Wiring a DC to DC charger

[Tulmaster]

Hello everyone. So I am wiring a DC to DC 30 amp charger to my 2016 3160RL 35' 5th whl. I finished the Ram truck with 6AWG wire to an Andersen plug on the bumper mounted just below the 7 pin connector plug.


I am planning on running the wires up through the pin box frame and attempt to follow the original harness to the front compartment area where the charger will be mounted. Harder than first thought as I do not wish to peel back any material to get the wire through and was hoping to fish it through. Short of disconnecting a wire from the 7 wire junction box and using it to fish the new cable through can anyone offer a suggestion on the best way to get the new cable into the front storage compartment.



Thanks for any assist. Mark

[jeffba]

I removed some of the center screws holding the skin piece underneath. I then pushed a flat aluminum bar through from the front compartment to kingpin opening. I then attached my wire to it with tape and pulled the wire to the front compartment.

[MandK]

I had the same experience when trying to fish my wires through for the disc brake conversion. I gave up on trying to follow the existing run from the pin box to the front bay and settled on a direct path from the pin box back to the storage bay.
I removed/loosened the screws in the filon right behind the pin box to create a space to get my fishing tool started back, slipped a 48” ruler in to hold the insulation up and after the loom with the four 10 ga wires was through I flattened the loom by placing the wires inside the loom side by side to lessen the loom thickness where it passes between the filon and the frame right behind the pin box. The little bit of gap that resulted from the wires passing through was filled with pest block. A couple of 6ga wires in a loom shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
Not sure if this is best practice, but it’s working fine so far.

[Lee-CI]

Actually DW fished our cables through. Like others we had loosened up the bottom screws holding up the filon. I was using a thick 4 ft yard stick and had become frustrated. Wife wanted to try while I took a break. She got it first shot then turned the yard stick on it's side for additional clearance. The twin lead wire was stiff enough that we easily pushed it through afterwards.
Good luck. You are already on the right track. Pics afterwards are welcomed

[jimcol]

Lee-CI 4 foot yard stick must be a Texas thing. In Missouri a yard stick is only 3 feet, same as a yard. Sorry, but that was too easy to pass up.

[Lee-CI]

Originally Posted by jimcol

Lee-CI 4 foot yard stick must be a Texas thing. In Missouri a yard stick is only 3 feet, same as a yard. Sorry, but that was too easy to pass up.

I was beginning to think no one was gonna refer to my 4 ft "yard stick" comment. Just remember folks - everything is bigger in Texas!

[Daryles]

Here's a link to my write up of my installation

https://www.montanaowners.com/forums...hlight=charger

[Lee-CI]

Originally Posted by Daryles

Here's a link to my write up of my installation

https://www.montanaowners.com/forums...hlight=charger

^^^^^
Darn good writeup and advice right there. Followed it to the tee so as not to have to reinvent the wheel. Very happy with results

[Daryles]

Thanks Lee.
Glad it helped. I used Gorilla tape to seal up around the filion (vinyl) and pin box to make it water tight. Always use alcohol to clean tge surface before taping. Lasts longer.

[Tulmaster]

Hi, I wanted to thank everyone for the tips as they were a tremendous help. I grabbed a 3/8 x 1" x 10' piece of maple from my strip canoe supplies and it took all of 10 min to thread the wire into the compartment. I started with a 30' roll of 6 AWG wire and used about 18' going from the battery on the driver's side to the back bumper. This wire happened to have a white wrap around the two wires so I didn't need to use any split wrap. The 12' left over made it just a few inches into the compartment so I had to order 10' of additional wire and splice it in order to complete the install. That put me back a day or two while waiting for the wire. Install is now complete short of again having to order the cable ends to bolt into the system. Eventually I will replace my golf cart batteries with 2 300 AH Lithium. Again thanks for the tips.