Camping At Walmart

Gdetrailer wrote:

Nvr2loud wrote:
On GM you need to install the fuse and connect the power wire at the fuse box location under the hood, then you will have CONSTANT 12 volt power to the 7-pin, otherwise you will never have 12 volt charge power to the 7-pin.

I drained both my batteries once, and since then I don't keep the fuse installed. If I need to charge my battery on the go, I plug the fuse back in again. Mostly I camp with a shore power connection, so keeping the battery charging on-route is no concern for me.

Personally I would rather have the charge line active, this ensures you have a charged battery on board the trailer.. Kind of helps to have a charged battery in case the trailer breaks away the battery is needed to stop your trailer from rolling away in this situation..

Good point, but I don't travel far enough to worry about my battery draining on-route. I've never towed the trailer further then 2 hours from home in the last five seasons of camping. The benefit of living in cottage country, there are dozens of great camping locations close to home. :)

Gdetrailer wrote:

SprinklerMan wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

SprinklerMan wrote:
Carry a battery jump box with you . Dead battery , just give it a hot shot

Wouldn't it make sense to make SURE you don't get a flat battery by unplugging it in the first place?

And the one time you forget , you will be happy you had it .

I don't care who you are, but that there is funny..

Honestly, do it ONCE and you WILL NEVER MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE TWICE.

You do realize that those jump boxes do no good if YOU "forget" to charge them periodically?

Yeah, that would be incredibly stupid to kill your vehicle battery then realize you "forgot" to make sure your little jump box was charged..

Having a jump box is no excuse and should not be relied on..

Nothing should be relied on . Man made it , it will break . Buddy of mine fishes off shore . He has twin diesels , about 30 miles off shore the engines died . There was a wiring problem with the battery switch . They fixed the problem . BUT without the 2 battery jump boxes they would have been in trouble .

Slate CM wrote:
I did some work on a late model Ford, no more than 2 years old, super duty and the 7 pin had 12V all the time. My 2008 Tundra only has power with the key on.

I don't know what "late" model means.. Ford has made changes over the years.. 1980s and before, there was no charge line from factory..

Sometime in the 1990's Ford added a 7 pin connector WITH the charge line ON A RELAY on most any truck with a towing package (IE class 4/5 hitch).

Now with 1990's F150s they often do not put the charge line fuse or relay in, instead it is included in a plastic bag in the glove box.. The owner just needed to put those in..

Vehicles which did not have a towing package often did not have any wiring and the owner had to DIY or pay a mechanic to wire it up.. Often times in those cases nobody ever thought to use a relay so the charge line was often hot always or never connected..

My Dads 1980 F350 never had factory wiring, he installed the wiring himself.. Yeah, he got stranded ONCE with his 5vr in the winter when his furnace ran down the trailer battery AND his truck battery overnight..

After that he always disconnected the trailer when stopping overnight..

Nvr2loud wrote:
On GM you need to install the fuse and connect the power wire at the fuse box location under the hood, then you will have CONSTANT 12 volt power to the 7-pin, otherwise you will never have 12 volt charge power to the 7-pin.

I drained both my batteries once, and since then I don't keep the fuse installed. If I need to charge my battery on the go, I plug the fuse back in again. Mostly I camp with a shore power connection, so keeping the battery charging on-route is no concern for me.

A Bosch style relay powered via key on circuit (accessory circuit)inserted into the charge line of the vehicle is a cheap and permanent solution..

Costs $2-$3 and you don't need to pull the fuse..

Personally I would rather have the charge line active, this ensures you have a charged battery on board the trailer.. Kind of helps to have a charged battery in case the trailer breaks away the battery is needed to stop your trailer from rolling away in this situation..

SprinklerMan wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

SprinklerMan wrote:
Carry a battery jump box with you . Dead battery , just give it a hot shot

Wouldn't it make sense to make SURE you don't get a flat battery by unplugging it in the first place?

And the one time you forget , you will be happy you had it .

I don't care who you are, but that there is funny..

Honestly, do it ONCE and you WILL NEVER MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE TWICE.

You do realize that those jump boxes do no good if YOU "forget" to charge them periodically?

Yeah, that would be incredibly stupid to kill your vehicle battery then realize you "forgot" to make sure your little jump box was charged..

Having a jump box is no excuse and should not be relied on..

starfishkiller wrote:
My wife and I are taking our trailer to Georgia, from NJ. We are planning on stopping in the Fredericksburg, Va area, at a Walmart. We will spend the night, and move on the next day.

My question involves the electrical connection between the tow vehicle, and the trailer. I know there is a 12V connection between the tow vehicle battery, and the trailer battery. That being the case, should we disconnect the trailer connector, for the night? I am concerned about running down the tow vehicle battery.

Thanks
Eric

Most of the free loaders I know disconnect the TV and trailer. Don't leave it hanging on the ground, just in case you forget it.

On GM you need to install the fuse and connect the power wire at the fuse box location under the hood, then you will have CONSTANT 12 volt power to the 7-pin, otherwise you will never have 12 volt charge power to the 7-pin.

I drained both my batteries once, and since then I don't keep the fuse installed. If I need to charge my battery on the go, I plug the fuse back in again. Mostly I camp with a shore power connection, so keeping the battery charging on-route is no concern for me.

I did some work on a late model Ford, no more than 2 years old, super duty and the 7 pin had 12V all the time. My 2008 Tundra only has power with the key on.

Sorry, couldn't resist

On my 2006 F350 the trailer wiring only works when the ignition key is ON