Question re running 12v accessories with 24v truck?

[Pleco]

We once had to get the same volt drop for a military application. Because of the high wattage needed, and the inherent nature of the troops to be a little rough, we put 9 high wattage diodes in series on a heatsink to get the volt drop. It is very robust and quite cheap. You can also use a variable dc power supply, and take the transformer out, and connect your 24 volt to the input. It all depends on the amperage needed. Remember that you will burn 12V (drop from 24V to 12V) x the amperage in Watts. 1 amp will give you 12watts of heat. If you want to pull 5 amps, it will become 60 watts. This is quite a bit of heat to dissipate. In the higher case, diodes on a heatsink will work better. If it is properly assembled, it should last almost for ever.

[Willard]

tappingoff one 12v of a 24v system will ensure premature death to both batteries, the voltage regulator will never see the true load and conditon of the batteries. A convertor is the way to go. Jim

That is guaranteed, in my Diesel LC it was 24 volt, someone put a 12 volt winch on it and a few other accessories and it killed the battery every 6 months. replaced with a 24-12v converter and a 24V winch motor and never a problem again.
I have a 24-12V converter in my Rover and so far so good.

[a109]

tappingoff one 12v of a 24v system will ensure premature death to both batteries, the voltage regulator will never see the true load and conditon of the batteries. A convertor is the way to go. Jim

If you can balance the load on the batteries, which will mean two wiring systems, the charge will be ok BUT this is hard to do.

John