Does a Trailer Battery Need to Be Grounded If There Is No Charge Wire From the Tow Vehicle

Question

Question:

I read you mount winching instructions. If I have a separate battery in the car trailer, with no charging from vehicle, am I able to do so without running a ground cable from the battery to the trailer? Is this because the winch is grounded when attached to the frame?

asked by: John V

0

Expert Reply:

The trailer battery does not need to be grounded if you are just using it to power a winch. If you were using the battery to power other items that were also ground to the trailer frame then you would need to ground the battery as well. That said, I think you will be surprised at how fast an electric winch can drain a trailer battery if you don't have it hooked up to charger. Therefore, I highly recommend you consider Redarc In-Vehicle BCDC Battery Charger part # 331-BCDC1225D which will ensure you always have a fully charged trailer battery that way you can use your winch whenever you need it. The Redarc In-Vehicle BCDC Battery Charger will get installed in the trailer and the power wires will then be run to the vehicle's battery with the Bulldog Winch Rear Wiring Kit part # BDW20206.

expert reply by: Conner L

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Answer 1

Hey Chris! The black wire on the etrailer Electric Trailer Jack #e23ZV is just a ground wire. Realistically you can ground it however you want but I would say running it to the frame with a self-tapping screw as indicated in the instructions is the…

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Answer 2

In order to ground the Stromberg Carlson Trailer Jack, #JET-2500, I recommend doing just as you said. I would run a wire like #10-1-1 from one of the mounting bolts to the negative terminal on the battery to ensure an adequate ground.

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Answer 3

The Electric Jack with Footplate part #EJ-3520-BBX only has one wire which is for power. There is no ground wire as it uses the mounting plate for the ground. Therefore, in order for the jack to work properly you'll need it mounted to the frame…

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Answer 4

Its sounds like the battery has seen better days. Was it always like this or did this happen recently? A battery can sometimes have a high enough voltage to appear good but it doesn't have the amperage to power anything.

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Answer 5

George, I suggest checking to make sure that the 12v pin on your 7-way is actually receiving 12v. The reason your jack is not working off shore power could be caused by a bad connection in your 7-way. This pin should be located at the 1 o'clock…

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Answer 6

For your electric jack, there are only three possible explanations for your jack not working with a charged battery. Either power is not getting to your motor, your motor is bad, or your ground connection isn't working properly. To test power,…

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Answer 7

Since the lights work on a different trailer then like you said the issue must be on the trailer. To determine the issue you will first want to check the trailers connector. If there is any dirt or corrosion you will need to clean it out on the pins…

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Answer 8

The difference between the Class II and Class III hitches has to do with their Gross Trailer Weight (GTW), their Tongue Weight (TW), and their Hitch Receiver Size. Class II trailer hitch receivers have a 1-1/4 inch receiver and can be rated up to…

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Answer 9

In order to determine the torque rating for the lug nuts on your trailer you will need to know check out the chart I attached that shows all of the torque specs for all the trailer lugs available based on stud size, wheel material and wheel size.

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Answer 10

A 4-Way trailer connector has the basic lighting functions only; running lights, left turn signal and brake lights, right turn signal and brake lights, and ground. A 7-Way has these functions and a 12 volt circuit, a circuit for electric trailer…

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Answer 11

According to Blue Ox, it'll take an experienced installer about 4 to 5 hours to complete the installation of their #BX1128 Base Plate Kit on a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The install isn't what I'd call super-difficult, but the installation…

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Answer 12

It sounds like you are speaking of the wires for the brake magnets. If this is correct, you will need to connect one of the wires to the brake controller output wire on your trailer connector and the other wire will need to be grounded to a clean…

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Does a Trailer Battery Need to Be Grounded If There Is No Charge Wire From the Tow Vehicle

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