will this work well enough?

[ash_on_mtb]

Sorry for the leading thread title, but I'm curious to know if this theory will pan out in reality.

Designing a tool trailer for work and it will have in a deep cycle battery for led/fluro lighting. There is going to be an external 240v socket so when the trailer is home, unhitched and plugged in, the charger in the trailer will charge/float the battery as needed.

Now because I also have a fridge in the truck that's used pretty much full time, can I run an anderson plug to the trailer setup and charge the deep cycle/ start battery and truck aux battery off one charger (to be determined, but I like ctek's range), or do the all need to be exactly the same type of batteries to do that?

As I type this and think, I have a suspicion that the answer is going to come back that I need a separate charger for each battery...

Basically I want to maintain 1 battery (deep cyc) in a trailer, and at least 1 battery in the truck on effectively a daily basis. I just had an 18month old 'hybrid' Overlander 700CCA 120Ah die and I want to learn from that as its a costly process... How do I go about doing this??

Also, I want a pair of reversing lights (12v, waterproof, impact resistant spreads) right at the back of the trailer (narrow dark driveway) - where would be the best place to pull the power for them? Run it off the deep cycle, and trip the relay from the reverse lights on the trailer, or run a feed from the truck? I figure trailer battery would be better, and then a stand alone switch system would be easier to install also...

Thanks for any help you can offer,


Ta.

[DamTriton]

Is there any real reason you MUST have the battery in the trailer? Alternators charge batteries quicker than 3/4/5 stage chargers, and the power consumption of the items you have listed would not warrant extremely heavy guage wire to operate. You could install a charger across the 2nd battery after the dual battery isolator if needed.

I wouldn't worry too much about the starter battery in the vehicle, and would simply use the 240V adapter for the fridge when it is at home. The drive home from wherever (>1/2 hr) should be enough to charge the starter battery up to full charge on a day-to-day basis.

I would have a single charger in the trailer that you could hook up to on-site 240V (if available) and use that for the fridge too, if that is the way you have to go.

Thought of going solar and putting fridge in the trailer = self contained?

"VALUE" your trailer battery power. Anything you can get away with powering using the vehicle battery whilst the engine is running should be done do (ie your reversing lights, any tool chargers, etc) The only thing you should use your trailer power for are things that cannot be powered any other way.

[ash_on_mtb]

the fridge/drop slide stays in the truck - have you tried to remvoe a fridge from a drop slide - damn that!!

Start batt wasn't really the concern, aux battery running fridge in car was the problem. Running 240v to the fridge is annoying as you need a lead in a window (mozzies love my truck) or a lead in a door, hence I was trying to kill 2 with one...

So kills that 240v idea on site kinda... 240v on site to trailer runs charger in trailer, but not fridge.

[DamTriton]

Note edits to my above post...

[ash_on_mtb]

noted.

Power required for trailer internal lighting if nothing else. And it must be stand alone, so requiring a charger (trickle would be fine as its plugged at home, and mostly on site).

Just trying to come up with the most effective use of resources.

Thanks,