Ford F350 Superduty - Where to tap electrical system for 100 Amp DC-DC charger load?

[goffredo]

I upgraded to a 2024 F350 for my slide-in camper. It has dual batteries, a 410 amp alternator, and the upfitter switches option.

I'd like to wire up a DC-DC charger load -- dual 50 amp DC-DC charge controllers (Victron Orion XS 12/12-50A) wired in parallel, and operator-controlled by an switch -- to charge the battery in my camper.

I'm not sure the best place to tap into the electrical system for this. I'm comfortable with 12VDC stuff, but this is a new truck with a lot of upfitter systems that I'm not familiar with.

- Upfitter switches 5 & 6 max out at 40 amps, can't use those

- There are two batteries! Considering the Battery Charge Protect system and alternator proximity, is there any reason I should prefer one over the other?

- Is it necessary to go to the trouble of engaging the Stationary Elevated Idle Control (SEIC) as part of switching on the DC-DC chargers when parked? Or does the Battery Charge Protect (BCP) automatically take care of this as the Body Builders Layout Book hints at?

- The OEM positive battery lugs are very much not conducive to slapping a big 5/16" 2/0 AWG lug! I'm eyeing a bulge on the driver's side battery lug as a prospective spot to drill in a lug, as this appears to have been done stock on the passenger battery (albeit with a puny little 16-AWG wire)

 

[andy_b]

I upgraded to a 2024 F350 for my slide-in camper. It has dual batteries, a 410 amp alternator, and the upfitter switches option.

I'd like to wire up a DC-DC charger load -- dual 50 amp DC-DC charge controllers (Victron Orion XS 12/12-50A) wired in parallel, and operator-controlled by an switch -- to charge the battery in my camper.

I'm not sure the best place to tap into the electrical system for this. I'm comfortable with 12VDC stuff, but this is a new truck with a lot of upfitter systems that I'm not familiar with.

- Upfitter switches 5 & 6 max out at 40 amps, can't use those

- There are two batteries! Considering the Battery Charge Protect system and alternator proximity, is there any reason I should prefer one over the other?

- Is it necessary to go to the trouble of engaging the Stationary Elevated Idle Control (SEIC) as part of switching on the DC-DC chargers when parked? Or does the Battery Charge Protect (BCP) automatically take care of this as the Body Builders Layout Book hints at?

- The OEM positive battery lugs are very much not conducive to slapping a big 5/16" 2/0 AWG lug! I'm eyeing a bulge on the driver's side battery lug as a prospective spot to drill in a lug, as this appears to have been done stock on the passenger battery (albeit with a puny little 16-AWG wire)

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I have the same truck and installed a Victron Orion XS.

The easiest and cleanest install IMHO is to use these terminal blocks and ferrules: https://www.knukonceptz.com/product/ultimate-automotive-car-battery-terminal-v2-postive-negative/. Do not drill into the terminal. You don’t necessarily need to activate the high idle or worry about battery protection. I would program the Victron to act the way you want and save the upfitter switches for other things. You can also turn off the charger completely via the app. The negative should either go to the frame or be upstream of the shunt on the negative terminal of the passenger side batter. It is the gray box in the pic you posted.

Not near the truck now but will try to send some pics of the terminals in case that solution doesn’t make sense.

 

[goffredo]

Those terminal blocks look perfect, thank you very much for that product recommendation, I had no idea such things existed and I really wanted to avoid drilling, cutting, and otherwise hacking on my brand new truck!

Does your Orion XS pull a consistant 50 amps when the coach battery is low? Or does it jump around underutilized between 30-45 amps, like I've seen them do with modern alternators?

 

[andy_b]

Those terminal blocks look perfect, thank you very much for that product recommendation, I had no idea such things existed and I really wanted to avoid drilling, cutting, and otherwise hacking on my brand new truck!

Does your Orion XS pull a consistant 50 amps when the coach battery is low? Or does it jump around underutilized between 30-45 amps, like I've seen them do with modern alternators?

I don’t watch it continuously, but it should be a consistent 50a just based on its charge profile. The times I have been watching it has been ~48-50A consistently. The voltage can fluctuate, but the whole purpose of the device is to deliver constant amperage with varying input voltage. In case it isn’t obvious, the charge profile should be for “smart alternators” rather than standard. On my truck, the standard profile allowed the voltage to rise to 15V output which the truck’s computers did not like, resulting in some dash lights. Once I changed the profile to smart alternator it has been fine.