Future Rpod 179 Owner (Soon;-) Generator Question

Hello All and thanks for inclusion into your forum---I'm looking to purchase PDQ, a 179 and have a couple of critical questions.  I appreciate everyone's input, answers, and suggestions---so thank you in advance!

As a fellow 179 owner also, I will try to answer your questions.

Generator size: A 2000 watt generator will be inadequate. You would need to run two in parallel or get at least a 3000 watt generator. The summer heat in New Mexico will tax the generator. The hotter it is, the more power it takes to start up the compressor.

Securing it: A good bicycle lock run through the handle and around the trailer's A frame will keep it from walking off with the casual thief. A determined one would require more extensive measures, but the opportunist will bypass one locked and look for one that is not secured in any way. A Stromberg-Carlson Trailer Tray will provide a good place to carry the generator. It is what we use for our Generac iX2000. You can see a picture in my mods (link in my signature below).

Forget about putting it on the back hitch. The crossbar supporting it will not take the stress of the generator bouncing around without significant modification (which will void your frame warranty). Once the warranty has expired, then you are free to reinforce it. There are other message topics which discuss this.

The Trailer Tray and generator are on page 7. Here is a direct link to the post. Some of the other posts show the bottom where it attaches to the A frame better, but this has the best pictures of the rack and generator.

Yes, it sits above the batteries and propane tank. I can run it since the exhaust is not aimed toward the R-Pod. However, there is sound and vibration transfer through the frame when it is run there.

To tie it down, I added two heavy D rings to the platform. I run a bicycle lock cable through those and around the generator through the handle opening. I also use a ratchet strap to cinch it down so that it will not move around much. There is a little movement, but not much. I cover the whole setup with an inverted plastic bin and strap that down. It rides well and protects it from road dirt, snow, and rain.

The Trailer Tray is attached by brackets, not screws or bolts into the frame, so there is not an issue of weakening the frame. I've made several trips with it and there have not been any issues related to it or the generator mounted on it. The main thing is to remember loading is also figuring out how much to add to the rear of the R-Pod to balance it out. 10-15% of the total weight of the R-Pod is the range in which the tongue weight of the R-Pod should meet. There are other topics on how to determine tongue weight and lots of YouTube videos demonstrating it also.

The one thing that will void the warranty is trying to use the rear hitch for the spare tire as a cargo hitch and loading it with more than 150 lbs of stuff (which includes a rack). I have used a rack back there, but only for a few light items that total well under 100 lbs. Now that the warranty has expired, I will see about reinforcing it to make it more sturdy once I get it back from being repaired from last winter's accident.

The main thing to be concerned about when running the generator is to make sure that the exhaust has no path into the R-Pod. You don't want your pets or you to be victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. The noise and vibrations might be helpful for the dogs if it blocks out other sounds that would otherwise cause them to become agitated. Another thing to consider is that some places to not allow unlimited generator use. However, those tend to be places where you would have shore power available to run the AC. If you are out by yourself somewhere, your constraints then are to not stay away so long that your generator runs out of gas.

I have a Yamaha 2400ishc generator which has, so far always started the air conditioner.  I haven't tried it at high altitudes though.

As to Stephen's point about unlimited generator usage, he is right about that but wrong, at least in my experience about that only applying where shore power is available.  I almost always camp at National Park campgrounds with no hookups of any kind and the ones I go to all have restrictions on generator usage; always about hours of operation and sometimes about which sections of the campground even allow generators at all.  It doesn't always suit me, but I agree 100% with the concept.  A lot of people go camping to enjoy nature, not listen to small engines droning on for hours....

Finally, I agree with John.  We have left our dog in the pod with just the windows open and the fan running.  She does fine.  We sleep in there in similar circumstance most of the time too....

TT