Permanant Power For Caravan

Submitted: Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 11:52

ThreadID: 75400 Views:3120 Replies:5 FollowUps:4

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Wherehegon

Was wondering where people hook up wiring to for permanent power at the seven pin plug for caravan. Hi All, I'm in the process of running some wiring through for the fridge, uhf and some other stuff and thought while I'm at it I will run some wiring for permanent power (caravan ready) down to the 7 pin plug for van. Do you normally pick up power from the dual battery or from inside the vehicle some where. Also what ml wire would be the best. I have some new wire in the shed for the trailer but its just your normal thickness 7 core they run for most trailer connections, do I need bigger wiring remembering your also limited to what size wire I can get into the plug. I dont want to run anderson plug if I can avoid it, or long term is this the best option..?? Regards Steve

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Reply By: Lex M (Brisbane) - Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 12:09

Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 12:09

An Anderson plug is the best option with the largest wire that you can fit in it(IMHO).

AnswerID: 400583

Reply By: Member - mazcan - Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 12:10

Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 12:10

hi wherehegon
imho -forget the 7pin plug if your serious about a decent power supply use the heavy cable and the anderson plugs as you stated

it's going to be multi use that way your system wont suffer from voltage drop and will run everything at full power

i've tried 7pin system and it's full of problems too finicky and lite duty
thats my opinion for what its worth

AnswerID: 400584

Reply By: MrBitchi (QLD) - Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 12:10

Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 12:10

Andersen plug is your best bet. Normal trailer wire just won't carry enough current to make it worthwhile.

AnswerID: 400585

Reply By: Member - Captain (WA) - Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 12:59

Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 12:59

Another option is the 12 pin flat plug. 7 of the pins are the "normal" ones for the trailer lights etc... while the 5 additional ones are rated at ~45 amps per pin. You can see in the pic that the lower 5 pins are larger to cope with the added current. This type of plug means you only have one cable to connect to the vehicle and also you can get adapters to fit 12 flat to 7 pin round when towing other trailers.
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As for the size of the wire, I would go for something big - at least 10mm2 and bigger if possible. Any smaller and the voltage drop is too high and you defeat the purpose of having the 12V connection.

Cheers

Captain

AnswerID: 400593

Follow Up By: oldtrack123 - Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 22:54

Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 22:54

Hi Captain
Remember to run both pos & neg all the way, do not just rely on chassis for neg

FollowupID: 669871

Follow Up By: Member - Captain (WA) - Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 23:09

Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 23:09

Especially true if you use a treg hitch, they have no earthing at all :) A good reminder oldtrack.

Cheers

Captain

FollowupID: 669878

Reply By: Wherehegon - Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 15:36

Friday, Jan 22, 2010 at 15:36

Cheers people, I'm going to go with the Anderson plug. Its just that I was running wires through the fire wall and thought Id do it while the dash was apart but will run the thicker wire along side the chassis to the rear connected to the Anderson plug, Thankyou for the replys. I like to do things right the first time so will set that job aside till a cooler weekend. Regards Steve

AnswerID: 400616