Truck Camper Cable Entry for DC-DC Charger Wiring

Sorry for the delay... got hung up with something and was not using Internet.

Thanks for all the replies!

Based on feedback from people, here is what I am most likely to do.

1. 60a fuse on vehicle battery with 4 gauge cable running back to tailgate, or I will do like @NRALIFR did and come straight in by the front of the truck bed because I think I have an existing port near that spot on my Ram 2500. Although this looks harder to get to once camper is on the bed.
2. Tailgate 2-pin connector (as seen in photos by previous posters) to facilitate removable connection to camper.
3. Solved one of my main concerns about how to cleanly enter the camper to the battery compartment with this new cable run because I found a pre-existing port from the camper manufacturers that is not being used.
4. Connects to Victron Orion-Tr DC-DC Smart Charger at 30a capacity. This charger has ignition detection, so no on/off is required unless desired.
5. 60a fuse between DC/DC charger and camper battery.

That should do it!

@toddb - Converter is not involved
@kohldad - Thanks for the cable run advice!
@mike/kellie - I encourage you to look at the slightly more expensive Victron Orion-Tr DC-DC Smart Charger for the extra features, like ignition detection and Bluetooth monitoring.

how big of a converter are you running?

Running the cable is very easy on the ram. Start at he drivers batter, drop down by the booster to the frame. Run along the frame the length of the vehicle, at the rear axle hump, you will see a group of cables that go up and over the hump so just follow them. At the rear, I went slightly over and back of the hitch to allow a little extra in case I needed to do a repair. At the rear of the truck, I drilled a hole on the left side of the license plate matching the factory trailer plug location. Originally this was for a second plug but recently I upgraded to Anderson 175A connectors. Just buy them or save a few bucks for the knock-offs.

I did the wire run originally on a 2004 Ram, pulled the wire and moved it over to my 2015 Ram. Ran #2 thick strand because it's what I had with the benefit of less cable ties because it doesn't flex easily. Would be much easier with something that did.

I’d also recommend using that Pollak 2-pin liftgate plug. It’s rated for far more amps than your DC-DC Charger will ever require, but it’s also compatible with (IIRC) up to 2 AWG wires.

For the length this circuit is going to be, If you want the charger to live up to its full potential, don’t undersize the wires. Run them the most direct route from the truck battery, through an appropriate CB and isolation solenoid, under the cab to the front of the bed, and you'll still be surprised just how long that circuit is!

This is the wire I used, and the lug crimping tool.








Here’s some pics of how I installed mine.

Starting from the front, I installed a CB and solenoid behind the driver side headlight.





From there, I ran the 2 AWG +/- 12 volt wires down to the frame rail in split loom, making sure they were in a protected path, away from heat.

Not sure if Ram is like this, but in the front of Ford pickup beds, there are a couple of plastic plugs. I used the one on the driver side to pull a wire bundle through.



I used a length of heater hose as a conduit between the cab and bed.





For the turn, brake, reverse and marker lights, I spliced into the 5th-wheel plug wires at the end of the bed, and ran those wires to the front f the bed as well.





I need a thick spacer at the front of my bed to keep the camper from running into the truck brake lights, so I mounted a plastic electrical junction box on its face to use as a spot to mount the new plugs. The plugs are both Pollak brand, round pin plugs. A 2-pin, and a 4-pin.









The 4 gauge wire goes through the camper’s umbilical cord, all the way to the DC-DC charger, which is installed close to the camper battery and connected directly to it. There are fuses on both the input and output sides of the charger.

Here’s a link to a topic I posted in Tech Issues two years ago detailing the DC-DC charger install inside the camper.

Redarc DC-DC Battery Charger

:):)

Minimal, I am methodically going through this process as well. We are going lithium and I currently have the Anderson connectors in place, with one mounted into my back bumper. This accepts a short pigtail from the camper batteries. This allows us to have 4-6v AGM batteries in series/parallel.
I'm researching the DC to DC charger now and will run 2 or 4 gauge wires from the truck battery to the Anderson plug in my bumper with the necessary fuses in place. I think I'll run another lighter gauge 2-way from a spare upfitter switch in the dash to activate the charger in lieu of another ignition source.

I used one of these and the matching plug. I think it's called a 'tail gate' connector or something like that.

You're going to use a solenoid or equivalent - right?!, to disconnect the circuit when the truck isn't running.
My charge circuit

I was thinking about running additional charging cables and years of RVing brought first conclusion that you need to make a connector, who will unplug itself when pulled.
Regardless what age you are at- sooner or later you will have senior moment.
Than you want to make the cables the shortest possible, so logically would be to run them under cabin and enter truck box on front.
Maybe you can use drainage holes, but I would not hesitate to make holes and put cables into grommets.
My truck also has factory 400W inverter, so another option is to run 120V wire either for charging with camper converter, or at least use 120V for fridge element.