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Generator Carrier (Rear of Trailer) Complete

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A-Texan

RVF Regular
Joined
Jan 16, 2023
Messages
76
Location
Texas
RV Year
2022
RV Make
Gulfstream Kingsport Ultralite
RV Model
199RK
RV Length
23
Fulltimer
No
Well, this week I finally got time to make my generator carrier for the back of my trailer. I used a bumper reinforcement kit (supposedly it increases the bumper's ability to carry up to 200 lbs), support arms that connect to the bumper after it is has been reinforced (each set of arms is rated for 200 lbs), a stick of angle iron, and a stick of flat steel. I will be securing it with cable and chain to keep honest folks honest and I plan on using a cover to cover it when not in use. Because the carrier and generator's weight is roughly 70 lbs I removed the spare tire and carrier which weighed nearly that amount (about 60 lbs), I then moved my spare up to the front of the trailer in the cargo area under the bed to balance it out (honestly, I didn't realize how heavy the spare was until I took it off and weighed it and the bracket to see the difference in weight). So basically I am carrying about 10 lbs more on the back bumper in the same location now; therefore, I feel pretty confident it will be ok considering I added the reinforcement kit. So the back bumper was supporting 70 lbs, and now it is supporting 80 lbs. I will be watching the back bumper closely on these next few trips I have planned and if it twist, bends, distorts, etc. I will remove it and just weld another one on that is thicker metal (that's my plan at least, but hopefully this is not an issue). Below are the details on how I installed everything.

Bumper reinforcement and arm kit $48.90
Angle Iron 6ft stick
Flat Iron 6 ft stick
Grill from an old smoker (re-purposed)
Black Paint, Primer and Clear Coat (left over from a small project I did a few years back)

First I cut the angle Iron to make a box and drilled the holes in it to bolt it together (before welding) and fitted the base in place. For this I bolted it to my work bench to get everything square and level while fitting the parts I cut to the arms that came with the kit.

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Next, I went ahead and welded the edges on the front, back, and sides of the arms, the base grill insert, and the two cross braces fitted to the dimensions of the generator so it can't slide around (I am using a chain to lock it down to the bumper and carrier).

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Then, I sanded it down with 400 gritt sand paper, got out the spray gun and sprayed it with primer, paint and clearcoat.

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Last of all, I added the bumper reinforcement brackets which required drilling three holes on each frame rail (I used red loctite on the bolts to be sure they don't back out from vibration and I tapped the metal frame using a 5/16 - 18 NC tap and the bolts went in and tightened nicely.

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Alright, I made it back from our trip where we got to give the trailer and bracketry a test run (very bumpy roads) and everything stayed together, no mishaps at all and everything seem to hold up even with all the potholes and railroad tracks we crossed traveling to east Texas for a camping trip. Hopefully it last a long time without issue, our next trip will be much longer and we will be needing to use the generator for boondocking, but after this week's trip I feel confident it will stay put. I added a 3/8 hardened still security chain which goes around the bumper, bracket and generator, so hopefully this is enough to keep anyone from walking off with it. I used a ratchet strap too to be sure it did not have any play and stayed secure while traveling because the chain had a little slack (about an inch).

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After finishing the lower bracket posted above to hold my generator I realized I needed a generator cover in case it was needed to use during the rain, so I built one out of some small sticks of angle iron and used aluminum diamond plate for its walls (I attached the almuminum plate using aluminum rivets). This did add another 10 lbs after weighing it, so the generator and cover are now about 80 lbs on my back bumper (still well below the rating and rating added by installing the reinforcement brackets to the bumper). I didn't box it in completely because I wanted plenty of air flow so the co sensor doesn't shut it down while running. It ended up being more expensive for the materials then I had anticipated initially, but I am happy with it (cost around $170 for materials, and took a lot longer to build than I had expected). We had a big rain storm the evening after I installed it and only a very small amount of moisture contacted a small area on one side of the generator, but the electric panel in front remained completely dry. I made sure to leave enough room to pull the chord to start it and to be able to add fuel, but I do have to remove the cover by loosening 6 bolts at the base of the cover where it attaches to the carrier to access the oil drain to change the oil when needed. Here are the pics below in case anyone is thinking of doing something similar and wants ideas. I do want to mention when the generator is running you can feel it through the frame of the trailer, its about like when I have the rooftop a/c on, so in all honesty it might be better to have it on the ground if it is going to be used for days on end to limit vibration and noise. I might be looking into ways to dampen the noise in the future, but considering I have only needed a generator for a few hours here and there so far I don't plan on modifying it anytime soon (mainly I use it for the a/c and microwave if we don't have shore power, because the solar panels (two panels) keep the 105 amp hour battery charged for everything else).

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