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Towing with gen running??

mowdoc
Explorer
Explorer
I have read some of you will start the generator an hour before arriving at destinations. Here is my dilemma;

I am pulling the Fusion to Lake Havasu City AZ after work tomorrow. It will be 121 degrees when I get there!! I plan to run the A/C all night tonight and tomorrow plugged into the pedestal at home but the trip is 3.25 hours and the ONLY chance I have for sleeping comfortably Wednesday night is if I run the gen and both A/Cs for the trip on the road.

What do you think?? Am I alright running down the hiway for 3 hours with genny and A/Cs running?? Or should I plan to sleep on an air mattress in the lake!!!
2015 Jayco Precept 35UN
named
"Free Range Chicken"
33 REPLIES 33

KATOOM
Explorer
Explorer
People choose to live in these climates? :h

64thunderbolt
Explorer II
Explorer II
wayward1 wrote:
KATOOM wrote:
Does anyone run a thicker viscosity oil in their gen during triple digit camping temps? That "may" help the long constant run times under heavy load.


We run Amsoil or Mobil One synthetic in the generators. Use the right viscosity for the expected temps. Run the Onan 5500 on the road all the time. Our HR stays cool. Another trick is to park with the awning toward the rising sun, darn near eliminates the gain from the sun in the morning till the sun gets to the roof. Most units donโ€™t gain as much through the roof as the sides. If possible have the driverโ€™s side in the shade in the afternoon. Lots to think about but where you park can make a huge difference! Another trick is to have foil backed Styrofoam panels cut for your windows. Place them on the sunny side, these help in winter to hold in more heat at night.


In our Az temps it really wouldn't help if you had an awning on both sides. When you are in temps approaching 120 and overnight lows in the 90's you are just screwed trying to cool them.
Glen
04 Tail gator XT 34' 5th wheel garage model
200w solar 2 GC2's 800w inv
Truma tankless WH
99 F350 CC DRW 7.3 ais intake, adrenaline hpop, JW valve body,
cooling mist water inj, DP tunes, 4" exh sys
trucool trans cooler added
2011 RZR 900xp

wayward1
Explorer
Explorer
KATOOM wrote:
Does anyone run a thicker viscosity oil in their gen during triple digit camping temps? That "may" help the long constant run times under heavy load.


We run Amsoil or Mobil One synthetic in the generators. Use the right viscosity for the expected temps. Run the Onan 5500 on the road all the time. Our HR stays cool. Another trick is to park with the awning toward the rising sun, darn near eliminates the gain from the sun in the morning till the sun gets to the roof. Most units donโ€™t gain as much through the roof as the sides. If possible have the driverโ€™s side in the shade in the afternoon. Lots to think about but where you park can make a huge difference! Another trick is to have foil backed Styrofoam panels cut for your windows. Place them on the sunny side, these help in winter to hold in more heat at night.
Rick and Kristi (KNR)

dedmiston
Moderator
Moderator
Sorry to hear the trip was a bust.

Sturgis should be a completely different animal though.

Don't worry about your rig. Things are always bound to come up. You just have to be creative and adapt. You'll get through it.

2014 RAM 3500 Diesel 4x4 Dually long bed. B&W RVK3600 hitch โ€ข 2015 Crossroads Elevation Homestead Toy Hauler ("The Taj Mahauler") โ€ข <\br >Toys:

  • 18 Can Am Maverick x3
  • 05 Yamaha WR450
  • 07 Honda CRF250X
  • 05 Honda CRF230
  • 06 Honda CRF230

thinkpt
Explorer
Explorer
steiny93 wrote:
ouch
crazy temps; our -30 really don't seem so bad right now ๐Ÿ™‚

Sorry, they still seem that bad to us:)
2006 Chevy 2500 6.6L D/A
2007 WW FS2500, Billet etc
2006 Yamaha Rhino Special edition
2006 Honda Trx450er
2008 KTM 530 EXC R
2011 Kx250f
2006 Honda ex300
2009 Suzuki Kx100
2009 Suzuki kx85
2011 KTM 65sx
Son Ryan, Jake, and Jarett

mowdoc
Explorer
Explorer
Trip update

I manage all equipment at a 54 hole golf resort. I know a little about small air cooled engines. My main concern was the A/C units.

