Generator gas tank?

[AZCampinfool]

I may have the opportunity to purchase an almost new Onan gas powered generator. I think it is a 3600? but not sure since I have not seen it yet. My contact is saying the owner will probably sell it at "half" price. It is coming out of a 06 fifth wheel toy hauler which was rear ended in a collision and totaled. The owner is going to "buy it back" from the insurance co. and scrap it out. Since I have never really looked into a built in generator and a gas one at that, how do these generators actually get fuel? Is there a built in internal gas tank that I would need to install in my fiver, or do folks use a separate gas tank and hook it up once you are set up? Is there any reason the generator would be damaged from a rear end collision since it is installed in the front of the fiver? For those of you with built in gennys, do you feel they are worth it compared to say running 2 Honda 2000's parralled together. Right now I have one Honda and planned on adding another this summer and then mounting them both on the back of the Mounty on the built in platform. If I did get the Onan and make it work, I could possibly sell the Honda on e-bay to recoup some of my costs. What would you do?

[LonnieB]

AZCampinfool,
I have also been looking at a used Onan that came out of a wrecked class A motorhome. It doesn't have it's own fuel tank, but the dealer showed me a picture of one he installed with a 12 gallon boat fuel tank. It sat in the front compartment with the generator, and looked like a nice installation. Now that I have mentioned installation, here's the worst part. If your trailer isn't generator prepped, it can cost anwhere from $1500.00 to $2000.00 to get the generator installed with all the wiring, insulated box, underbelly muffler, and auto switching unit. bsmeaton and a couple of others have researched this pretty extensively and relayed the information on another thread a couple of months ago. You would save alot by doing as much as possible yourself. Since you already own one Honda, you may be money ahead to buy another and paralelling them, less weight too from what I understand.
I'm still undecided on what I'll do. Right now I have a Troy-Built 5550 watt portable, but it is pretty heavy ( about 150 lbs. ), and a little louder than I care to hear. Not unbearable, just noticeable. Brad suggested checking out the sine wave generators, but I haven't yet.
Don't know that I have helped you, but maybe.

[Emmel]

AZCampingfool, being a smaller generator owner, I would sugest the second Honda before installing the Onan. There are the two factors to look at, the weight and INSTALLATION PRICE. The weight of the Onan is added to your pin weight in a ratio that I'm not smart enough to figure out. The installation price could be very expensive if your Montana is not generator prepped, if it is already setup for one, not too bad then. The onan and extra gas tank will fill your front compartment where the two Hondas will take a lot less room. That is my opinion and you know what they say about that, everybody has one!

[bsmeaton]

AZCampinfool,

We have the LP Onan built in, and the convenience is nice. Just push the button when you want it. It does weigh 279 lbs.

Retrofitting one can be a problem as Lonnie and Steve have stated.

Gen Prep - If you don't have generator prep, the parts themselves are expensive (heat shield, transfer switch, overload, start switch) and installation will be tough. You've got to get the 2 X 50A wiring from your main breakers to the generator, and wiring for the remote switch. That most likely involves work inside the belly.

Gas - Not sure where you would put the tank. You can't share the space inside of the heat shield with the generator, as it gets too hot. That leaves the electrical area (batteries - hydraulics) or the basement storage. Because these are enclosed spaces, the tank fill and the tank itself would need to be sealed and ventilated to an exterior vent. Even then you would run the risk of fuel leaks inside from a leaking hose. Boats are vented to the exterior and also have a mechanical blower that purges the bilge with fresh air for five minutes before you start the boat, just in case fuel has leaked into the bilge. I've seen the results of starting a boat with a gas leak in the bilge, and it wasn't pretty.

I would personally steer clear of a gasoline driven built in generator, they were designed for motorhomes. If you could find an LP fueled generator, that would be better. If it was me personnally, and I didn't have generator prep, I would spend my money on the second Honda 2000. The two EU2000 or one EU3000 is a nice setup, and you just plug them in to use them.

[AZCampinfool]

Hey everyone, thanks for the feedback. I posted the same ? over at RV.NET and pretty much got the same advice. After reading all the posts and sleeping on the idea, I do believe I am going to follow the wisdom passed on here and just get another Honda. I figure for $1200 I can get another Honda plus a diamond plate chest to house them in on the back of the fiver. I plan on modifying the chest to house the genny's and building my own parallel kit. With the built in bike rack on the back of my fiver I think this will be the easiest and as all of you pointed out, the least expensive way to proceed. I will also be able to run them going down the road to power the a/c when the weather dictates since my twist lock plug is right on the back corner.