Two Questions about charging while towing

[fornesto]

1. How do I wire to charge while driving. I have a '99 Ford Expedition with the 6-pole plug. Which wire goes to the battery? How does it connect? Must it ground to the tow vehicle? Do I need a remote solenoid? (Sorry for the redundancy, but I couldn't find the link)

2. If I do this, could I use a remote ignition for a hot rod to shut off the charging?

[madjack]

...checkout this link for wiring info...a goodone http://www.easternmarine.com/em_store/t ... tml#wiring
essentially the charge wire would be the center pin in the plug, I would run a 10ga wire direct from the battery to this pin...both ways. A solenoid similar to that which is used on Fords can be wired to make/break the charging circuit
madjack

[len19070]

I don't think you need a Solenoid/battery isolator..unless your running a 12 volt Ref. Those things (no matter what they claim) EAT BATTERIES! You can pull over for a couple hours or so and if you don't take the ref out of the circuit, worse yet forget. You may need a jump to get going. There's nothing wrong with a 5 of 6 pin plug, but I use a standard Bargman 7, I think you have more versatility with a 7 prong, for one thing you can buy adapters for 7 prong plugs that you can't for others. And there are a lot more trailers out there WITH a 7 prong than without. Keep things standard i.e.. parts you can find. Just my $.07 (inflation)

Happy Trails

Len

[Tim Greiner]

Fornesto-

IMHO- 1. Take your electrical tester and make a connection diagram of the 6 pin- it will be of great use every time you have to mess with any trailer you're hooking up. The 12V pin will jump to 14V when the truck is running.

2. I have had good luck with an isolator in my RV. They are inexpensive (about $20) and work automatically to prevent your tow vehicle from being drained and leaving you stranded. You have to find the place in your truck wiring harness where the 12V trailer wire connects to the truck battery charging wire and install it just like the solenoid, except you don't have to remember to turn it off when you park.

Tim Greiner