vesh1717
Thunder Bay
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I saw this post in another thread but didn't want to hijack.
"Lowsuv" posted this
We camp a lot at places that do not have electricity. Forest Service , BLM campgrounds, National Parks, and our favorite , with friends alongside a stream or lake on govmint land.
We do not use a generator, nor do our friends.
We have figured out how to work within a 12 volt world.
Two big batteries on the trailer, 2 regular batteries on our diesel pickups.
We drive our pickup every couple of days anyway so we use HEAVY DUTY jumper cables to hook the pickup to the trailer batteries. We never have to run the truck while hooked up to recharge the trailer batteries. We have camped for 10 days in a row with this setup and no drained battery issue.
For the limited 115 volt that we need we have the portable 400 watt inverter that we hook directly to the truck batteries. We only hook the inverter up while it is in actual use such as recharging a laptop, electric razor, and so forth.
Go quiet.
So can the above actually work? If I am without shore electricity, can I simply hook up jumper cables and charge my RV battery? I don't know anything about this, so excuse my ignorance. I see the above poster mentioned heavy duty cables, maybe I would need those??? Also, isn't it a problem since an RV battery is deep cycle.
If this works this would be amazing. Last summer I had the battery die and didn't have any other power. Thanks in advance. Also, I don't have a generator, and don't plan on getting one.
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firemedic08
North Central PA
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Theres no reason with Conservation this wouldnt work, I would recomend Contacting to OP and finding out what Batteries they have and how it is set up. A key part of what they said was "We drive our pickup every couple of days ". The reason this is important is whaen you are just hooking cables to the batteries, it will level them out. Meaning Each battery will have the same amount of volts. As you run your truck this will recharge your truck battery, allowing it to be the constant higher voltage. Hope this makes sense. If not i can draw a diagram and PM you to explain further.
Donnie
1994 Chevy 2500 Extended cab
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Hi,
You can make it work--but it is not particularly good for either set of batteries. The more the truck is driven the better this might work. It takes a long time to recharge house batteries.
The risk is that the starter batteries may be taken "to low" to start the truck.
I'd look at a modest solar system. Costs for DIY are between $2 and $3 per watt.
Regards, Don
Kustom Koach Class C 28'5" 256 watts Unisolar, 875 amp hours in two battery banks 12 volt batteries, 2500 MSW watt inverter.
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Matt_Colie
Southeast Michigan
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Yes,
It can work, but it has risks.
As soon as you connect the TV (or other main engine) start battery to something else, you run the risk of not being able to start the main engine when it is needed.
Matt
Matt & Mary Colie
A sailor, his bride and their black dog going to see some dry places that have Geocaches in a coach made the year we married.
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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It CAN work with a lot of limitations. A 300 HP battery charger is NEVER efficient and even though the poster may not start his truck for the PURPOSE of charging batteries, that is what is happening when he "runs the truck every couple of days". A generator would be CONSIDERABLY more efficient means of battery charging. If this is a camping style you enjoy then going to a solar system to charge batteries from the sun would be a better solution than either one but you'd still need a generator for using anything with high demand like Microwave, air conditioner etc. Those are SOME of the limitations I mentioned earlier and limiting 120 volt use would be in important part of the system.
Good luck / Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR -
2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles)
2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
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vesh1717
Thunder Bay
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skipnchar wrote:It CAN work with a lot of limitations. A 300 HP battery charger is NEVER efficient and even though the poster may not start his truck for the PURPOSE of charging batteries, that is what is happening when he "runs the truck every couple of days". A generator would be CONSIDERABLY more efficient means of battery charging. If this is a camping style you enjoy then going to a solar system to charge batteries from the sun would be a better solution than either one but you'd still need a generator for using anything with high demand like Microwave, air conditioner etc. Those are SOME of the limitations I mentioned earlier and limiting 120 volt use would be in important part of the system.
Good luck / Skip
Well the good thing is that I don't have AC or a microwave in my travel trailer. It is a small Hybrid and we don't live in luxury while we are traveling. Just the basics. But even still, it is good to have battery power at all times. Running the water pump is the biggest concern for us likely.
What are some low cost solar options then? Like I said, we don't need a whole lot of power with no AC or microwave.
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hershey
Albuquerque,(fulltime) NM, USA
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The first obvious problem is that the truck batteries aren't deep cycle. You would certainly have a negative effect on the longevity of the batteries.
hershey - albuquerque, nm
Someday Finally Got Here
My wife does all the driving - I just get to hold the steering wheel.
Superman was an illegal alien.
Expedition - Suzuki Grand Viagra
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normared
The State of East Tennessee
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I agree with Hershey, this may end up costing more in the long run (in replacement battery costs) than buying a simple solar charger setup. That way they can have the inverter inside their rig for 115 volt use - the trailer batts will stay charged with solar and they'll never have to touch the truck battery at all. That's going quiet AND efficient.
Full-timer in our Bounder with Jeep Wrangler toad
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smkettner
Southern California
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Can it be done? Yes
2001 F150 SuperCrew
2006 Keystone Springdale 249FWBHLS
675 watts solar
Send a PM if I missed something
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Turtle n Peeps
California
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Sure it will work. This used to be SOP for us before truck manufactures started to put an isolator in line. 
In the old days "I" could deside whether or not to keep the trailer plugged into the truck or not. If plugged in I could have a 4 battery capacity; unplugged and I had a 2 battery capacity.
Just a little common sence prevented running the batteries so low that the truck would not start. Never did that so I guess I passed that test. 
Anybody have any idea on how to disable the relay on a 06 Dmax so "I" can deside whether it's a good idea to use my truck batteries?
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~
"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"
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