Is exhaust/fuel an issue w/ Harbor Freight 3500 generator?

[jimdmorrison]

Sale on this is 25% off for $600.

If I replace my Onan generator with this, is the exhaust an issue installing it in same spot under the side of the rv? Can I run it while driving down the road?

I don't think I can connect to gas line, but I don't mind adding gas separately if I can get it to the unit. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[STANG23L]

There is a youtube video of a guy retrofitting his Preditor 3500 into his generator compartment. I don't think he used any of the enclosure. But it looked like it worked well for him.

[RichardMinnie]

road-runner wrote:

romore wrote:
I doubt you will be happy with a noisy portable after having the Onan.

If the reports I've read about the HF 3500 watt inverter generator are true, it would be a quieter than the Onan (assuming the Onan is a "microquiet").

I've had the Harbor Freight Predator 3500 watt invertor/generator for about 2 months and love it so far. It is very quiet. About the same noise level as my Honda 2000 watt invertor/generator. Supposedly rated at 57 or 58 dB. But I carry it in the bed of the truck for AC while boodocking. Wouldn't want to run it in an enclosed space. Carbon monoxide kills. Hard to recover from a mistake like that.

[jimdmorrison]

Rear bumper mount seems like my most cost effective solution. I definitely don't want to risk any heat issues.

The issue I'm having is it gets too hot in the summer while we're driving. We can't run the AC without the generator.

[Gulfcoast]

The HFT inverter is a fine generator, but it simply wasn't designed to be installed in an enclosed compartment. What about a rear bumper mount, under lock and key?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

The older Onans had a tremendous airflow that exited on the bottom. I told a fellow who was doing the same thing as you he would need lots and lots of cooling air. Three hundred degrees was too much for a small compartment. Running down the road. Dangerous.

I ordered four 39 watt axial fans to a greatly enlarged venting and strengthened compartment door. It still wasn't enough. Had to pile on the insulation on the top and inside of the compartment.

In the end he wasn't a happy camper. Good thing I had no part of it. He ended up selling the rig. This is by no means a prediction of how things will work out for you.

Personally I wouldn't advise holding your breath.

[road-runner]

romore wrote:
I doubt you will be happy with a noisy portable after having the Onan.

If the reports I've read about the HF 3500 watt inverter generator are true, it would be a quieter than the Onan (assuming the Onan is a "microquiet").

[jimdmorrison]

I've replaced circuit board, solenoid twice, and starter. At this point after 3 years of replacing things to try to get it to run, it has seized up.

Sounds like hf isn't a viable option either. It's a 1998 RV and refrigerator doesn't work, so resale value doesnt matter. I just need to be able to use ac while driving.

[romore]

I doubt you will be happy with a noisy portable after having the Onan. Is the present unit beyond economical repair or is this an attempt at a quick, inexpensive fix?

[KD4UPL]

You mean you want to put it in the compartment where your RV type Onan is now. Heat will likely be an issue as the HF generator is surely not designed for operation in an enclosed compartment. The RV generators have fan and air passages designed specifically to cool in the compartment.
It's possible that the movement of the RV will be enough to slosh the fuel around in the carb and not let the generator run right. I have a friend who mounted a "regular" portable generator at the back of his converted bus. It ran find stationary but wouldn't run while in motion. Could have been fuel slosh, could have been the vacuum created at the back of the bus. Either way, it wouldn't run.
What's the problem with the Onan? I'd fix it. If for no other reason than resale value. If I was looking at a used RV with a modified portable generator installed I would assume the owner had modified all kinds of other things and walk away in a hurry.

[Ranger_Smith]

Heat would be a big consideration and possibly a fire hazard