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Old 05-26-2012, 04:47 PM   #1
jacksonjack
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Running AC while towing

I'm getting ready to go on a trip out west. I'll be taking my Golden Retriever pup along with us. During the ride he will be in the backseat. We plan on stoping to eat and sightsee places were he might not be welcomed inside. Will I have any problems if I occasionally run ther generator and AC while towing ? My thoughts are I could pull over an hour before my planned stop and start them up so that the trailer will be cooled down when we pull over and put the dog in his crate in the trailer and then leave them run till we get back and get ready to take off.
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Old 05-26-2012, 05:09 PM   #2
captbru
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We travel with two cats, there in the truck with us while on the road, litter box in the back seat area. When we stop to eat or for awhile to see something, I leave the truck running and the a/c on for them. Have a spare set of key's to lock the door with. You have to lock with a key in our truck if the engine is running. We have been doing this for years without any problem, truck uses a little bite more fuel but no big deal.
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Old 05-26-2012, 06:31 PM   #3
rhagfo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jacksonjack View Post
I'm getting ready to go on a trip out west. I'll be taking my Golden Retriever pup along with us. During the ride he will be in the backseat. We plan on stoping to eat and sightsee places were he might not be welcomed inside. Will I have any problems if I occasionally run ther generator and AC while towing ? My thoughts are I could pull over an hour before my planned stop and start them up so that the trailer will be cooled down when we pull over and put the dog in his crate in the trailer and then leave them run till we get back and get ready to take off.
I don't see any issue with this, I would be sure the exhaust for the Gen set is directed as it would bed on the TV towards the back.
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Old 05-26-2012, 06:52 PM   #4
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We’re about to head out next weekend and will be leaving our dog in the trailer.

I’m thinking that we need to be safe in case the A/C shuts off while the dog is in the trailer when we’re away. I’m going to leave some windows open so if the A/C stops, it won’t get too hot inside the trailer. I figure that cold air goes down, so the floor area will be cool even if some cool air goes right out the windows.
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Old 05-27-2012, 06:35 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by sdayman View Post
We’re about to head out next weekend and will be leaving our dog in the trailer.

I’m thinking that we need to be safe in case the A/C shuts off while the dog is in the trailer when we’re away. I’m going to leave some windows open so if the A/C stops, it won’t get too hot inside the trailer. I figure that cold air goes down, so the floor area will be cool even if some cool air goes right out the windows.
I would assume the dog is in a kennel, the ride inside a trailer is a little disturbing.
When we had our Standard cab TV our dogs traveled in kennel in the trailer, but always seemed a little upset when we got to our destination.

Now with the Quad cab they ride in the back seat.
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Old 05-27-2012, 07:05 AM   #6
Jim & Kay
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Generator when traveling

JacksonJack,

We have traveled for years towing and have started the generator to cool the RV 30 minutes or so prior to stopping for lunch, siteseeing, or etc.... We have never had a problem doing this & our furry camping companions appreciated it. In fact when traveling in our motorhome, we would run the on board generator and cool with the roof AC instead of using the dash AC because it did a fantastic job cooling.

Happy Camping and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy the West.
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Old 05-27-2012, 08:10 AM   #7
f6bits
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Oh, dog rides in the TV with us, but when we camp, she’s in the trailer. If we leave the campsite and can’t take her with us, we’ll leave the A/C on.
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Old 05-27-2012, 05:11 PM   #8
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Oh, if it sounded like our furry kids ride in the 5er when we're traveling, I was misleading, they ride in the back seat of the tow vehicle, just get in the RV when we stop for lunch, etc.......
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Old 05-28-2012, 07:25 AM   #9
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Lenard

Well, we actually have given up with trying to have Lenard ride in the TV with us, he just get's way to upset and pukes, turds and stresses to the brink. We now have one very happy passenger in the 5Ver, I run the genset in the truck bed and have a cord that goes to the unit. For those wondering.... Lenard is our cat, not an obnoxious Uncle, I would not let a human ride while driving!
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Old 05-29-2012, 07:28 AM   #10
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Running AC while towing

When DW and I were planning our fiver purchase, this was one of the issues we addressed. While underway, our Chihuahuas ride in doggie comfort (sometimes) in the back seat which has been "fixed up" for their traveling needs. Our question was, "What do we do when we stop someplace for just a while?"

The answer we found was the generator prep, an Onan generator, and the Onan Energy Command 30. The EC30 can be installed on new generator preped RVs. It has monitoring links that connect to the thermostat and the convertor. For example, when the EC30 is on "Auto" mode, I can set the front AC at, say, 75F and the rear AC at 80F in the morning when we start traveling. When the bedroom area warms to above 75F, AC attempts to start. The EC30 interrupts the AC starting and puts it on hold. The EC30 sends a command to the generator to start. Once the generator starts and the ATS allows it to connect, the EC30 sends a command to the thermostat to start the AC. Once the temperature is lowered and the AC stops, the thermostat sends a "Quit" command to the EC30, that sends a shutdown command to the generator. This can also work while camped and disconnected from shore power, but the EC30 also can be programmed with "Quiet Hours". And before "Quiet Hours" commence, the EC30 checks the battery charge level to see if it needs "topping off".

Now what happens if all this fails or the generator runs out of fuel? I have installed a Visonic monitoring/alarm system with its own GSM (cell phone modem). On this monitoring system, I have CO and fire monitors in the utility basement area, additional sensors in the living space, plus in the bedroom area I have a temperature monitoring system. I can set a "High" and a "Low" temperature that when attained, the Visonic sends me a text message and calls my cell phone with a warning.

And finally, what if there is no cell service? Well, in that case one has to practice "good judgment". As one source points out, traveling with pets is not a problem if you are committed to that pet. You will make adjustments to accommodate your companion that you value.

Ron
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