Umbilical cord to accept power feed from tow vehicle inverter

[RomeoZulu]

I added an umbilical cord to an off brand travel trailer to run an AC fridge. Worked so well from Wisconsin to Vancouver this summer that I want to exploit my Ford Power boost inverter to keep my 2025 Imagine XLS battery bank charged and DC fridge powered while underway.
I can't take credit for this idea as I was impressed and inspired by a fellow who has modified another off brand travel trailer to run mostly electric (induction cook top and hot water heater airconditioning) to exploit the benefits of his Power boost.
Tow vehicle tech is improving which leads me to think towable RV manufacturing visionaries could take notice and come up with simple effective means to exploit advancing tow vehicle tech.
Thoughts?

 

[jim_de_hunter]

I don't know about the Ford Power boost inverter but the one on my GM is only 400w. That's not big enough to run a toaster. The only time it gets used is when my wife charges her phone.

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Not sure of the wattage on my Ram but suspect it is similar to Jim's GM.
OP, Why use the Ford inverter, 120vac, send to the trailer only to convert back to 12v dc to run your fridge?

 

[huntr70]

I added an umbilical cord to an off brand travel trailer to run an AC fridge. Worked so well from Wisconsin to Vancouver this summer that I want to exploit my Ford Power boost inverter to keep my 2025 Imagine XLS battery bank charged and DC fridge powered while underway.
I can't take credit for this idea as I was impressed and inspired by a fellow who has modified another off brand travel trailer to run mostly electric (induction cook top and hot water heater airconditioning) to exploit the benefits of his Power boost.
Tow vehicle tech is improving which leads me to think towable RV manufacturing visionaries could take notice and come up with simple effective means to exploit advancing tow vehicle tech.
Thoughts?

You don't need any of that to keep the batteries charged and run 12 volt fridge, it already does that without going to 115 AC and back again....

 

[RomeoZulu]

My power boost option Ford can supply up to 2.4 kw of electric power. The bigger option will supply over 7kw !
When the propane furnace failed one morning in early spring, I ran a 750 watt ceramic heater, and a toaster at the same time We were comfy in no time. The engine idled for 2 minutes and cycled off for 10 minutes. The engine ran about 20 minutes at idle that day.

 

[traveldawg]

I added an umbilical cord to an off brand travel trailer to run an AC fridge. Worked so well from Wisconsin to Vancouver this summer that I want to exploit my Ford Power boost inverter to keep my 2025 Imagine XLS battery bank charged and DC fridge powered while underway.
I can't take credit for this idea as I was impressed and inspired by a fellow who has modified another off brand travel trailer to run mostly electric (induction cook top and hot water heater airconditioning) to exploit the benefits of his Power boost.
Tow vehicle tech is improving which leads me to think towable RV manufacturing visionaries could take notice and come up with simple effective means to exploit advancing tow vehicle tech.
Thoughts?

Not sure you need to bother with that. The 7-pin connector provides a 12v circuit to the RV which, in turn, keeps the battery charging to a good extent and the battery, in turn, provides all the 12v you need to the RV to keep the 12v frig running (or the RV's inverter running to provide 112V to the frig).

 

[RomeoZulu]

The trucks inverter will power the complete electrical system without issue. So why not use the converter in the trailer that is powered by the trucks inverter to charge the battery(s)while underway
I have ordered Lithium batteries (2) for our trailer. There are concerns that the 7pin may be problematic or unable to provide the charging capacity lithium batteries require unless a dc-dc charger is added.
The powerboost 12v system is charged by a step down converter from the hybrid battery but I dont know the charging profile is correct for lithium especially through a 7pin connection. The oem 12v flooded parallel set struggled to be charged from the 7pin on our two night shake down trip
Running an extension cord from the trailers tongue to the power center is simple.
It would connect to the power center through a selector swith choosing shore power or umbilical power source.
It is a given that 15amps wont power the roof mounted AC which wouldn't be used while underway...

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Well, you certainly can do that. I find the regular 7 pin umbilical cord charges my LiFePO4 batteries just fine. But, as they say...more than one way to skin a cat. 2.4kw that's 20 amps of 115vac.....or 200 amps 12vdc...lotsa power there.

 

[Jomani]

I don’t know much about the Ford Power Boost system, but the max output capacity you are quoting comes from “generator mode”, correct?

My power boost option Ford can supply up to 2.4 kw of electric power. The bigger option will supply over 7kw !

Do you know what the max amperage output to the 120v outlets is while driving/towing? It would seem that the truck would need most of the generated power to supply to the drivetrain/batteries and might limit what you can get out. I think it is a great option for backup power while camping, just not sure how well it would work while traveling.

 

[traveldawg]

The trucks inverter will power the complete electrical system without issue. So why not use the converter in the trailer that is powered by the trucks inverter to charge the battery(s)while underway

Because the existing wiring will get the job done.

I have ordered Lithium batteries (2) for our trailer. There are concerns that the 7pin may be problematic or unable to provide the charging capacity lithium batteries require unless a dc-dc charger is added.

The truck's 12v system will charge the batteries enough for when you have travel days. In fact, with about 100ah of Li you could probably run for 5 or 6 hours. With 200ah even more.

The powerboost 12v system is charged by a step down converter from the hybrid battery but I dont know the charging profile is correct for lithium especially through a 7pin connection. The oem 12v flooded parallel set struggled to be charged from the 7pin on our two night shake down trip

I'm surprised that 2 12v batteries struggled to keep with the 7 pin. Unless, maybe you never shore charged during your 2 nights. In that case, you probably need more battery capacity.

