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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / December 2006generator for a fifth wheel
I am a former large motorhome owner. I am looking at buying a fifth wheel, but I want it to have at least a 12.5KW diesel generator on a slide out with air bag mounts, that will pull 2 airs and supply all of the other electrical needs. Does anyone out there have any experience with this type of installation? Thanks >I am a former large motorhome owner. I am looking at buying a fifth > wheel, but I want it to have at least a 12.5KW diesel generator on a > slide out with air bag mounts, that will pull 2 airs and supply all of > the other electrical needs. Does anyone out there have any experience > with this type of installation? That's an awfully big, heavy generator. You are talking custom build as I doubt if any mainstream fiver mfgr will go for that sort of installation. You might contact http://www.spacecraftmfg.com/. They build very large commercial units that might have that kind of power requirement. I remember seeing a 45-foot fiver that they built with two conventional RV generators in the forward basement. It had two air conditioners and a large home-type refrigerator/freezer. Paul Johnson >I am a former large motorhome owner. I am looking at buying a fifth >wheel, but I want it to have at least a 12.5KW diesel generator on a >slide out with air bag mounts, that will pull 2 airs and supply all of >the other electrical needs. Does anyone out there have any experience >with this type of installation? I'd phone Dick Wright at Wrico http://wricointernational.com/ If he says it can't be done then believe him.  SignatureR.J.(Bob) Evans (return address needs alteration to work) sapp122@yahoo.com wrote in news:1166817568.882114.317610@ 79g2000cws.googlegroups.com: > I am a former large motorhome owner. I am looking at buying a fifth > wheel, but I want it to have at least a 12.5KW diesel generator on a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Thanks My 7KW Onan runs our two A/Cs plus anything else we care to run - simultaneously. That includes my power tools and air compressor. The Onan is installed in the front of our 37' 10" Montana and runs from its own 30-gallon fuel tank. RAM? wrote: > sapp122@yahoo.com wrote in news:1166817568.882114.317610@ > 79g2000cws.googlegroups.com: [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > > RAM: Iis your Onan a diesel and how is it cooled and is it in a quite box with air bag mounts on a rollout? > My 7KW Onan runs our two A/Cs plus anything else we care to run - > simultaneously. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > The Onan is installed in the front of our 37' 10" Montana and runs from its > own 30-gallon fuel tank. sapp122@yahoo.com wrote in news:1166880308.727308.160240@ 73g2000cwn.googlegroups.com: > RAM: Iis your Onan a diesel and how is it cooled and is it in a quite box > with air bag mounts on a rollout? Nope - it's gasoline-fuelled and bolted down with spring mounts. At 238 pounds, when it needs service I use the 5er to transport it. <G> When I got it in 2003, there wasn't a diesel-fuelled unit that would fit in my 5er's generator bay. (It was sized for a 4.8KW Propane-fuelled unit.) While I _could_ have opted for a bed-mounted generator, that'd mean that I'd have to keep the truck with the trailer _at all times_ instead of being able to use the truck while SWMBO took a nap. THAT simply was totally unacceptable. <VBG> Ram: Is your unit air cooled?? and also what are you pulling your Montana with? RAM? wrote: > sapp122@yahoo.com wrote in news:1166880308.727308.160240@ > 73g2000cwn.googlegroups.com: [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > THAT simply was totally unacceptable. <VBG> sapp122@yahoo.com wrote in news:1166931019.272512.182380 @n51g2000cwc.googlegroups.com: > Ram: Is your unit air cooled?? and also what are you pulling your > Montana with? Yes, it's air-cooled. We're pulling our 2003 Montana 3655FL with a 2003 Dodge Laramie QuadCab 3500 equipped with LB, 4WD, DRW, ASD, HO CTD, 48RE, Jacobs Exhaust Brake, 4.10:1 gears, and an EasyRider AR20K air-suspension hitch. [Manufacturer's GCVWR is 23,000 - Texas (DOT?) Law GCVWR is 26,100.] Trailer Length = 37' 10" Trailer Width = 102" [8' 6"] Trailer Height = 12'9" Trailer GVWR = 14,100 pounds [That's its usual weight, too. <G>] Most towing (including hilly terrain) is done in OverDrive using the Cruise Control. >sapp122@yahoo.com wrote: >> My 7KW Onan runs our two A/Cs plus anything else we care to run - >> simultaneously. >> >> That includes my power tools and air compressor. Similarly, the 7.5 KW Onan in our MH will run everything we have at the same time--two heat pump/air conditioners, microwave, coffee pot, block heater, electric element in water heater, everything. On the other hand, the 12.5 KW Onan is noticeably quieter than our 7.5 KW Quiet Diesel. SignatureDD >>sapp122@yahoo.com wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > On