Ford F250 2019 Trailer 12v Power Through 7-Way

[drbob46923]

Lots of good information here. On my 2017 F-250 Super Duty I purchased the 30 amp fuse on Ebay and had to use a mirror to see the top of the fuse box to install. Also, on my 2017 there is no voltage coming out of the 7-pin connector until the truck computer knows there is a trailer plugged in, I suspect it's looking for electronic brakes, that's the only thing that makes sense to me. Even the Ford dealerships were confused when attaching a voltmeter to the 7-pin connector and seeing zero voltage, they just don't seem to know the details. I pushed one end of a thin gauge wire onto pin #4 the other end to my voltmeter (+) wire then the (-) wire to ground, then plug the trailer connector in, this is the only way I could confirm that 12 volts (actually about 13.6 volts) was going from the truck to the trailer. And yes, there is only enough current for battery maintenance, not actually charging batteries in a reduced state of charge.

[HRTKD]

The first guy that puts together a full plug and play kit for DC to DC charging on a 2017+ Superduty is going to make some money.

[Life is a Highway]

There are talented shops that all seem to have their well designed cable fuses and connectors designed for their vehicles.

For us retired folks or non techs who don’t feel like buying the crimping tools and cables and connections and lugs a well engineered. Exact fit Pre made wire loom with quality products will be a much needed item.

Let’s face it Solar Panels work ( I have a solar home) they are Nice! Until in rains or shade and then your outta luck.

With a Dc-Dc lithium or lead acids will get recharged with a 40-60 amp DC -DC truck charger and it will not hurt the Alternator. The Britts and Australia companies are WAY ahead of us on their outback rigs.

Personal Disclaimer. Please do not idle a modern diesel In reality it’s turning oil black with soot plugging up the EGR system and stressing the cat drives me nuts to see people fueling or running into the store letting a pickup idle for hours. That was cool before modern def systems and egr equipped diesels.

Little know fact the trucks computer monitors for warranty idle time. Depending on the mercy of your dealer you may get turned down or charged for an check engine emissions warranty if you exceed a certain amount of hours. Sitting in your trailer letting the diesel idle for hours charging batts is a HUGE NO NO

[rp709]

My 2012 GMC Sierra HD required a fuse to be installed and a charge wire run from the fuse panel under the hood to the 7 way plug. GMC had the same answer than not everyone uses the tow vehicle charging feature. It seems Ford did the same. The dealer understood what to do so I would definitely contact Ford dealer service.

[Life is a Highway]

[not for the original posters 2019 Ford no fuse not happening. If there was you would see 100 YouTubes on how to do it. They took it away from the Ford end user



QUOTE=rp709;2355425]My 2012 GMC Sierra HD required a fuse to be installed and a charge wire run from the fuse panel under the hood to the 7 way plug. GMC had the same answer than not everyone uses the tow vehicle charging feature. It seems Ford did the same. The dealer understood what to do so I would definitely contact Ford dealer service.[/QUOTE]

[docflyboy]

Interesting thread. The restoration that I'm doing currently has an AC/DC fridge. It draws 45 watts, so that with the batteries fully charged, I think the
TV which in my case is a 2018 F-150 XLT with the tow package, it should keep up. I'm concerned that if the battery is discharged after boondocking, would I potentially blow the fuse when I hook up to the 7-pin, by the battery taking too much current. I also have the factory 300W inverter, though I'm not fond of an AC plug on the back of the TV, I have a generator input in the front of the trailer, which could run a charger converter. Are there needs for diodes to prevent back-feeding the truck, like in the event of hooking up before detaching shore power?

[Ultraclassic]

Originally Posted by Karen-Mike

Hi All,
I have a 2019 F250 with Trailer towing wiring equipped. I heard that to have the truck charge batteries when towing I need to install the required 30A fuse in the fuse holder box in the truck.

We pull a 2019 33' Classic.

Is this correct?
Will the power go through the 4 slot white, 12 volt to the trailer batteries of the 7way receptacle on the truck?

Does anyone have any information from anywhere that confirms this?

My next stop is a local Ford dealer to confirm. But I thought I would throw this out to anyone here too.

Thanks,

Mike

Read the owners manual, I think it is all layed out in there

[Rltports]

Originally Posted by HRTKD

* - I used FORScan to turn off the annoying double honk that occurs when the truck is running, the fob is in my pocket, and I exit the vehicle. This _may_ affect how my truck works with supplying power to the trailer. But I doubt it.

That is interesting... how difficult would this be to someone that is new to using this app?

I found ELM327 WiFi Wireless ELM327 OBD2 OBDII Auto Diagnostic Scanner Tool Adapter for Smartphone/PC/iOS/iPhone/iPad/iTouch/Mac for $15 on Amazon.

Worth it to me as I am tired of the horn honking every time I jump out of the truck.

[HRTKD]

Originally Posted by Rltports

That is interesting... how difficult would this be to someone that is new to using this app?

I found ELM327 WiFi Wireless ELM327 OBD2 OBDII Auto Diagnostic Scanner Tool Adapter for Smartphone/PC/iOS/iPhone/iPad/iTouch/Mac for $15 on Amazon.

Worth it to me as I am tired of the horn honking every time I jump out of the truck.

It wasn't difficult for me, but I'm a software developer so I'm a bit off to the right of the bell curve on working with computers.

