Campinfan
Washtenaw County, Michigan
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I am thinking of getting a generator for my fifth wheel. Not sure which route I should go and why. Do I go for an onboard generator or a portable and how big for either? I want to primarily use it for traveling to distant locations (the trip there) and not for when I get there. In other words, I will not be boondocking other than stopping for the night (or when tired) and catching some shut eye for a few hours or overnight. Any help would be appreciated. I have 2 AC's but not sure if I would be using both of them on the trip to lets say Florida for example.
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ford truck guy
Pennsylvania
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In MY Opinion..
The onboards are designed basically for that purpose.. Get to a stop, press a button and start the generator. the next morning all you have to do is bring in slides, turn everything off, including he generator and hook up and go.
They do get Thirsty though, depending on the load, and bottle size you will need a fill up. and EXPENSIVE.. I paid I believe $5k 5 or 6 years ago for my 6.5 Onan.
The portables are good to use for longer stops, by the time you get there, get all set up and pull the generator out, hook up the anaconda.
I used 2 Honda's for years until I got my onboard.
It will come down to if you can justify the expense of the onboard.
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2oldman
NM
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Campinfan wrote:I want to primarily use it for traveling to distant locations (the trip there) and not for when I get there. For what purpose? This is unusual.
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way2roll
Wilmington NC
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A portable vs built in will allow you to use it elsewhere.
2023 FR Sunseeker 2400B MBS
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enblethen
Moses Lake, WA
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On board gensets may need modification to your rig. Depending on fuel, may need to increase LP tanks or add fuel tank.
A portable genset mounted in TV is easier but may require different type of fuel. Extension cord and adapter to match rig to genset,
Advantage of portable is it can be used at home for power outages and some projects.
I would look at the Harbor Freight Predator series. Compute out what size you need based on what functions and travel habits.
My overall choice would be portable.
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Johnny G1
Clearwater, British Columbia ,Canada
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Honda 3000i and you will have one of the best generators, a little heavy but will power pretty well everything including air.
98 Mountain Aire 34' 210 Cummins Puller and 2001 dodge dully with all the toy's, 400 + hp pullin a 2001 32.5' Okanogan 5th wheel, new to us after 5 yrs with the 28' Travel Aire. Lots of fun.
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Veebyes
Bermuda & Maryland Eastern Shore
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Have you done the research? Have you checked how much a built in is vs a portable? Have you considered the storage space loss. Have you considered the venting & the cost of the venting that will have to be installed? Without a proper sound shield have you considered how much noise a built in creates?
There are reasons that the majority of 5er owners have portable inverter gennys.
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Tom/Barb
Oak Harbor, Wa
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in either case.. you will be carrying a generator, might as well carry one that will do the job, we carry a ONAN 7.5k with a 50 amp chord that can be plugged into the 5th wheel of any place you need. want 50 amp power from a post, simply plug the 5th wheel into the post. no post? use the gen/set into the 5th wheel.
remember,,,, to vent the Generator properly.
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PhilipB
MO
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We have 5500 built in on our toy hauler and runs on gas. I don't think I'd like using propane since we often run overnight or for entire weekends. Will run both a/c's.
Previous camper we used a 3000 Yamaha. Great generator and good fuel economy. Minor inconvenience to plug it in. Ran one 15,000 btu a/c fine.
If you don't have generator prep on your rig, I'd go with portable.
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Lantley
Ellicott City, Maryland
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Currently I have a built in Onan 5500lp genset that I use just as the OP mentioned. My prior bumper pull had a 4300 watt inverter genset in a diamond plate enclosure mounted on the rear. The portable was fine and got the job done.
However, the built in is all about convenience. Just push a button and I have instant power. No fuel issue, no hauling, no plugging in , no loading, no unloading, no security issues. No planning required. Just push button convenience.
Because it convenient its easy to use. Stop for lunch on a hot day, A.C. and microwave are available just push the button.
Decide you want to stop for lunch at a restaurant on a hot day, dog stays in RV with A.C running ...just push the button. It's that easy.
Walmart docking on a hot summer night is easy too.
Because it's convenient the built in creates lots of options and flexibility.
Portables are just as capable and much cheaper to buy, although I can run both A.C.'s with my Onan can't do both with a portable.
Portables just require more work to use them. More work maybe simply plugging in the power cord. But ultimately the portable needs to be loaded up and transported in some fashion.
Often campers leave their portable in the truck bed and run the genset from the truck which is fine until the truck has to leave for some reason and the electric goes with it! Sure you can unload genset but that just leads to more inconvenience.
I have experienced both and prefer the built in for convenience.
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