I'm wiring up for a slide in camper and will be wiring 12V, marker lights and Ground. What is IDEAL....is to run the 12V directly from the alternator to the battery in the slide in camper. But I do not want to tamper with the alternator wiring so I would like to run the line off the main battery.

1. Running off the main, will the camper battery recieve proper charge while driving wired this way?

2. If I wire off the main, should I install a disconnect terminal switch between the camper and main so when at site, power is not drawn from the main? (probably will only be using interior lights here and there)

3. Will a stock 30amp alt be sufficient enough or do i need to upgrade to a 3G?

thanks guys

 

you could wire the camper off the trailer plug on the back and it has a battery charge wire (if it's been hooked up).

 

Its a standard 4 pin for hauling trailer no 12V charge. I can only tap into that for the camper marker lights.

 

you can run a charge wire from the starter relay with a 30 amp breaker to the back. that is how the factory does the newer trucks ( come out of the fuse box under the hood). what year truck is it?

 

That would be no different than running straight off the battery? The starter solenoid is mounted on the passenger side fender about 10" from the + terminal. Same concept as a seperate run from the battery to the camper with a breaker.

 

truck is a 90 F250

 

wait a sec.....i need to isolate the camper battery from the main. To avoid circuit spikes when I start the truck.

Anyone with knowledge on campers help me out on how to wire this up?

 

you could wire it though a relay so it's only on when you want it on.

 

My truck camper has a 7 pin connector on the front of it. When I bought it the dealer made a cable that goes from the 7 pin trailer connector under the rear bumper to the 7 pin trailer connector on the front of the camper.
Because you do not already have a 7 pin connect or on your truck I would buy a relay( like your fender mounted starter realy) and run a cable from your battery to the realy , then from the other side of the relay back to your camper battery. For the power to control the realy rune a fuse tap off of an ignition fuse(by ignition fuse I mean one that is only powered when the ignition is on) to the relay. This way your camper battery will only be powered when the ignition is turned on. If you turn the truck key to accessory the camper will NOT recieve power. This is the same way the 12v power wire is wired on a 7 pin trailer connector in that it only has power when the ignition is in the on position.
Hope this helps you with out confusing you

Matt

 

So by installing 50amp relay between the Chassis Battery and camper battery, the camper battery will recieve charge while driving? No need for isolator or breaker swtich? Well i guess that's what the relay will be doing...

Thanks guys, your input helps tremedously

 

Yes the relay will isolate the batteries

 

ok so I picked an isolator, but still do not know how to wire it up. Apparently our trucks alternator wiring is slightly diff than the normal. Anyone have any specific ideas on how this should be wired up on our trucks? ive searched and it all says something different?

 

Take the isolator back and use a relay. Simpler and much more reliable. If you use an isolator, you will most likely have to wire an exciter to the isolator. The instructions should spell this out.

My opinion,

Steve

 

Hi Steve....given your name, I think I should trust what you are saying here! I'm new to the camper thing and just trying to do things properly and safely. Whichever takes me that route. Can you specify which kinda of relay I require for this application?

 

Isolator and Relays virtually perform the same thing just different methods of discconect? Sorry, just trying to fully understand.