I'm exploring connecting my camper battery - housed inside my pop-up - to the alternator so it can be re-charged while driving (though I might decide to go solar instead). I have a nuts-and-bolts questions 'cause I haven't seen examples on other trucks. How do you get the heavy gauge wire into your camper? This thread, http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/77503-How-to-make-a-cheap-isolated-dual-battery-setup-for-50?highlight=how+recharge+battery+driving is recommending 2 or 4 ga wire which can't be bent very tightly. Coming out of the engine compartment, I assume the wires are run along the frame to the back, but then how do you get the wires into the camper? Do you drill holes through your truck bed? Is there transitional hardware designed for that? What connectors do you recommend so that the wires can be separated in the truck bed for when the camper comes off?
How do I run wires from the engine compartment into the camper?
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pugslyyy
Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
If you simply want to charge the battery from the alternator, that can be a much smaller wire. If you want to be able to start your truck from the camper, for instance, then you need a much thicker cable.
When you say pop-up I'm not sure if you are talking a pop-up truck camper or a pop-up trailer.
When you say pop-up I'm not sure if you are talking a pop-up truck camper or a pop-up trailer.
Wire size and routing
Sorry. Slide-in truck camper. I only want to charge the house/camper battery. As I've been reading different threads about how to go about it, I'm unclear why there's so much emphasis on the need to use the house battery to start the vehicle. A dead starter battery is a once-in-a-battery's life occurance for me and not too much of a worry since we're usually where we could get a jump from a kindly volunteer. Alternatively, we can remove the house battery and use jumper cables to use it to jump the starter battery.
I am confused about the necessary wire gauge. I've been told the long distance from the starter battery to the camper battery will require thicker wire, but is that only if - as you say - I need to draw on the house battery to start my truck? The set-up I've looked at goes starter battery to 80A fuse to 80 amp solenoid to 80 amp fuse to house battery, all with 4 amp wire (at a minimum).
And regardless of the wire size, where do people typically run the wires? Up through the space between the cab and the bed and then through a hole in the camper, or through a drilled hole in the bed? If the latter, what gaskets or other device make the passage through the metal abrasion-free and good-looking? I'm familiar with house wiring, not automotive wiring.
Thank you for the help.
Sorry. Slide-in truck camper. I only want to charge the house/camper battery. As I've been reading different threads about how to go about it, I'm unclear why there's so much emphasis on the need to use the house battery to start the vehicle. A dead starter battery is a once-in-a-battery's life occurance for me and not too much of a worry since we're usually where we could get a jump from a kindly volunteer. Alternatively, we can remove the house battery and use jumper cables to use it to jump the starter battery.
I am confused about the necessary wire gauge. I've been told the long distance from the starter battery to the camper battery will require thicker wire, but is that only if - as you say - I need to draw on the house battery to start my truck? The set-up I've looked at goes starter battery to 80A fuse to 80 amp solenoid to 80 amp fuse to house battery, all with 4 amp wire (at a minimum).
And regardless of the wire size, where do people typically run the wires? Up through the space between the cab and the bed and then through a hole in the camper, or through a drilled hole in the bed? If the latter, what gaskets or other device make the passage through the metal abrasion-free and good-looking? I'm familiar with house wiring, not automotive wiring.
Thank you for the help.
brian90744
American Trekker
Battery wiring
I see you have a Toyota, at the trailer hitch you should have a 6 or7 wire plug in for a trailer. one of these wires is hot to charge the camper/trailer battery. if you don't have a trailer electicial connector just forget this info.
I see you have a Toyota, at the trailer hitch you should have a 6 or7 wire plug in for a trailer. one of these wires is hot to charge the camper/trailer battery. if you don't have a trailer electicial connector just forget this info.
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W
Wandering Sagebrush
Guest
One way to do this is to put a weather protected connector in the inner sidewall of the bed, then run the camper side connector and leads to the camper battery. Make sure that the truck side is going to a buss that is only hot when the truck is running. Otherwise, you stand a chance of draining the truck battery.
uriedog
metal melter
I used a 2 pole 200amp lift gate connector on the camper side, and the socket was mounted on the back of my cab. I used welding cable for the connection. I also added a continuous duty solenoid to brake the conection when the truck was not running.
http://www.easternmarine.com/zinc-die-cast-liftgate-charging-plug-15-336-0
http://www.easternmarine.com/zinc-die-cast-liftgate-charging-plug-15-336-0
Thanks for the link, Dave. That's just the kind of specifics I was hoping for. Brian, unfortunately, I don't have a 7-wire plug. That came with the TRDs I believe. Thanks for the photo, apugslyyy. It definitely helps to get an idea of the connections, though I would locate mine in a less conspicuous place. 
pugslyyy
Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
Thanks for the link, Dave. That's just the kind of specifics I was hoping for. Brian, unfortunately, I don't have a 7-wire plug. That came with the TRDs I believe. Thanks for the photo, apugslyyy. It definitely helps to get an idea of the connections, though I would locate mine in a less conspicuous place.
yeah I've always wondered why they put it on the side like that - too easy to snag. I would have it on the front of the truck camper where the truck cab would shield it.