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

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

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