Electrical: location of battery, converter etc.

[drd48]

I'm just getting started with my 4x8 teardrop build. Trying to figure out where to locate electrical components. I am thinking of building a good weather proof tongue box and locating the battery, converter, wizard, distribution panel, shorepower inlet etc. all within the tongue box. Does this make any sense? The main issue that I see with it is to take pains to build a good weather proof box as well as taking care to be sure that the two wire holding channels from the box to the trailer are also well protected. Comments will be greatly appreciated

[swoody126]

drd48, your concept has merit

IMHO keeping a battery out of sleeping space(breathing fumes) and cooking space(igniting fumes) makes a lot of sense to me

i saw something similar at a gathering a few years ago

nicely done in a P/U bed rail tool box(do not remember the builder's name)

sadly the forum software wont let me post the pics(which is not uncommon on this forum)

sw

[MtnDon]

What type of battery? You do not want to have anything else in the same compartment if the batteries are flooded lead-acid.

[Socal Tom]

I started with my battery on the tongue, but the tongue weight was so high that I moved it to the galley. Otherwise, no concerns with your plan.
Tom

[tony.latham]

As long as the battery isn't a FLA, it's fine.

For the first teardrop I built, I made a tongue box for it. Nice and tight. Never a drop of moisture or dust inside. Keep in mind, it took two weeks to build and about $100 worth of materials.



These days, I install a Buyer's Products box. Amazon's got them for $110 at the moment.



Quick and dirty.



Tony

[Squigie]

The hard part with a tongue box is getting it water-tight, but not air-tight.
Some batteries need to vent.
Inverters need air flow.
Some charge controllers need air flow.

I weighed the options, and pros and cons, and decided to put the battery in a battery box on the tongue.
But the fuse panel will be going inside the front of the TD. As will the inverter, charge controller, etc, if I can convince myself to go solar. (I want to. I just can't find a flexible panel that is quite 'right' for me; and I don't want a rigid panel.)
The space is already water tight and designed for air exchange. It can also be monitored without getting out of the TD in the snow, rain, or cold.
Win-win.

[halfdome, Danny]

Welcome to the forum.
My first teardrop the battery was in the tongue box along with a porta potty and it was way too big and heavy.

Subsequent builds I made the tongue box only 12" deep, enough to hold 2 small propane tanks, side tables etc.


I put 2 batteries in battery trays behind the axle and under the floor, the weight distribution works quite nicely.

My electrical center is in the footboard cabinet and is very convenient to access.
Danny

[drd48]

I am thinking of using a Renogy Deep Cycle hybrid gel sealed lead acid battery. The comment of possibly ending up with too much weight on the tongue is well taken.
Perhaps better and simpler to have just the battery on the tongue and the converter and other components in the galley area.
So if one has the battery in a battery box on the tongue, how can cables be run from the battery while it is in the battery box? The images that I have looked at haven't shown any openings to get cables into the box.

[tony.latham]

The images that I have looked at haven't shown any openings to get cables into the box.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cable+glands&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Cable glands.

Tony

[drd48]

Thank you Tony that helps a lot.
If I have it figured right, I'll need wires connecting from the battery, which I plan to have sitting on the tongue rack, to the converter which will probably be back in the galley area, as well as wires from the battery to the distribution panel which will also be in the back. Or maybe I'll have the distribution panel in the front area of the cabin.
I guess I basically have 2 options for running wires from the battery into the camper itself. Probably it would be easiest to run them into the space between the 2 layers of the deck from underneath. The other option would be to drill thru the frame of the trailer in front and and run the wires directly into the space between the layers of deck. Do you think I could group all 4 wires coming out of the battery box to go through one of those glands or perhaps use 2?

I enjoyed your photos and video including the snake.

Thank you much,
dn

[lfhoward]

I used an ATV tool box as a tongue box and for the first six years of my trailer’s life it was also a battery box.


I made wooden dividers to keep the batteries from shifting around, along with an upper and lower louvered vents on the back.


The 2 gauge cables went through outdoor air conditioner conduit, which seals to the box and trailer. I never had any water in the box. You can barely see the conduit in this pic.


3 marine deep cycle group 24’s. These things were heavy!


Last year I upgraded to LiFePO4 and moved it indoors. It’s nice to have outdoor storage in the tongue box for tools and 1 lb propane bottles now.