This is the best resource to use: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...readsheet.html

It specifies the tested OBDII adapters, instructions for getting the software and then an explanation of all the tweaks that you can do. Be very careful in which adapter you buy. Not all adapters are created equal. Deviate from the recommended list at your own risk.

[daleyocum]

Originally Posted by docflyboy

Interesting thread. The restoration that I'm doing currently has an AC/DC fridge. It draws 45 watts, so that with the batteries fully charged, I think the
TV which in my case is a 2018 F-150 XLT with the tow package, it should keep up. I'm concerned that if the battery is discharged after boondocking, would I potentially blow the fuse when I hook up to the 7-pin, by the battery taking too much current. I also have the factory 300W inverter, though I'm not fond of an AC plug on the back of the TV, I have a generator input in the front of the trailer, which could run a charger converter. Are there needs for diodes to prevent back-feeding the truck, like in the event of hooking up before detaching shore power?

Your Ford has a bunch of electronics on the charging line to turn it off when parked and to prevent backfeeding from the trailer battery. It also limits the current it will supply so no need to worry about blowing a fuse. I'm not sure what the current limit is but it's fairly small. Probably under 20 amps.

[ctdair]

Forscan is a great resource for modifying identified parameters. Good excel spreadsheet available on forscan forum.
It was also ez pz for me but I have an associate degree in auto mechanics and currently work as an industrial electrician working with PLC’s and Fanuc Robotics.

[docflyboy]

Thanks for the info. I would have guessed there was some protection regarding a deeply discharged battery in the trailer. Jerry

[HRTKD]

One other thing about FORScan. If you aren't confident in your computer skills, most of the changes that can be done in FORScan could also be performed by the dealership. It will probably cost you an hour of their time. Some dealerships refuse to do it, some play dumb and some are friendly about it and will make the change at no charge if you're having other work done. If you're really lucky, you'll have a friend, neighbor or fellow AS club member that will do it for you.

[Karen-Mike]

Interesting....do you have a 30 amp fuse already installed? Our trim package is Lariat and equipped trailer towing package but no fuse. I did not do what you did before installing a fuse. Also since I have new AS headache the plug issue has taken a back seat.

Originally Posted by Bmccorm

I have a 2019 F250. When picking up the airstream from dealer after having some service work done the batteries were to low for jack to operate. Tech had me back up close to trailer and plugged cord into 7 way. Nothing, didn’t understand why no power. Then i closed the truck door and problem solved. No power when truck door open. Closed it was supplying power with engine running in park...

[Karen-Mike]

Originally Posted by Life is a Highway

Have the same vehicle the 7 trailer wire is managed by the trucks computer. Only way to get REAL CHARGING is to invest in a DC to DC truck to trailer battery system. I am currently researching my decision.

Ford took control away from the end user. First of all with Ford Smart Charging Systems it is random on /off when and if you get any voltage Sent back into the Airstream Batts.

They do not want people using the truck as a battery maintainer. They do not want Diesel engines at idle This will spark other opinions but I verified it with my own testing and a trip to the dealer. Older other vehicle systems worked before today not so much.

The truck will charge its batteries first and always protect the Alternator if for whatever reason or fuzzy logic it can decide to send voltage back to the trailer usually after several hours of steady driving.

Agree. The new Ford Diesels have more controls on the idle. Mine shuts down after a period. It is emission headaches that Ford needs to protect now in these controls. Also I agrer with you on the dc-dc controller. This wasn't my goal to charge my batteries to use them off shore power but to just feed some power to them while driving if on a cloudy day and the solar wasn't doing much. Just a secondary add to giving free energy to batteries knowing the wire size etc...limits proper charging.

The AS has 240 Watts of solar now and should help recharge while simple one ot two night boondockings (which is not a goal to live off grid right now).

If someday we want that freedom we would likely go lithium and proper gear to accomplish off grid power properly.

Thanks.

[Bmccorm]

Originally Posted by Karen-Mike

Interesting....do you have a 30 amp fuse already installed? Our trim package is Lariat and equipped trailer towing package but no fuse. I did not do what you did before installing a fuse. Also since I have new AS headache the plug issue has taken a back seat.

I have the King Ranch trim bought new. Did not have to install a fuse. It has the towing package, FX4 diesel model.

[wilsodf]

We also have a 2020 Ford F350 Lariat and the fuse was there.

[Karen-Mike]

Originally Posted by Bmccorm

I have the King Ranch trim bought new. Did not have to install a fuse. It has the towing package, FX4 diesel model.

Yes. I tested the line before the fuse was installed and I had no power. Once fuse was installed I had power to the line and able to charge a little while traveling.

[Rltports]

Originally Posted by Karen-Mike

Yes. I tested the line before the fuse was installed and I had no power. Once fuse was installed I had power to the line and able to charge a little while traveling.

Ok, so this is probably a stupid question but how did you test the line? I purchased a 2019 F350 in Nov but haven't had a change to take the trailer out of storage as we aren’t planning to go anywhere for awhile. I am thinking that this would be a good test to do sooner rather than later.

[Karen-Mike]

Originally Posted by Rltports

Ok, so this is probably a stupid question but how did you test the line? I purchased a 2019 F350 in Nov but haven't had a change to take the trailer out of storage as we aren’t planning to go anywhere for awhile. I am thinking that this would be a good test to do sooner rather than later.

I didn't use a volt meter. I used a simple 12v 'test light' tester. They are simple and cheap from Harbor Freight. Good to have. I am now searching out solar headaches and it comes in handy for a quick power check on DC lines.