Steve83

I wouldn't waste the effort & materials repairing 40-y.o. trailer wiring. Rip it out & replace with new. You can buy high-quality automotive-grade made-in-USA striped & colored wire on eBay & Amazon for very-reasonable prices. Use 18, 16, or 14ga for the lights; use 12, 10, or 8ga for the brakes, battery, & negative (ground). Use industry-standard colors:


(phone app link)

You can probably buy a section of 7-conductor wire with the connector molded-on to fit your truck, long enough to span from the truck to the trailer body. Then just splice on the new wires to run under the trailer. I'd convert every light to LED at the same time.

Yes, generally you should put a deep-cycle battery on a travel trailer. Check local laws (AND the laws where you'll be towing) to find out if a separate breakaway battery is required. If not, one normal-size (truck-size) battery is technically enough for everything.

Delavan

Thanks, the 7 conductor is new, some of the wiring is leaving to be desired, buddy had "jumper cable-type" clamps for the battery, instead of regular connector. I guess there is many people stealing batteries where he lived....as for the deep cycle battery, Wal-mart has a the biggest one for $150 approx...
I remember a friend of mine that had bought a set of used gold-cart batteries for his cabin....I guess its too much for a trailer, but a battery bank would be nice, as I'm planning to use "no services" camping spots...

Steve83

I don't recommend WM batteries, parts-store-brand batteries, or Optima. The best brands are MotorCraft (which probably doesn't offer any deep-cycle, but I'd check), Interstate MTP, & Sears DieHard Gold. There are better deep-cycle batteries, but they aren't as common, so it would be harder to get their warranties honored as you travel. The 3 I listed are available almost anywhere.


(phone app link)


(phone app link)

I wouldn't rely solely on batteries for long-term camping. I'd invest in a quiet little modern inverter-generator, and run it during the day to charge a couple of batteries (just enough to last the night). Look at all the things that you need during the night (when the neighbors wouldn't appreciate hearing the generator), how much current each one draws, how long you'll be using it, add them all up, and get enough battery to supply a few more Amp-hours.

mtber

Or use solar panels. I have 2x100w and my 12v BCI 31 returns to full charge at 10am next day after an evening of abuse. 32ft trailer with a family of 5. Water pump, LED lighting, furnace blower, fridge control, hot water control, slide motor, awning extend/retract on a daily basis and several usb ports for the kids to charge their electronics.

No gas needed, no maintenance, no noise, much lighter than a generator, permanent install, no setup required at camp site, charges while you drive, ...

I used the flexible version with a mppt charge controller. I ran the cables through the fridge exhaust. No holes on the roof. I taped them using eternabond tape.

BlackBoost

I bought a used 88 and have had similar problems and fixes as you. 20' tandem axle. The previous owner flipped the axles to raise it up, but the damn things were backwards so I had to flip them back around.

Make SURE they are the right way! Drum brakes don't work very well in reverse! If you look underneath, you should see the wire coming out of the drum behind the axle, not in front. Also, there should be a slot hole to adjust the brakes that might have a cover on it. This needs to be on the bottom.

Looks like this:


Lastly, if the axle has an arch to it, make sure the axle arches upwards, not down. Sad face, not a smiley face. The arch allows the loaded axle to remain straight and prevent your tires from getting chewed up. Also, inspect the equalizer hanger. It's the pivoting piece that holds both the front and rear springs to level the load. These wear out quickly and sometimes need to be replaced. Mine were badly worn and needed to be replaced. If one of those breaks, you lose a leaf spring mount, and possibly a whole axle. Not good!

The battery should be in good working order. If it's a sealed AGM, you COULD store it inside the camper, but I would just recommend a tight cable lock around your battery box.

