Battery Question

[Edgewood]

The person I bought my Eagle from placed the second battery outside the camper and wired it to the main battery routing the wires under the truck. I want to put the second battery under the bench seat and plug it into the plug on the inside of my Tacoma bed.I have the device that separates the two batteries from the second draining the main. Does this sound like a good idea?

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

As long as the extra battery is after the battery separator/isolator ,it will charge but not pull from the truck battery.Is that what you wanted to know?
Frank

 

[Edgewood]

Is it that simple? Just wire a three prong plug and go? Is under the bench seat a safe place for the battery?

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Is it that simple? Just wire a three prong plug and go? Is under the bench seat a safe place for the battery?

Is your other battery is under a seat? As long as it's a sealed battery it can go in the seat.
I would call Marty at All Terrain Campers,even though it's not their camper they have great customer service.That way they will give you the exact info.
Frank

 

[camelracer]

To maximise storage space in the camper I moved the camper batteries under the truck and relocated the battery separator to the firewall. This has worked well for me.

 

[ntsqd]

Just wire a three prong plug and go?
This concerns me. Is the outlet in the bed 120VAC or 12VDC? I know some late model trucks now have built-in inverters with outlets in the bed. You definitely do not want to connect 120VAC directly to the battery.

Moroso and Summit both offer a sealed battery box with a vent hose. If going in the passenger space I would suggest using one - even with a sealed battery.

 

[Argonaut20]

The outlet in the back of the Tacoma is 120V. If you put a battery charger between the battery and the outlet, that might work. The fit of the side wall of the camper to the sidewall of the truck bed is pretty tight back there and a plug might be a problem. IMHO it is best to run the charge line to the truck alternator/battery as it will likely charge your camper battery faster than a charger on the 120V outlet.

As for the battery, we carry an AGM battery in the camper with no problem. Regular batteries have to be enclosed and vented to the outside as they produce hydrogen gas: VERY flammable.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Edgewood,back to your question.Someone correct me but if you are just moving the second battery inside the camper all you need to do is attach the wires to the first camper battery +to+,-to-,from the new inside position.The truck will charge both camper batteries and you will draw off both for your camper usage.I think it is just that simple.Can you place both batteries in the same place? That would mark it easier to wire them.I hope I have given you correct info,if not someone correct this.
Frank

 

[Edgewood]

Frank, perhaps I was unclear. I only have two batteries; the truck battery and the camper battery. So no direct plug to the truck and I need a special battery if I store it under the bench. Is there any other place to easily place the camper battery?

 

[Argonaut20]

I don't see any place in the Tacoma that you can put the battery that is better than inside the camper. Space between the truck and the camper is pretty narrow. Marty at ATC ran a fused heavy romex cable from the battery in the truck to a connector in the side of the truck bed. A pigtail runs from the camper to the connector, connects to a separator, then to the battery. The battery is under the forward seat of the camper and is an AGM battery in a plastic case. The connector is located so it can be accessed through the turnbuckle access panel. Hope this helps.

 

[ntsqd]

Our charge cable looks like Romex, but isn't. It is Anchor Marine Duplex 6ga. cable (West Marine) with an Anderson Power connector (Grainger) for the camper disconnect.

 

[Edgewood]

Thank you Frank for that detailed response. Argonaut20 also thank you. Sounds like I'm in over my head and may have this professionally done.I'd like it to be all tidy and ship shape (and safe). Can anyone recomend a place that will do this? I'm in Bellingham WA.