Generator Mounted on Back of Scamp - Fiberglass RV
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Old 11-01-2015, 06:57 PM   #1
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Name: Bryan
Trailer: Scamp
Northern California
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Generator Mounted on Back of Scamp

Hello I am new to the group and posted a message with a thousand questions in it. Some people replied about the generator being on the back of the Scamp as a not good thing. I did see some posts about people saying that you do not want to put extra weight back there, say a box or something.

I am attaching some photos of the generator and custom mount. Sorry the photos are not too good. We barely fit the Scamp into our garage today to protect it from the 2" of rain forecasted in the next two days. The hatch cover is broke but I have one on order. After the new hatch the trailer will be outside. The mount looks nicely done, but this guy was a little trigger happy on customizing and drilling holes into the fiberglass which kind of defeats one of the great advantages of having an egg, the lack of leaking. Do you guys really think that this should be removed? Is it really that dangerous? The old guy that had it like this for the last 16 years managed to survive, but will I?
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Old 11-01-2015, 07:10 PM   #2
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Watch the tongue weight. I have zero knowledge of a prior owners towability (is that a word?) You just need to make certain you have sufficient tongue weight to keep the back end from wagging.




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Old 11-01-2015, 07:17 PM   #3
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I wouldn't worry too much. If it's been there 16 years, it can't be a serious problem. The real issue is to insure that a minimum of 10% of your trailer weight is transferred to the car at the tongue. I towed a utility trailer once that I loader carelessly and actually had negative weight on the tongue. At 20 mpg, it was the scariest two miles I ever drove! If you keep your water tank empty when towing, you will probably more than offset the weight of that generator.
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Old 11-01-2015, 08:00 PM   #4
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Yes, load some heavier stuff forward of the axle to offset the extra weight on the rear. Even a few gallons of drinking water...
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Old 11-01-2015, 08:30 PM   #5
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
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Every trailer is different and every trailer's load is also different. Load it as you use it (including the generator on the back if that is your plan), take to a scales and weigh it. Get the total weight and the tongue weight. Tongue weight should be 10-15% (fifth wheel and other hitch type excepted). Thats the only way. Google will tell you how to do the weighing.

That will be the answer for any reasonably designed and engineered trailer.

Still, Imagine a trailer that was 100 feet long but only 50 lbs. Even if loaded with 10% of the weight on the tongue, it would still be unstable because the weight was so far from the axle and center of gravity. This is not a problem with the shorter Scamp since is designed reasonably and towed by a vehicle with a reasonable wheel base and hitch placement, but it does illustrate the idea of proper weight distribution relative to the drive components (tug and trailer wheels).
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Old 11-01-2015, 08:35 PM   #6
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First, I don't think that it's been there for 16 years, that generator and the attaching hardware doesn't look that old..


Next, adding weight that far back cannot simply be offset by adding weight inside. It's something called "Polar Rotation" effect, you are adding weight at the end of a lever that is 13' long that pivots somewhere near the middle. Others on this site have mentioned increased sway on 13' Scamps by just adding a bicycle or two on the factory bicycle mount.


While loss of tongue weight can be offset with additional weight in the front of the trailer, it will have to be more than that of the generator itself as the distances from the pivot points (the axle center) is different, and just adding weight is never a good idea.


BTW: What are you towing with, and please don't say a Subaru.....


And last, because the previous owner did something, still doesn't make it a good idea.



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Old 11-01-2015, 08:46 PM   #7
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Yeah I doubt it has been on the Scamp for 16 years. They still sale that same generator today from what I can tell online for about 7 Benjamins. I would much rather have solar honestly, but it is what it is. Maybe some day I can sell the generator and sink the cash into a good solar set up, but that day is not today. I am towing the trailer with a 2003 single cab 4.0 V6 ford ranger that has a long bed and a shell on it. Much of our supplies will be in the TV, as well as having bikes and surfboards on top.
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Old 11-01-2015, 08:47 PM   #8
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Trailer: Scamp 16, 1983
Maryland
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Hi, my Scamp 16 apparently had the entire tongue fail and fall off for the PO, and they repaired it with a MUCH heavier tongue, and added a second battery in the process. Therefore, my Scamp is massively tongue heavy, haven't weighed it but since I can't lift it at all, am estimating it over 300lb. In my case, the weight of the gen out back would probably improve my weight distribution.
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Old 11-01-2015, 09:05 PM   #9
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I'd guess if you put that generator on Craigslist for about 5 Benjamin's that you would have more than enough for a basic solar set-up and would get rid of several problems in one fell swoop..... to name a few: Weight, stress on the back wall, gas, generator maintenance and noise. Not to mention sticky fingers borrowing the generator.




