TC battery charge - More amps from truck relay?

Kudos msiminoff IMHO yours is a model system.

The Essex type tower solenoid is superior to can type relays. For 100 ampere operation I would be tempted to go with a 200 ampere rated tower solenoid. Passing under the tow vehicle, encasing the conductor in heater hose or water hose is a smart idea. So is installing 100 ampere circuit breakers at BOTH ends of the installation. Using smaller than 2 gauge wire is IMHO a waste of time for tow vehicle recharging. Yes I do recommend 4 gauge jumper cables. They are SHORTER and can pass the same quality of amperage.

I see, so if I want more juice I got to have a better ground. From what I gattered, I will not connect from the relay, like you said, it is not worth the effort.

Thanks

Only addresing original question but replacing just the wire from factory relay to camper, though might be some gain-I wouldnt think all that much or really worth the effort. At least on ours thats what I finally concluded. I was going to replace wire from relay to camper, but unknown convoluted path before it even gets to factory relay (and smallish wire) so I left ours intact. Added 'another' charge source along the lines described by others.
Im using an ign controlled constant duty solenoid, I added a manual switch to disable.

edit on your ford factory realy is in the engine bay attached to fuse box. You need to match ground wire size to power wire size (hence the 2 wires) when upgrading. Batteries wont be overcharge-thats a function of alternator. Theres a couple of threads in the TCU sticky under 'Camper Electrical, 12v batteries/charging/wiring/bed plug' .

Ok, I saw the anderson connector, looks good too, they should have it at grainger.
With the isolator, do you need some kind of a switch?

Ok, if I run a wire from the Altenator, do I need some sort of regulator in between? Is there a danger of overcharging the batteries?

Msiminoff I like the lift gate connector, why do you run 2 wires?

Golden HVAC, is the isolator a "regulator?

Westend, I do not know which type of relay I have, I don't know where it is on the truck.

My son has a Dodge Diesel and he wants to install something too, we are going on a USA circle tour this fall, so we need juice!

Thank you all

I don't own a Ford so I'm not sure about how your charge relay is wired...

In my case I chose to run 2ga. wire from my truck alternator/battery to the house battery. If the batteries are at a low SOC, I typically see 75-80A of charge current (and over 100A for the first minute or two) between truck and camper while driving. I installed a high current liftgate connector in my bed and have a dedicated pigtail on the front of the TC.

Hope this helps. Pic's below.
Cheers,
-Mark

The Anderson connectors are superior to anything else. Cover the contact surfaces with a preservative and they will last a long time.

Question for Golden: I've read that the "tower style" of solenoid is better than the metal-cased relays. Is that your experience?

I did a quick Google search, and found this on e-bay.

Anderson Conector


It is already sized for #6 wire, and you can put in wire from #10 to #6, and clamp it firmly with a bench vice, no need for a oversized crimper. Just make sure you can still assemble the wire connector into the plastic fitting afterwords.

I might also use a 12' long #8 gauge jumper cable for the camper end of the wiring - you can buy that size jumper cable from Harbor Frieght for about $15 when they are on sale. This keeps the wire neat, and will conduct over 50 amps in your use.

Fred.

Yes you can increase the wire size, and get a lot more amps. You can also change to a "Anderson Connector" - or forklift battery connector, and increase to say #4 wire and use that size connector to get up to 75 amps from the engine battery.

What I might recommend is something like a 3 wire locking type plug, in the 20 amp range, that is a reasonable cost at your local hardware store. Lets say you find a 14L20 plug and receptacle. You put the electrical box and plug on the truck, and wire the plug and put a cord on the camper, plugging it in as you load. Or put it near the storage compartment so you can get to it once loaded - if you ever forget to plug in as loading.

The 14L20 is rated at 20 amps, but is much more robust than a 20 amp rated camper wiring socket. Also because it has two brass terminals, and a ground and a silver terminal, you can wire each with a #10 wire. Use the Green and Silver as 12 volt grounds, and the two brass terminals as +12 wires. Then connect the +12 wires to a #8 wire going towards the battery. Have a forklift battery isolator such as Grainger part #6C017 (now $45) rated at a maximum of 100 amps and has silver allow contacts that are good for 100,000 on-off cycles (it will last well over 20 years in RV service). A 50 or 60 amp automatic re-set circuit breaker with 3/8" terminals will complete the circuit. Connect this to the battery +12 or to the alternator output directly. Run the #8 ground wire to the battery terminal for best results (lowest possible voltage loss).

Because the ends of the 14L20 plug will have 12 volts to them, and could spark against anything metal (powered by the camper battery) you should use a 14L20 cord end (the female side of a cord connector) to cover the plug end while the camper is off the truck, or otherwise unplugged from the truck. Even the bare wire can short to the truck bed while loading process, because both wires are not protected. A 60 amp automatic reset circuit breaker in the camper, near the battery is also required to protect the wiring from short circuits from the camper battery end.

Good luck with your project.

Fred.