Wiring to use generator in bed of truck

[dsprik]

My only concern would be the weight. That 300 lb gen wt, I imagine, will be split between the trailer axles and the pin. On top of that, 60 gals of fuel now added to the rear bed of the F250, @ 7 lbs/gal, is 420 extra lbs plus the weight of the tank itself... I don't know, Chad... there are those here that are better at weight calculations than me. Hopefully, they will chime in. Maybe I'm being over cautious.

[ols1932]

quote:Originally posted by Shane01638

What I was thinking was installing a reciever hitch on the back of the monty and hooking up one of those reciever mount racks. You could put the generators on that plus have room for whatever else. That will be right by the plug, get plenty of air, and is pretty far from the bedroom. That's what I was thinking about for the trip down the Alcan. Even though I won't be running them while driving. I would find some way to secure them so they wouldn't get stolen. Just my 2 cents.

In talking to the Keystone people, they said that the mounting of a hitch at the back of the Montana voids the warranty of the chassis. I'd be careful. I have a hitch on mine, installed by the dealer in 2000 just so I could carry my bicycle. It was after the installation that we found out about the warranty factor.

[drhowell]

I had a Generac Guardian that I installed in my old unit. See the earlier post for installation problems. I think mine was 4000 w and wasn't 300#s. It was a bear to get into the front compartment. And I have a fork lift to help move it. As far as the quality of the unit it was ok but I only had about 20 hours on it before I sold the trailer. A friend used a Generac to power his home and they didn't last much over 500 hrs before he started to have problems with them. Honda, Onan, and Yamaha are more expensive because they have a good reputation for quality and long trouble free operation.

[Chad Brooks]

quote:Originally posted by dsprik

My only concern would be the weight. That 300 lb gen wt, I imagine, will be split between the trailer axles and the pin. On top of that, 60 gals of fuel now added to the rear bed of the F250, @ 7 lbs/gal, is 420 extra lbs plus the weight of the tank itself... I don't know, Chad... there are those here that are better at weight calculations than me. Hopefully, they will chime in. Maybe I'm being over cautious.

You are not being over cautious at all. As a matter of fact you are probably dead on. With 8800 gvwr, 90%+ of the F250's on the road are grossly overweight. My truck weighs 7920lbs with just me in it and a full tank of fuel. If you take that figure and add passengers, and maybe a big ice chest full of ice, I would be at my GVWR. God only knows how much weight some of the people pull with these trucks down in south ga. I have definately thought about the weight issue. The F350 SRW trucks had a 1100lb heavier gvwr with the only difference being the rear end (it is a little heavier) I have been looking to get my hands on one but they are few and far between in the salvage yard.

[dsprik]

I agree on the 350/3500 series 4x4 diesel. They just don't seem to make many of these, and the ones that have them don't want to sell them. Makes it really tough to even find one... let alone get a good deal on a used one. If I got one it would be a SRW... also tough to find.

[jpbcny]

Apparently Keystone has decided mounted rear carriers do not void their warranties, as my 2006 Moutaineer 329RLS, came equipped with one. It's a hidden "Slide Out" model. If anyone would like to view some pics of it, I have made a small self-executing slide show you can download here:
http://files.no-ip.org/carrier.exe

[dsprik]

JP, I just read about this slide out. It was advertised as a "bike rack". Don't know what the weight limitations on it is, though. If it's a "Bike Rack", it might not be intended for too much wt. Maybe someone else has more info.

[H. John Kohl]

I like it. The plate says 200 lbs.

[Montana_3598]

I know the front compartment in the later Monty's (mine's a 2004) are designed to take an Onan 4000/4500 Microquiet generator, tied into your propane. There's a knockout plate in the bottom of the front compartment for generator installation, and some Monty's even come with a "generator prep" kit. You might check with the factory and see what they intended. My understanding is if you were to upgrade your 30lb propane bottles to a pair of 40lb's you should be okay. I did some minor investigation on this but haven't followed thru yet due to $$$ and need. This is what I was able to uncover so far, your mileage may vary.

[one_strange_texan]

If I have already made the decision to obtain a Honda 3000 (simple, since I needed it during hurricane Rita), and would like to use it in the bed while underway (to have to trailer cooled down before arrival and to run the microwave at roadside parks), can anyone suggest how best to wire it in to the Monty's 110V system?