I posted this in the TT forum because 1) I have a TT (and sold the motorhome) and 2) I suspect that most portable gennys used by RV'ers are owned by TT owners.I am considering a 3400-3500-3600 watt INVERTER generator. Looking real hard at the Harbor Freight Predator 3500 (will be on sale June 7-9th for $697), but may consider a Champion. These generators weigh in at about 100 lbs give or take a few. Now if the generator is in the back of a open bed pickup and you don't mind leaving it there, then you don't need to move it, but with a Leer Topper to keep stuff safe and dry, you gotta get the generator out to use it.What do you do? I won't have any help, its just me. I can probably get it down without damaging it or me, but no way am I lifting it back up. Have people built some kind of lightweight divot hoist to unload it? Roll it down boards with ramp brackets to hook on the tailgate? What works for those with too heavy to lift generators?Charles

:) Hi, I have an old wooden ramp that I use. I made a furniture dolly to fit my generator. I park my truck in the street to lower my ramp angle and roll my generator into the bed. I then lift it into place and lock / latch it in place.

When I had a cap on my truck, I still left the genny there. I kept it all the way at the back, lowered the tailgate and moved the genny back onto the tailgate when I ran it. Just make sure you turn the exhaust away from the bed.

I keep my 2KW Honda generator secured with a cable in the tail gate corner of my truck bed. My truck bed also has the folding hard plastic cover on it which are also locked.When I need to use my generator I just pull it out onto the tail gate and point the exhaust away from the truck... It slides out rather easy for me...This way my generator stays with me and is out of sight when not being used... I have found it very useful to help folks out in various places using my generator. I am always seeing some elderly person standing beside the car with the hood raised. Always a sign of not starting in the WALMART parking lot.. I also carry a small battery charger and use that with the generator to charge their battery back up in five minutes or so enough for them to start their vehicle... Gives you some chat time with them while the battery is getting a quick charge...Roy's imageThis is also a great position for my generator running my 30A trailer power cord... When camping off grid I usually live off my batteries until 8AM each morning then connect to my generator to let the converter recharge my batteries with a three hour generator run time when allowed. I never want to have my batteries drop below their 50% charge rate so I can do a 50% to 90% charge state in about three hours time. Then I am good to go for the next day/night run off my batteries. We do this during breakfast every morning... I cam make my Cuisinart Grind and Brew Coffee for the day when on the generator...Works great for me... Roy Ken

For my first generator, I made a wooden box. The lid doubled as a ramp. I used 2 x 4's to reinforce the ramp and loose pin hinges.

I have a 2000 watt gen that is about the largest I can easily handle. I leave it in the back of my truck and use a long electrical cord from the trailer. Even with a canopy, it works fine as long as the tailgate is down and the canopy is open. I use a hand truck to get the gen to the truck. Lessons learned from living with a bad back from an industrial accident 50 years ago.

Lifting and handling heavy generators | Good Sam Community

Crabbypatty
Explorer
May 25, 2019
I use this. Works great as we have a Honda 3000i about 150lbs.

https://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-capacity-pickup-truck-crane-60732.html

Happy trails
CA_Traveler
Explorer III
May 24, 2019
Another option is a ramp and foldable dolly. The dolly could be also help to move the generator around on the ground.

I bought the Titan 7' foldable (length wise) ramps ($110) because the Jeep cargo area is 29" high. However since one half is curved the storage space is 44x11x6" for each ramp. It's rated at 1500 lb hence has many other uses. The typical foldable dolly ($50) does have small wheels so rough ground can be a problem.
wrenchbender
Explorer
May 24, 2019
I have a lid and still use the genny with the lid up .As far as lifting if you go with the Harbor Freight unit which I have there are options.One there is a lifting aide sold by Amazon that slips into the receiver and when not in use stows nicely along the bed wall.I use a pulley and a tree limb
hawkeye-08
Explorer III
May 23, 2019
My Dad had a custom platform built on back of his last trailer, had a locking cage that secured generator and two 5 gallon gas cans. He used cherry picker to load it at beginning of season and unload it at end.

We load our Honda 3000i in back of pickup and leave it there during our trips (run it with tailgate open and exhaust diverted up. Wife and I load and unload it as needed between trips.
time2roll
Nomad
May 21, 2019
Are you expecting to run the A/C 24/7? Most parks have limited generator hours and you will never really cool off in the heat of summer.

For most everything else 200/400 watts of solar would work very well. Mounted on the roof there will be no lifting or other logistics.

Otherwise for utility power there are usually a few RV parks close enough.
pianotuna
Nomad III
May 21, 2019
http://www.campgroundreviews.com/search?query=Moab®ion_id=-1&orderby=cg_id&sort=asc&distance=10&ftype=&filter%5Bcg_electric%5D=yes

yields 14 campgrounds with power in the Moab Utah area. One of them is a State Park.
CharlesinGA
Explorer
May 21, 2019
pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

How did you get the impression that few Western Campgrounds have power?

CharlesinGA wrote:

Here in the east, most organized campgrounds have power, but I am planning trips out west, and few campgrounds out there have power, so a generator would be needed more often than here in the east.

Charles

I should qualify that. The campgrounds I would be most likely to use (ie. state and National Park/Monument, and other public owned campgrounds.) I've spent a lot of time looking at the various parks, reviews, etc, and in a large national park, there might be one with hookups, and several more without. I attributed that to the distance and remoteness of the region. Yes, there are campgrounds with hookups, but here in the east, dang near every campground has electricity, and most have water. Its the norm here.

Looking again, Moab area no power in any of the public campgrounds along the Colorado River, Arches, Canyonlands, Capital Reef, Dead Horse Point SP, all nothing. Bryce and Zion, nothing except for Watchman CG in Zion, the list goes on. So yes, there are some that have power, but most do not.

Charles
trail-explorer
Explorer
May 20, 2019
2oldman wrote:
You're going to be living with a big heavy generator long after it was 'on sale.'

Ditto. This is why I went with two small ones, plus I get more output with two small ones than with one big one.
I only run them in tandem when I want A/C. Everything else, one will suffice.
tragusa3
Explorer
May 20, 2019
I had an 80 pound Yamaha. I also had a topper on the truck. I kept it in the truck and cable locked to the bed. I put the generator on a plywood sled that I attached plastic to the bottom of. It would slide easily of my carpeted bed liner. I'd drop the tailgate, point the exhaust out of the bed and let her run. Very convenient and the best security option I had. Never had to lift it.

All that said, buying again, I would listen to the great advice above and get paralleled 2000 models. I have slowly learned over time not to buy based on price. Get what you need.
Grit_dog
Navigator
May 20, 2019
^ Maybe he's going to the ones that don't have power? Wild guess, I know.

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