Pro Power Onboard Generator 7.2K Powering a Trailer While Driving -- IT WORKS!

[EricR]

I have also configured my 2021 PowerBoost with 7.2 kw ProPower Onboard to provide full electrical power to an Airstream trailer while in motion. This from my post on the Airstream forum.

Now on the home stretch of this Electric GlobeTrotter conversion. For the last few weeks I have been researching the feasibility of towing the GT with full 7.2kw electricity available to the trailer. The main concern I had was maintaining a water proof connection from the F-150 inverter back to the trailer. Since the only access to the 110 volt system was via the 50 amp connector on the aft driver's side of the trailer it was clear a second connection was needed to feed the F-150 ProPower output to the Victron MultiPlus in the trailer.

My solution was to run a 4 wire, 30 amp cable from the front hitch back to a Progressive Dynamics PD52V Transfer Switch near the 50 amp plug input.

At the hitch the 30 amp cable joined with the 7 pin connector then over to connect with the truck. The F-150 ProPower Panel is on the driver's side aft bed wall which is not a convenient place to hook up the 30 amp cable while under power. I found an existing hole in the bed that was larger than the 30 amp cable so I was able pass the cable down the bed support behind the rear bumper.

To make the connection between the trailer and the truck I sourced waterproof NEMA L14-30 connectors (Molex Woodhead 28W74 and 29W74. These connectors are not easy to find.

Here is how it looks with all three cables from the trailer plugged into the F-150 PowerBoost. Ran some tests cycling through AC sources in the trailer and all seems to work. The 30 amp cable is about the same diameter as the 7 pin cable. I have some extra cable coiled up on the hitch so that I can park the F-150 away from the trailer while camping but still maintain a connection to the truck.

Great, awesome and nice work!

This is what I was hoping to see when I started this thread!

-EricR

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[EricR]

yeah, as I've been thinking about it, that's the way I'm leaning. Thanks!

The Progressive Dynamics transfer switches look good. They are sold by other companies under their various brand names - so that should count for something.

 

[SaSurvival]

Loving all these ideas, i had not thought about adding 30amps but just wanted to add 15amp, plus the 2KW can only deliver 20amps according the info on the cover plates.
We have 2 trailers, 30’ Reflection 5th with 565w of solar and 560amps of lithium with a progressive dynamics lithuim 60amp charger and a 15’ off road teardrop style with 80w of solar and 70amps of lithium.
i had a Ctek DC/DC (loved the set up)on my 2019 F150 but didn’t want to add it to my 2022 with PPoB 2KW, i just need to charge the batteries to keep the fridges running when driving and maybe if i need to use as a Geni (not a geni fan) every now and then.

 

[EricR]

Loving all these ideas, i had not thought about adding 30amps but just wanted to add 15amp, plus the 2KW can only deliver 20amps according the info on the cover plates.
We have 2 trailers, 30’ Reflection 5th with 565w of solar and 560amps of lithium with a progressive dynamics lithuim 60amp charger and a 15’ off road teardrop style with 80w of solar and 70amps of lithium.
i had a Ctek DC/DC (loved the set up)on my 2019 F150 but didn’t want to add it to my 2022 with PPoB 2KW, i just need to charge the batteries to keep the fridges running when driving and maybe if i need to use as a Geni (not a geni fan) every now and then.

About the time our truck arrived last summer I was in the middle of designing lithium battery upgrade for our trailer. Plan A was to simply use a couple of typical extension cords from my garage to power the trailer when driving. A short cord to go from one of the 120V 20A outlets to near the back bumper, and a longer cord plugged into the first and then run back along the trailer tongue and frame to the trailer's power center.

Then I realized the PPoB 30A outlet was powerful enough to run the trailer's A/C. This lead to Plan B, which replaced the extension cords with the watertight 30A wire and 30A plugs & Sockets.

It seems to me Plan A would have worked fine, and since you have the PPoB 2KW it seems something similar should work for you. A transfer switch might be a good idea if you want to retain your trailer's original 30A amp shore power connection.

It is very nice arriving at our destination with a cold fridge and our lithium batteries fully charged!

-Eric

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert or electrician. I'm just another guy who is simply sharing personal thoughts and what has worked for us.

 

[EricR]

We have 2 trailers, 30’ Reflection 5th with 565w of solar and 560amps of lithium with a progressive dynamics lithuim 60amp charger and a 15’ off road teardrop style with 80w of solar and 70amps of lithium.

Those sound like great set-ups!

Do one or both of your trailers have inverters? If so, how many watts are they?

-Eric

 

[SaSurvival]

Those sound like great set-ups!

Do one or both of your trailers have inverters? If so, how many watts are they?

-Eric

None have inverters…..yet, i have just purchased a 2nd Victron smart shunt from a local dealer, fatal mistake lol. They showed me some inverter chargers, victron multi plus was 1, which i would love but just out of my price point and a Kisae 3000, which looks good for what i want.
DC-AC, transfer switch and a 100amp charger, a bit over kill to use the microwave to warm my Tea, but…..

 

[EricR]

Interesting you mention Kisae!

Before we upgraded to our F150 with PPoB I was seriously looking at a Victron inverter/charger, or similar for the trailer ($$ ). Once our F150 ($$$$ ) arrived I realized I didn't need an inverter in the trailer, as I already had one in the truck!

