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Old 02-19-2021, 05:20 PM   #1
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Generator free camping??

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyl...-power-outages
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Old 02-19-2021, 06:18 PM   #2
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been generator free camping for the past 8 years, even going across the country on Solar!
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Old 02-19-2021, 06:48 PM   #3
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A 7,200 Watt generator the size of a full-size truck!
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Old 02-19-2021, 06:59 PM   #4
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A read a review of the new Ford pickups and saw some of this stuff. Really cool, really impressive.

But a generator is a generator. You don't mean generator-free camping. You mean a pickup-generator in one while camping. To me, generator-free camping is what I do. Namely, generator free camping. No generator.

All the same, this is some really cool stuff Ford is coming out with.
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Old 02-19-2021, 07:06 PM   #5
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Ford's social media arm has been working overtime. This "hack" is showing up everywhere.
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Old 02-19-2021, 07:13 PM   #6
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We don't own a generator. Solar panels meet our modest needs for electricity.
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Old 02-19-2021, 07:49 PM   #7
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Just what everyone needs , a $80K , 5000 lb , portable camping generator
I’ll stick with my solar !
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Old 02-19-2021, 09:26 PM   #8
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Ditto on solar. No fuss, no muss.
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Old 02-20-2021, 04:10 AM   #9
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Yikes!

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Old 02-20-2021, 06:03 AM   #10
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The truth is that the Ford “generator” is just an inverter with a big supplemental battery located under the pickup truck bed. It is no different than the van camper one of my acquaintances has which will run his A/C using over 400 amp hours from a very expensive lithium battery bank. The vans engine will start if the batteries fall below a certain threshold, recharging them. That burns one heck of a lot more fuel than a Honda EU2000i. While it may be good for emergencies such as thaw one going on in Texas at the moment, my 6,500 watt tri-fuel generator for home power outages is never going to require a multi-thousand dollar battery replacement and has worked when needed for 17 years. How many “generator” equipped 2021 F-150s will still be around 17 years from now. And it is unlikely that my generator is going to be involved in a collision with another generator and end up totaled. I view the Ford “generator” option more beneficial for contractors on a job site or landowners needing electrical power on a remote portion of their property. Even so, I can put my Honda EU2000i on a handcart and move it to those locations on my property inaccessible by my truck. I would suspect (my opinion only) that the wow factor experienced by the introduction of this feature will, in the long run, be judged as “not that useful” by the majority of FGRV owners.
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Old 02-20-2021, 08:15 AM   #11
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F150 horn honking??

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Do they still sound the horn every time you open and close the door with the engine running??
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Old 02-20-2021, 08:28 AM   #12
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Some of us enjoy being in quiet whilst camping. Solar meets that requirement.

I charged up my neighbor's cell phone when we had a not too long outage last summer. She was running her car to do that until she talked to me. I plugged her phone into my Casita and charged it. It's important not to use up your car's fuel. We were having wildfires in the area and one needed to be ready to drive away to a safe place.
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Old 02-20-2021, 09:53 AM   #13
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I agree that at least for camping, this would be a solution looking for a problem. I never have needed a generator or any power source other than my battery and the sun, and don't expect to ever need one for camping. Whether it proves to be truly useful to more a very, very select few at construction job sites (which seems to be Fords target), I guess we'll see.

All the same, with continued battery technology development, I like that companies are thinking this way. I've been in plenty of situations using power tools with no shore power in sight, and sometimes nowhere near my trailer. Charging the battery for the drill, saw etc from my truck through a portable inverter works, but isn't ideal.
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Old 02-20-2021, 11:53 AM   #14
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Just what I want to do, put hundreds of idling hours on an inefficient $80,000 generator!
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Old 02-20-2021, 12:08 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ZachO View Post
I agree that at least for camping, this would be a solution looking for a problem. I never have needed a generator or any power source other than my battery and the sun, and don't expect to ever need one for camping. Whether it proves to be truly useful to more a very, very select few at construction job sites (which seems to be Fords target), I guess we'll see.

All the same, with continued battery technology development, I like that companies are thinking this way. I've been in plenty of situations using power tools with no shore power in sight, and sometimes nowhere near my trailer. Charging the battery for the drill, saw etc from my truck through a portable inverter works, but isn't ideal.
One place this makes sense is for those that depend on solar and do not want to carry a generator (and the gas for it) for those rare occasions where there is not enough sunlight to allow them to keep camping. While I wouldn't go out and purchase the truck just for the "generator" capacity, if I needed a new tow vehicle, I'd consider it.
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Old 02-20-2021, 12:20 PM   #16
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Those of us who tow with a hybrid know how nice it is to be able to stay in the air conditioned car with the dog when the wife wants to spend an hour at a quilt shop. The air conditioner runs on the drive battery. The gas engine comes on briefly every ten minutes or so to bring the battery back up. That kind of system has its uses.
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Old 02-20-2021, 01:37 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye View Post
One place this makes sense is for those that depend on solar and do not want to carry a generator (and the gas for it) for those rare occasions where there is not enough sunlight to allow them to keep camping. While I wouldn't go out and purchase the truck just for the "generator" capacity, if I needed a new tow vehicle, I'd consider it.
Agree with Jon, and the smaller generator version, 2.5KW, should be more than adequate for any camping need. Its just a matter of how much extra for this option.

My next truck will likely be another F150, and could be my last. Where the generator has made sense was dry camping where I needed AC. I would not run it continuously, but perhaps for a few hours.
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Old 02-20-2021, 01:45 PM   #18
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And for those who always want full hook-ups - use the microwave at a lunch stop.
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Old 02-20-2021, 04:15 PM   #19
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Ford's Pro Power Onboard (2000 watt) option is priced at $995 on gas F-150s.
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Old 02-21-2021, 09:46 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye View Post
One place this makes sense is for those that depend on solar and do not want to carry a generator (and the gas for it) for those rare occasions where there is not enough sunlight to allow them to keep camping. While I wouldn't go out and purchase the truck just for the "generator" capacity, if I needed a new tow vehicle, I'd consider it.
It is not necessary to purchase a truck to do this. All you need is a 1000 watt, easy to store pure sine wave inverter. When you need to recharge, just hook it to your TV battery, start the TV and plug your trailer into it!
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