Moving Battery to Tow Vehicle

[Kudzu Asheville]

Forgive me if this question has been asked, but I have searched the forum and haven't found it. As someone who does not yet have an RV I am making decisions about types of appliances and want to consider charging options.

Is it difficult to unhook the RV battery to carry it in the TV for charging? We are going to Yellowstone this summer and I know we will still be spending lots of time driving around the park to see the sights, after we have set up camp and unhooked the RV. I am wondering if it is realistic to take the RV battery in the TV for charging in this situation.

Thanks for any insight!

Leslie

[Bob Miller]

I too have done this, but.... DO NOT use the 12 volt outlets in the vehicle for the power source as you will quickly blow it's fuse. You will have to provide a separate charging line & fuse for this trick.

In some GM products there is a charging line terminal provided in the under hood fuse panel.

[Pam Garlow]

Leslie, Welcome to the group, and good luck on your search.

There will be others that can get into the technical discussion much better than myself. However the simple explanation is that most trailers will have an onboard converter that recharges the battery when plugged into shore power. So you don't need to remove it and try to hook it up to your car for a recharge.

Alternatively, if you are, boondocking (camping without available shore power) then you might try using a solar chargers to recharge the battery also.

You can use the google search feature in the upper right line of this page to search for all sorts of threads that explain things in more detail.

[Glenn Baglo]

You don't have a trailer yet, but if you bought one with a propane / 120AC fridge, it still requires electric power to operate, even when running on propane. So, if you removed the battery, your fridge wouldn't work.
Furnace also requires electricity to operate on propane.
You would also tire very quickly of moving the battery back and forth.

[Kudzu Asheville]

Thanks all!

Bob, thanks for the info. I wasn't sure how to hook it up in the TV.

Pam, thanks for the warm welcome and suggestions.

Glenn, good point about the fridge. I'm trying to decide what makes the most sense in terms of propane vs. 12V fridge, propane vs. electric heaters etc. We won't have shore power while at Yellowstone, so I'm just thinking through our options.

I'd love to have solar, but with all the various components it seems pretty expensive.

Thanks!

[Carol H]

Welcome Leslie.

Many of us who like to camp in National parks and off the grid have purchases small solar systems to get us through. I did one trip once with only a 15w panel while camping in the summer and I got by just fine. But these days the prices are so low for the solar I wouldn't consider buying anything under 60 watts.

[Francesca Knowles]

Since you haven't chosen a fridge option (or a trailer!), here's a heads up; my fridge uses no electricity when on propane, and I think there are still a few new models out there about which one can say the same. Even so, I think most fridges will keep food cold for quite awhile even when "off", so taking battery away for awhile shouldn't be a problem.

Per mobile charging:
I've toyed with the idea of welding up a removable battery tray/box that I could stick in the receiver when the trailer's unhitched. Then all I'd need is a connection to the car end charging port and voila! I'm in business.

But I use so little power that this will probably always remain in the planning stages!

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

Since you haven't chosen a fridge option (or a trailer!), here's a heads up; my fridge uses no electricity when on propane, and I think there are still a few new models out there about which one can say the same. !

The 3way fridge in my 92 Scamp doesnt use any power when on propane either or if it does it is just a tiny tiny trickle. Its those folks with fancy new fridges with inside/front controls that use the power.

In the summer months I can get by for many days without having to put the solar panel out even when running the fridge full time on propane.... switch over to LED lights inside and use sparingly. The only other item using 12v power is the water pump and if its really warm out the 12v ceiling fan. But it often cools of nicely in Yellowstone at night so the fan probable will not be needed to sleep.

[Glenn Baglo]

Not saying there is significant draw, just that my fridge requires 12V to control function while fueled by propane. It's a 5 cu.ft. Dometic.

[Jared J]

If you put Andersen connectors on your battery, you could unplug it easily from the trailer, and just make a plug that went from your 7pin rv plug on your tow vehicle to an Andersen connector.

Of course, you still need it to be vented outside, and would have to have a charge wire on your vehicle already.

These are Andersen connectors.



Personally, I would rather go solar and avoid the hassle, but that's up to you.

[Kudzu Asheville]

Thanks everyone for the helpful info!

[beemerphile1]

If you are going to be handling a battery daily you may want to spend some extra $$ and get an AGM battery. The acid in a typical flooded battery will put holes in your clothes.

[Casita Greg]

One other item I haven't seen mentioned here yet is that if you have a trailer with electric trailer brakes, you will have to maintain a battery inside or on the trailer to keep the automatic brake lock-up feature functional if the trailer becomes detached from the tow vehicle and the emergency "break-away" cord is pulled off. I know that happening is a long shot, but it is a legal requirement, and if you were ever involved in an accident and found not to have a battery on board to activate the brakes, you will probably have liabilities and problems you never dreamed of which can crop up.

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

One other item I haven't seen mentioned here yet is that if you have a trailer with electric trailer brakes, you will have to maintain a battery inside or on the trailer to keep the automatic brake lock-up feature functional if the trailer becomes detached from the tow vehicle and the emergency "break-away" cord is pulled off. I know that happening is a long shot, but it is a legal requirement, and if you were ever involved in an accident and found not to have a battery on board to activate the brakes, you will probably have liabilities and problems you never dreamed of which can crop up.

In this case they were only removing the battery when they weren't towing the trailer.

There is also a small "Trailer Brakes Only" battery that is commonly used on trailers to activate the brakes in the event of a breakaway. It is usually bolted to the frame rail somewhere near the breakaway switch and is charged via the light circuit.

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by beemerphile1

If you are going to be handling a battery daily you may want to spend some extra $$ and get an AGM battery. The acid in a typical flooded battery will put holes in your clothes.

Hmmmm... Acid inside a battery is of no concern. If you have acid outside the battery it usually indicates that the battery is being boiled over and that should be addressed.

Rather than the substantial expense of an AGM battery, an enclosed battery case with external terminals like this one:
Marine Smart Box Battery Case

Might provide an easy answer and keep the car clean as well.
BTW: These are available directly from Richardson's RV in Riverside if anyone is local to them.

[Timber Wolf]

I have thought about this very thing. I have a pickup truck so carrying the battery in the back is not an issue, and I have handled enough batteries to know to keep the acid off of me (although it still sometimes finds a way to eat chlothes). My idea for charging was to take a spare 7 pin connector and rig it up with a couple of alligator clips to attach to the battery while mobile charging. I like the solar idea better though. We all need to be "going" solar anyway!