Auxiliary battery for cargo trailer dome lights

[grsthegreat]

Cold plays **** with batteries. Those battery operated lights don’t last long outside here in n idaho.

Even my lithium rechargeable light I use for work looses its charge in winter pretty fast

 

[lostcause]

Appreciate the replies. I think the solution i will go with is using a breakaway battery kit ($35 including battery, box, and maintainer) and change the wiring so that the dome lights are connected direct to that battery and not connected to the trailer junction box auxiliary circuit at all. they will always be on battery power, but when the trailer is in use the battery will be charging.

this makes something else rattle around in my head... i had thought about external solar maintainer solutions but the climate isn't real friendly here for a good part of the year and I can't find a good place to put one that is away from said weather. what about a wall wart? could you use something like that connected to the aux. line on the trailer plug? it would save pulling batteries to charge for extended sitting periods. use it occasionally to keep roughly topped off.

 

[radios1]

Any battery you install in series will be charged by the tow vehicle. On my wife's horse trailer I installed a deep cycle RV battery in series as it's more tolerant to multiple discharge cycles.

with those batteries, you have to mind the charge rate, it's listed on the battery, and if it's discharged enough, it can draw enough amps to fry it.. they are designed to be slow charged, unlike a car battery..