Battery for 12 volt lights

[Ropdoc]

Hello all, I have a solar system installed with (4) 6 volt batteries. Has anyone with this setup installed a 12 volt battery for running 12volt outside lights? I have an extra battery and wish to use it for running lights and a couple Christmas lights. I would light to charge the battery when the 5th wheel is plugged into shore power.

Thank you,
Dave

[4x4van]

I carry a heavy duty flasher that I can use to plug into my trailer pigtail (pins 3 & 4), turning all the lights into a flasher if I need to leave the trailer alongside the road.

As Soundguy says, the OP has 12VDC and ground available at the trailer's plug (pins 1 & 4) for any lighting he wants to set up; no need for separate batteries.

[SoundGuy]

bearwayne wrote:
As someone who doesn't have the best night vision, there is nothing more annoying than people driving with their 4-way flashers on, especially when the pavement is wet! Glare everywhere and it's very distracting.

Well at least you'd take notice, which seems to be what allenm's goal is! 😉 Actually, I habitually will put on my 4-ways if I'm fighting a mountain upgrade and find my road speed falling much below 50 mph but truth be told I'd be a lot more comfortable if I could flash all the lights on the trailer, just as allenm is wanting to do.

[bearwayne]

As someone who doesn't have the best night vision, there is nothing more annoying than people driving with their 4-way flashers on, especially when the pavement is wet! Glare everywhere and it's very distracting.

[rekoj71]

Truckers flash their headlights when the truck passing them has enough room to merge back in front of them, and then usually the passing truck flashes his running/clearance lights as a thank you, but they are wired to be able to do that without turning off their own headlights. My parents had an ancient 60's Chieftain that had that capability but I'm not sure if it's on any RV's built lately.

[allenm]

I don't know about the legal aspects of flashing all the trailer lights either. I have seen some semi truckers flashing their clearance lights while getting up to highway speed but always thought they were doing it manually.

I wouldn't think the police would say anything as long as it was a short term situation that made sense.

I almost got rear ended the other day after merging onto I-75. I was almost up to 60 in the far right lane when I heard tires squealing somewhere. Finally saw a car in my mirror sliding almost sideways right behind me. Must have thought I was going 75 like everyone else. Fortunately he got it under control without hitting me.

[SoundGuy]

allenm wrote:
It would be nice to flash the running lights from the truck cab when merging onto interstates (under 40 mph) or maybe foggy conditions.

That would certainly make your trailer more visible to other driver's, particularly in poor weather conditions or after nightfall, but I have a question - would it be considered legal when actually towing on the highway to have all your trailer lights flashing rather than just turned on steadily and (when merging into traffic) having your turn signal flashing? :@ Just asking 'cause I don't know the answer. :h

[Ed_Gee]

SoundGuy wrote:

Ed_Gee wrote:
I assume the original poster wants to power his Christmas lights while parked. The above Bargman wiring diagram does not necessarily help him ... the +12V on pin four goes away when the engine key is off.

What in the world are you talking about? :h The OP has a 5th with four 6 volt batteries so whether it's plugged into shore power or running on that battery power there will be + 12 vdc on Pin 4 of the trailer's Bargman connector. Good grief! :S

Yeah, my bad !! I was speaking as a motor home owner and forgetting the original poster was speaking of his Fifth Wheel. -- Sheesh!

[SoundGuy]

Ropdoc wrote:
I was just looking for a way to power a 12 volt LED strip I have. I want to connect the strip to the sub frame and light up the underside of the trailer. When I converted over to solar I had (2) 12 volts batteryies left. I was hoping to use them for this newest project. I do not have electrical background. That is the reason for the post. I got rid of the batteries yesterday and will just wire directly to the 6 volt solar bats.

Why? You've already got + 12 vdc sitting on Pin 4 and ground on Pin 1 of the rig's Bargman connector so there's no need for any additional batteries.

[Ropdoc]

Thank you for your comments.

I was just looking for a way to power a 12 volt LED strip I have. I want to connect the strip to the sub frame and light up the underside of the trailer. When I converted over to solar I had (2) 12 volts batteryies left. I was hoping to use them for this newest project. I do not have electrical background. That is the reason for the post. I got rid of the batteries yesterday and will just wire directly to the 6 volt solar bats.

[allenm]

Looks like I'm going shopping later today for a flasher and other parts to build a remote controlled dongle. Just jumpering the pins like I've been doing doesn't let me turn them on with the trailer connected.

It would be nice to flash the running lights from the truck cab when merging onto interstates (under 40 mph) or maybe foggy conditions. It might be good when backing up in campgrounds, too. I used to have backup alarm on my class c, but that was a bit much! It drew too much attention to my backup skills...

[SoundGuy]

allenm wrote:
Hadn't thought about a flasher like SoundGuy shows. Great idea! Did you just use a standard flasher?

Any automotive flasher will do but I did happen to use a so-called "heavy duty" flasher as that's what I happened to have on hand. Although activating the running lights does make it a lot easier to find our campsite on a dark, moonless night I use the flash feature every time I back our trailer on to our driveway as doing so makes what I'm doing just that much more obvious to other drivers than simply turning on the 4-way flasher which flashes just the tail lights. It's also a big advantage should I ever have to leave the trailer unattended on the side of the highway for a period of time - the more obvious the trailer is, the better. :B

[allenm]

I jumper pins 3 & 4 a few hours most nights when camping. Makes it easier to find in the dark. Wouldn't be hard to connect a few 12V Christmas lights, too.

My non-LED running and tail lights draw 3.8 amps, so not a heavy current draw. But best to jumper the pins with a pig tail 10 amp fuse.

Hadn't thought about a flasher like SoundGuy shows. Great idea! Did you just use a standard flasher?

[SoundGuy]

Ed_Gee wrote:
I assume the original poster wants to power his Christmas lights while parked. The above Bargman wiring diagram does not necessarily help him ... the +12V on pin four goes away when the engine key is off.

What in the world are you talking about? :h The OP has a 5th with four 6 volt batteries so whether it's plugged into shore power or running on that battery power there will be + 12 vdc on Pin 4 of the trailer's Bargman connector. Good grief! :S

[Ed_Gee]

I assume the original poster wants to power his Christmas lights while parked. The above Bargman wiring diagram does not necessarily help him ... the +12V on pin four goes away when the engine key is off. If he is lucking enough to have the center pin wired hot, that might work ... but most hitches I have seen don't have that option wired. It could be added, however.