Can Power Wire on Trailer Wiring Harness be Wired to Separate 12 Volt Battery Instead of Car Battery

Published 11/20/2015

Question:

If you have a spare battery like the one I use for my trolling motor, could you hook the module up to it instead of routing the wire up to the main vehicle battery ?

asked by: Bob B

Expert Reply:

Technically you could wire a powered trailer wiring harness such as # C56033 to a separate 12 volt battery. However, without an alternator to maintain the charge of the battery, the trailer lights would drain the battery and you would not know it. It will also void the harness warranty.

Because of this I strongly advise against this method of installation. The harness should always be connected to the vehicle battery and not any other power source.

Routing the power wire is not all that difficult, it just takes time. I have included a link to a help article I wrote with tips on routing the power wire for you to check out.

expert reply by: Michael H