We have purchased a 2019 Pajero Sport to tow our Avan 55 Aspire and I need to fit an Anderson plug to run the fridge in the van while we are traveling. I do not need to charge the house battery as the solar sorts that.
I have read so much on this sublject and I am completely confused , I understand the principles of the smart Alternator and how they work.
The Pajero sport is only going to be used probably once a year for long hauls (Perth to Exmouth ) as I use my company car ( 2020 Triton ) for short hauls up and down the coast. so I feel that do not need a second battery set up in the Pajero to power the fridge when driving as most things stay cold on the 3- 4 hour trips we do. I have seen discussions on wiring the power (Pos + ) from the alternator to the Anderson plug ( with a fusable link in line ) and connecting the earth ( Neg -) to the chassis. and then running with the headlights on to initiate the alternator to produce a greater output voltage which is no problem.
My question is has anybody actually been successful with this practice?
I am not really interested in fitting a DC to DC charger as I am not charging another battery only running the house fridge.
I hope you guys and girls understand my ramblings.
I know this is probably old ground that has been passed over many times. so apologies if it upsets anybody but I am looking for a definitive answer on this.
Welcome to the gang Gary, enjoy here and out in the playground.
I have a Colorado not a Pajero but using 6B&S cable direct from car battery with fuse next to battery then down to the rear under the canopy to a Anderson Plug. It is wired to go off when car stops. Has worked well now for 6 years.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
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TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV (with some changes)
Hi Knackers, I wired mine from the battery, positive thru a 30 amp. Auto resettable relay with an ignition power source, Or you can use a 'fridge switch' (motion switch) in the van, I run pos. & neg. Wires right thru' of heavy gauge to help with voltage drop in the long runs, run wites thru' firewall & under door sill trims back to the tail light cavity,
remove tail light lens, easy to drop wite down to back of car.
Hope this helps,
John.b
You will need a VSR (Voltage Sensitive Switch) about $45.00 from eBay.
1 only SB50 Anderson Plug
Cable length to suit. Depending on size/type of fridge either 8B&S cable or 6B&S
You do not have to worry about a 'smart alternator'. This is all over hyped basically rubbish by people that are not aware of modern charging systems. Where some alternators do go down into 'hibernate' mode, all you have to do worst case is drive with the parking lights on. Mitsubishi and other Asian vehicles are generally not an issue.
I love my solar. I wouldn't rely on it as the sole means to charge my batteries though.
Means you don't have sufficient solar panels or sufficient battery capacity. I charge with solar only, Lithium battery and no generator. Need to set yourself up better and then you will be able to charge with solar only. Many do and manage without issue.
Hi all; Knackers, your idea is on the right track. The only thing between the output from your aulinator to your battery would be a heavy duty fuse/link. i would take your power feed for your fridge from the aulinator to a 100 Amp relay that senses the ignition feed and drops the relay out when the engine is not running ( key off ). A circuit breaker or a 50 Amp maxi fuse is also a must. As for the earth return i would not use the car chassis as a return , but run the Earth all the way back to your battery. When you buy your cable you would buy one with a positive AND a negative wire in a fig 8 form, so use that earth return and take it back to the negative terminal of your battery
The size of the cable is important and so is the length due to voltage drop. When buying your cable look for a multi strand cable ( the more strands the better and more flexible ) and designed so as all of the copper wire fit into the terminal of the Anderson plug.If you still have room in the terminal choice a heaver cable. I also have found that the wire used for heavy loads ( battery charging or running the fridge ) is not really up to the task and can cause problems like the fridge not staying cool or your house battery not being fully charged. This is a big problem with 3 Way fridges ( expansion type ) as these type of fridges can draw in the order of around 10 to 20 Amps, so a lot of current. 2 Way compressor fridges are not as hungry for power as the three way type and draw around 5 Amps when running
This same cable has to be run from your autinater all the way through to your Anderson plug and then on to your 12 volt feed at the back of your fridge. This is the important bit of the wiring as voltage drop really plays a part in this type of installation.
Monica W. With all respect, read what is written. Nowhere did I mention my setup is insufficient, nowhere did I mention needing or using a generator. My statement was I wouldn't rely on solar alone and left it up to readers to decide if they need a second charging source and there are several options available. But if your solar is truly sufficient, why source power from the tow vehicle ? Just hit the road, live in faith you have a bullet proof system and let the sunshine do the job. If the sun is shining.
