Well, It's raining here once again, but that's good because we need it.

I just couldn't resist showing you my generator mod which will go on the tongue of my Scamp. I'm just so proud of myself that I've got to share pictures and will post a picture of the completed project when the rain stops which is in about a week. But then I do have rain coats so I might just complete it in the rain.

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The tray is made out of 2x2 angled stock and expanded steel. It measures 39 inches in the back and 31 in the front with the edges softened. I had 4 tabs welded to the frame which the tray is bolted to. I had a 2x2x9inch piece of flat stock welded between the frame for the battery which as you can see I moved forward behind the center jack.

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Here's a close up look at a work in progress. As you can see I'm making a box/cover which will go over the generator and propane tank. The box will be riveted together and all the exterior bolts will face inward so the lock nuts are inside the box. The generator will padlocked down inside the box and the box will be locked to the tray.

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Here are all the pieces fitted together before I break it down as I need to paint the frame which will be white.

With all the pieces primed and painted I just had to work on my project so I moved it inside. I happen to have a very large kitchen which is a nice place to do a multitude of projects. I've often thought that I should have some heat plumbed into the garage but then the kitchen is much nicer to work in as long as I'm careful.

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So here's my project to date. It's finished with exception of top/lid. While I'm doing work in the kitchen I won't be using the sable saw inside so cutting the top will have to wait for a break in the storm. As you can see I added boat deck plates, 3 for the generator and 1 for the propane tank. This allows me access to the controls on the generator and as a vent for the exhaust. Also I will have access to the propane valve. The top/lid will either be removable or hinged, I haven't decided which. This will be for adding gas to the generator and connecting the hose for the camp stove to the propane tank. Putting these items on the tongue of a 13 footer makes it quite a tight squeeze. I can't get either the generator or propane tank out the top. So, the street side is removable which alllows me to get the propane tank out. I'll have to lift the box off in order to get the generator out.

I'll post a picture of the final product mounted on the Scamp in a few days.

Consider leaving it black -- The sun heats it up faster, dispersing the dew, and slows down the rust -- That's why white cars rust out faster than darker ones -- Previous owner painted mine (91S13) white and the rust soon followed -- Shows up more on the white, also.



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Wow Joy, you did it again. Great job. When I think you have every mod you can possibly do you come up with another great one.

Keep the kitchen. Nice big kitchens are hard to come by. My seven foot galley kitchen just doesn't turn me on.

Nancy

Hi Joy, that is one nice looking setup you've come up with! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do ours.

Al & Cindy

Pete, the entire thing is made out of aluminum with exception of the tray which is angle iron and expanded steel. The tray is painted black. I just painted the aluminum frame white because it looks better with the diamond plate.

Nancy, thanks. I finally did this mod that I have contemplated for the last 7 years. I have never liked the gen in the Jeep. Also I want to use my gen in the rain, so now I will be able to. I figure that since I have the gen more available I'll use it more while dry camping not having to drag it into and out of the Jeep and chain it to the Scamp.

Thanks Al and Cindy, I know I will. And, I've more room in my Jeep. Hey, maybe I'll start carrying my golf clubs.


Now something I didn't mention about my mod and the usability is that I purchased a 30amp extension cord to virtually hard wire the gen to the Scamp. What I mean by that is the cord will remain plugged into the gen and is run under the Scamp along the frame. I cut the cord to length, drilled the appropriate size hole and ran it into the electrical cabinet. There I wired the cord to an outlet. Soooooo, to connect the Scamp to the gen all I have to do is open the electrical door on the side, reach in and plug the Scamp cord into the outlet. No cords drapping outside while using the gen.

Nice work Joy! As far as the hinge top, or lift off top.... I also have a diamond-plate tongue box to add...(amongst the other stuff that needs to be done), and in order for the lid to lift completely open the box has to sit about 2-3 inches forward from a vertical line down from the belly band. I guess it's because the lid is hinged on the back of the box, rather than at the top of the box. Does this make sense?

Makes sense Donna. The back of the box is angled forward to clear the trailer, which is like I'm starting to do, buldges a little at the center.

