Hello,I recently got myself a used 70-something 9 foot truck camper and purchased a deep cycle battery for when I am camping with no hookups. Thing is, after looking under the sink I can't seem to be able to figure out how to hook up the battery to it. There is a power converter under there that was installed after the fact. Wires run into it and then my power connect and I think the truck bed plug run out of it. It is also plugged in to an outlet that is underneath there. But, there doesn't seem to be any wires that would be connected to the battery. Is there some kind of converter or adapter I need to purchase? Do I need professional help to get this backup battery installed? If so, would I go to someplace like Camping World or Torklift or a RV dealership?Or, should I just scrap the idea altogether and buy a small generator? Upon doing research I determined running anything off my truck battery was just a bad idea, that it would kill my truck battery quickly and then I would be stranded or whatever. Is this accurate?

Why not post a photo so we can see what you have and can give you proper advice?And, yes, you don't want to run the camper directly off the truck battery. It is possible that your camper does not have a spot for a battery. Mine doesn't. I mount my battery in the front driver side corner of the truck bed, then plug it into the camper.A picture is worth a whole bunch. More pictures are even better.

How do you plug it in to the camper? I will see about pictured this afternoon.

One of the truck bed plug wires is 12V+ and one is Ground. You would tap into these wires to connect your battery. That camper probably did not come with a battery standard.You could just use clip-on wire taps, or cut the wires and bodge them together with wire nuts, crimp connectors and/or tape.The neat/organized/logical/proper/correct way to do this is to disassemble the truck plug, pull the 12V and ground wires back, and fix them to separate terminal bars inside the camper. I would use a fuse panel for the + side. The fuse panels can be purchased at an auto parts store. Run new wires from the terminal bars to the truck plug, and then connect the battery to the terminal bars.Be aware that 12V deep cycle batteries give off explosive hydrogen gas when charged. Do not just stuff the battery in a cabinet inside the camper.Battery compartments are sealed off from the inside of the camper, and vented to the outside to prevent that hydrogen gas from building up in the camper and going BOOM from an unexpected spark.

Sometimes its better and safer to take out everything and rebuild with new.Get a meter a VOM.and figureout how much power you need.Do you even have a 7 pin connector?you have no idea what the previous owners did,a 40 year old camper should have a complete restoration.

It is seeming to me that it is going to be easier and cheaper to just get a generator. I have a very limited budget and absolutely no electrical knowledge.

Truck Camper Extra Battery Install | Good Sam Community

15 Replies

Lovealicia
Explorer
Oct 02, 2015
It is seeming to me that it is going to be easier and cheaper to just get a generator. I have a very limited budget and absolutely no electrical knowledge.
RWDIII
Explorer
Oct 02, 2015
Sometimes its better and safer to take out everything and rebuild with new.
Get a meter a VOM.and figureout how much power you need.
Do you even have a 7 pin connector?
you have no idea what the previous owners did,
a 40 year old camper should have a complete restoration.
mkirsch
Nomad II
Oct 02, 2015
One of the truck bed plug wires is 12V+ and one is Ground. You would tap into these wires to connect your battery. That camper probably did not come with a battery standard.

You could just use clip-on wire taps, or cut the wires and bodge them together with wire nuts, crimp connectors and/or tape.

The neat/organized/logical/proper/correct way to do this is to disassemble the truck plug, pull the 12V and ground wires back, and fix them to separate terminal bars inside the camper. I would use a fuse panel for the + side. The fuse panels can be purchased at an auto parts store. Run new wires from the terminal bars to the truck plug, and then connect the battery to the terminal bars.

Be aware that 12V deep cycle batteries give off explosive hydrogen gas when charged. Do not just stuff the battery in a cabinet inside the camper.

Battery compartments are sealed off from the inside of the camper, and vented to the outside to prevent that hydrogen gas from building up in the camper and going BOOM from an unexpected spark.
Lovealicia
Explorer
Oct 02, 2015
How do you plug it in to the camper? I will see about pictured this afternoon.
whizbang
Explorer II
Oct 02, 2015
Why not post a photo so we can see what you have and can give you proper advice?

And, yes, you don't want to run the camper directly off the truck battery.

It is possible that your camper does not have a spot for a battery. Mine doesn't. I mount my battery in the front driver side corner of the truck bed, then plug it into the camper.

A picture is worth a whole bunch. More pictures are even better.

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Truck Camper Extra Battery Install

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