the other hand, the 12.5 KW Onan is noticeably quieter than our 7.5 > KW Quiet Diesel. Either one would be difficult to fit into the generator bay of a 5er though... Given the size of the available bays on _some_ of the MHs, it'd be a simple matter to install a 20KW in one of _them_! <G> But since the OP was asking about 5ers, I've stuck to that type. Unlike the small portables that some prefer, the larger-capacity units are not easily demountable when carried in/on the tow vehicle. This negates the availablility of the tow vehicle for personal transport while the generator continues to supply power to the trailer. > I am a former large motorhome owner. I am looking at buying a fifth > wheel, but I want it to have at least a 12.5KW diesel generator on a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Thanks Why? That's a huge generator and -way- more then you would probably need. I did some checking on some of the better brands (Sunnybrook, New Horizons, Arctic Fox) and none offer anything that large Signature-------------------------------------------------------- Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read RV and Camping FAQ can be found at http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv OK....Maybe thats to much. Ram says he has a 7KW that pulls 2 airs. But he did not say if it was a diesel on a slide. Thanks > > I am a former large motorhome owner. I am looking at buying a fifth > > wheel, but I want it to have at least a 12.5KW diesel generator on a [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > RV and Camping FAQ can be found at > http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv Ralph, I have a 5.5KW gen in my RV and never come even close to maxing it out even in 110 degree temps with both airs and the Uwave running. >OK....Maybe thats to much. Ram says he has a 7KW that pulls 2 airs. But >he did not say if it was a diesel on a slide. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >> need. I did some checking on some of the better brands (Sunnybrook, New >> Horizons, Arctic Fox) and none offer anything that large Dean <roamer@firstinter.net> wrote in news:8f9ro2dvle4ki522bt0l3hcn2rrm2cdrq5 @4ax.com: > Ralph, I have a 5.5KW gen in my RV and never come even close to maxing > it out even in 110 degree temps with both airs and the Uwave running. My 7KW generally runs, at most, at a shade over half-load. This pays off in fuel economy - ie. run-time/tank - and enables us to spend quite a bit longer without refuelling its tank. With 30A/110V leg, I haven't, yet, managed to max it out once I balanced the load across the 2 buses. Sure, it's a bit of "overkill" but it's comforting to know that, whatever the future may bring, I've enough electrical supply to handle it. BTW, it's _not_ one of the "Micro-" series but the heavier Commercial [CME] series intended for prolonged run-time in Emergency Vehicles. RAM: OK from the responses so far maybe a 12KW diesel is to much, but I wanted to have a 2000 or 2500 inverter with about 4 8D batt. Do you think a 7KW gen. with an auto start coupled with a good solar charging system would work?? RAM? wrote: > Dean <roamer@firstinter.net> wrote in news:8f9ro2dvle4ki522bt0l3hcn2rrm2cdrq5 > @4ax.com: [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > BTW, it's _not_ one of the "Micro-" series but the heavier Commercial [CME] > series intended for prolonged run-time in Emergency Vehicles. sapp122@yahoo.com wrote in news:1166980804.965679.201640@ 79g2000cws.googlegroups.com: > RAM: OK from the responses so far maybe a 12KW diesel is to much, but I > wanted to have a 2000 or 2500 inverter with about 4 8D batt. Do you > think a 7KW gen. with an auto start coupled with a good solar charging > system would work?? Which do you intend to run from - the inverter or the generator? Fully loaded, a 2,500W inverter will pull about 250A from your batteries and, thus, deplete them within a relatively short period if not supplemented by another power source - ie. the generator since solar would be hopelessly inadequate. BTW, if you plan to run 2 roof-top A/Cs and a Microwave off an inverter, you'll need one capable of sustained loads of ~4,800W rather than the 2,000- 2,500W you specified. [Plan on ~500A draw from the batteries. <G>] Since the "generator prep" option - available on most 5ers with adequate space for a generator - include a transfer switch, an installed generator provides charging for the battery(-ies) two independent ways: both by the converter _and_ directly. After all, with the generator running, the on-board systems are powered in the same way as when plugged into "Shore Power". >sapp122@yahoo.com wrote: >RAM: OK from the responses so far maybe a 12KW diesel is to much, but I >wanted to have a 2000 or 2500 inverter with about 4 8D batt. Do you >think a 7KW gen. with an auto start coupled with a good solar charging >system would work?? We have an Onan 7.5 KW genset with a Xantrex 2000 watt MSW inverter/charger (RV2012M). The generator will