The tray is 15 inches deep as is the lower part of the box. The upper portion of the box is only 12 inches but the opening is about 10 inches because the frame is made out of 1" angled aluminum. That's why I can't get either the gen or propane out the top. I figure I've got space for the lid to open if I choose to hinge it, especially since all I'll be doing is filling the gen occasionally and attaching the camp stove hose occasionally. I definitely know I could put a lift off top on.

I'm tired today, if you noticed I posted at 4:30am was up all night and so since I was weary I thought I'd kick back. I don't want to make any mistake on cutting the lid. Diamond plate is pretty pricey and I've only got enough left for one lid.

I'll post front and side pictures when I complete the project and get everything mounted back on the Scamp.

My error -- I thought you were planning to paint the egg frame white!

Please be very careful with the generator almost hard-wired into the Egg 120VAC system -- That may likely mean that the male end of your shore cable is hot when the generator is running unless you hard-wire the shore cable into the generator and never use shore power.

How much does your "900 lb" Scamp 13' weigh after this mod? You must be really getting up there!

My "hard wire" is simply that the extension cord goes from the gen to an outlet. When I want to connect the Scamp I just plug into the outlet.

That's not unlike what I used to do which is that I'd pulled cord outside, drug it to then gen and plugged it in. This is just all contained inside utilizing an extension cord in between.

I don't know how the male end of the plug would be any hotter.

But Thanks Pete


My 900 lb. Scamp was never 900 but was 1700 lbs. directly from the factory with nothing of mine added to it. I know the gen weighs some 40 lbs. I plan to weigh the Scamp when I complete this mod.

wow Joy.. your mods cease to amaze me of what you can do!!! looks great!!

I don't want to beat this to death, but it's a potentially dangerous situation and I am still not clear as to what the "extension cord from the gen to an outlet" looks like and how it is connected to the Scamp and generator.

If you have the generator connected to the Scamp 120VAC system, so the breakers are hot, then the hard-wired shore cable will also be hot unless you used the shore cable to do the plugging into the generator outlet. If you use any hardwire or male-male extension cord or a second, short, dedicated "shore cable" extension cord to connect the generator's outlet, the primary shore cable will be hot on its male prongs.

This is a classic problem similar to a homeowner connecting a generator to the home electrical system during a power outage without first pulling the power meter or a main disconnect -- The generator back-energizes the power company's power lines, presenting a danger to the guy who comes out to fix the lines. Whole-house auto-starting generators have an automatic transfer switch that selects between generator and power company but not both.

Pete,

I have a generator connected to my home and know what you are talking about. I have a shut off for the electricity main which I pull before I use my generator.

The generator on the trailer is not connected at all to the 120 wiring in the Scamp so there is no cross over of electricity when connected to shore power. This is simply an extension cord run from one end to the other of the trailer. Instead of the female end just laying there in the compartment it's wired into an outlet. There is no power going through it until I start the generator. I simply have twp options, either plug the trailer cord into shore power OR the generator, not both at once. The cord when connecting to the Shore power goes outside to the electric standard. The cord when connecting to the generator simply plugs into the outlet.

Thank you for worrying about me but there is no problem here.

Hey Joy, looking pretty good and where have I seen those kind of parts before? Spent the day with Mel today
Gene

OK, got it, just wanted to be sure.

BTW, that's an excellent job you are doing on the carrier, but you already know it is! <g>

Joy very nice mod! I'm looking forward to seeing it done. I've been pondering trying to fit mine on the tongue of the Boler. I agree that carrying it in the vehicle doesn't cut it.

Now I'm confused. From what I think I'm reading both could be plugged into power sources at the same time. A simple and safe method would be to just plug the trailer power cord into the generator when needed. That way someone who is not familiar with your trailer could not make a mistake.

Sorry I missed the quote below in your earlier post.
I was thinking you wired the new cord into an existing outlet, not a new outlet only connected to the generator.
My apologies.

Well, I finished the lid and my project last night and here it is:

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I added all the deck plates because I had in mind to rivet the top on. Since I decided to hinge the top and secure it with a locking hasp I find the only deck plate I really needed was the large one on the left side for exhaust.

Hey, that's OK if I want to start the generator and don't have my keys at hand I can do so because all the deck plates allow me access.

Donna,

I secured the piano hinge on top of the frame and then under the lid which gave me more clearance from the Scamp rather than if I had secure to the back of the box.

