Power to the trailer ??

[Gary crouch]

Currently in the process of building my m416 into a nice camp trailer, have the RTT, the water, the lift .......but am completely lost on the power aspect.. Should I, should I not??

I was thinking a battery to run some small led lighting, that would be charged off the trucks charging system. Sounds easy, but I hear it's a big PITA..... and probably not worth the trouble. I'm not looking to watch TV, power a coffee pot or anything like that.... any good ideas??

 

[titanpat57]

You can do a very simple setup that will get you through with basic lighting.

Sometimes you may have the capabilities to plug into 120v power, and that setup is just a bit more elaborate, requiring a converter.

Here's some good reading to get going, next thing would be to design the layout and locations, and go from there.

Welcome to Mud...there's tons of good info here


Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers :: View Forum - Electrical Secrets


The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)

good luck, Pat

 

[Gary crouch]

Thanks pat!!

there is more infor here than I could ask for.... lots of reading today... !!

Thanks , Gary

 

[SWITAWI]

I swear I get more questions answered for me here than anywhere else. The questions even start popping up before I have a chance to ask them. Even Google brings me right back here! Thanks guys. Mud Trailer Tech FTW, indeed.

 

[greentruck]

We have a dual battery system in our 80 series, so plenty of power there. Long before buying the 80, I used an extension cord that clipped to the battery posts to supply 12 volt power to the campsite. Typically around 50 feet, these are heavy gauge zipcord to limit voltage drop over a longer or smaller diameter conductor.

Our present truck and trailer are always parked in close proximity. We actually sleep in the truck currently. If I need to leave for a day of wheeling, I just unhook and go.

Unless you anticipate someone staying at camp who needs power or want to leave the fridge or something else running at camp, it may be worth evaluating whether it's worth the expense over simply drawing power from the truck itself by using an extension cord to the utility trailer.

And a trailer battery/power system inevitably takes some space away from trailer capacity. They look big, until you start loading one up, then they seem to shrink some

 

[Gary crouch]

I'm just not so sure the battery thing is worth it... Looks expensive to do it right, just for some led lights to light up the area around the trailer... perhaps that honda 2000 wat gen set for the now and then need and a good ole coleman lantern for the rest is really the best way to go???.

Too bad though, I thought it would be cool to be self contained for the ocassional week out on the trail...

 

[greentruck]

Gary,
One thing that has worked well for us was a lantern stand. It's basically a tripod, which folds like a camera tripod, with an extensible center pole that has a hanger for your Coleman or other lamp. That lights up the whole area around our trailer and can be moved to best advantage depending on your camp.

I'm looking to eventually upgrade to some nice LED flood lights, but they're not cheap. But they are getting cheaper, so waiting will pay off when I can afford them. That's the most expensive part of the system, IMO, and when I do get them, they will work fine with my extension cord system from the truck.

Don't get discouraged, because if you have a budget like most of us do, then rushing into buying something only to find out it's not working quite the way first assumed -- that gets expensive. So taking the time to consider all your options is a good thing and will pay off in mistakes avoided that can be turned into greater capabilities down the road.

 

[titanpat57]

Why don't you make a list of the things you would like to power, your budget number, and maybe we can help you come up with something that will fit in your budget.

The Honda is not cheap, and will run a lot of things...but with peak wattage around 1600w IIRC, it'll be a welcomed addition in the woods.

Good advice as always Mike...

 

[womacje]

I like the extension cord to the truck personally. If someone stays at basecamp, don't need lights and they won't have the fridge... Wire the trailer to a distribution block with a receptical for vehicle to trailer power and if you decide it's time to go the batt on board all you have to do is drop it into storage and connect it to you distribution block.

I love the Honda 2000's but don't like the idea of a gas guzzler, aside from the 80 , at camp with me. Plus as quiet as they are they still make noise and all the electrical you wired into your trailer is now 110... I use my truck as a generator, dual batt system, i haven't had to power the trailer yet.

The thing that always surprises me is the wire and connector costs! This stuff isn't cheap. Wire alone will set you back a $100 sometimes. Get your basic setup priced out, wire, connectors, LED's then start adding in the other bits that are the nice to haves instead of the must haves. All my nice to haves generally wind up on my truck/trailer sooner or later.

GreenTruck,
Can you post up some extension cord pics? Sources?

Long story short, I agree with you guys!

Jeremy

 

[greentruck]

Jeremy,
Hope the pics help. But the idea is simple.

I use 16 gauge brown zip cord, the kind that you can use for lamp cord or that you see in your common cheap extension cord in brown or white. I use brown, because it doesn't show the dirt of camping like white does.

On one end I solder on a 12 volt receptacle, using proper strain relief. Since it's an extension cord and will get tugged even if you're careful, soldering is just about required for reliable connection. The one in these pics is installed in an old chili powder container.

I use one of the those cheap orange plastic extension cord winders to hold the wire neatly, wrapping it around that and unwinding as needed.

On the other end, you have two choices. In the past, I got a small pair of clamps like smaller version of the ones on a set of jumper cables. Just clamp it on your battery posts, lay the wire where it won't get cut and lower the hood gently, leaving it partially caught. You can hang the orange cord winder on your sideview mirror if you don't trust yourself or others to drive off before unhooking the extension cord

After installing several 12 volt sockets, I made another extension cord, but this one has a standard 12 volt power plug on the end. I plug this in inside the truck. It has the advantage of being fused.

Never fused the clamp-ended cord, but was always careful about it not getting cut. Be careful whatever you do.

I also keep a couple of those two-receptacle pigtails in the truck, too. This permits me to plug multiple items into the one cable.

 

[titanpat57]

I like that a lot Mike!!

I may have to steal that idea.

 

[greentruck]

Pat,
Steal away!

Just remember you're on your own without a fuse, if you go that route, and watch where you leave the wire draped around in the dark. That can be hazardous after too many if you're not careful about where you run your power lines.

 

[greentruck]

BTW, the pics with the cord winder stuck up in the eaves of our awning show it in position where we plug in our LED lights.

PS I think that last pic is "enhanced" with my camera flash. However, those LED strings are bright. We want to get a couple more, so there's a string on each of the four side of the awning. Then it should be bright enough for these old eyes to read without supplementary lighting.

These tired old eyes have also become a fan of the LED headlamp, too, which saves a lot of trouble lighting around the campsite at night.

 

[womacje]

Mike,

Well done!!! I've been trying to figure out how to temporarily get juice from the 2nd batt to the trailer for pump/water, I like this. All the other options I've thought of have involved wire that just isn't flexible enough... I dig your setup.. Where are you located? I'm in MPLS, MN

 

[greentruck]

Jeremy,
We're in Central Illinois. Not much camping around here, unless you like camping on a pad. Thus the need for an expo vehicle to go find some fresh air.