Towing a 12 volt trailer with the deuce - please help.

[DUG]

As posted elsewhere, our troops scout trailer was stolen last weekend. We have a premier campout coming up on the 21st about 250 miles away in the desert. It is a windy area and we have a contact who loans us a Base X 200 tent for the boys to sleep in. We put our female leaders and Venture Scout (3 total) in the back of our scout trailer. Males sleep in the back of my deuce.

We have been offered other trailers to take and make this happen, but they are standard lighting and the deuce is of course 24 volts. I had converted our trailer to LEDs and never had a problem.

I now need a way to step down my deuce voltage at the trailer pigtail to tow a regular trailer. I'm also an electrical idiot and time challenged having to get everything ready in time.

Is there anyone is SOCAL who can help or is there anyone able to explain it slowly enough that I can pull this off? I haven't slept since the trailer was stolen and I've lost two pair of contacts because my eyes are leaking or something,.

We will rebuild, I just need to sort out this trailer wiring and get us to the event. Thanks in advance.

 

[VPed]

If the trailer only has taillights, it is pretty easy to change out the 12V bulbs with 24V bulbs. Standard taillights usually have 1157 (or 2057) bulbs. The 24 volt equivalent bulb is 1662. I'd check Napa, CARQUEST, big truck suppliers, tractor suppliers, etc. I have several extras of these bulbs but doubt I could get them to you soon enough. I have a set of magnetic tow lights that I swap the bulbs back and forth on all the time.

If the trailer has a slew of clearance lights, this may still be the easiest course but I do not have the 24V equivalent bulb numbers for that. If the trailer has electric brakes, that is a difficult one to adapt but you might do without given you are towing with a deuce.

 

[armytruck63]

I have used Harbor Freight magnetic stick on LED tow lights in the past when towing with an MV. I didn't even run the trailer lights, just the LED tow lights. This could be a temporary solution.

Edit: I used the front of the wiring harness from an M416 trailer and adapted the flat-four plug to the back end.

Memphis Equipment sells a kit that lets you wire run 12 Volt trailer lights froma 24 Volt truck, but their kit is a little pricey.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

 

[Sephirothq]

I should make a few of these boxes up for 12 volts. IT isn't that hard. You will need the NATO plug that connects any military trailer. You will need 3- 24 volt relays. You will need a 7 pole RV box or 4 pole flat plug. You will need a sealable water tight electrical box. you will need a 24 volt to 12 volt power converter. See Amazon for this. You will need some #14 wire.

Find a good place in the cab and mount your 24 to 12 volt box. Run power from a swtiched hot to the box. Run the 12 volt out wire to the back of the truck. On the NATO trailer plug you will need to figure out which wires are your turns, ground and running lights. I can't help with this at this exact moment.

Run the turns and running lights power to the hot on the 24 volt relays and the grounds to the other side.

Run the constant hot to each of the relays on the switch side and the other side to the 7 pole RV plug.

run your grounds

seal up the box and mount your 7 pole RV connector on the back of your truck

Plug trailer into 7 pole rv box and you have your running lights, brake and turn signals at 12 volts.

Not too easy but not too hard.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I set up a guy to tow home an RV trailer with an M109A3. I ended up bolting a pair of composite lights to the bumper and patched together a harness. Switching bulbs or magnetic lights seems like the easiest solution.

 

[doghead]

Worst case, leave the trailer unplugged and follow the trailer closely with one of your own vehicles.

Explain to police why, if needed.

 

[hndrsonj]

Too bad you weren't closer, I'd load you a set of wrecker tow lights.

 

[JasonS]

I should make a few of these boxes up for 12 volts. IT isn't that hard. You will need the NATO plug that connects any military trailer. You will need 3- 24 volt relays. You will need a 7 pole RV box or 4 pole flat plug. You will need a sealable water tight electrical box. you will need a 24 volt to 12 volt power converter. See Amazon for this. You will need some #14 wire.

