior lighting. This is where I've bought a lot of LEDs in the past. Looks like they have a holiday sale going on now

There is no such thing as too much battery power. Couple a large battery bank with a decent sized inverter & have a small portable inverter genny for those times when a charge is needed & you are not moving you should be good.

One thing about solar, it does not work under trees, clouds or at night. At the best of times the rate of charge is very low.

We chose the 5500LP and are happy with use and consumption. A trip on the 4th of july to Lake Cascade boon docking at 104 degrees we kept inside temps at 75 for three days using most of the two LP tanks with the one 13.5 KW air conditioner. I did go with two T-105 6V batteries and with the 3.6 Onan you have room for two more 6V batts giving you capacity for four. What year AF 27-5L did you find? Enjoy and have fun…..come out visit Idaho….I moved from the Bay Area in 1978

If I was thinking diesel or propane, I would lean towards diesel just because diesel fuel is everywhere and you can always take a 5 gallon can down the road to the next station and get fuel for it. I also like the idea of a diesel tank in the bed of the pickup. From a safety point of view, diesel is also less volatile then propane. Just plain easier to deal with all around.

My .02

We have a 50amp coach, but I put a 3600LP gen set in it since we don't have but one A/C unit. The 3600LP is a lot lighter than the 5500LP. The 3600 runs our 15K A/C just fine. Works great for quick stops on the road to either cool the unit or to heat-up a hot lunch in the microwave. We used to have a pair of Honda 2000 gen sets but they were a pain to get out and setup, not impossible just a pain. I also got rid of the portable solar system in favor of 300 watts on the roof.

Housted