I think I would have a 12-24 to up convert power from the vehicle to charge the 24v battery. Need a second converter to go down 24-12 to power the house, jacks and emergency breakaway brakes. Otherwise the vehicle should power the brakes direct in normal conditions without issue. The brakes should only draw 3 amps per wheel. Allow 4 amps and it should work fine without overload.
24 VDC and 12 VDC brakes in Fifth Wheel
- Thread starter chrisski
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chrisski
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If you could share any pictures or tips, I’d appreciate them before I order parts.
chrisski
Solar Boondocker
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I just finished my 24 volt upgrade and got rid of the 12 volt battery. I installed a single Victron Orion 24 volt DC to 12 Volt DC converter 70 amp converter and things are fine. I have a 2 axle 12,000 LBS fifth wheel and that converter can operate the leveling system which pulls 50 amps at 12 volts and has no problem doing it.
View attachment 76616
I’ve known three people that have done this. Two of us use this converter right here. The other says his trailer struggles with it, but he sees more than 50 amps when raising and lowering, so I guess his trailer is bigger. The other used a buck converter and did not end well:
diysolarforum.com
View attachment 76616
I’ve known three people that have done this. Two of us use this converter right here. The other says his trailer struggles with it, but he sees more than 50 amps when raising and lowering, so I guess his trailer is bigger. The other used a buck converter and did not end well:
24 VDC and 12 VDC brakes in Fifth Wheel
So, when you run your electric kettle on solar power, do you have a battery monitor that will watch how quick the battery % goes down? I guess what is getting me is watt hours is one measurement and should work well for things close to a C20 draw, but for my 478 Amp Hour System at the C20 rate...
diysolarforum.com
I think you'll be okay. Victron specifically says their adjustable output models can be used as battery chargers including starter batteries. This "implies" higher voltages from an alternator won't damage the Victron. The Daygreen I had did not have this feature which was what I assume lead to my fire. I never did measure the amps pulled while braking hard and driving. It was a 60 amp converter but I suppose it's also possible that wasn't enough. If I recall correctly the brakes only pulled 20 amps or so while testing at rest. That may be worth testing.I just finished my 24 volt upgrade and got rid of the 12 volt battery. I installed a single Victron Orion 24 volt DC to 12 Volt DC converter 70 amp converter and things are fine. I have a 2 axle 12,000 LBS fifth wheel and that converter can operate the leveling system which pulls 50 amps at 12 volts and has no problem doing it.
View attachment 76616
I’ve known three people that have done this. Two of us use this converter right here. The other says his trailer struggles with it, but he sees more than 50 amps when raising and lowering, so I guess his trailer is bigger. The other used a buck converter and did not end well:
24 VDC and 12 VDC brakes in Fifth Wheel
So, when you run your electric kettle on solar power, do you have a battery monitor that will watch how quick the battery % goes down? I guess what is getting me is watt hours is one measurement and should work well for things close to a C20 draw, but for my 478 Amp Hour System at the C20 rate...
Orion DC-DC Converters Non-isolated, High power - Victron Energy
Eliminate the need for a high current switch in the input wiring with the remote on/off connector on the Orion DC-DC Converter. Find a dealer near you.
I was dealing with insurance and didn't want to be too specific at the time but I attached a picture of it burnt out.
Attachments
I think you'll be okay. Victron specifically says their adjustable output models can be used as battery chargers including starter batteries. This "implies" higher voltages from an alternator won't damage the Victron. The Daygreen I had did not have this feature which was what I assume lead to my fire. I never did measure the amps pulled while braking hard and driving. It was a 60 amp converter but I suppose it's also possible that wasn't enough. If I recall correctly the brakes only pulled 20 amps or so while testing at rest. That may be worth testing.
Orion DC-DC Converters Non-isolated, High power - Victron Energy
Eliminate the need for a high current switch in the input wiring with the remote on/off connector on the Orion DC-DC Converter. Find a dealer near you.www.victronenergy.com
I was dealing with insurance and didn't want to be too specific at the time but I attached a picture of it burnt out.
There should be zero amps drawn from the trailer's 12 volt system for regular braking. If the emergency break away cable is pulled then the emergency brake system will pull about 12 amps from the trailer's 12 volt system (for a dual axle trailer).
If you have disk brakes on your trailer, I think the above answer is the same. But I have no experience with disk brakes and the hydraulic pump used there.
Good to know. Now that you mention it I do recall that my test at rest was pulling the emergency break away cable.
chrisski
Solar Boondocker
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Thanks. I’m overall happy with it.
There’s a couple of things I don’t like about the Victron I got. Has to do with the studs.
The stud is held on by a nut and does not have a lot of contact area. Also in the picture, the lugs can only come in from the 12,3,6,and 9 o'clock positions. Coming in from a different angle does not let it get flush Which you can make out in this picture:
For the ground wire, both wires go to one stud, so my first attempt of stacking two lugs on top of each other did not let them have enough room for the nut to secure it.
I solved this by Crimping both 2 AWG -12volt and -24volt in the same 2/0 lug which fit well.
You can see in the picture the lugs are secured with finger nuts, I’d prefer regular bolts. I think its M6, either that or 1/4 inch Studs. I may replace those finger nuts with the appropriate bolt and add caps.
The instructions were lacking, which usually VIctron is quite good. They were only a few lines long and did not match the converter, for example the intrucions said iattach the ground wires, but made no mention of a single terminal on the converter and that terminal on the converter is also abeles 0 volts.