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I forgot to measure it but the bumpers I put on the back of the box are about 1/2 thick and they don't touch. The box is probably 3/4 to 1 inch from the Scamp at it's closest.

Finally, if you recall I made the box removable and it's locked on with locking hasps. Here's a couple of pictures.

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Cool beans! Looks like quite the ticket for everything Joy.

Donna,
I can't begin to tell you how long it's been since I heard the saying "Cool Beans"

I would guess when I was a teenager, and Im no spring chicken.

Bill K



" Cool beans! "

I'm not a pullet either Bill maybe that's why it felt so right to say it!

Didnt go back and reread this whole thread. My apologies if you answered this already.

Do you also have it clamped or bolted to the frame? Eliminating vibration and ability to hop up and down a little is my reason for asking.

Your locking hasp look like they will allow travel up and down 1/2 inch or so they are not enough to cinch the whole unit tightly down.

Maybe we are seeing different things. I see the hasp held in place by a six sided elevation beneath the rotating lock in the second picture of the hasp. Looks like there might be a little room to wiggle but not 1/2 an inch.

Do you see something different?

Hi Joy, thanks for sharing the excellent ideas and your project looks awesome! Nice work!

I have a question on the hasps as well. Before deciding on what style of lock to use, was road grime and it's potential ability to gum up the lock tumblers ever a concern? Can you get rubber covers for those hasps you're using? I understand those displayed can be locked and secured separately

Mike

if that is how it works then you should be pretty good to go. I thought it was a larger cut out in the hasp so it will slip over tumbler body but once that's rotated to lock the tumbler shaft could travel up and down full distance of the hasp's opening, but still unable to remove item due to horizntal position of tumber body.

Knowing better now how it works; it looks "fine". Looks like it would work "real good" if you put a piece of squashable rubber or neopreme as a mat below the unit. Just enough that when you go to lock it you have to squash it down tightly to allign the lock.

This would provide tension to make it void of vibrating. Will help prevent lot of wear and tear on things if you put lots of miles on her or if you get into your share of bad roads.

BTW- Looks great

Question:

I know this type of generator is very quiet, but I'm still curious to know what folks' experience might be in terms of noise and vibration with them fasted directly to the trailer. There is one in our future, probably this year. We'll probably start out leaving it portable, but mounting it on the the tongue (also a 13' Scamp) would certainly have a lot of advantages. Thanks for posting your installation details. Very nice setup.

Parker

I have three questions about this install:

1. Will the generator receive sufficient cooling air while it is running in this enclosure.

2. Could the generator be damaged by road dirt coming up through the grate floor when traveling in the rain?

3. Could the heat build up in the enclosure be dangerous to the propane tank?

Looks like a nice job otherwise.

Oh, oh. Look what I found on the Honda EU2000i website:

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/product...et=gg_operation

Give the generator plenty of space. Leave at least three feet of space around the top and sides of the generator. Do not enclose the generator in a box or other casing. Proper ventilation is vital to its use and your safety.

That doesn't look good.

That's a general warning -- This generator is already in a box -- Others have done similar things and not reported problems -- Were it mine, I would have vents in the sides where the vents in the generator casing are, in addition to the open bottom, plus vents in the top cover.

There's going to be more vibration on the frame than there would be on the ground and some attention should be paid to parking and the prevailing wind to prevent carbon monoxide buildup -- A CO alarm may not be useful because it will likely be on -- I've seen 'remoted' (twinned 1000i's) setting off the alarms.

I'd call that a very specific general warning---

Parker, I ran my generator in the box on the tongue and there is no noticable vibration in the Scamp. The tray and box are sturdy and solid to the frame. I can hear it with the door closed but it's no bad. With the door open it is obvious but not objectionable. Probably because it is mounted on the door side of the tongue which vents the exhaust to that side. And no the exhaust fumes do not go into the trailer.

Pete, just to let you know, if you read my original posts you'll note that I mentioned the right/street side is removable. So if I find the generator needs lots of air this is what I can do. Open the lid, open the deck plate on the curb side, take the street side off, open the two plates on front plus the bottom is an open grate. Now if that doesn't do the job I can simply remove the entire box exposing both the propane tank and generator while I operate it.