Find a good place in the cab and mount your 24 to 12 volt box. Run power from a swtiched hot to the box. Run the 12 volt out wire to the back of the truck. On the NATO trailer plug you will need to figure out which wires are your turns, ground and running lights. I can't help with this at this exact moment.

Run the turns and running lights power to the hot on the 24 volt relays and the grounds to the other side.

Run the constant hot to each of the relays on the switch side and the other side to the 7 pole RV plug.

run your grounds

seal up the box and mount your 7 pole RV connector on the back of your truck

Plug trailer into 7 pole rv box and you have your running lights, brake and turn signals at 12 volts.

Not too easy but not too hard.

Seems like this could be done a bit simpler using three 7812 voltage regulators; one for each L, R, T.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I also have scads of these
http://www.gemplers.com/product/125691/Magnetic-LED-Safety-Light-Amber

They are very useful for so many things.

 

[Artisan]

Another way is to buy a cheap set of magnetic towing lights and change the bulbs
to 24V bulbs. That is way easy, Now grab a military trailer pigtail and have the local hitch place wire
it up.

Works for me...movable, and cheap.

 

[welldigger]

I guess this means I should get moving with building my affordable 24v- 12v step down trailer harnesses. The ones offered on the net are either way too expensive or must be imported from europe.

Magnetic tow lights with 24v bulbs will probably be your easiest and fastest temporary solution.

 

[Sephirothq]

Seems like this could be done a bit simpler using three 7812 voltage regulators; one for each L, R, T.

That is just how I would do it.

 

[Robo McDuff]

The easiest and quickest way is to buy or make your own 24 volt magnetic towing tail light bar. Make sure the cable is long enough for every eventuality (like towing another MV without lights).

A bit better and more permanent way is installing an extra 12 volt battery and load that one with a 24 volt DC powered charger. The one on the link is @#$#&^%#@ expensive (fill in the expletive of your choice) but there should be cheaper ones somewhere.

The best and most expensive is installing a converter that can run from 110 / 230 Volt and load your 24 volt and the 12 volt or use the 24 volt to load the 12 volt. That way, when you are camping, you can use the camp electricity to both run 12 volt applications (refrigerator, lights etc) and charge your 24 volts if needed. Those things are nice but very expensive.

 

[Sephirothq]

amazon has a voltage converter that will take 24 volts to 12 volts.

They are relatively cheap and you don't have to go through 120 volts.

 

[59apache]

The easiest and quickest way is to buy or make your own 24 volt magnetic towing tail light bar. Make sure the cable is long enough for every eventuality (like towing another MV without lights).

A bit better and more permanent way is installing an extra 12 volt battery and load that one with a 24 volt DC powered charger. The one on the link is @#$#&^%#@ expensive (fill in the expletive of your choice) but there should be cheaper ones somewhere.

The best and most expensive is installing a converter that can run from 110 / 230 Volt and load your 24 volt and the 12 volt or use the 24 volt to load the 12 volt. That way, when you are camping, you can use the camp electricity to both run 12 volt applications (refrigerator, lights etc) and charge your 24 volts if needed. Those things are nice but very expensive.

For my opinion is TM_America's bracket and 12V alternator the best way to get 12V with capacity. For a trailer wiring is that to much effort.
I would go the relais-route with 1 permanently powered converter. I don't think the on-off mode (turn signal / brakes) are good for converters...
But this is also for often use.
For single use is a lightbar or magnetic lights the best choice.

 

[Robo McDuff]

......... I don't think the on-off mode (turn signal / brakes) are good for converters...
But this is also for often use......
For single use is a lightbar or magnetic lights the best choice.

In RVs and on boats the converter is - mostly - not used directly to power applications but permanently charge a battery (or a bank of batteries). The application runs of the battery. My late brother's converted cargo boat to house boat had a set-up like that. Special start battery to start the engine and a battery bank for running the lights etc,. He also had a double light system; 12 volts when on the water, 220 volt when connected with the shore and running directly on shore electricity. The converter just made sure all batteries were permanently on full charge.