Bigfoot Travel Trailer | Lithium Battery Charging via Solar & Alternator [4K UHD]

We share the two main methods we use for charging the lithium batteries in our Bigfoot travel trailer.
If you missed our previous video showing our Bigfoot Off-grid electrical system please check it out. It accompanies this video. • Bigfoot Travel Trailer...
Also, follow our travels or contact us using our Blog at: www.alaskanramtraveladventures.com
LINKS TO THE PRODUCTS USED:
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You will NOT pay more by purchasing though these links.
Renogy Eclipse 100w 12v Monocrystalline Solar panel
www.amazon.ca/...
Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 Solar Charge Controller 100V 50A with Bluetooth
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100 Ah LiFePO4 12 Volt Deep Cycle Battery
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Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor
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Precision Circuits LiFePO4 Battery Isolation Manager Li-BIM
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35mm Rocker Foot Mount Set 91M-35MS
amsolar.com/pr...
Roof Wire - AMS Custom 10ga Duplex CABLE-10GA-2-GRY amsolar.com/pr...
Liquid Tight Strain Relief for 10/2 cable STRN-1/2LN
amsolar.com/pr...
Roof Wire Attachment Point 92C-RATT
amsolar.com/pr...
Roof C-Box 20-ROOF
amsolar.com/pr...
ARCTIC ULTRAFLEX 1/0 BLUE PER FOOT
Bussmann CB185-150 150 Amp Type III Circuit Breaker
amzn.to/47sj7s6
Flaming River FR1044 Battery Disconnect/BigSwitch with Lock-Out XL
amzn.to/41Pxt4O
ZAMP SOLAR ZS-SOLARPORT Waterproof Solar Port
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Anderson SB-175 Connector
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Alaskan Ram Travel Adventures, All Rights Reserved.

[@charliemcfadden9143]

Nice work Jeff. You must be some kind of engineer.

[@AlaskanRamTravelAdventures]

Thanks Charlie! I've been accused of that before😉

[@patrickmckowen2999]

👍

[@user-qb2ev7cx5r]

Awesome system, Did you design and install the system yourself?, looking at getting a 25" Bigfoot rear twin bed and will want truck & solar charging also.

[@AlaskanRamTravelAdventures]

We designed and installed both the solar and alternator charging systems ourselves. Hope your able to get the Bigfoot of your dreams! Thanks for watching.

[@thevagabondonwheels4918]

Have you taken a look at the 7.2kW generator that some models of the newer F-150s have on board? It's a pretty slick technology and one that I am hoping we will see in more and more trucks in the years to come.

[@AlaskanRamTravelAdventures]

I have researched the Ford onboard generators available as an option in 2021 and newer F150 models. Sounds like something that could be very helpful to the RV users that need power while dry camping. Way cool. Kudos to Ford for being 1st to market with this!

[@608trucker4]

But do i neede to have that system in place. Im not that extreme with solar. Just 2 100 watt panels an 2 100 ah lithium batteries an all i wanna know is do i discount the factory charge wire going to my 7 way or leave it an let both systems do what they want i just dont wanna take out my alternator by back feeding. But there is a fuse in place for the factory acc wire to the 7 way. So it should be fine? Im not trying to use the truck to fully charge the system an i do not leave my tow vehicle hooked up when camping.

[@AlaskanRamTravelAdventures]

We did disconnect the power wire going to the 7-way, mostly to prevent us from having to unplug it on quick over night stops. Without knowing the specifics of your system, we can't make any recommendations on what you should or should not do. Sorry we can't be more help!

[@Txgator]

I'm new to lithium and had a question about the alternator isolation switch. Is this required when using a lithium battery? I just got thru installing lithium in place of AGM batteries.

[@AlaskanRamTravelAdventures]

Thanks for dropping us a comment. The Lithium battery isolator accomplishes a few things...It keeps the Lithium house batteries from running down your starter battery when the engine is not running (isolates the two systems). The device also prevents over-heating of your engine's alternator. If you run large gauge wires from your Lithium batteries to your alternator, you will want to limit the rate of charge to prevent premature failure of the alternator from over-heating. The Lithium battery/s will accept current at a much faster rate than lead acid, putting additional strain on the alternator from the increased current flow. The LI-BIM device we use limits the strain on the alternator by cycling on-off-on the charging current to the Lithium house battery/s. However, if you are only charging through the 7-pin trailer connector with small 10GA wires, you may not need to limit the charge current. The small wire size will automatically reduce the current flow. If you are just connected to the alternator thru the 7-pin connector, you will also either need to disconnect the 7-pin trailer connector from the tow vehicle during times when the engine isn't running, or you will need to use a battery isolator like the LI-BIM we mention.

[@SuperAudionut]

Enjoying your adventures. Wondering why did you go with #1/0 for the dc-dc cable? Just noticing for my 30amp dc-dc charger, asks for 6awg wire.

[@AlaskanRamTravelAdventures]

Sorry for the late reply. We choose the #1/0 cable because we don't use a DC-DC battery charger. Instead, we are using a Li-BIM (Lithium Battery Isolation Manager) per the recommendation of Battle Born Batteries. This device charges at the full available alternator current for 15minutes, then disconnects to let the alternator cool down for 20 minutes. It then repeats the cycle until engine is shut down or lithium Ion battery bank is full. The system works great!

[@davidmaddess5333]

Jeff brilliant! Exactly how I wish to mount our system and create energy to storage. What size amperage is your alternator(s)? David

[@davidmaddess5333]

Second view I see you have 1x160 A alternator. Did you consider a second or upsized alternator? D.

[@AlaskanRamTravelAdventures]

Great to hear from you David! Thanks for watching. We previously considered a second alternator (or larger replacement), but have since decided it's really not needed. Our factory 160A alternator is providing just over (90A) or 1,200 watts while this system is charging. This is very sufficient for our needs. Besides, if we were to add another alternator, or upsize the existing alternator, we'd need to also upsize the wiring, circuit breakers and connectors to gain any benefit. The current system has worked super well for 4 years now. Still on that original factory alternator.