Can a Seperate Battery Be Used to Power a Trailer Wiring Harness

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Question:

If I wire the car but use a separate battery for the hitch wiring. Would this work, i can use a small battery in my RAV truck storage area.

asked by: Christopher

0

Expert Reply:

For starters, if you have a 2014 Toyota RAV4 then the correct trailer wiring harness for you is the Curt T-Connector Vehicle Wiring Harness part # C56350, not the Curt T-Connector Vehicle Wiring Harness part # C56033 which is a fit for Nissan and Infiniti models.

Regardless, the converter box really needs to be powered by the vehicle's battery but if you really wanted to install a separate battery in the truck area you can do so as long as it is rated for at least 10 amps. Please keep in mind that the separate battery in the truck would also require a charger which means you will need to run a power wire from the main battery to the separate battery which doesn't really make much sense.

If you need help routing the power wire for the wiring harness or separate battery I have attached a help article on this for you.

expert reply by: Conner L

0

Bryan C.

6/27/2020

I have 2018 Mercedes GLS 450 and the trailer hitch is installed, but no wiring harness. I just need to use for towing 4x9 u-haul triler when I get some 4x8 plywood, 2x4, and/or 2x6 etc. What would be the easiest way to wire and what wiring harness that I need to get? I think it is hard to route the power cable to the vehicle battery. Can I just use a separate 24V battery to connect the power cable?

Reply

Chris R.

7/1/2020

There aren't any custom harnesses available for your GLS-450 so you'll need to go with a universal hardwire kit. The Tekonsha # 119147KIT will work really well. If you wanted to add a dedicated 12V battery for the power wire you could, as long as you make sure to keep it fully charged and in good condition. Otherwise running the black wire up to the vehicle's battery is still the best route.

Reply

Answer 1

The problem is that the T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness #118551 requires 12 volt and cannot work on 24 volts. So unless you have 12 volt batteries that you can keep topped off in the rear of your vehicle you will need to run the power wire up to the…

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Answer 2

The 5.30-12 tires, being wider, are going to make more contact with the road. This means that the noise, and heat build up will be higher than a 4.80-12 tire but the rolling resistance will actually be less because the tire is larger diameter. The…

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Answer 3

Powered trailer wiring harnesses are not tested or rated for any alternate installation method. Installing it by attaching the power wire to a power outlet 12 volt wire will void the warranty. Also many times those outlets are not the only component…

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Answer 4

When properly installed a powered wiring harness such as #118460 will have power going to it all the time but not power coming out all the time because of the circuitry inside the converter box. The tail light wiring on a vehicle is only rated for so…

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Answer 5

If a converter box is blown then it will need to be replaced because there are no user serviceable parts inside. To determine if a converter is bad you will want to test the wires going into the box and the wires coming out with a circuit tester like…

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Answer 6

The reason you want to run the power wire all the way up to battery is so that you bypass all of the delicate wiring of your vehicle. The power wire is required on trailer wiring harnesses for some vehicles because the electrical system on those…

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Answer 7

Yes, trailer wiring harness #C56332 does have a fuse in a red holder near the large black converter box. If that fuse is fine, then use the vehicle owner's manual to find any fuses related to tow package wiring on the vehicle to check them. If…

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Answer 8

It is possible that during the installation of the fuses and relays that something got knocked loose or damaged. Check the fuse panels where those items were installed and see if anything is damaged or missing. Also, make sure the relays are in the…

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Answer 9

For the trailer wiring on your 2018 Kia Rio, you will need #118793. This will simply plug into your factory taillight wiring connector, no cutting or splicing is required. You will then run the white wire to bare metal for ground, and the black wire…

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Answer 10

For the trailer wiring on your 2018 Kia Rio, you will need #118793. This will simply plug into your factory taillight wiring connector, no cutting or splicing is required. You will then run the white wire to bare metal for ground, and the black wire…

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Answer 11

It could be a tow package fuse on the vehicle. Use the owners manual to find the locations of fuses/relays related to the tow package wiring to check them and replace as needed. If the issue is not a fuse or relay then you can test the vehicle side…

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Answer 12

When you state that you never had to use a converter before, do you mean with this particular vehicle? That the brake lights worked with this trailer being towed by this vehicle before, but are not working now? Or do you have a new car, and you have…

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Can a Seperate Battery Be Used to Power a Trailer Wiring Harness

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