Long before Beyonce donned her custom denim covered pick-up truck and attempted to become an instant country singing legend, there was our conversion camper van, Loki. Early on, we decided to use recycled denim as the main material for the inside of the van, like Re-Covering the Cab Headliner or when we did the door panels, see Making Blue Jean Door Panels for LOKI as an example.

All the denim used on the inside panels was, at one time, a pair of jeans worn by us, or by someone else and donated to Goodwill or another thrift store where we collected it from. Loki began as an extended Ford F250 passenger van and has now become our denim sanctuary.

Work So Far

We purchased Loki in 2022. Work on Loki stalled in 2024, as the items needed to continue were some of the more expensive ones (air conditioner, which we did eventually do, see Installing Dometic FreshJet 3 in Our Van, and a generator, cargo carrier, kitchen, etc.) that would have to wait for the funds to accumulate. We were able to install the air conditioner and shore power in Loki before taking a short break to save for the next phase.

The Next Phase

Fast forward to today. We are now able to continue work on Loki and have begun working through the enormous checklist of things to purchase and install before we can take Loki on a longer road trip.

One of the things we have been trying to figure out is how to carry a generator large enough to run the air conditioner and use for other power needs when parking in areas without hookups. We knew we wanted a generator, but had a hard time trying to figure out where to put it.

Best Hitch for Carrying a Generator?

It had to be outside the van, large enough to run our stuff, and quiet enough to not drive us and everyone around us crazy. We could not put one under the van without moving the spare tire to the back door. That was a possibility, but not practical, since the spare tire likes where it is located and the work involved in moving it was not an exciting prospect. We also toyed with the idea of towing our small utility trailer around with the generator locked to it. This would have given us plenty of space to not only carry the generator, but to carry much more stuff, too.

RV Generator Tray Install

We opted out of the trailer idea because we have towed a trailer (and a vehicle) before and the prospect was not appealing. Also, in order to use the generator we would have to have the trailer with us, always. After much consideration, we settled on a hitch mounted tray with a cage attachment, basically a cargo carrier with an enclosure. You could use a tray by itself if you wanted to, but we decided the enclosed cage on the tray would be better for safety, and also better for security so someone doesn’t just walk off with the generator.

Install Proper Class IV Hitch

To make this happen, we first had to replace the Class I hitch that was originally on the van. This hitch was so small, and we theorize that it was installed to tow a very small u-haul trailer, or something like that back when it was a people mover. But a Class I hitch is not strong enough to cary any significant weight, or have any tongue weight for any length of time.

We removed that hitch and installed a brand new Class IV hitch (2″ receiver). The brand we went with was the Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver Class IV hitch from etrailer.com, which has a 10,000 pound towing and 1,000 pound tongue weight capacity. Plenty for anything we need.

On a side note, we purchased all the items from etrailer and their customer service was so super helpful, and their prices were very reasonable (we weren’t paid for this, it’s just our experience).

Tray and Cargo Carrier Assembly

Assembly of the tray was next. We purchased a 24×60 Reese Cargo Carrier with Enclosure Cage for a 2″ Hitch, which has an overall 500 pound capacity, or 440 pounds with the enclosure cage. The tray was super easy to assemble and was very well made.

One thing we were concerned with at the time we purchased the carrier was the amount of clearance we would have to open the back doors. Since we were not sure exactly how much space we would have, we decided to purchase an additional receiver extender that would push the carrier away from the doors by an additional 14″ (and had a max tongue weight of 500 pounds, which was great). The extenders also reduce max tongue weight by 50% as well, so that worked out well for our hitch combination.

Turns out we decided to keep the extender, but not use it right away. With the extender installed, the doors open all the way, but without it we are still able to open the doors enough to access the back garage section of the van. With the extension on the back, it made the carrier a pretty good distance behind the van and we felt like we could avoid the extra distance.

What we did use though, with or without the extension, was a Hitch Tightener Anti Rattle Stabilizer to reduce any sway the combination created, and those work great. We put one on the top and bottom and it tightened up the play considerably.