I hope you
aren't running the generator where it's mounted. See the instruction manual about minimum distance from structures.



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Old 11-01-2015, 09:38 PM   #10
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Isn't $500 easier to type than 5 Benjamin's?
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Old 11-01-2015, 09:44 PM   #11
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It is Yankee lingo. Go get your self some Timbits, watch some Trailer Park Boys and forget about it

Yeah after all this discussion, I do indeed plan on selling the generator and getting a solar set up. I just have other things to do on the Scamp for now, so it will have to wait for a bit.

Being ignorant, what is the harm in running the generator where it is located, beside noise?
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Old 11-01-2015, 09:51 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Miller View Post
I hope you
aren't running the generator where it's mounted. See the instruction manual about minimum distance from structures.
Please be cautious!
Duluth: Family overcome by fumes was living in trailer - TwinCities.com
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Old 11-01-2015, 09:58 PM   #13
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Obfuscation.
And 12 keystrokes vs. four.
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Old 11-01-2015, 09:59 PM   #14
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Ah, so it is the fumes from the generator that could be dangerous, now i get it

Thanks, I will definitely run it away from the trailer, if I run it at all. I hope to take the whole thing off and get solar as soon as time allows.


I am learning heaps on this site.
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Old 11-02-2015, 08:01 AM   #15
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Quote:
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Isn't $500 easier to type than 5 Benjamin's?
How about "655.5 Loonies" ? (corrected for current exchange rates)
It's just that in the FGRV trade, most transactions take place in "Ben Franklins". Mentioning real money is soooo tacky. LOL



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Old 11-02-2015, 08:30 AM   #16
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I would love to find a source where i could buy a solar system that would provide 2,000 watts of power for $500.00!

If you have ever parked in a National forest among 2 or 3 huge RV's who owners must run their generators night and day...you will understand why generator use is not welcome with many campers!

Bill
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Old 11-02-2015, 09:27 AM   #17
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I'm curious as to what kind, if any, interior bracing there is on the inside above the belly band where the bracket mounts to the fiberglass. If it isn't well reinforced, you risk stress cracking and possibly even having it pull away from the trailer shell due to bouncing down the road. Also, the picture doesn't show it very clearly, but are the two lower stand-off brackets secured to the bumper? If it is, I hope it isn't one of those cheap thin walled sewer hose bumpers which will probably collapse. They weren't designed to support any real weight structurally.
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Old 11-02-2015, 11:38 AM   #18
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My thoughts are the less weight back there the better! It acts like a lever on the frame putting a lot of forces into to play on the frame
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Old 11-02-2015, 12:33 PM   #19
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For those that had a high school general science class you might remember enough to understand this. Weight on the back of a trailer is like weight at the end of a pendulum. The more weight the greater the inertia. No amount of counter balance in the front will overcome the pendulum effect. It still has the effect of wanting to go sideways when going around a corner, this also pushes on the rear of the tow vehicle in the opposite direction. At some point the stresses will cause either the tires of the tow vehicle of the tires of the trailer to loose traction. It's even worse with weight high, not only does it try to push the trailer to side it also tips the trailer thus unloading one tire and overloading the other. All for a dangerous situation.

This reduces with the size and percentage of weight vs trailer weight.

Yes you probably can get away with it if you're careful, but being on the edge is not fun, and it's too easy slip over the edge.
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Old 11-02-2015, 12:46 PM   #20
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Originally Posted by Bill Nolen View Post
I would love to find a source where i could buy a solar system that would provide 2,000 watts of power for $500.00!

If you have ever parked in a National forest among 2 or 3 huge RV's who owners must run their generators night and day...you will understand why generator use is not welcome with many campers!

Bill
I think that the other point is that the O.P. doesn't need the 1000 watt (not 2K) output of the generator unless something like a microwave or an electric coffee pot is a must have.

For $500 you can get a decent solar system that will keep a group 27 battery topped up for most all 13' FGRV needs.

BTW: I am the first one to call in the gendarmes when generator hours are not followed.



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