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Ty_Deschaine's avatar
Ty_Deschaine
Explorer
Feb 22, 2014

Adding a Battery to my Truck Camper

Hey guys,

First time post here. I have been doing a lot of research and am struggling to find the info I need. I recently sold my 1983 Tioga Fleetwood and purchased a 1992 Shadow Cruiser Truck Camper. First I have to say, WOW, what a huge upgrade. The 4X4 and 7.3L Powerstroke make driving in the Cascades MUCH easier. I recently took the rig on its maiden voyage for a weekend of skiing and it worked awesome! Quick photo from the weekend...





Everything went great with one small hiccup... I have no onboard battery... This was fine when the generator was running, but during "quiet time" (11PM-6AM) I was without heat. Now the sleeping bag was enough to keep me from freezing to death, but I realized that I would like to add an onboard battery to run the furnace and lights during quite time.

Now the Power Center is a Magnetek Model 6325 with a Battery Charger, but I am hoping that someone can help me wire a battery in. I assumed that being this model was battery ready there would be a spot with terminals already but I can't seem to find anything... I have included some photos of the Fuse panel as well as a wiring diagram... Any help would be appreciated!
























Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum limit of 640px maximum width.

  • Ty_Deschaine's avatar
    Ty_Deschaine
    Explorer
    Dec 04, 2014
    Hey guys, reviving a dead thread here! I never got around to installing a battery in the camper. And seeing that the temps are rapidly dropping and its snowing in the mountains, I need to get this sorted out.

    The question I have is... What battery to buy!? I know I want a 12V AMG battery since it will be placed inside the camper and don't want to worry about off gas. I just don't know how many Amp Hours I need. I read that you don't want to drain an AMG battery more than 50% or it will kill it quickly. Really the only thing i need it to run is the Furnace Fan for about 8-10 hours and maybe a few lights over night (during quite time at the ski resort). Though i plan to swap out the bulbs to LED to lower the power draw. I've read a lot of threads and info online. There is so much that goes into choosing a battery I am just lost.
  • JaxDad's avatar
    JaxDad
    Explorer III
    Feb 25, 2014
    I made up a battery box for a buddy who's a Scout leader and uses his TC a lot for that as well as hunting and fishing. The battery box is a plywood affair that allows a 6 volt golf cart battery in front of each wheel well. The cables have a polarized plug in under the front drivers corner.
  • doughere's avatar
    doughere
    Explorer
    Feb 24, 2014
    I think westend above is correct. You're going to have to follow that heavy red wire to it's end.

    You might post in the truck camper section to find out if someone there knows where a battery might be hidden.

    The only thing I'd add is that the charger is a single stage to be adjusted to 13.8V on a charged battery. Using standard wetted Lead/Acid batteries, if you leave your system tied to 120 constantly, you are going to "cook" your battery. Be very cautious of drying the battery out. If you're going to use this converter much, I'd suggest you get a 3 stage converter.

    I don't know enough about AGM's, so I suggest you post in Tech Issues to find where an AGM would float if you decide to use that type of battery.

    Doug
  • Wagonqueen_Truc's avatar
    Wagonqueen_Truc
    Explorer
    Feb 23, 2014
    LOVE the look of your camper. You have to admit those retro wings in the bs I are soooo cool. Post some pics of the inside soon.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Feb 23, 2014
    On the label of the converter is printed the terminals for the battery connections, Lug "C" and Lug "D". There appears to be both a red wire to the positive lug and a white wire to the negative lug already fitted. These may be in the wire bundle that contains all of the rest of the DC wires situated in the 4" box. You will have to gently pull on those wire bundles to see where everything is connected. It appears that there may be some space adjacent to the water pump for a battery. Only an AGM battery could be used in this location unless that space is vented and I doubt it is.

    A call or message to the Mfg. may get some good information about battery installation. I also see that there is an "optional" charging circuit and you want to make sure that is installed.
  • cigar_100's avatar
    cigar_100
    Explorer
    Feb 22, 2014
    hey ty, welcome to truck camper world. i've owned a tc for over 14 years and wouln't think of replacing it with anything else. go anywhere do anything good luck.

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