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Old 12-17-2020, 08:06 PM   #1
ChaseTX
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New Generator and storage area

Well after searching for almost 6 months, I finally sold our Generac and bought the Cummins 4500 Gen Set. I have to say I am impressed with it so far, the remote start is great. This generator is quieter than my Generac 2000 which is ridiculous to me. I will update tomorrow after I see how it powers everything in the camper.

I am trying to decide, if I want to build a storage area into a tool box for the truck or buy the generator slide rails for the camper. Any suggestions?
 
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Old 12-17-2020, 08:18 PM   #2
BeagleMan
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I'd vote for a slide in coach. But, that's just me.
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Old 12-17-2020, 08:27 PM   #3
ChaseTX
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Ya, I am leaning that way as well, but if I leave it in the truck I can use it for more than just the camper. Hard decision. Its not super heavy but 100 pounds is still 100 pounds.
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Old 12-18-2020, 06:28 AM   #4
DutchmenSport
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ChaseTX,

If you purchased 2 of the "portable" on wheels Cummings Onan P4500i Generator and you are planning on putting them in that front cargo bay of your Montana Fifth Wheel, you will only be able to put 1 in there, but not both. There is simply not enough space. The front storage space is wide enough for both of them side by side, but not deep enough. One will fit turned sideways, but both will not. I've tried.

I carry mine in the bed of my pick-up truck. I've tried all kinds of things to transport mine, and this is the best place to transport them for me. They sit nearest the tail gate, one on each side so the fifth wheel king pin will pass between them very comfortably. Lock your tail gate while hitched to the trailer and they are next to impossible to steal, unless someone destroys your tail gate or just drives off with your entire rig.

Yes, they are heavy, near 100 pounds DRY. Add oil and about 3 gallons of fuel and they are really heavy for an average overweight, 65 year old geezer with missing original body parts to lift.

Here's how I get mine in the bed of my pick-up. It works. The ramps cost about $100, fold in half, and found they come in handy for more than just getting the generators in the bed of the truck.



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Old 12-18-2020, 09:40 AM   #5
ChaseTX
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Great Idea

Quote:
Originally Posted by DutchmenSport View Post
ChaseTX,

If you purchased 2 of the "portable" on wheels Cummings Onan P4500i Generator and you are planning on putting them in that front cargo bay of your Montana Fifth Wheel, you will only be able to put 1 in there, but not both. There is simply not enough space. The front storage space is wide enough for both of them side by side, but not deep enough. One will fit turned sideways, but both will not. I've tried.

I carry mine in the bed of my pick-up truck. I've tried all kinds of things to transport mine, and this is the best place to transport them for me. They sit nearest the tail gate, one on each side so the fifth wheel king pin will pass between them very comfortably. Lock your tail gate while hitched to the trailer and they are next to impossible to steal, unless someone destroys your tail gate or just drives off with your entire rig.

Yes, they are heavy, near 100 pounds DRY. Add oil and about 3 gallons of fuel and they are really heavy for an average overweight, 65 year old geezer with missing original body parts to lift.

Here's how I get mine in the bed of my pick-up. It works. The ramps cost about $100, fold in half, and found they come in handy for more than just getting the generators in the bed of the truck.



Thank you for the idea, I actually lifted it today into the truck with about half a tank of fuel. That is not something I wnat to continue to do. I was thinking about 4 wheeler ramps and you just answered my question. Thank you for the pictures. I feel like you have ZERO issues with power with the parallel kit. I was thinking about gettting a second one. Do you have two A/C units on your rig?
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Old 12-18-2020, 10:16 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChaseTX View Post
... I was thinking about gettting a second one. Do you have two A/C units on your rig?
Yes, we have 2 AC's. 15,000 BTU AC/Heat pump and 13,500 AC.

I have run both AC's, microwave, water heater on electric, and 2 televisions and both generators powered to about 50%. Basically, anything you can run on your 50 amp service, these generators (the 2 of them together) will power everything also with no problems.

I did try turning on both AC's with only 1 generator, and it tripped the generator. It was kind of interesting. The generator kept running, but the power was disconnected to the trailer. Push the reset button on the front of the generator and it powered back up after turning one AC back off.

So, when running only 1, you'll need to practice power management, just like plugging into a 30 amp shore power connection. But even that, 1 generator by itself did really great. I saw no difference when plugged into 30 amp shore power or plugged into 1 generator only.

I'm' extremely happy with mine. Being portable, we can use them anywhere. We have power outages where I live, and although we have another generator we've been using for years, we wanted something dedicated for the camper use.

