Running trailer from tow vehicle inverter

afidel wrote:
The stock alternator on my vehicle is 170A (~2kw), plenty to power a 1500W inverter. The only thing I don't know is if the truck is smart enough to do a high idle if the battery voltage goes low, typically idle alternator amperage is half of rated full load. I've actually thought of doing the exact same thing since the muffler on my truck makes it about 100x quieter than even a Honda inverter generator and a 1500W inverter is a heck of a lot cheaper than said generator. Idle fuel consumption is only about 2x what a 3k generator uses at 80% load (or whatever the non-idle fuel consumption is quoted at) and I have a 26 gallon tank instead of 1-2 gallons for most generators.

For sure, there's a lot to be said for the idea of using a dramatically quieter truck instead of a so-called "quiet" inverter genset which in reality is anything but, despite that the pundits may clamour over the "inefficiency" of using such a large engine for this purpose. :R I suppose for those who do nothing but dry camp they have a point but for those like the OP who are only looking to this idea as an infrequent alternative to solar charging because the sun isn't out this may not be a bad idea after all. My own Silverado has a 145 amp alternator, I have a 1000 watt PSW inverter currently mounted in the trailer that I could instead also use for this purpose, so I too am thinking it might be worth experimenting with to see how well this might work. Alternately, another idea would be to instead invest in a DC > DC charger like this CTEK 250SA which has dual inputs so it can not only be powered by the truck's electrical system but can also serve as a solar charge controller.

SoundGuy wrote:

Tomt53 wrote:
The purpose of using an inverter would be to boost the rv battery when it becomes low when dry camping, by running the tv and plugging the trailer into the inverter. I do not have a generator. I will be using a 1500w pure sine inverter. The converter in the rv has a smart charging system(Progreessive dynamics)

In other words you want to use your TV as a generator while not towing to power this inverter which in turn would power the trailer's PD converter - correct? So I have to ask - just which PD converter do you have, where is this inverter located in the truck, are the input cables short and of heavy enough gauge to support a heavy current load, is it properly fused, and are you satisfied the truck's electrical system itself has sufficient capacity to power this PD converter under full load? :h

The stock alternator on my vehicle is 170A (~2kw), plenty to power a 1500W inverter. The only thing I don't know is if the truck is smart enough to do a high idle if the battery voltage goes low, typically idle alternator amperage is half of rated full load. I've actually thought of doing the exact same thing since the muffler on my truck makes it about 100x quieter than even a Honda inverter generator and a 1500W inverter is a heck of a lot cheaper than said generator. Idle fuel consumption is only about 2x what a 3k generator uses at 80% load (or whatever the non-idle fuel consumption is quoted at) and I have a 26 gallon tank instead of 1-2 gallons for most generators.

Tomt53 wrote:
The purpose of using an inverter would be to boost the rv battery when it becomes low when dry camping, by running the tv and plugging the trailer into the inverter. I do not have a generator. I will be using a 1500w pure sine inverter. The converter in the rv has a smart charging system(Progreessive dynamics)

In other words you want to use your TV as a generator while not towing to power this inverter which in turn would power the trailer's PD converter - correct? So I have to ask - just which PD converter do you have, where is this inverter located in the truck, are the input cables short and of heavy enough gauge to support a heavy current load, is it properly fused, and are you satisfied the truck's electrical system itself has sufficient capacity to power this PD converter under full load? :h

carringb wrote:

Boon Docker wrote:
Not sure how you would get a closed loop when using the inverter in the tow vehicle.
You are not using the trailer battery, you are using the tow vehicle battery.

If you are hooked up to the 7-way plug, the converter will attempt to charge both the trailer and Tow Vehicle. I'm not aware of any OEM that include a diode to the trailer charge circuit. If you're disconnected from the 7-way, it's not an issue.

Would not hurt a thing.
Chances are the vehicles charging circuit would be above the voltage of the converter. Thus. the converter will not be putting out much. If the vehicles voltage level is below the converters then the conv will charge everything - again, no issue.
It's also no different than plugging in the RV while the vehicle is connected and running.

Either way, it isn't a short and wont hurt anything at all.

Years ago I did exactly as the OP describes to power my 2 way fridge and had no problems.

Thank you, all. The purpose of using an inverter would be to boost the rv battery when it becomes low when dry camping, by running the tv and plugging the trailer into the inverter. I do not have a generator. I will be using a 1500w pure sine inverter. The converter in the rv has a smart charging system(Progreessive dynamics)- I know this would not be efficient, but it could extend camp time. I do have 2- 50 watt solar panels that keep the batteries up on the sunny days.

Technologically possible: Sure

Practical: NO!!!!

Boon Docker wrote:
Not sure how you would get a closed loop when using the inverter in the tow vehicle.
You are not using the trailer battery, you are using the tow vehicle battery.

The OP hasn't provided any details at all as to what means he'd use to connect this inverter to the trailer, whether the trailer battery is also connected or not, whether the trailer converter would be on or off, whether he would intend any other 120 vac devices in the trailer to be on or off. Regardless, any system must avoid creating a closed loop.

Boon Docker wrote:
Not sure how you would get a closed loop when using the inverter in the tow vehicle.
You are not using the trailer battery, you are using the tow vehicle battery.

If you are hooked up to the 7-way plug, the converter will attempt to charge both the trailer and Tow Vehicle. I'm not aware of any OEM that include a diode to the trailer charge circuit. If you're disconnected from the 7-way, it's not an issue.

If you are talking about an OEM inverter connector it will be too small. Connect your own 1000+ watt inverter and have the TV running you might do OK.

Not sure how you would get a closed loop when using the inverter in the tow vehicle.
You are not using the trailer battery, you are using the tow vehicle battery.