I have an 85ah flooded deep-cycle battery for mine, and I installed a 50w solar panel on the roof. I've never plugged in the camper into 110v power since then and it maintains the charge easily. Even camping, using lights and the water pump is no problem. I also installed a 12v USB plug bank to keep my Bluetooth speaker and our cell phones charged which runs off of the battery. I've swapped out all my bulbs for LED bulbs. I can camp indefinitely and have power provided I have sunlight. In fact, I leave the outside "porch light" on as well as a light inside on 24/7 while it's parked at home and the battery always reads full. The only thing I can't run with my setup is the air conditioner (of course). But we never camp at powered sites anyways. Our fridge is propane and runs great (Original Dometic fridge!)

As for all your wiring, sometimes it's best to just redo instead of repairing and patching. Also, make sure your AC/DC converter is working well and charges your battery. Look up the model number, make sure it either switches to trickle charge, or is a trickle-charge-only. Old converters that don't work well anymore can overcharge your battery and ruin it if it doesn't switch to trickle on its own.

Don't put radial (car) tires on a tandem axle trailer. They don't have enough side-flex when making turns. You'll chew them up pretty quick, and you'll find it hard to make turns, especially when backing and turning. It's also hard on the suspension system and can twist it up. Many people do it, just be aware of these things...

I originally came here to post about my trailer but thought I would answer your questions and concerns since I've been in the same boat

If you have any other questions, ask away!

Delavan

I'm learning for this post like drinking from a fire hose....but nice!
I would like to go solar and stuff. Now, I finally got to the sticker that states the GTW (old term) with must be the GVWR of the trailer. 5600 pounds dry....I need a WDH isn't it? It is a 21 footer.
Now, I understand that I cannot buy any WDH off Craigslist/kijiji, it needs to be adapted?

I'm putting 4 brand new tires this week-end, some goodyear ones. The other cheaper option were chinese-made tires that are apparently subpar.
I'm getting the brakes/bearing/wiring checked at an RV place Friday, and will try to get the axles reverted to normal then...hopefully they have the time to do it.

Delavan

I think those equilizer thingies have been swapped for bran new ones.

I figure I can start with an AGM battery like yours to be staying outside for now. I priced out some 8Ds and the cheapest I could find is $350.

BlackBoost

Yes there's a lot involved when going over a trailer lol
You'll need a WDH if the hitch weight is over 500 lbs. You can check this at a truckstop scale with and without the trailer to compare. There's also some how-to's on the internet to check the hitch weight using a regular bathroom scale and a few 2x4's.

Mine's a 20 footer and about 5000lbs, the old guys are heavy! And I don't run a WDH because the hitch weight is about 350lbs. It's also not designed like the newer trailers. Newer trailers have the axles further back like this:


Where mine is pretty centered with the AC unit directly over the axles, and the kitchen oven, fridge and bathroom are all behind the axles. The only weight in front is the propane tanks and freshwater tank which is usually empty when I travel. If I fill the 30 gallon tank, that's an extra 250lbs halfway between the hitch and axles, so it adds ~125 lbs to the hitch bringing me to 475 lbs hitch weight.


It does lean forward slightly (it's exaggerated in the picture) but tows like a dream. The weight drops the rear of my truck 1 inch.

You'll have to look into WDH's a little, but most will fit most trailers. It all depends on the A-frame of the tongue. Before anything, I would check what kind of hitch weight you're looking at, and also how the truck handles while towing and how much the rear is dropping.

Whatever tires you choose, just make sure you always have a spare! The benefit of a tandem axle is that a tire blowout isn't as bad as if you had a single-axle.

That's good! You definitely don't want those to fail...

The 8D battery is a little more hardcore than what I would choose... I have a regular deep-cycle car/marine battery (Group 24) that's 85 Ah and it runs everything no problem with the solar. What kinds of things are you looking to power while you're out camping? If you plan to use an inverter to get 110v power, or if you're putting in a television then yes I can see the 8D being a benefit.

mtber

Before going to 8D, consider group 27, 29 or 31. I have a 31 for my 32 ft trailer and I was fine for 3 days without solar. A 31 is 150AH, almost double the 24.

27, 29 and 31 all fit in a group 27 box but won't fit in a group 24 box.

Delavan

That trailer you got is very nice! This is what I was actually looking at buying, but we quickly settled for a cheaper, old one, out on a limb.