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CLOC-AdminGenerator Installed
« on: November 28, 2012, 10:12:46 AM » Quote Modify Remove——————————————————————————–
In my previous Cyclone 3950 I had a Onan 5500 that was factory installed. It was a nice clean installation with a sound deadening surround. It was a very handy installation especially with the interior remote start and the fuel supply (gas) from the toy hauler fuel tank. I will note here that I only used the gen a few times and I always felt it was a lotof money for just very occasional use. I sold this trl a couple of years ago and purchased a CarriageCameo that is wired for a gen (Onan I presume). Being I did not want to spend $4,500 for an Onan I looked around for a gen in the 3500/4000 watt range and saw one a Camping World, a Champion. Doing research I found they are a well respected and well engineered gen that is USA designed but made in China (what isn’t). I found a very basic unit on sale at Cabelos for $325.
This unit is a 3500/4000 watt, single 110 phase, pull start with 3 plug in up to 30 amp. The 30 amp is enough to run one AC and a few other small things at a time. It will tell you if you add too much. Champion makes several gens and if I had to do it again I might purchase the 110/220 unit with remote start but that is a little more money.
To install the gen I did the following that took me about two days, a lot of cussing, some barked knuckles and about an additional $150. Keep in mind I dam dangerously handy and have a wire feed welder and acetylene welding cutting setup along with grinders, drills, and saws.
1. I cleaned the front basement out and set gen in to locate a place to bolt it down. I have a freezer that also fits up there with about 2 inches to spare side by side which was a consideration when I picked the gen. I located it to the off door side figuring it would bolt down good there and I could cut about a 4 inch hole in the floor for the exhaust. I marked the exhaust hole and the bolt down points of the gen, pulled the gen back out, and cut the holes.
2. The gen has a standard exhaust muffler exiting the gen so I had to fabricate an angled exhaust manifold to exit the gen. This is the most difficult part of doing the installation. After making this small manifold that exited at about a 30 degree angle with a 3 inch piece of 2 inch exhaust pipe. From underneath I then inserted a 90 degree exhaust pipe (from O’Reilleys) up through the floor hole and using a exhaust clamp bolted the two together. I wanted the exhaust to go under the trl and exit on the door side due to not wanting the fumes coming out under my full wall slide on the off door side. I bolted on one more 90 degree elbow and then a 7 ft piece of exhaust pipe hung with rubber mounted exhaust hangers.
3. I made sure all seams inside the front compartment was silicone sealed and the exhaust pipe was not touching anything flammable. I made a small heat shield the goes down beside the exhaust pipe to help with heat. When I run the unit I will be doing so with the front compartment doors open to make sure I have proper venting and heat disapation. Being I have to open the doors not having a remote switch isn’t that big of a deal. Would be nice to shut it off from inside although.
4. Wiring is a little bit different. My trl has an automatic transfer switch which means if you hook up AC say from a trl park it switches to that source or again switches to the generator input if so hooked up. Apparently it will also switch to one of the two sources if both are inadvertently hooked up. I wired up the plug in part which is a standard 30 amp RV plug in. On the other end the trl had a prewired electrical box with both 110 circuits. I wired both of these circuits together to provide power to both sides of my electrical box and connected it to the 110 circuit on the gen. I unplug the electrical cable from the gen when not in use just as a precautionary measure in case the transfer switch were to go out.
5. I had to drill a hole in the front panel on the gen to install a pull type choke cable that went to the rear of the engine where the space is too small to get my hand in with the freezer installed.
For about $450 and a couple of days work I have a reliable generator that will work fine for my occasional needs. My model is a 46515 which is the single phase pull start model. Just search for Champion Generators. There are numerous manufacturers out there but I decided on the Champion. I will try to attach some photos.
Posted: 8:59 AM – Dec 12, 2012HERE ARE SOME PICS OF THE INSTALL
Image no longer available. Deleted by ImageShack – Please Repost Image if possible with new methodPosted: 7:06 PM – Dec 12, 2012This sounds like a nice setup, I don’t have a generator, since I’m still new to RV’s, but I was thinking about the Honda 2000’s. How is this gen for noise/vibration? I have a 5kw gen for home, but I wouldn’t use it in the trailer. It is louder than a small aircraft. If I were to start it in a campground, everyone would hear it. If this is quiet, I’d consider it.Cliff
Posted: 9:13 AM – Dec 13, 2012?The champion is about 65 db where the Hondas and Yamahas are about 60 I believe. My brother just purchased an 2800 watt Yamaha that is very light and a little quieter. He isn’t installing it perm right now. His is an inverter style where my is not which means it is cleaner power. I won’t be watching tv (delicate electronics) where I do not have a satellite system so it is no biggee for me. I do only a small amount of boondocking so my gen is for backup only.Posted: 10:59 AM – Dec 13, 2012Last summer I installed a 4000 Onan which came out of an old motorhome. My install is similar to yours in that my Cameo was generator prepped. This Onan is not one of the “quiet” in a box generators so I find it noisy. Just last month I covered the entire inside of the compartment with some sound absorbing material. It hasn’t helped a whole out on sound outside but did seem to quiet it down on the inside.Posted: 4:19 PM – Dec 13, 2012Alot of the outside sound deadening is in the muffler I think. It may be possible to mount a Onan type muffler on other brands. (just my 2 cents)B.W.Gentry
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