We have purchased a 2019 Pajero Sport to tow our Avan 55 Aspire and I need to fit an Anderson plug to run the fridge in the van while we are traveling. I do not need to charge the house battery as the solar sorts that.
I have read so much on this sublject and I am completely confused , I understand the principles of the smart Alternator and how they work.
The Pajero sport is only going to be used probably once a year for long hauls (Perth to Exmouth ) as I use my company car ( 2020 Triton ) for short hauls up and down the coast. so I feel that do not need a second battery set up in the Pajero to power the fridge when driving as most things stay cold on the 3- 4 hour trips we do. I have seen discussions on wiring the power (Pos + ) from the alternator to the Anderson plug ( with a fusable link in line ) and connecting the earth ( Neg -) to the chassis. and then running with the headlights on to initiate the alternator to produce a greater output voltage which is no problem.
My question is has anybody actually been successful with this practice?
I am not really interested in fitting a DC to DC charger as I am not charging another battery only running the house fridge.
I hope you guys and girls understand my ramblings.
I know this is probably old ground that has been passed over many times. so apologies if it upsets anybody but I am looking for a definitive answer on this.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance and safe trips guys
Regards Knackers.
Hi Knackers,
You know what you want !!!, go to a qualified auto elect as ask for a quote, or the Mitsi dealer.
I got my Anderson Plug done by Toyota along with the flat 12 pin plug and the reverse camera wiring all at the same time, they know where to run the cables, have the proper brackets to hold them under the rear bumper etc.
You say you are confused, get the right people to do it properly the first time, saves your time for more important things, like sitting under the awning with a beer.
If you are near the Perth Hills area I can recommend Benchmark Auto Electrical mobile service. He has done quite a bit for me and at reasonable rates.
With regards to the initial question, you need the isolation relay in the Anderson plug circuit otherwise the fridge will attack the start battery when you stop. I have 50 amp cabling for the circuit and a fusible link.
The comment about the smart charge altenators being a problem somehow being a myth, I can tell you now this is bs. After 3 batteries in 5 years and talking to Ford about the issue and my auto sparky, if you are towing a van, you should have the smart charge turned off. Batteries under large draw do not like only being charged to 85% and their life will be drastically shortened. The van draw needs the altenator charging as per a standard altenator. This was confirmed by Ford, particularly for the Ranger, which already has a lot of draw on its battery. I now have mine turned off. Apparently the only real reason for the smart charge is to save a poofteeth of fuel by not having the drag of a charging altenator full time according to Ford.
"Apparently the only real reason for the smart charge is to save a poofteeth of fuel by not having the drag of a charging altenator full time according to Ford."
Thanks all for the feedback , I think Bobdown is on it, where as I would normally do this type of thing myself , I am getting lazy in my old age so I will get an Auto Sparky to sort it
Thanks all for the feedback , I think Bobdown is on it, where as I would normally do this type of thing myself , I am getting lazy in my old age so I will get an Auto Sparky to sort it
Good move. And I would be getting a recommendation first.
Anybody have a reference for a good auto sparky in the Northern suburbs of Perth ?
I have contacted one guy but he doesn't seem to confident with the way I want to have the tug wired he want to go with a continuous supply form the battery with no relay to shut the supply off when the car is stopped. I do not want to run the risk of a flat battery when we stop.
Definitely need the relay hooked into the ignition circuit so power is cut when the key is turned off. The fridge can draw a fair old load and you can stop for lunch and not start again. Been there have the tee shirt.
Give Benchmark Auto Electrics a call. He is a mobile service and travels fairly widely. His details are on the Web. Highly recommend him.
Definitely need the relay hooked into the ignition circuit so power is cut when the key is turned off.
Definitely the way to go. Some recommend a VSR but in this application a really does the same thing as a VSR at a much cheaper price. Dometic also recommend to go that way. From one of their handbooks:
Knackers1928 wrote: I have seen discussions on wiring the power (Pos + ) from the alternator to the Anderson plug ( with a fusable link in line ) and connecting the earth ( Neg -) to the chassis. and then running with the headlights on to initiate the alternator to produce a greater output voltage which is no problem.
Don't use the alternator. Use the battery terminal. It is connected to the alternator with a thick wire so there is no advantage going to the alternator. Also the battery is generally easier to get to.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