Running an extension cord from the trailers tongue to the power center is simple.
It would connect to the power center through a selector swith choosing shore power or umbilical power source.
It is a given that 15amps wont power the roof mounted AC which wouldn't be used while underway...

fwiw.....

I put in a DC-DC charger and 4 gauge wire from my trucks batteries through an Anderson connector to the charger. I have a 200ah Li and a true residential refrigerator. I don't even bother to charge the battery when traveling; it holds a great charge on travel days.

 

[SolarPoweredRV]

The trucks inverter will power the complete electrical system without issue. So why not use the converter in the trailer that is powered by the trucks inverter to charge the battery(s)while underway
I have ordered Lithium batteries (2) for our trailer. There are concerns that the 7pin may be problematic or unable to provide the charging capacity lithium batteries require unless a dc-dc charger is added.
The powerboost 12v system is charged by a step down converter from the hybrid battery but I dont know the charging profile is correct for lithium especially through a 7pin connection. The oem 12v flooded parallel set struggled to be charged from the 7pin on our two night shake down trip
Running an extension cord from the trailers tongue to the power center is simple.
It would connect to the power center through a selector swith choosing shore power or umbilical power source.
It is a given that 15amps wont power the roof mounted AC which wouldn't be used while underway...

A very good point has been raised about why use AC power to charge a DC battery bank.

Another good question has been raised about how much power is available while driving from your truck.

Another thing to consider is exactly how you are going to wire the 120 VAC into the camper. Are you going to simply duct tape an extension cord along the side of the trailer to reach the Shore Power connection?

The first thing you need to know is how much energy is available while driving, I doubt the whole 2.4kw or 7kw is available.

Presuming there is some power available while driving, I would simply get a Lithium capable Progressive Dynamics Converter and place it somewhere near the batteries and wire the output to the same 12v Buss Bars you wired the batteries into. I would then run a 120 volt heavy duty extension cord that is just the right length to reach the truck. I would figure out a way to route the cord so that it stays centered at the tailgate and protected against chafing.

As far as the losses associated converting the trucks DC to AC and back to DC to charge the batteries, I wouldn't worry about it because your truck has so much excess generating capacity. Generally, you are concerned about conversion and line losses when your generation source, like Solar, has limited generation capacity and you want every electron generated to get stored in your battery bank.

Please let us know how this turns out.

 

[RomeoZulu]

Because the existing wiring will get the job done.


The truck's 12v system will charge the batteries enough for when you have travel days. In fact, with about 100ah of Li you could probably run for 5 or 6 hours. With 200ah even more.


I'm surprised that 2 12v batteries struggled to keep with the 7 pin. Unless, maybe you never shore charged during your 2 nights. In that case, you probably need more battery capacity.

Our camper used 25% of a 200ah capacity parallel arrayed 12v flooded batteries. The on board solar did not provide any charge because the sight is fully shaded in a Forrest.
The sight provides no services so it suited the test to prove that I would need to charge the batteries with the trucks inverter. This method of charging on sight is quite effective as the campers converter provided the charge in about 1.5 hours. The trucks engine actually idled for about 6 minutes.

fwiw.....

I put in a DC-DC charger and 4 gauge wire from my trucks batteries through an Anderson connector to the charger. I have a 200ah Li and a true residential refrigerator. I don't even bother to charge the battery when traveling; it holds a great charge on travel days.

 

[RomeoZulu]

A very good point has been raised about why use AC power to charge a DC battery bank.

Another good question has been raised about how much power is available while driving from your truck.

Another thing to consider is exactly how you are going to wire the 120 VAC into the camper. Are you going to simply duct tape an extension cord along the side of the trailer to reach the Shore Power connection?

Duct taping not being considered.

The first thing you need to know is how much energy is available while driving, I doubt the whole 2.4kw or 7kw is available.

Presuming there is some power available while driving, I would simply get a Lithium capable Progressive Dynamics Converter and place it somewhere near the batteries and wire the output to the same 12v Buss Bars you wired the batteries into. I would then run a 120 volt heavy duty extension cord that is just the right length to reach the truck. I would figure out a way to route the cord so that it stays centered at the tailgate and protected against chafing.

My proof of concept utilized a heavy duty cord long enough to reach the off brand trailers power center were I back fed through an unused circuit breaker. I ran a short custom length cord from the inverter outlet through gaps at the tailgate to connect to the extension cord I had installed on the trailer. The tail gate was fully functional while the trailer was connected.
My installation would include an either or selector switch where shore power input are isolated from each other but utilizing the designated feed into the power center.
The 30 amp service cord was appropriately protected and tagged with its circuitry breaker opened and flagged for safety.
The installation was carried out in 1.5 hrs at a friend's place, in the middle of a cross country road trip. This allowed us to run a two way fridge on AC for the remainder of the trip.
Draw was less than 200 watts.
The truck is providing AC through its inverter through a cord that is easily routed and secured on the trailer.
The trailers converter drew about 750 watts at initiall connection, dropping to 500 or less as the charging progressed.

As far as the losses associated converting the trucks DC to AC and back to DC to charge the batteries, I wouldn't worry about it because your truck has so much excess generating capacity. Generally, you are concerned about conversion and line losses when your generation source, like Solar, has limited generation capacity and you want every electron generated to get stored in your battery bank.

Please let us know how this turns out.