Plugging TT into TV without battery

[Camper_bob]

Has anyone ever done this and had any problems?

I plugged my TT into my TV without the battery so I could run the tongue jack. I needed to get the trailer home and I didn't bring the battery with me to the storage lot (I keep it in the garage on a float charger). I know I shouldn't be towing without a battery, but I was in a pinch.

Anyway, when I plugged it in, I heard the fuse pop, made a mental note to check it out, and verified later when I had the battery installed and nothing would run. With the TV connected and no battery, everything ran fine, so my plan worked, but I can't think why the fuse would go? And after I put the battery back on and changed out the blown fuse, and plugged into the TV and everything was fine.

I don't know that it makes much difference, but there was a 35 amp fuse there when I bought it that got blown when I had a short in the cord, I couldn't find a 35 amp fuse, so I replaced with 30 amp.

Ideas?

[clubhouse]

I've done this a few time and litterally just did this 5 minutes ago. I moved the TT about a mile for storage to home, no fuses poped this time or any other time.

[John LLRV]

If you plugged it into the TV without taping off the positive terminals, it could have just popped when the Pos terminal touched the frame of the TT. Nothing major, its why the fuse is there. As for the fuse size, just make note to replace it with the proper size in the spring. (We move them around the lot without batteries, and put the electric jack down and open the slides with no battery in the TT.. just FYI...)

John

[Mustang65]

My only fear would be is that the wire from the TV's fuse panel to the rear bumper TT connector is not the proper gauge to support a 20 > 30 Amp drain that the tongue jack puts on the truck circuit, without the TT battery to absorb some of the drain.
Don

[Camper_bob]

If you plugged it into the TV without taping off the positive terminals, it could have just popped when the Pos terminal touched the frame of the TT.

I bet this is it. I hide the terminals under the propane tank cover when the battery is off to keep them a little out of the elements. I might have to pick up an extra fuse and test this...

My only fear would be is that the wire from the TV's fuse panel to the rear bumper TT connector is not the proper gauge to support a 20 > 30 Amp drain that the tongue jack puts on the truck circuit, without the TT battery to absorb some of the drain.

I didn't consider this, but wouldn't the fuse under the hood pop before that became an issue? They sure popped quick when I had a short in my cable... I hitched the trailer at the lot, drove it a couple miles home and unhitched, all with just the truck connected. And I use the jack to get the rear of the truck up to release tension on the WDH bars, so there's plenty of load to deal with.

[John LLRV]

By design... it would pop before this was an issue. If not, cables would melt.. and it would be a great light show!

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by John LLRV

By design... it would pop before this was an issue. If not, cables would melt.. and it would be a great light show!

That's kind of what I was thinking; isn't that the entire point of a fused circuit? So the fuse goes before destroying anything else in the circuit?

[John LLRV]

Absolutely.