Choosing A Generator For Your Food Truck

How to choose the best Generator for Your Food Truck or Trailer

Picking the best generator for your food trailer or truck is a really important component of your mobile food business. Some of the things you need to consider are

Power,
Accessibility
Noise and
Safety.

1. Power

You need to make sure you will have a generator that can power all the necessary electrical equipment you will need to run your food truck’s equipment.

You should start by tallying up the wattage of each item on your truck that you will be plugging into the generator. This information can typically be found on the item itself or in the owner’s manual.

Most trucks will need to power refrigerators, freezers, lights, ovens, fryers and anything else powered by electricity. Some of your equipment may also be powered by propane so just make sure you are adding up everything properly. If you are not sure how to figure this out, it is best to consult an electrician so you can be positive that you are getting the proper generator.

There are commercial food truck generators on the market. If you plan on powering a lot of equipment, then this might be right for you. A lot of times food trucks can use portable generators or inverter generators. A lot of options exist so just make sure you are doing the research to determine the best option for you. Inverter generators are usually rather quiet and tend to be a great option for those going the portable route.

2. Accessibility

Your generator can be mounted on your food truck or trailer. It’s possible to weld a rack to the body of your food trailer to place a generator on. They can also be wheeled off. If you are hauling a trailer with a pickup truck, then you might be able to leave your generator on the bed of your pickup truck.

3. Noise

A lot of food truckers will make sure they have a long lead wire and wheel their generator away from their truck, so the noise doesn’t bother people. Some food trucks even have special built-in compartments for generators. You will need to weigh your options to determine which choice will be optimal for your setup.

4. Safety

Safety is a critical fact when determining your generator’s placement. Generators emit dangerous levels of carbon monoxide from their exhaust, so you need to make sure that it is in a well-ventilated area. Some generators will get rather hot so you will need to ensure that it is not close to anything that could possibly catch on fire. You will also want to be sure that it is out of the reach of children or that no one is going to walk into it and get injured.

Once you find the right generator and the right placement then powering your food truck will be a breeze!