Robert Street Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Just curious I always thought the trailer little break away battery was charged when the tow rig was hooked and was charging the large house batteries. But... no obvious connection and interesting there is a printed circuit board in the little battery box. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Depends on the wiring of the tow vehicle and the trailer. Take the top off the break away battery and see if there are any electronics under the lid. I would doubt it. Just a guess based on experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H.Boland Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Mine has to be charged separately. My older model charger didn't have a cutoff feature and that little battery swelled up like a grapefruit ! I use a 2 amp.charger on it now and keep an eye on it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlier Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 21 hours ago, Larry Schramm said: Depends on the wiring of the tow vehicle and the trailer. Take the top off the break away battery and see if there are any electronics under the lid. I would doubt it. Just a guess based on experience. I agree about it depending on the wiring. The breakaway battery for my trailer has a small electronic device in the wiring just before the connectors to the battery. The way my tow vehicle and trailer are wired the brake away battery as well as the winch battery inside the trailer are charged by the tow vehicle when it is running and connected to the trailer. During the season I put a Battery Tender charger on the trailer winch battery. That connection also charges my breakaway battery. In the off season I bring both batteries indoors and put them on the Battery Tender. I got 7 years out of the first winch battery and I am going into year 6 with the second winch battery. Last year I replaced the original breakaway battery after 12 years. It still worked okay but I thought it was time to retire it. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMike Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 http://www.upgi.com/media/2485/breakaway-kits.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Street Posted October 10, 2018 Author Share Posted October 10, 2018 The battery box is well under the trailer with my ATC trailer thus not easily accessible. I guess best choice is to contact ATC for wiring diagram for my trailer? Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_Ash Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 I have wondered how to maintain the breakaway battery during those months the trailer doesn’t get used. At my local trailer dealer recently, I saw that he had assembled a piece of plywood with some bolts marked + and - , connected them via a pigtail to a round 7-pin receptacle like you would have on the back of tow vehicle. Then he could hook up a battery charger to charge any trailer-mounted batteries. I think I’ll assemble one of these and use a small solar charger to keep the break-away battery topped up. My trailer gets parked a long way from a convenient AC outlet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 I have a larger solar panel and voltage regulator on the top of my trailer to keep the batteries charged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Street Posted October 26, 2018 Author Share Posted October 26, 2018 59 minutes ago, Larry Schramm said: I have a larger solar panel and voltage regulator on the top of my trailer to keep the batteries charged. I have thought of a solar panel definitely with a regulator but now thinking of the wiring plan as the trailer big house batteries are obviously easy to get to but the little break away is "under the trailer" Another concern with solar is the charging requirements of the little battery and the two group 27's is massively different so how to regulate Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 8 hours ago, Robert Street said: I have thought of a solar panel definitely with a regulator but now thinking of the wiring plan as the trailer big house batteries are obviously easy to get to but the little break away is "under the trailer" Another concern with solar is the charging requirements of the little battery and the two group 27's is massively different so how to regulate Robert Here is what I have. The 100 watt panel and voltage regulator. https://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?dir=asc&order=EAScore%2Cf%2CEAFeatured+Weight%2Cf%2CSale+Rank%2Cf&q=solar+panel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimus Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 I would like to be able to just use the same battery I use for my drill or other battery operated tool there is always one in the charger ready to go . it would make towing with with 6 volt 12 volt or 24 volt vehicles easer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Yaros Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Battery Tender makes solar panel chargers, which may be a grade or two better, more reliable than HF products? http://products.batterytender.com/Solar/ They are available for purchase direct from Battery Tender and on Amazon . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Street Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 I might have missed it in the manual but does the controller work with antique battery units which are gel batteries. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Yaros Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlier Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 On 10/30/2018 at 6:35 PM, Robert Street said: I might have missed it in the manual but does the controller work with antique battery units which are gel batteries. Robert More information. Battery Tender Specs "Perfect for all lead-acid, flooded or sealed maintenance free batteries (AGM and gel cell)' FYI, I use the 25 foot extension cables when I charge my trailer batteries. I use two of the 25 foot cables connected together to reach my trailer parked outside while my Battery Tender is inside my garage. This one battery tender charges both the trailer breakaway battery and the deep cycle battery that powers the winch and interior lights. I use another Battery Tender with one, 25 foot cord to reach my truck parked outside when not using it. Accessory extension cables Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted December 7, 2018 Share Posted December 7, 2018 Here is one that does both 6V & 12V. http://products.batterytender.com/Chargers/Battery-Tender-4-Amp-Power-Tender-Selectable.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Street Posted December 7, 2018 Author Share Posted December 7, 2018 On 11/2/2018 at 12:19 PM, charlier said: More information. Battery Tender Specs "Perfect for all lead-acid, flooded or sealed maintenance free batteries (AGM and gel cell)' FYI, I use the 25 foot extension cables when I charge my trailer batteries. I use two of the 25 foot cables connected together to reach my trailer parked outside while my Battery Tender is inside my garage. This one battery tender charges both the trailer breakaway battery and the deep cycle battery that powers the winch and interior lights. I use another Battery Tender with one, 25 foot cord to reach my truck parked outside when not using it. Accessory extension cables Charlie I guess I am going to have to do some electrical "detective" work as my trailer house winch and lights batteries do not appear to have any connection to the trailer brake battery as I originally assumed that they did. Oh well a sunny day warmer project. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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