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Old 03-06-2008, 09:19 AM   #1
drjjj
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Battery Function

I recently had some service (warranty) work done on our 2007 3400RL. The dealer had it for almost two months. They obviously did not have the rig connected to a power source during that time, as when I got the trailer home the battery was almost dead. In fact, I could not even get the front jacks to work without having the trailer electrically connected to the truck. I know there are some extremely knowledgeable people on this list, especially regarding the electrical functions. My question is: if the battery goes completely dead, will the slides and jacks function off of the truck? Could the battery be completely removed and the jacks and slides still be operational? What if you were boondocking somewhere and the battery went dead - could you still close up the trailer and limp home?
 
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Old 03-06-2008, 09:29 AM   #2
stiles watson
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Your aren't going to like my answer, but that is what the manual cranks are for, in case there is a loss of operating power.
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Old 03-06-2008, 10:46 AM   #3
racerjoe
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I don't believe the slides will work with a dead battery hooked to the truck. I had my battery fail in the driveway with the slides open and they would not close even hooked to the truck. I had to use my jumper box hooked to the battery to close them. I think the jacks will work though. You do need to leave the battery in as it completes the 12 volt circuit.
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Old 03-06-2008, 11:08 AM   #4
Bob & Lee
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We had a batt dead and were unable to lift the trailer off the truck with the trailer pluged into the truck SO had the car w/jumpers to the trailer Batt and it lifted the trailer.

Bob
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Old 03-06-2008, 11:34 AM   #5
H. John Kohl
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The wiring from the truck batteries to the socket may not be heavy (large) enough to carry the amperage to work the slide motor. It probably would blow the fuse in the truck.
My comment was also there is always the manual crank. So with that thought know where the cranks are and how to use them.
cheers,
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Old 03-06-2008, 11:37 AM   #6
TLightning
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I have had a half dead battery (not strong enough to power the slides alone) but when hooked to the truck, or plugged into AC power, work fine.
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Old 03-06-2008, 12:28 PM   #7
Waynem
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Sitting there and idling for 30 minutes may give enough of a boost to get the slides closed.

Me, I'm just going to power up the Onan and see if it will close with electricity hooked up.

When storing for long periods of time, or in your case at the dealer for a few months, it would be prudent to use the battery disconnect switch. One, batteries would not drain. Two, keeping a charge on the battery could deplete some, if not all, fluid in the battery and cause other problems with the battery.
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Old 03-06-2008, 05:51 PM   #8
bsmeaton
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On your 07 3400, both the slide motor and landing gear motor are powered directly from the battery (before the master switch and in front of the converter). As some folks have said above, they will operate from the truck when plugged in, but if the RV batteries are completely dead or unhooked, you will probably blow the 30A or 40A fuse on the truck. It really needs a little reserve in the RV batteries to act as a buffer.

My Onan is tied to the same place as my jacks and slides Wayne - if they don't work, that Onan ain't startin either.
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Old 03-08-2008, 02:42 AM   #9
drjjj
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How long should I expect the OEM battery to last?
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Old 03-10-2008, 04:44 PM   #10
stimpy123
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Gang,
Another reason for the battery disconnect switch is that there are "sneak drains" in your rig no matter what it is. the various sensors, such as the LP gas sensor, pull a small but steady amount of current and will eventually drain even a fully charged battery over time. Just my two cents worth......
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