2013 Bigfoot 21 footer

[robn]

I'll be happy to report after I get it. I had this same Onan in the truck camper that I had previous to this trailer, so I am very familiar with it. It does run off of propane and this is a BIG plus for me. I do not want to have to carry additional fuel for a stand alone generator. I never had fumes in the camper, and I am sure that this will not be an issue with the trailer either. I do expect some noise and vibration, but I had that in my camper and it did not bother me enough to be willing to give up the convenience of the on board generator. By the way, another great upgrade is to permanently install a 20 amp automatic battery charger in your your unit in addition to the converter that comes standard. With this set up, I am able to recharge my battery in about 90 minutes of generator run time. And the automatic circuit means that it tapers off to a trickle charge as the battery fills so you don't have to worry about it overcharging and you don't have to worry about it when you are plugged in to shore power.

[SRD]

Originally Posted by robn

I'll be happy to report after I get it. I had this same Onan in the truck camper that I had previous to this trailer, so I am very familiar with it. It does run off of propane and this is a BIG plus for me. I do not want to have to carry additional fuel for a stand alone generator. I never had fumes in the camper, and I am sure that this will not be an issue with the trailer either. I do expect some noise and vibration, but I had that in my camper and it did not bother me enough to be willing to give up the convenience of the on board generator. By the way, another great upgrade is to permanently install a 20 amp automatic battery charger in your your unit in addition to the converter that comes standard. With this set up, I am able to recharge my battery in about 90 minutes of generator run time. And the automatic circuit means that it tapers off to a trickle charge as the battery fills so you don't have to worry about it overcharging and you don't have to worry about it when you are plugged in to shore power.

What kind of charger and how did you hook it up?

[robn]

I have a 20 amp automatic charger. I bought it from Sears, but you can get them at most stores that sell batteries. I mount it in a cabinet close to the power distribution/converter unit. I cut the plug off of the 110 volt leads and wire directly to one of the breakers in the power distribution section. Then I cut the clamps off of the battery leads and wire the positive lead to the main positive 12v terminal in the converter section and the negative lead to the main negative terminal in the converter section. This then connects your battery charger to the same terminals that your RV battery is connected.

[cpaharley2008]

Would this not confuse your converter or charger since they are tied together and allow the battery to discharge due to the false reading of one telling the other to shut down or vice versa?

[robn]

Hasn't been a problem for me for the last 13 years....