Guest Guinness Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 Hello.. I have a question about RV wiring for my 2001 Pathy SE. When I bought it in January, it already had a Class III hotch and wiring. It has the tailight (5pin) convertor to 4pin. I recently bought a new-to-me travel trailer which has a 7-blade RV Connector. Right now, I'm using a 7-4 convertor, so I'm only using the lights on the trialer. It would be nice to use the battery post on the 7-blade connector to charge the trailer battery while driving, to keep the 3-way fridge going. Does anyone know the best way to run the black (power) wire from the 7-blade to get power to the trailer battery? Do I just run a wire to my Patherfinder's battery? (Or mabe I can use the rear 12-volt cigarette light?) And on another note, is there a way to EASILY convert the wiring in the Pathy from a stand 4-pin to the RV 7-blade? Gunniess (sorry if this is in the wrong secion!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 So...you tow the Pathy on a trailer? Where is the fridge you speak of? I'm confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filthy Luker Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 I'd run everything from the battery and put like a 20AMP fuse on it at least. If you want to power a fridge there is no way that you can do that from a cigarette lighter. And even from the battery it might be hairy as I bet that the wiring in the plug and rest of harness is not up to task of handling serious amperage. You may want to consult an RV retailer or something before you have a fire on your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 So...you tow the Pathy on a trailer? Where is the fridge you speak of? I'm confused. I think he is towing a travel trailer with the Pathy and the fridge is in the trailer I am along the lines of what Filthy said.... and agree completely with consulting an RV retailer/shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guinness Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 I think he is towing a travel trailer with the Pathy and the fridge is in the trailer I am along the lines of what Filthy said.... and agree completely with consulting an RV retailer/shop Yah, the fridge is in the trailer, one of those 3-way fridges built in. My main concern is the deep-cycle battery (part of the trailer) getting some sorta charge while driving. I figure if I connect a good 10gauge wire from the +terminal form the trailer battery to the +terminal to the Pathy battery, it'd get some sorta charge? No? Guinness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filthy Luker Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 I figure if I connect a good 10gauge wire from the +terminal form the trailer battery to the +terminal to the Pathy battery, it'd get some sorta charge? No? Yea but wouldn't the current draw of an empty or even slightly down on juice battery be much greater than what a 10AWG cable can handle? Have you ever seen dual battery setups in 3/4 ton trucks? That's like a 1-2AWG wire joining those suckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 I am getting ready to wire in a converter, which will be permanently mounted in the rear of the truck and it was recommended to me to use nothing smaller than 4gauge wire (which the converters manual also states.) It was further recommended that I use welding grade wire due to the distance it will be from the battery to the converter (rough estimate of 14ft) Welding grade wire uses (as I was told) a higher count of smaller gauge strands which offers better load carrying capacity with a lower end to end loss. The point here is to back up Luke on this, given the amount of power that will be drawn through those wires and the distance (which yours will be much longer than mine) you are going to need something capable of handling that power.. And I just don’t see 10gauge doing it. But this is only my opinion; I would still ask an experienced shop/installer what the best route would be to properly setup your truck for this…. The last thing you need is a fire caused by a wire that is not up to the job at hand. -thnkboutit- On another note; you might also look into the Quest alternator swap as well… search the board a little and you will find a detailed How-To explaining about everything you need to know about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filthy Luker Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 On another note; you might also look into the Quest alternator swap as well… search the board a little and you will find a detailed How-To explaining about everything you need to know about it I believe R50s with the VQ35s had a 110AMP alternator standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 My mistake, I did not notice that it was an R50... Well, then if it does have a higher output alternator then it should be good. If not then refer back to the above statement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 8 or 10 gauge would be fine for charging a battery with no current draw on it, as long as it has a charge to begin with. I have three batteries in my van running off the stock alternator and it has yet to complain. Another note: you'll need a ground wire for the trailer too. Trying to charge a battery with the only ground being through the frame of the trailer attached to the hitch isn't a good way to do it. It'll need a separate ground wire to match the charging wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Guiness - Where are you located? If near Northern Cal, I can help you out. I have wired several trucks for towing and probably have enough wire and connectors in the garage to do it. An 8 AWG power line to the truck battery and an 8 gauge to the chassis ground will be good to keep the coach battery charged up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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