hello! I’ve been lurking on this forum since I discovered it a few weeks ago, welcome to my first post!
I’m in the middle of a fairly mild m416 build, and see the collective wisdom of those who've gone down this path before me. I'm building a m416 which will have very modest electrical needs, but I want it to be a couple of things: simple, universal, and expandable. it will have it's own deep cycle 12v battery, and now I’m just trying to figure out the best way to wire it in.
I've installed a dual battery setup in a camping van before, so I went over to napa and picked up napa part #782-1768, which is a battery isolator suitable for my jeep wranglers 120 amp alternator.
I had thought it would be as simple as installing this isolator in the trailer and running a heavy gauge 12v wire to the isolator, but after reading the directions, I’m not so sure this is the case. according to the diagram, the installation requires you to install the isolator in between your vehicle's starter. this would mean that the isolator needs to go in your engine compartment, not your trailer. (see diagram)
I want to keep this project simple and universal, my thought was that if I do a standard wiring job with a 7 connector plug to the trailer, any* tow rig should be able to top off the battery as it's being towed. I will run this through pin 4 of the 7 pin connector. (that appears to be what this pin is for anyway!)
so, what am I missing here, am I over thinking this? do I even need a battery isolator, or should I simply wire the battery directly in, and disconnect the trailer's plug when stopped so I don't run down the main vehicle battery? (the vehicle's battery and the trailer battery will be different types though, so this is a no-no, right?) do I just need a diode so that current flows only TO the trailer, and assume that the accessories on the trailer will be the only discharge for the trailer's battery? after all, I don't really need 2 batteries at once as in a dual battery vehicle setup. 12v solonoid connected to an ignition line? thermal fuses? I’m sure many people have solved this problem, but I couldn't seem to find an answer by searching "isolator" in the forums.
one other question, what gauge wire do I need to run TO the 7pin connector? I assume charging a dead trailer battery from a vehicle will require a fairly healthy wire, but also suppose that it will only be as thick as the pigtail on the 7pin connector (at least for a couple of inches anyway)
as a teaser, I'll be posting a full build soon... here's a couple of picts to whet your appetite!
as purchased (a few years ago)
a new jeep, but dosen't it look lonely without a trailer?
* it will really only be towed behind my jeep (sorry!) but I want to make it as universal as possible, i.e. no custom wiring schematics
I’m in the middle of a fairly mild m416 build, and see the collective wisdom of those who've gone down this path before me. I'm building a m416 which will have very modest electrical needs, but I want it to be a couple of things: simple, universal, and expandable. it will have it's own deep cycle 12v battery, and now I’m just trying to figure out the best way to wire it in.
I've installed a dual battery setup in a camping van before, so I went over to napa and picked up napa part #782-1768, which is a battery isolator suitable for my jeep wranglers 120 amp alternator.
I had thought it would be as simple as installing this isolator in the trailer and running a heavy gauge 12v wire to the isolator, but after reading the directions, I’m not so sure this is the case. according to the diagram, the installation requires you to install the isolator in between your vehicle's starter. this would mean that the isolator needs to go in your engine compartment, not your trailer. (see diagram)
I want to keep this project simple and universal, my thought was that if I do a standard wiring job with a 7 connector plug to the trailer, any* tow rig should be able to top off the battery as it's being towed. I will run this through pin 4 of the 7 pin connector. (that appears to be what this pin is for anyway!)
so, what am I missing here, am I over thinking this? do I even need a battery isolator, or should I simply wire the battery directly in, and disconnect the trailer's plug when stopped so I don't run down the main vehicle battery? (the vehicle's battery and the trailer battery will be different types though, so this is a no-no, right?) do I just need a diode so that current flows only TO the trailer, and assume that the accessories on the trailer will be the only discharge for the trailer's battery? after all, I don't really need 2 batteries at once as in a dual battery vehicle setup. 12v solonoid connected to an ignition line? thermal fuses? I’m sure many people have solved this problem, but I couldn't seem to find an answer by searching "isolator" in the forums.
one other question, what gauge wire do I need to run TO the 7pin connector? I assume charging a dead trailer battery from a vehicle will require a fairly healthy wire, but also suppose that it will only be as thick as the pigtail on the 7pin connector (at least for a couple of inches anyway)
as a teaser, I'll be posting a full build soon... here's a couple of picts to whet your appetite!
as purchased (a few years ago)
a new jeep, but dosen't it look lonely without a trailer?
* it will really only be towed behind my jeep (sorry!) but I want to make it as universal as possible, i.e. no custom wiring schematics
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