Foretravel Owners' Forum

Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: Rich Bowman on March 20, 2021, 09:58:29 pm

Title: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: Rich Bowman on March 20, 2021, 09:58:29 pm
I am adding a charge line for my towed.  Does it matter whether I tap into the house batteries or the coach batteries to supply the electrons?  I plan to tap in at the isolator in the engine compartment.

Thanks,

Rich
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: "Irish" on March 20, 2021, 10:06:58 pm
Rich, it should already be wired in your plug, it's the top right in the 1 o'clock position when the notch in the housing is at the bottom.
All you should need to do is wire the towd.
David
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: oldguy on March 20, 2021, 10:35:16 pm
Rich it is smart to have a fuse at both ends of the wire.
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: MisterEd on March 20, 2021, 10:46:56 pm
Rich it is smart to have a fuse at both ends of the wire.
Absolutely, it is. Use a current limiting device on the coach end, as well as the towed end, sized for the lightest conductor in the circuit. Self resetting breakers, like FT uses on our coaches, work very well for this.

Greg
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: dsd on March 20, 2021, 11:01:52 pm
Rich it is smart to have a fuse at both ends of the wire.
The factory six pin plug does not have a battery charge wire or backup light. Your new seven pin can be wired with both but you will need to add a taillight converter before the plug. Will use same light circuit for turn and brake thru the controller. I used the large spare wire and had a 30amp self resetting circuit breaker on the coach power not house. It might be nice on the house come to think of it? 15 amp on reverse circuit. Some of the nicer socket setups will have fuses at the socket. I also added the backup light circuit because I seem to regularly back up too much. Led cube lights on the back of the trailer are real nice and this also gives a trigger if you have a camera on the back of trailer. I need. All the help I can get. Every time I move my coach it includes 200 feet of backing up with a dogleg in the middle to block view from the street.
Amazon.com: Hopkins 48845 12 Tail Light Converter: Automotive (https://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-48845-Tail-Light-Converter/dp/B0002RNSPK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NEJXY595H93U&dchild=1&keywords=hopkins+tail+light+converter&qid=1616295409&sprefix=Hopkins+tail%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-1)
Scott
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: Woody & Sitka on March 21, 2021, 12:06:26 am
The round center pin wiring diagram for my factory 2001 coach round 6 pin connector was empty, so, I ran a fused, 12v wire to that pin from my isolator.  The towed gets it's voltage for an add-on trickle charger through that pin connector.  Option I guess is to connect a tow brake signal to that pin, and then it would require a completely different wiring connector, but I use a RVI Brake (brake buddy) which does not need an external brake signal, and that factory 6 pin connector with the center pin charge voltage has kept the towed battery fully charged during tow for the past 2 years and 16,000 miles on 2 different toads.
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: Rich Bowman on March 21, 2021, 05:55:19 am
Thanks for the inputs.

I have already taken the coach 7-pin connector apart for wiring.  There is no 12V charge wire in the existing 7-pin OEM connector on the coach. 

Yes, I have already added a self-resetting CB to the towed end of the line and have one for the coach end. 

I don't plan to/can't backup with the jeep attached so don't need backup lights. 

Just trying to figure out if it makes any difference if I pull my 12V for charging from the coach or chassis side of the isolator.

Rich
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: Pamela & Mike on March 21, 2021, 07:15:49 am
Just trying to figure out if it makes any difference if I pull my 12V for charging from the coach or chassis side of the isolator.

Rich,

Electric wise there really isn't any difference, but I use the chassis side because the function we are doing is related to the chassis side rather than the coach side of the system.

Mike
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: Rich Bowman on March 21, 2021, 02:14:15 pm
Thanks, that was the way I was leaning.

Rich
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: Roger & Susan in Home2 on March 21, 2021, 02:14:46 pm
Rich, good plan to hve CB or fuse close to the battery (or source)  at each end.
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: Tom Lang on March 21, 2021, 03:53:45 pm
I ran a wire with a resettable circuit breaker at each end via the unused center pin. Worked great on my Acura MDX.
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: wolfe10 on March 21, 2021, 04:25:44 pm
I have a preference for using a fuse rather than a resettable breaker for the toad battery charge wire (yes, at both coach and toad battery connection points.

The reason is particularly important for an issue at toad battery end.  A short (the wire from toad battery wearing through and contacting any metal/ground) with a resettable breaker can repeatedly make/break/make and potentially quickly deplete the toad battery.  Yes, a fuse would blow, but would not quickly and deeply discharge the toad battery.
Title: Re: Source for towed charge line current
Post by: gracerace on March 21, 2021, 06:32:19 pm
I came off front fuse panel, keyed source from engine batteries, with auto breaker. Used one of the extra heavy wires in the factory harness to rear.

I also converted to 7 round, and use the correct post for charge wire. It charges my Jeep, and my race car trailer, or any other thing I charge that has correct charge wired into plug.

#4 on plug:

https://www.etrailer.com/question-30179.html

Chris