charging system in cargo conversion

[jkreas]

Not sure how to go about keeping the batteries charged in the trailer to run the lights and heater. please help.

[edcasey]

We need some additional information to help you with your charging system. First, when you say heater are you talking about a propane furnace? Also, when you camp, do you have access to 120 volts AC that you could plug your camper into? Will you have a generator with you? How many batteries do you have on your camper? Is your tow vehicle equipped with a charge line to charge your camper battery while driving?

[jkreas]

as far as the heater goes I want a propane furnace. About the charging system it is a bone stock 18' X 8' cargo trailer. My plans are to convert it into a toyhauler with sleeping arrangements for my wife, kids and I. Currently I have nothing for auxilary power in the trailer except the tow vehicle which is a nissan titan. I don't know about the charge line, all I do know is I have the tow package and it has a 7 blade plug for trailer lights.
Hopefully this can help you guys to help me.

[edcasey]

The first thing to make sure is that your truck's charge line is working. I'm assuming the 7 way was on your truck when you bought it which means you have the factory towing package. If you look at the diagram below, you see the pin on the 7 way plug that provides 12 volts DC to charge your trailer battery.


The problem you might have is Nissan doesn't always include the relays need for the charge line to work. If you look at the picture below (which is for an 04-05), you'll see 'relay 2". This is the relay that provides 12 volt power through the charge line to the 7 way plug. If your truck is a different year, you can look in the owner’s manual to see where the relay is supposed to be. If it's missing, you can get one from your Nissan dealer.


Once this is working, you'll need to rewire the trailer with a 7 way plug to run all the exterior lights and charge the battery. When that's complete your Nissan will charge the trailer battery whenever you turn your ignition switch on.
That is a basic 12 volt charging system. Many people will simply use the tow vehicle to charge the battery and nothing else. However, if you have access to 120 volts AC you could add a converter (takes 120 volts AC and converts it to 12 volts DC) to charge the battery whenever you plug into 120 or you could use a portable battery charger like the ones you use to charge your car battery when it's low.
A converter installation looks like this:



This is a very general explanation so if you need to know anything more specific let me know.

[ARIZONA GUIDE]

With the 7 blade plug you are probably set up to charge your trailer while you drive or are atached to the truck. so that will be a good thing. Other than that i am an electrical wreck waiting to take place so i will not answer any more. I Have done plumbing for the last 1o years.


Well see some one had a better answer after all.

[jkreas]

Thank you this is a great starting point. Right now I'm in kind of a time crunch and have a road trip in June. So my main concern at this point is power, heat, somewhere to sleep, and some sort of toilet.

[brian_bp]

:thumbsup: Thank you this is a great starting point. Right now I'm in kind of a time crunch and have a road trip in June. So my main concern at this point is power, heat, somewhere to sleep, and some sort of toilet.

Fortunately, installing a battery and the wire to the truck, and even fixing up the truck charging line if required, is a one-afternoon exercise. That gets you power, but if you camp for more than a couple of nights without significant truck running time (to recharge), you need an additional source of power, and that's what the converter is for.

Since the converters used to make 120VAC into 12VDC (and charge the battery) are common RV parts and come complete and ready-to-use, there's still no schedule problem having this trailer right up to regular RV capabilities - as far as power is concerned - with lots of time to spare.

[digimark]

[Edit -- I asked a question about the factory-provided 12V battery system, but I asked this same question in the electrical system topic and forgot I had done so. Dame bramaged, sorry.]