Adding more batteries
I'm fully in the grip of winter up here so contemplating spring projects. I have a truck camper with a battery box that only allows for 2 grp 27 batteries which I have installed now (2 x 12v) I ...
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With mine there is room for two end to end up front each side, and the camper slides right in past them. That would make six batteries possible but I have only done it with one truck set on the driver's side.
I wire up the two truck bed batteries (series if 6s, parallel if 12s) and use jumper cables to parallel that set with the set inside the camper. My camper set is inside up front down low (no access to outside) so I cut a hole on the left front down there and installed a plastic "cable hatch" that allows me to pass the paralleling wires from the inside set to the outside set which is real close out there.
I have the wires dangling outside when sliding the camper in, and when the camper is part way in so I can still get at the truck bed set and the wires now reach, I make the connections and then slide her in the rest of the way.
If your camper batts are accessible from outside you can just use a set of jumper cables. Clamp to the truck bed set with the wires down the outside of the truck, slide in the camper, tuck the wires in where you can get at them later, arrive at the campsite, open your camper battery door, and clamp on.
I have no problem with paralleling a set of 6s with a set of 12s when it is just while camping. At home charge them up to full separately according to their own battery specifications, and then Float them. Don't leave the different kinds of batts in parallel with no float charger on them except for when actually camping.
I wire up the two truck bed batteries (series if 6s, parallel if 12s) and use jumper cables to parallel that set with the set inside the camper. My camper set is inside up front down low (no access to outside) so I cut a hole on the left front down there and installed a plastic "cable hatch" that allows me to pass the paralleling wires from the inside set to the outside set which is real close out there.
I have the wires dangling outside when sliding the camper in, and when the camper is part way in so I can still get at the truck bed set and the wires now reach, I make the connections and then slide her in the rest of the way.
If your camper batts are accessible from outside you can just use a set of jumper cables. Clamp to the truck bed set with the wires down the outside of the truck, slide in the camper, tuck the wires in where you can get at them later, arrive at the campsite, open your camper battery door, and clamp on.
I have no problem with paralleling a set of 6s with a set of 12s when it is just while camping. At home charge them up to full separately according to their own battery specifications, and then Float them. Don't leave the different kinds of batts in parallel with no float charger on them except for when actually camping.
