12V Marine Battery for Power

[xJoey Dubsx]

A buddy had mentioned that the power box in my 88 Palomino Colt may have a 12v to 110w convertor built in and that I could probably wire a battery from a car to it either near it, or on the outside... Anyone know if this is true or is he pulling it out of thin air?

[tmh462]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xJoey Dubsx A buddy had mentioned that the power box in my 88 Palomino Colt may have a 12v to 110w convertor built in and that I could probably wire a battery from a car to it either near it, or on the outside... Anyone know if this is true or is he pulling it out of thin air?

Yes, you can mount a deep cycle battery on the tongue in a battery box, and run your lights off it when not plugged in. The converter will charge the battery when you plug in. The converter isn't a huge one, but you aren't running that much stuff, either. You should find a lead from the converter for this.
In order to tell if you have a converter, do you have any lights inside, and do they come on when you plug into shore power? If they do, you do.

[xJoey Dubsx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmh462 Yes, you can mount a deep cycle battery on the tongue in a battery box, and run your lights off it when not plugged in. The converter will charge the battery when you plug in. The converter isn't a huge one, but you aren't running that much stuff, either. You should find a lead from the converter for this. In order to tell if you have a converter, do you have any lights inside, and do they come on when you plug into shore power? If they do, you do.

Not the best pic, but yes I do have a plug to plug into an extension cord to get power... Not the best pic, but you can see the inside stuff in this pic...

[xJoey Dubsx]

Will the power work when it's plugged into my four plug trailer harness by any chance?

["007"]

Not for your interior lights its for your running lights and brake lights.
Interior lights work off your trailer battery or your converter if plugged into shore power pedestal.

[xJoey Dubsx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by "007" Not for your interior lights its for your running lights and brake lights. Interior lights work off your trailer battery or your converter if plugged into shore power pedestal.

Alright then, I just need to find out where the wires are for the battery then... Thanks!

[tmh462]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xJoey Dubsx Alright then, I just need to find out where the wires are for the battery then... Thanks!

You may have to run wires, the trailer may not have originally had a battery in mind. You can run about a 10 gauge black and a 10 gauge white wire from the converter to the tongue. Black would be positive, white would be ground. I would put a 30 amp self resetting breaker on the positive wire near the battery. Your converter should have a charge line lug on it, and it may be fused, and the fuse may not be there. It would have a label saying something like "+ from battery".

[xJoey Dubsx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmh462 You may have to run wires, the trailer may not have originally had a battery in mind. You can run about a 10 gauge black and a 10 gauge white wire from the converter to the tongue. Black would be positive, white would be ground. I would put a 30 amp self resetting breaker on the positive wire near the battery. Your converter should have a charge line lug on it, and it may be fused, and the fuse may not be there. It would have a label saying something like "+ from battery".

any pictures?

[wa8yxm]

So, on the power box. on the inside of the lid.. Is there a label.. Perhaps with some wording on it, Perhaps Magnetek 6345 or something like that?

[tmh462]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm So, on the power box. on the inside of the lid.. Is there a label.. Perhaps with some wording on it, Perhaps Magnetek 6345 or something like that?

The photo looks like a WFCO 20 or so amp converter.
I don't have any photos, that would be too easy. I'll try to snap a few converter photos of the next pop up I run across.

[wa8yxm]

IF your trailer has brakes..... Then you need a battery to operate the break-a-way feature should the trailer and tow vehicle part company.

Not all trailers are big enough to need brakes though. And if memory serves, Yours MIGHT be one of them... Emphasis on MIGHT.

[xJoey Dubsx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm IF your trailer has brakes..... Then you need a battery to operate the break-a-way feature should the trailer and tow vehicle part company. Not all trailers are big enough to need brakes though. And if memory serves, Yours MIGHT be one of them... Emphasis on MIGHT.

Dont believe I do.

[tmh462]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm IF your trailer has brakes..... Then you need a battery to operate the break-a-way feature should the trailer and tow vehicle part company. Not all trailers are big enough to need brakes though. And if memory serves, Yours MIGHT be one of them... Emphasis on MIGHT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xJoey Dubsx Dont believe I do.

That age and size (IIRC 8' box) don't generally have brakes.

You'd be surprised at the number of popups I see come through with the brakes never connected, no breakaway switch, no battery. The laws in most states require trailer brakes if the trailer is 3,000 pounds or more, and these popups have a registered weight of 2990 pounds. But that's a subject for another thread.