Looking for suggestions , charging Travel Trailer batteries from truck

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Cahriad

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I have a Laramie 2500 with dual alternators and looking for suggestions on how to bypass the 7 pin charging connection to charge my dual travel trailer batteries and also to supply 12 volts to my travel trailer on board 2000W inverter.

Thanks
 

McBroom

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I have a Laramie 2500 with dual alternators and looking for suggestions on how to bypass the 7 pin charging connection to charge my dual travel trailer batteries and also to supply 12 volts to my travel trailer on board 2000W inverter.

Thanks
Use a battery charger when parked whether at the house or at a park. Let the truck keep them charged when traveling.

Blue Mule
 

bm02tj

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On my Jeep I have a 2/0 cable and plug for use with a portable winch so I fit my Teardrop trailer with the same
for charging
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...iA4YftvMbnAhVRJDQIHYDXBBQQ9aACegQIDhBS&adurl=
I googled 12 volt 200 amp plug and socket the one that came up is 50 amp but there is bigger ones
Run 4 gauge cable and buy a 2 100 amp fuses from a RV or equipment shop
just mount so it is protected
good luck
 

BWL

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If you run the inverter very long your truck will need a boost unless you keep it running so in the end if you're looking for more power for the trailer I'd look for a small generator or even a couple solar panels if you're in a really sunny area.
 

Travelin Ram

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I’d use a DC-DC charger to charge the trailer when driving. RedArc makes one, and there are others as well. If you don’t, then the issue is the charging system backs off voltage as soon as the truck battery is charged. And voltage drop over the distance to the trailer battery is a problem too.

Second thing is a 2kw inverter draws huge battery current. I have one and it pulls 140 amps running the coffee maker in the morning. Dig out the manual and read what it says about cable sizes. Not to mention a starting battery does not do well at deep cycle service. Point being that a second battery in the trailer and close to the inverter will be a better source of power for inverter.

If you want a low tech budget friendly solution for the occasional dry camping situation, then you can always position the truck nose in to the trailer and use jumper cables for a quick boost of the TT batteries.
 

2003F350

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I have a Laramie 2500 with dual alternators and looking for suggestions on how to bypass the 7 pin charging connection to charge my dual travel trailer batteries and also to supply 12 volts to my travel trailer on board 2000W inverter.

Thanks

Unless you're trying to dry-camp for extended periods, I wouldn't bother doing this. One, it's more to hook up, two, it's more connections that can be prone to coming loose, and three, you shouldn't have anything running in the trailer pulling that much juice while you're running down the road aside from a residential fridge, which if I recall on newer campers automatically gets you two batteries in the trailer, which your standard 7-pin connection will keep charged enough to get you plugged in at your destination.

If you need more juice in the camper and you don't have dual batteries, I would add a second one. If you do have dual batteries, then you may have a wiring issue somewhere.

I've been camping for my entire life, with various different campers, and I have never once needed more than the 7-pin connection to keep things charged other than dry camping, which automatically means you're either bringing a generator or you have one on-board.
 

dexter

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I have a Laramie 2500 with dual alternators and looking for suggestions on how to bypass the 7 pin charging connection to charge my dual travel trailer batteries and also to supply 12 volts to my travel trailer on board 2000W inverter.

Thanks

Get solar. I don't know anyone doing what you suggest.
 

Bldrinker

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So you are using your truck as a generator?
 
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bm02tj

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I have to assume he has a battery bank in the trailer and wants to charge well driving
so a continuous duty solenoid and 4 gauge cable with the heavy winch connectors
so he will have good power when stopped for the night
a lot of RVs are now all electric with no propane for cooking
 

Hd74ica

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I have to assume he has a battery bank in the trailer and wants to charge well driving
so a continuous duty solenoid and 4 gauge cable with the heavy winch connectors
so he will have good power when stopped for the night
a lot of RVs are now all electric with no propane for cooking
Electric furnace and range? It would seem the house batteries would not last long with that set up. 6 volt wired in series might.
 

dexter

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I have to assume he has a battery bank in the trailer and wants to charge well driving
so a continuous duty solenoid and 4 gauge cable with the heavy winch connectors
so he will have good power when stopped for the night
a lot of RVs are now all electric with no propane for cooking

Those are high cost class As that people plug into power at a park.
 

2003F350

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I have to assume he has a battery bank in the trailer and wants to charge well driving
so a continuous duty solenoid and 4 gauge cable with the heavy winch connectors
so he will have good power when stopped for the night
a lot of RVs are now all electric with no propane for cooking

Those are high cost class As that people plug into power at a park.

Yeah, and most of those come with an on-board generator to power all of that. There are very, VERY few high-end TTs and 5-ers that have electric furnace/range without at least the option of an on-board generator. There are exactly zero entry- to mid-range ones that do.

It sounds like OP wants to use their truck as a generator while dry-camping, and that's a highly inefficient way to do it. The best thing to do is just buy a small generator that will run what you want and bring it with.

On a side note, I once read an article (years ago, mind you) called the 'Million Mile Extension Cord' where a guy did what OP wanted to do. In order to get enough current to run the inverter and actually power anything, he had to run either size 2 or 0 wire (I don't recall which) and buy industrial-rated quick-connectors. He bragged that he could leave a crock pot on and let it cook while he drove all day. I never could figure out why you'd want to do that, since this was before crock pots had latching tops, so he would have entered his trailer to an absolute mess of dinner everywhere.

The simple fact of the matter is that, even if you have dual batteries in your RV, today's pickups and SUVs have no problems charging the batteries while you drive, even if you leave your 12vdc appliances running.
 

dexter

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Yeah, and most of those come with an on-board generator to power all of that. There are very, VERY few high-end TTs and 5-ers that have electric furnace/range without at least the option of an on-board generator. There are exactly zero entry- to mid-range ones that do.

It sounds like OP wants to use their truck as a generator while dry-camping, and that's a highly inefficient way to do it. The best thing to do is just buy a small generator that will run what you want and bring it with.

On a side note, I once read an article (years ago, mind you) called the 'Million Mile Extension Cord' where a guy did what OP wanted to do. In order to get enough current to run the inverter and actually power anything, he had to run either size 2 or 0 wire (I don't recall which) and buy industrial-rated quick-connectors. He bragged that he could leave a crock pot on and let it cook while he drove all day. I never could figure out why you'd want to do that, since this was before crock pots had latching tops, so he would have entered his trailer to an absolute mess of dinner everywhere.

The simple fact of the matter is that, even if you have dual batteries in your RV, today's pickups and SUVs have no problems charging the batteries while you drive, even if you leave your 12vdc appliances running.

I have solar and this generator.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Westing...Generator-with-LED-Display-iGen2500/304312161
 
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