I had ran the A/C off shore power at the house for 24 hours before we hooked up to leave. It was 74 inside and all the furniture and cabinets were cooled down to room temps. I started the genny and ran the front A/C during the 3 hour pull to the campground. The outside temp hit 123 in a couple places as we got close to the destination but was 122 where we camped. The genny ran fine as did the A/C except it was no help at all. The inside temp was 122 as we started setting up camp!! I guess the Fuzion insulation can't handle hiway speed.

Once on shore power again I started both A/C units and they were busy. They ran all night and had the camper down to 78 by 5:00am Thursday morning. Shortly after sunrise the inside temp began climbing at a very fast pace?? I began looking around and found the rear A/C was not cooling. I took the cover off and could see the fans was running as was the compressor. It got over 100 degrees inside that day as one A/C had no chance in this heat.

We packed up and left for home at 1:30am Friday morning and the trip was a total bust. Dealer has a complete new A/C unit ordered and should be here early next week. He said the old one had "lost some oil". I did not notice that when I had the cover off but it was very hot at the time and I was mainly looking at the compressor and fan.

I am very disappointed in the Fuzion's insulation and the fact that an almost brand new A/C failed so early. It prolly doe not have 100 hours on that rear A/C unit.

Our next trip with this camper is two weeks at the Sturgis motorcycle rally in S.D. and we leave in 15 days. I am a little nervous to be going that far from home with a now undependable rig.

So, to answer the original question in this thread. . . . YES, you can run the genny at high temps on the road, , , but it won't help!!!
2015 Jayco Precept 35UN
named
"Free Range Chicken"

KATOOM
Explorer
Explorer
mapguy wrote:
KATOOM wrote:
Does anyone run a thicker viscosity oil in their gen during triple digit camping temps? That "may" help the long constant run times under heavy load.

Sure, but always stay in the class and weight range the owners manual chart details.


Absolutely, but more often than not, most people treat their generator like a rented mule. Run it hard, long, and never bother making sure the oil is the right viscosity.....or rarely ever changed. I've seen gen's running in situations where I'm shocked its even supplying electricity its so hot out.

capt205
Explorer
Explorer
We do it all the time when its hot out, for that very reason...Nice cool AC.
2003 F-350 with the 7.3 4X4, Crew Cab, Longbed
2009 XLR 3712SA

mapguy
Explorer
Explorer
KATOOM wrote:
Does anyone run a thicker viscosity oil in their gen during triple digit camping temps? That "may" help the long constant run times under heavy load.

Sure, but always stay in the class and weight range the owners manual chart details.

KATOOM
Explorer
Explorer
Does anyone run a thicker viscosity oil in their gen during triple digit camping temps? That "may" help the long constant run times under heavy load.

Doughboy12
Explorer
Explorer
steiny93 wrote:
ouch
crazy temps; our -30 really don't seem so bad right now ๐Ÿ™‚

That's what I was thinking... -10 in Minneapolis is a great temp this time of year...:C

Sandia_Man
Explorer II
Explorer II
Go for it, I've done it countless times with no issues at both high temps and elevation. I do all my own maintenance and know genny is in top shape so working it hard doesn't bother me at all.

steiny93
Explorer
Explorer
ouch
crazy temps; our -30 really don't seem so bad right now ๐Ÿ™‚
2000 Volvo 610
2013 Cyclone 3950

mowdoc
Explorer
Explorer
lumpy790 wrote:
guess I dont really understand why you would want to?

LP frig?

My AC cools it off quick?


There is a huge difference between the desert and SC. The local TV station baked cookies on the dash of a car Monday. It takes DAYS to cool a hot RV around here. Once you get it cooled off you gotta keep it cool or start all over again.

I started one A/C in my RV at 3:00pm yesterday. It was 117 at the time and 124 inside. I checked this morning after an over night low of 95 and the inside temp was down to 79. I will keep it running all day while I am working then go onto the genny when I hook up to leave town. If I am lucky, the inside will stay below 85 until I can get on shore power at the campground (Crazyhorse). It will be over 120 degrees when I arrive and if the inside temps don't jump up fast while I am setting up, I may be cooled enough to sleep tonight.

If the RV was allowed to set in the sun with no A/C running, , , it would not be livable until tomorrow morning even with two A/C units running all night tonight. The sun is hot, the temps are hotter but the fun at Havasu is worth the effort. (opinion)
2015 Jayco Precept 35UN
named
"Free Range Chicken"