put out 37.5 amps of 120 VAC power on each of two legs. The inverter/charger will put a maximum of 100 amps 12 VDC into the batteries. That consumes only about 10 of the 37.5 amps of 120 VAC power available on that leg. Hope that helps. SignatureDave >OK from the responses so far maybe a 12KW diesel is to much I'm no generator expert, but I tend to agree, based on the fact that some friends of mine who live in a small house installed a 6kw standby genset. It will run everything in the house at the same time, including the well pump (240v) and the heat pump/central air. FWIW. GB in NC RAM: OK from the responses so far maybe a 12KW diesel is to much, but I wanted to have a 2000 or 2500 inverter with about 4 8D batt. Do you think a 7KW gen. with an auto start coupled with a good solar charging system would work?? You must not be much concerned about weight. Four 8D batteries are going to weigh somewhere around 600 pounds. I have one 8D battery and a 3,000 watt inverter. The a/c and electric water heater are wired off the first panel and run only off shore power (or external generator). I can power the microwave and all other 110-volt items plus 12-volt lights and such (normal usage) for at least a day without external power. Paul Johnson Paul: OK...It looks like I am to large on the gen. and to large on the batt. bank. Maybe 2 8Ds with a 7.5KW with an auto start, mounted on a slide out tray and a 2000 inverter?? Would that be a good set up?? Thanks > RAM: OK from the responses so far maybe a 12KW diesel is to much, but I > wanted to have a 2000 or 2500 inverter with about 4 8D batt. Do you [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > usage) for at least a day without external power. > Paul Johnson > Paul: OK...It looks like I am to large on the gen. and to large on the > batt. bank. Maybe 2 8Ds with a 7.5KW with an auto start, mounted on a > slide out tray and a 2000 inverter?? Would that be a good set up?? > > Thanks That sounds like a good compromise. The size of the inverter would depend somewhat on the size of the microwave you want. We have a full-size GE Spacemaker which pulls a lot of power (I think 1500 watts) so we have a 3000 watt Heart Interface inverter/charger and have never had a bit of trouble with it (11 years). In my opinion, the inverter/charger does a much better job of maintaining your battery(ies). My single 8D is 11 years old and still is fine (trailer is always hooked to shore power when sitting). It's not the sealed maintenance-free kind so I periodically top off the cells with distilled water. I could (easily) be wrong, but I think most fiver manufacturers put the generators in the front basement compartment (opening under the gooseneck part). You may have to talk to a custom builder or after market customizer to get everything in a slideout, but the slideout idea is certainly attractive. Paul Johnson I have a 6.5 kw water cooled, gas fueled Honda and it pulls everything I've needed to use in the trailer without any problems. It is mounted, as most I've seen are, under the front bedroom, face toward the hitch. I have never had to do anything on the generator that would require a slide-out. The oil drain and filters are all accessable from the front. I have a 38.5 Avion with dual air and the uwave is a convection model. The only problem with the Honda is, it is altitude sensitive. No adjustments on carb. so I have to change jets as I go up to my favorite fishing hole at 10,500 ft. PDeen > <sapp...@yahoo.com> wrote in messagenews:1167013780.932034.96940@79g2000cws.googlegroups.com...> Paul: OK...It looks like I am to large on the gen. and to large on the > > batt. bank. Maybe 2 8Ds with a 7.5KW with an auto start, mounted on a [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > attractive. > Paul Johnson The only problem with the Honda is, it is altitude sensitive. No adjustments on carb. so I have to change jets as I go up to my favorite fishing hole at 10,500 ft......... PDeen<<<<<<<< I have a construction generator with a 10 HP Tecumseh engine. It started running poorly and the dealer said to run it with the choke partly on or buy another carb. I got looking at the carb and where the adjusting needle use to be, there was a round plastic thing on the carb. I took a pair of pliers and removed the plastic and there was the needle valve. I adjusted it so the engine ran good but it didn't have a spring on it like the old ones had and the vibration of the engine running would back the needle valve out. I unscrewed the needle valve, crushed the threads a little with the pliers and screwed it back in. It has run well ever since. SignatureJerryD(upstateNY) > Dean <roamer@firstinter.net> wrote in > news:8f9ro2dvle4ki522bt0l3hcn2rrm2cdrq5 @4ax.com: [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > My 7KW generally runs, at most, at a shade over half-load. That is the maximum size that I would suggest. It should provide enough power to run everything.
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