As for others, you may do what you wish. I choose to mount my generator in my new mod. Our original owner of this site, Michael, made a similar box on his Casita back in 2002. His mod. prompted quite a few others that I know to do the very same mod. I have heard of no problems with any of these.

I thank you all for you thoughts and comments.

I have nothing further to post on this subject.

I don't want to be a spoil-sport, but dissimilar metals cause galvanic corrosion when wet. This is a small electric current formed by dissimilar metals in the presence of an electrolyte, water. All water is a little acidic. The galvanic corrosion eats the metals away. From Wikipedia:

"When two or more different sorts of metal come into contact in the presence of an electrolyte a galvanic couple is set up as different metals have different electrode potentials. The electrolyte provides a means for ion migration whereby metallic ions can move from the anode to the cathode. This leads to the anodic metal corroding more quickly than it otherwise would; the corrosion of the cathodic metal is retarded even to the point of stopping. The presence of electrolyte and a conducting path between the metals may cause corrosion where otherwise neither metal alone would have corroded."

The article gives some hints on how to prevent galvanis corrosion and is worth reading for anyone building metal assemblies for outdoor use:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion

It's boiler plate that they include with all their generators, including the open frame ones and the already-enclosed ones -- Clearly the ones already encased rely on only the vent holes in the plastic to cool them, so as long as the vent holes are ventilated, all should be well -- Joy can open the end and top, and the bottom is already open, so in one sense it's better ventilated than it would be when sitting on the ground.

I wouldn't be at all concerned about galvanic corrosion between aluminum and steel in the typical environments we camp in, esp as it only applies to DC, not AC current.

Joy, I've had my CO detector go off when from cars idling in a nearby parking lot -- CO migration will depend on where the wind is taking it -- It can also happen with furnace vented outside if wind is right and window is partially open -- Or from a generator sitting at the end of an extension cable -- The difference is that it's easier to move such a generator if yourCO alarm starts going off.

"I wouldn't be at all concerned about galvanic corrosion between aluminum and steel in the typical environments we camp in, esp as it only applies to DC, not AC current."


You have missed the point. Galvanic corrosion happens on an aluminum screen door with brass fittings. All you need are two dissimilar metals exposed to rain. The combination forms a battery. It has nothing whatsoever to do with AC or DC. Admittedly, there are certain metal combinations that are more active than others (see below). You can get galvanic corrosion with two steels that are slightly different compositions.

Read the Wikipedia link.
Galvanic corrosion is the reason boats have sacrificial anodes mounted on them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrificial_anode

I see by the table
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_stan...rode_potentials
that Aluminum (AL) is -2.33 whereas Iron (Fe) is -0.44. That difference indicates that a strong current would be set up between a piece of aluminum and a piece of iron in the presence of water. During rain, the water seeps, indeed is wicked into joints and then galvanic corrosion occurs until the water dries out, or one metal or the other is destroyed. Try it. place an aluminum nail and an iron nail connected to each other with a wire in a bath of water. Add a little salt or vinegar to the water to speed up the process.

Corrosion is precisely why the very helpful gentleman at the hardware store suggested I put thin nylon washers between the stainless steel screws and the aluminum window frame when I reinstalled a window the door in my Scamp. The nylon washers were easy to die black with a permanent marker and now aren't noticeable.

Of course there may be galvanic corrosion , just as there may be on many parts of your tow vehicle in the rain, it's just not enough to WORRY about in our usual environments -- In the unlikely event that there was a 12VDC 'leak' to the frame or box, it would still not amount to much because the fresh water is not much of a conductor -- If this installation were on a boat operated in salt water then I would be more concerned, but that's not the case here.

Aluminum and steel are much closer to each other in the galvanic series than aluminum and brass.

There is DC involved in this because the dissimilar metals plus the water MAKE a DC battery -- No DC battery, no flow and no anodic decay -- However, if there is 'loose' DC flowing in the right direction, it will make the effect worse.

I also don't think it would be a good idea to try to isolate the aluminum from the steel for anti-corrosion purposes unless they were carefully electrically bonded together again with a grounding strap because one might create the potential for a personal safety problem with the 120VAC.

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As y'all may know I sold that Casita last year. I used it for several years. I used three metals: mild steel, aluminum, stainless fasteners.