Assembling Carrier Enclosure

The next step was to assemble the cargo carrier cage. This cage is made by the same company and is designed to fit on the carrier tray. This was also easy to assemble, complete with tail light connections and all.

Installing the Generator

At this point, we were ready to get the generator into its new home. The generator we chose was the Westinghouse Generator iGen 4000DF-c. Scott did extensive research on so many and this one met all the criteria we had at this time. As an added bonus, this generator is dual fuel, meaning that it will run on gasoline or propane. The switch between the two fuels is practically seamless, so that is a really cool feature. It also has a remote control, so we can start it from inside the van as needed.

Can You Run a Generator While Driving?

I’m sure some people are going to be asking this, and as far as we can tell, there are no issues with running a generator from a cargo carrier, or while you are driving. That is, as long as you have taken all safety precautions that any common sense person would and should take. We drove a bus for more than 5 years across the entire United States with an external generator mounted inside a bin (all external airflow, not inside the bus itself), and we had zero issues.

The folks we bought the cargo carrier from also have a good article talking about this as well, but the main points are:

• Is my generator properly secured, stable, and level?
• Is my generator’s exhaust properly vented?

If you address these issues, which we have on our installation, there shouldn’t be a problem. The only other thing we looked at is the duel fuel may have some restrictions about propane in certain areas. We chose to use gasoline with propane as a backup.

Plan on How to Secure a Generator

There was some work to be done inside the tray of the carrier before we were satisfied with the location of the generator. We went through several ideas of how to mount (and lock) it inside the basket and still be able to access it. We also had to make sure the exhaust was not obstructed, or aimed toward the back of the van. We did not want to be breathing fumes coming into the van, especially while sleeping.

Thinking frugally (our shanty way), using what we have before buying something new, we realized that we had a banquet table that is 2′ x 4′. We were amazed when we set it inside the tray and it fit perfectly. We could have used a 5′ length, but, as it turns out, the 4′ one we already had was a better option anyway. The bonus to using this table was that we would always have a lightweight table with us to set up at a campsite, anytime.

Adding Cargo Carrier Framing

We needed to raise the height of the table to just below the door opening of the cage. This would position the exhaust of the generator to blowing out the large cage hole without obstruction. To do this, Scott built a frame that fit in the tray out of 2″ x 6″ treated lumber. We used scrap lumber to figure out how all the pieces of the frame would fit together. We knew we had to build it with an inset to accommodate the light housings, so we laid out scrap pieces to get an idea of which boards needed to be cut to what length to fit together properly.

The resulting frame fit perfectly. Scott put two blocks of wood on top of the frame to keep the 4′ table from sliding from side to side and we were ready to “install” the generator.

How to Secure the Generator

The final step was to make a box that would fit snugly around the base of the generator to keep it from moving. Scott built a box and drilled some large holes in the side where the box could be attached to the cage to keep it secure. We had some extra very strong velcro straps (see photo below), the same kind that we used on our bikes, and we used these through the holes to attach the box to the cage.

We were able to position the exhaust (the silver circle on the generator in the photo below) in one of the large holes in the cage where it would not be able to send fumes into the van.

Finally, the best part of this whole setup is the added storage space we created underneath the generator by building the frame below. The space holds two large rubbermaid containers that are 6.5″ tall. It is a great place to store tools and general garage stuff like oil, funnel, rags, etc.

Parts Included

Here is a run down list of the purchases we made for this project minus the wood materials.

• Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver – Custom Fit Ford E250 Class IV 2″
• 24×60 Reese Cargo Carrier with etrailer Enclosure Cage for 2″ Hitches
• Gen-Y Hitch Receiver Hitch Extender for 2″ Trailer Hitches – 14″ Long
• Westinghouse Generator iGen 4000DF-c – 4,000 watt, can run parallel

Video of Working Generator

The next, and maybe the final step as far as the Cargo Carrier goes, is we are going to make a cover that goes over the entire thing. We are making it out of waterproof material lined with a yoga mat inside the material for sound absorption. This should make the entire setup much quieter all around. As it is, the generator puts out 50dB (under no load of course) but it can always be quieter. Come back for another post to see the cargo carrier cover. As always, thanks for visiting Shanty Travelers!