Help with generator

This week, I bought and installed a Curt cargo carrier that fits the 1 1/4" receiver on the rear of our Rpod and the Harbor Freight Predator 3500 generator/inverter.

I would be very leery of your setup. While the generator does fit the carrier and the stinger fits the receiver, the weight of the generator plus the gasoline plus the carrier itself is likely going to cause problems. The receiver is not made to hold that kind of weight. It is rated at 150 lbs, but that is close-in. The generator itself weighs 99.2 lbs plus the weight of the oil and gasoline in the tank. Gasoline weighs 6.183 lbs/gallon. The Curt rack weighs 29.5 lbs (shipping weight, a little less after unpacked and assembled). You are pushing maximum weight just sitting still. Hit a big bump and you are likely to see your generator bouncing down the road when the crossbar holding the hitch receiver breaks at the welds.

I have used a rack similarly, but only put lightweight items back there. Total weight of what I carried was probably under 75 lbs. I never weighed things to get an exact figure but I kept it light. One propane tank, a small 2 gallon gasoline container, and some lightweight camping equipment. My generator rides on a Stromberg Carlson Trailer Tray. That also happens to be the best place as it will have the smoothest ride. In the back, every bump is magnified since it is at the end of a lever opposite the fulcrum (hitch).

Please reconsider your arrangement before taking it out on the road. If it were to fall off, it would not only be a loss for you, but could potentially cause a fatality for someone following you. Please don't risk it! Since we now have a pickup truck, the items we used to carry on the rack now ride in the pickup bed. The rack itself went to my daughter since she needed it more than I did. My spare tire now rides in its original position on the back of the R-Pod.

I like your setup but am a little concerned about the weight as well. I'm almost done with a custom designed, smaller and lighter rack for the hitch as well that will hold our Honda 2000i and 2 Gal Rotopax gas can. What I hope to achieve is the ability to store, tote and lock down the gen in the same spot it will be used as well as not to be next to where I sleep or watch tv (tongue area) in the 179. The spare tire will go under the back between the frame on a swing out system.   

I've considered carrying one of our Honda 2000 generators on a carrier in the back and the other on an A-frame tray (the aforementioned Stromberg-Carlson). They would roughly cancel each other out weight-distribution-wise and the weight on the back should be supportable (~50 lbs for the generator plus the rack weight). Unfortunately, I'd have to figure out a place to put the spare.

Originally posted by StephenH Originally posted by TheBum I've considered carrying one of our Honda 2000 generators on a carrier in the back and the other on an A-frame tray (the aforementioned Stromberg-Carlson). They would roughly cancel each other out weight-distribution-wise and the weight on the back should be supportable (~50 lbs for the generator plus the rack weight). Unfortunately, I'd have to figure out a place to put the spare. I have a BAL Hide-a-spare tire carrier available. I am no longer using it since we got the pickup. I don't know how much shipping would be though. They sell new on Amazon for about $100. Mine was the 28210 and was modified to fit the RP179 frame distance. That should be the same for other models also.

I'd be leery of using a carrier like that since our Pod doesn't have risers. I'm not really inclined to add risers because of the hit to my already marginal gas mileage.