Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

great idea untill I saw the price tag ...

GENERATORS - Prices shown are supply only unless otherwise stated.
Special Offer 5% Off
Self Energy EG-20 LPG (Propane) Generator. Fitting Included.
LPG (Propane) 12V Generator. Fully automatic battery charger. 20 amps at 12V. Includes cradle, control module, cable and switch.
(Fitting to existing gas supply).
Was 2,845.00

NOW 2,699.00... thats British Pounds too I beleive; yipes!!! "on sale"; "pfth!" ...lol

Mid 80s'; Ford used a one wire alternator. All the regulators built in. With a small gas engine; would be more doable. Most factory systems require the ignition system to supply 12V to the alternator to create a field for operation. Unlike the old generators which retained residual magnetism in the field coils

I keep touting this method.

Run a charge line from your tow vehicle back to your trailer Battery.

When your battery runs down, plug it into your tow vehicle and run the vehicle engine for 15-20 minutes.

Cheap, easy. And while your driving your battery is always charging...Sooo when you get there you also have a topped off battery.

A wire and a fuse!

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... sc&start=0

Happy Trails

len

ronaldito wrote:I Dont want an extra Deep cycle battery, not much use and lots of $$$$
I Dont want Generator, noisy, gas, so on..
I Dont want Solar Panels.. $$$$

What a perfect world I must be looking for right?

A scheme that can keep battery topped , and does not require much amp output, say 3-10 amp max.

-SelfEnergy-EG20.htm

I don't quite understand! You seem to have eliminated all of the "easy" solutions to your issue but are willing to go to the time and trouble of making a significant modifcation to your vehicle's engine to provide an auxillary drive for it's alternator. That seems plain crazy to me!

I got a kinda beat up honda ex1000 at a garage sale for a hundred bucks. Took it apart a bit and beat most of the dings out of it with a hammer. Also added a longer drain hose to the float bowl so you can easily drain all of the fuel from the tank and carburetor after use so the gas doesn't go stale or clog up the little tiny passages in the carburetor. This way it will start easily with fresh gas even after years of storage!

It has a/c and 12 volt d/c outlets and will even run the $60 air conditioner that I got at Costco. Weighs mabye 50 pounds (more or less). It's as quiet as any engine that you'll probably use to drive your vehicles alternator and also is completely separate and redundant (I like redundant systems).

IMHO, you are just like my wife!!!!! When shopping for a new stove/oven she took all the features from the various models, chose those features that no one offered in a single model and decided that was what she wanted, but no one made! HA!

So, I suggest you shop around, find an inexpensive stand alone generator, and BUY IT!!! If, and I think you will (or at least I would) accidently run your vehicle's battery flat and have an alternator failure at the same time (Murphy is alive, well, and out there!!!!) you'll have another chance to get your engine resurrected and "get outta Dodge".

check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Honda-EX1000-Genera ... 3efa76a0cc

I think it's in Oklahoma City only 750 miles from you but $50 bucks shipping isn't too bad.

Here is another in OC:

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/for/1478586423.html


There you have it, again, the world according to Gus.

Cheers,

Gus

ronaldito wrote:Remember Len, I don't want to add another battery, My trailer already has power from my tow vehicle.

Ya lost me.

You want to know how to keep a battery charged and know how to recharge it in the field when dry camping.

But there is no battery????

You need a battery on the trailer.

You have a battery in the tow vehicle.

If your using the "STARTING" battery from the tow vehicle....as a "Deep cycle" battery.

Its not meant to do that. You NEED a battery in the trailer.

Or put AAA on speed dial.

I think your trying to lower the river instead of raise the bridge.

Happy Trails

Len

It even runs my 120v Lincoln Electric Mig welder. The Honda's are very quiet too. There is also the solar option.

len19070 wrote:

ronaldito wrote:Remember Len, I don't want to add another battery, My trailer already has power from my tow vehicle.

I think your trying to lower the river instead of raise the bridge.

Len

I agree! You can't get something for nuttin! The least expenive solution is to get a battery for your trailer and connect it to the tow vehicle for charging while you travel. When out camping if and when you're going to be away from your trailer for a while, remove the battery, put it in your tow vehicle, connect it, and charge it as you toodle about. When you return to camp, put the charged battery back in your trailer. If your load is light, you can run for a couple of days without charging it in your tow vehicle.

See this string:

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... highlight=

or this one:

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... highlight=

Cheers,

Gus