Depends on your tow vehicle wiring and your trailer wiring. Newer vehicles with the factory installed tow package have a large round plug which will charge the camper battery and supply voltage to operate 12v acc. If you just have a flat 4 pin connector, that will only work the tail lights and turn signals on the pup. Here's a link to the round 6 way plug.
https://www.google.com/search?.....38;bih=635
If you are getting power to the #4 black connector on your tow vehicle, you should be charging the pup battery.
[quote author=kitphantom link=topic=2600.msg24728#msg24728 date=1373748895]
We disconnect the battery between trips. During the season, we just use the cut off switch we installed instead of removing the battery from the box. We have a LP detector that is always on, so will drain the battery after awhile if we don't disconnect it. During the off-season, we remove the battery and store it in our garage; we put it on the charger about once a month.
The switch we use is nice in that it is installed on the battery, so we can use it when we attach the charger. We also use it when we attach the controller for the solar panels, since the instructions for that indicated there should be no load as it is hooked up.
We liked it because it is simple, didn't require putting a hole in the battery box, and stayed on the battery (and was not expensive):
battery cut-off by kitphantom, on Flickr
We also installed a metal, locking strap on the battery box, which is much easier for me to secure than the original webbing on, and we no longer worry about having the cover fly off on the road because the webbing abraded through or I didn't get it secure - the lock is a bonus:
3 updates by kitphantom, on Flickr
Where did you get the metal locking strap?
even if you have the 7-pin round plug, your tow vehicle may not be charging the battery.
you need to check it with a mulitmeter to make sure. some vehicles require a fuse to be in place to charge the line.
even if it is, most vehicles only provide a trickle charge at best.
so don't expect it to recharge a depleted battery. it would take hours of driving to do that.
[quote author=kitphantom link=topic=2600.msg24740#msg24740 date=1373821234]
This is the strap we bought:
http://www.b-drvbatterylock.com/
DH thought it a little picky at first, since it actually unhinges below the battery box, but it is still less fussy for me than hassling with the webbing. It does work better now that we bought a lock with a slightly longer hasp, we originally used one we already had, but it was just barely large enough.
Thank you for the link! :thumbup:
I notice you have a Tundra. If you have the factory tow package, you *should* be correctly wired to deliver 12v to the trailer connector. It's always possible that you may have a blown fuse or other gremlin if it's not providing power, though. Your trailer needs to also be wired appropriately to properly make use of it.
If you have a voltmeter, take a look at the diagram about 2/3 the way down the page here: http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/.....h/Prodigy/. If you connect the voltmeter to pin #4 and the #1 ground pin on the truck, you should read 12-13 volts with the engine off.
[quote author=twstdpear link=topic=2600.msg24744#msg24744 date=1373833868]
I notice you have a Tundra. If you have the factory tow package, you *should* be correctly wired to deliver 12v to the trailer connector. It's always possible that you may have a blown fuse or other gremlin if it's not providing power, though. Your trailer needs to also be wired appropriately to properly make use of it.
If you have a voltmeter, take a look at the diagram about 2/3 the way down the page here: http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Chevy/tech/Prodigy/. If you connect the voltmeter to pin #4 and the #1 ground pin on the truck, you should read 12-13 volts with the engine off.
Thanks for this.
[quote author=twstdpear link=topic=2600.msg24744#msg24744 date=1373833868]
If you connect the voltmeter to pin #4 and the #1 ground pin on the truck, you should read 12-13 volts with the engine off.
Does "factory wiring" not typically include a relay to turn the charging circuit off when the truck is off? I installed my own wiring and some guys on another forum convinced me it was important to install a relay (and a diode) so that I wouldn't accidentally end up with a dead TV battery if I parked a while with the fridge running on DC power. just curious how trucks are "typically" wired.
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