When my wife found out one generator would not power 2 air conditioners, she said we're getting 2 of them or none at all. And since then, when we've lost power in the house, we fire up the old one for the house to keep the refrigerator and freezer running, and our internet router. And we power up the 2 Cummings and plug in the trailer. We're on a water well (country), but the trailer always has water in the fresh water tank. So, when we have power outages at home, we're always good to go. We move out to the trailer. Food, television, water, internet. Life if good!
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Old 12-19-2020, 04:13 PM   #7
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Where are you plugging in at? Do you have an extension to the back?
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Old 12-23-2020, 02:06 PM   #8
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I would be interested in your final decision. I have been looking into this and have seen several videos where people use a cargo rack on the back with a box over that. My 50 AMP outlet is in the back, so having the Genset in a box on a cargo rack would facilitate plugging it in. I am leaning towards that solution for a couple of reasons, one I can run the Genset The last hour of my trip and start the cool down process before stopping for the night. 2, our bedroom is in the front, so this places the unit as far away from us as possible. Many of the cargo racks that fit in the receivers will hold 300 pounds more than enough for one or even two, plus fuel. The box can be attached to the rack and locked in place. the 4500 Genset is more than enough to power one AC and the fridge. At night we only run the 15k AC and don't even bother with the bedroom AC.
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Old 12-23-2020, 02:29 PM   #9
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I have an Onan 5500 permanently mounted in the bed of my RAM 3500. Fueled by a 25 gal marine aluminum tank, also mounted in the truck bed. I ran a 50 amp power cord from the front of the Montana to the rear of the coach to plug into the normal power receptacle. Was able to use existing "stuff" to secure the cable underneath the trailer with tie wraps. I have a 50 and 20 amp receptacle mounted to the side of the truck bed. There is enough cable to plug into the truck remotely with the trailer unhooked. I have been running Onan generators permanently mounted in the bed of my last two Dodge Cummins trucks for the past 26 years. It works for me.

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Old 12-23-2020, 05:45 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jhauck View Post
I have an Onan 5500 permanently mounted in the bed of my RAM 3500. Fueled by a 25 gal marine aluminum tank, also mounted in the truck bed. I ran a 50 amp power cord from the front of the Montana to the rear of the coach to plug into the normal power receptacle. Was able to use existing "stuff" to secure the cable underneath the trailer with tie wraps. I have a 50 and 20 amp receptacle mounted to the side of the truck bed. There is enough cable to plug into the truck remotely with the trailer unhooked. I have been running Onan generators permanently mounted in the bed of my last two Dodge Cummins trucks for the past 26 years. It works for me.

john hauck
Titus, Alabama
Would be nice if you could post a picture of this set up, I was considering an Onan in the bed to to replace the Westinghouse 4500 duel fuel unit I have mounted in the bed now.
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Old 12-23-2020, 06:24 PM   #11
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New Generator & Storage

Built a slide for the Onan 4500i and it works great (obviously can only be used while the slide is extended). Enough power for both airs using the soft-start kit and very quiet. Two straps secure it to the slide and still have adequate room for additional storage behind/under the slide. PM me if you want any pictures of the slide fabrication (simple) or other questions. Good luck & happy travels.
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Old 12-23-2020, 06:30 PM   #12
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I'll try to remember to do that tomorrow if it stops raining long enough, and I can figure out how to post a photo or three.

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Old 12-23-2020, 07:21 PM   #13
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Generator

Predator 3500 with custom fabricated Aluminum carrier for my 2018 Montana 3121RL has worked for my 5th Wheel..
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Old 12-23-2020, 11:11 PM   #14
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nice!

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Originally Posted by GT500KR View Post
Predator 3500 with custom fabricated Aluminum carrier for my 2018 Montana 3121RL has worked for my 5th Wheel..
looks nice and neat and secure.
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Old 12-24-2020, 07:21 AM   #15
ChaseTX
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New set up

Well I made my decision, the 4 wheeler ramp idea works well. I am going to weld a 6 inch spacer between the two ramps. Besides that everything worked out great.
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Old 12-24-2020, 09:02 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GT500KR View Post
Predator 3500 with custom fabricated Aluminum carrier for my 2018 Montana 3121RL has worked for my 5th Wheel..
We do the same with our Honda 3000. I use a weather proof grill cover when needed. I also made up a short 6' power cord with twistlocks on both ends. No adapters needed and no need to wrestle a long heavy cord when using the Genny. We can also leave it in place while traveling to power up the A/C or microwave for roadside breaks/lunch.
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Old 12-24-2020, 09:23 AM   #17
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Well I made my decision, the 4 wheeler ramp idea works well...
Nice choice! I think you'll find the versatility of your generator priceless and the ability to take it anywhere and use it anywhere.
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Old 12-25-2020, 04:23 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JCB-1 View Post
Built a slide for the Onan 4500i and it works great (obviously can only be used while the slide is extended). Enough power for both airs using the soft-start kit and very quiet. Two straps secure it to the slide and still have adequate room for additional storage behind/under the slide. PM me if you want any pictures of the slide fabrication (simple) or other questions. Good luck & happy travels.
JCB please send me fabrication details. (martinrhelton@gmail.com). Slide out for generator looks really nice. Great idea!
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Old 04-17-2021, 01:33 PM   #19
Gary and Buffy
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I would like to hear from anyone that has made a setup for running their generator when it is raining.
Thanks, Gary
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Old 04-18-2021, 02:18 PM   #20
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Just finished installing our Yamaha generator in the front compartment of our 3790rd. It was a tight fit due to the height of the generator itself, but fits nice now. Lots of measuring. Fabricated a slide in drawer using a pair of heavy duty drawer slides with 300lb capacity. Generator weighs 160lbs.

Locking pins on both drawer slides, plus a couple of tie down straps, keep it in place when bouncing down the highway.

The fifth wheel came with a factory installed automatic transfer switch, so I tied the generator into it, thus eliminating the need for a cord all the way to the back of the trailer. If you have a transfer switch all ready in your trailer, or intend to use one, remember that most portable generator only have one "hot" wire (the others being neutral and ground). Trailers with 50 amp service capabilities utilize two "hot" sides, so the wiring from the generator into the transfer switch is a bit tricky. But do the research on the type of transfer switch you will be using and you should be fine.

Lastly, this type of set up can only be run when the drawer is out to allow heat and exhaust gases to dissipate properly.
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