How Do I Supply Power From My Truck Alternator to Truck Bed Camper

Question:

To keep the camper battery fully charged off of the trucks charging system you recommend wiring directly from the alternator with an isolator between the alternator and camper battery, right? Will the alternators voltage regulator recognize the camper battery as well as the truck battery? Or does there need to be a separate voltage regulator for the camper? 1997 GMC K2500

asked by: Shane

Expert Reply:

You would not need a 2nd voltage regulator for this application, in fact, if your 1997 GMC K2500 pickup has a 7 way connector on it already you could likely just use the 7 way to supply enough power to keep your truck bed camper's battery sufficiently charged. If you don't already have a 7 way, you can use the Draw-Tite Pre Wired 7 Way # 20023 to wire one onto your truck;if your truck already has a 7 way connector you can also install this in your truck bed to provide you with a closer connection for your truck bed camper.

Because your truck bed camper likely only has 6 wires going into it, since it doesn't require a brake wire (blue), it should be a fairly easy solution to add.

expert reply by: Erik B