I made three boxes. My first box was not just what I wanted and I gave it to my father-in-law who used it until last month. My second box was on my Casita and I sold it. The third I built for my brother , who is still using it in Idaho.

All three boxes have had NO problems with electrolysis. I think it may show signs if given enough time.

I hope this helps,
Mike

PS: Yes my box did have an open bottom (a little) and an open back on the trailer side. The doors were open when running in the box. I also added a high volume computer fan to the 12 volt plug to add ventilation when the motor was running. When I started the generator, it automatically provided electricity to the fan. YES, you could feel a small amount of vibration when the generator was running, but not enough to even talk about. My generator was hard wired to the Casita until we camped at an RV park.

Hey, I was just trying to solve a couple of problems we had.

• How to have 115 volt any time.
• Where to carry our bikes.
• Easy starting.
• Plenty of propane.

This solved all those issues very well. This weekend I am building a new generator box for my newest trailer, 25' Bigfoot.

Here are some detail shots of my Brother's when we built it.
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Mike, I remember when you built the original box and posted photos.

Here is my first generator box.

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These are the pictures I had. The back in the open lid box appears solid and from what I remember seeing it in person, it was solid. I had thought about a grate for the back, then I thought about a grate half way up and then I decided to put a solid back on. I've liked the idea of a partial grate all along. I think that's a change I'll make. It'll be easy to remove the back cut it shorter, add a grated panel to it then rivet the whole thing back on.

I'm not terribly concerned about heat as I don't see myself running the gen. for long periods of time, just occasionally. The only time I'd really want to run the A/C would be through the night when it stuffy inside and it's hard to sleep, but then you can't run the gen. any way.

You’re correct Joy. I had forgot I had a solid back on that one. I did add the fans though because it got pretty hot pretty fast.

Ok Folks here's the report on running my generator in the box I made.

I opened the exhaust vent deck plate as well as the other two to access the gen controls. Then I started the gen and closed the control accesses leaving only the exhaust deck plate off.

I ran the gen for 1 hour. The box sides and top were not the least bit warm let alone hot. In fact, it wasn't even hot where the exhaust was venting. The outside temperature was in the high 60's with no breeze to affect any added air movement up from the grated bottom.

As I use gen through the summer heat I'll keep you posted only if there is any measurable heat problems.

It is good that you are keeping an eye on it. I didn't give my thoughts to discourage you, but only to point out some things to watch. If you camp at the seashore a lot, you may encounter more rust than usual. Heck, cars deteriate faster near the ocean, just ask any Floridian.

However, I do think that running in a closed box will invalidate any warranty. Companies look for reasons to not live up to their obligations.

I had to remove the sewer hose holder that Scamp puts on the front of the trailer. So I copied what I had done several years ago. I added it to the side of the tongue as I had with a sewer hose extension. Because the electricity comes out of the trailer on one side and the propane comes out on the other, I could not put the hose holder behind the box as others have done. Not enough room on a 13 footers tongue.

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This is the large holder painted black and affixed in the rear with a piece of strapping around the tongue to the tabs on the hose holder. In the front I affixed it to the tongue with a hose clamp as one of the tabs had to be removed because of the battery box above. This holder has a hose slightly longer than 10 feet in it.

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This is my hose extension holder. I cut it shorter because of the anti-sway bar on the front portion of the tongue.
I affixed the back of the holder the same as the large holder but because of the box above I hooked it to the box tray with a hose clamp as I could not put the clamp around the tongue. This short holder has a cheap flimsy 10 foot hose squeezed into it. Cheap and flimsy so it would compress.

No, I could not put them on the rear bumper or should I say I did not chose to do so. I have a bike rack on the back of my trailer. There is no way to add a long hose holder. I would have had to have 2 short ones on either side of the bike rack. I would not like that look.

Like the box, nice job!

Joy,

I appreciate you posting all the details of your installation. We expect to get a generator soon. We'll probably leave it portable for the first several uses and then may consider mounting it in a similar way. I can certainly see advantages to having it on the tongue. We camped in the parking lot for the Tobermory ferry last summer to be ready for the first departure the next morning. A little electrical power would have been great before bedtime, but I wouldn't consider setting a generator out on the ground there. I'm sure there will be other such occasions.

Thanks again,
Parker