So instead of an inverter I installed a Kisae Abso AC1260 - 60 Amp charger in the trailer. It has the umpf fully charge my two 105Ah lithium batteries from near-flat to 100% in about 4 hours. So far our batteries have yet to be anywhere close to flat, so this means we always arrive fully charged - even when the drive to the next camp is short!

Mostly we are boondocking, so if we want to run the microwave, my wife's blow dryer, or charge the lithium batteries we simply connect to the truck's PPoB.

My post - up at #29 in this tread - has a link to a write-up of the changes I made to upgrade our trailer to lithium, including how the AC1260 is used.

FYI, the Kisae Abso AC1260 is currently $280 at donrowe.com.

Let me know if I can clarify or otherwise help!

-Eric

 

[SuperRaptor]

Bad idea. Even if other input not plugged in it would be hot. Transfer switch definitely needed.

That way you could charge the Hybrids battery while you were camping! /S

 

[hcforde]

Also, the 30 Amp leg on the PPoB uses a L14-30 connector (fairly common) which is a twist lock. So It's not likely to come loose.

Hi Folks,

Well we just returned from a week long trip with 120V 30A service running from the PPoB to our travel trailer - while driving!

And as a bonus there was no smoke, no fire, and no breakers tripped!

See the black with orange cable in these pictures:

L14-30P Connector (only one hot leg connected) plugs into the PPoB, then up and over the tailgate:

The cable ends with a L5-30R connector, which mates with a L5-30P connector and cable that runs to the AC breaker box inside the trailer. These two connectors are watertight when mated.

This allows the refrigerator to run without propane, and for an AC battery charger to feed nearly 60 Amps into the lithium batteries I upgraded to earlier this summer! Our batteries were always fully charged when we arrived at our next destination.

Here's 1300 Watts being fed to the trailer while we are moving down the road:

Next spring I will likely upgrade so the cable doesn't have to go up and over the tailgate.

Glad to answer any questions, or help anyone interested in doing something similar.

Over the next few days I will also write up and post (on a different forum) the trailer upgrades I did this summer. I'll include a link in this thread in case anyone is interested.

-Eric

Great thread!! This is exactly what I am considering and wondered if anyone had done it, and why Ford did not make it easily accessible in the first place. Maybe they will in the 2023 models. I have a 2022 model on order that has been pushed back a couple of times and is now scheduled for production in August. It may be my silver lining because I get to see the upgrades to the 2023 Powerboost and weigh the price increase for which path I wish to take.

I will be pulling a travel trailer to Michigan(from Texas) and while there a refrigerated trailer with farm produce to different market destinations.

 

[EricR]

Great thread!! This is exactly what I am considering and wondered if anyone had done it, and why Ford did not make it easily accessible in the first place. Maybe they will in the 2023 models. I have a 2022 model on order that has been pushed back a couple of times and is now scheduled for production in August. It may be my silver lining because I get to see the upgrades to the 2023 Powerboost and weigh the price increase for which path I wish to take.

I will be pulling a travel trailer to Michigan(from Texas) and while there a refrigerated trailer with farm produce to different market destinations.

Sounds like a perfect application for the PPoB 7.2kW!

 

[SuperRaptor]

My solution was to run a 4 wire, 30 amp cable from the front hitch back to a Progressive Dynamics PD52V Transfer Switch near the 50 amp plug input.



At the hitch the 30 amp cable joined with the 7 pin connector then over to connect with the truck. The F-150 ProPower Panel is on the driver's side aft bed wall which is not a convenient place to hook up the 30 amp cable while under power. I found an existing hole in the bed that was larger than the 30 amp cable so I was able pass the cable down the bed support behind the rear bumper.

To make the connection between the trailer and the truck I sourced waterproof NEMA L14-30 connectors (Molex Woodhead 28W74 and 29W74. These connectors are not easy to find.

Here is how it looks with all three cables from the trailer plugged into the F-150 PowerBoost. Ran some tests cycling through AC sources in the trailer and all seems to work. The 30 amp cable is about the same diameter as the 7 pin cable. I have some extra cable coiled up on the hitch so that I can park the F-150 away from the trailer while camping but still maintain a connection to the truck.

Do you have some specs on the blue plug/wire size? I'd like to install something similar down below my tailgate so I can run my tonneau cover closed and power the A/C + fridge in my enclosed trailer. I've got two 15 amp circuits so nothing crazy as it's a home built setup for hunting.

 

[hcforde]

Do you have some specs on the blue plug/wire size? I'd like to install something similar down below my tailgate so I can run my tonneau cover closed and power the A/C + fridge in my enclosed trailer. I've got two 15 amp circuits so nothing crazy as it's a home built setup for hunting.

I need to do that setup with the PPoB 7.2kW truck I am getting. Do you know if the 50amp cable will fit?

 

[SuperRaptor]

I need to do that setup with the PPoB 7.2kW truck I am getting. Do you know if the 50amp cable will fit?

The poster above said he used a 30amp cable. I think it's a decently tight fit.

 

[turbopilot]

The poster above said he used a 30amp cable. I think it's a decently tight fit.

A 30 amp with a protective sleeve fits through existing hole. I see no need for a 50 amp cord serving a 30 amp socket. I run the 30 amp from the truck to a transfer switch where the 50 amp shore power also connects.

 

[hcforde]

A 30 amp with a protective sleeve fits through existing hole. I see no need for a 50 amp cord serving a 30 amp socket. I run the 30 amp from the truck to a transfer switch where the 50 amp shore power also connects.

I will be pulling a travel trailer with 50 amp service and also a refrigerated cargo trailer with farm produce.

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