house or chassis batteries used for slideouts

I'm not real sure but I think our coach you can't move the slides with the engine running, or is it the engine won't start with the slides out?? I don't remember for sure, but it's one way or the other.. Ours do run off of the house batteries.. Mike Mathews..

mena661 wrote:
Ours runs from the house batteries. As a matter of fact, the slide won't even operate unless the engine is turned off. There is an override switch but we don't use it.

Where and what does this override switch do. We quit selling Newmar in 2008, and we sold and I service them from 1992 till 2008 and NEVER saw any type override switch on a Newmar. Doug

When the mfg wants the engine running for slide operation consider:
1. Your neighbors if you want to move the slides at night and have to start the engine.
2. A DC motor will easily move the slide w/o the engine running so consider that the wiring is to small or the motor is to small or there is some other design constraint. Of course the higher voltage from the alternator can overcome some design constraints.
3. Slide motors draw little current, perhaps 20A and almost no power due to their short duration. So battery power is not a concern unless it's very discharged.
4. No one has mentioned operating the slides while on shore power. This implies that the charger does not maintain the chassis battery. If a solenoid is used to charge the house battery with the engine then there is very little cost to charging the chassis battery with the charger.

My Bounder uses chassis battery

wilanddij wrote:
I don't know which battery is used on the Southwind, but the instructions say that the engine must be running and the parking brake set to move jacks and slideouts. Engine running seems a no-brainer. If hooked to nothing, the batts put out 12.xV, if hooked to shore power or generator, the voltage is 13.6V, if engine is running the voltage is 14.2V. Which seems better for running 12V high load stuff?

I agree with the above. My Southwind uses the chassis battery for the Power Gear slides and jacks and they recommend leaving the engine running, brake set, gear shift in P. If you think about it the alternator is putting in 14.1 volts and that is better then 12.7 volts of a static battery reading. Works like a charm, I pull in to camp site, set brake, put it in Park, use jacks to level, deploy slides, shut off engine, done.

Ours runs from the house batteries. As a matter of fact, the slide won't even operate unless the engine is turned off. There is an override switch but we don't use it.

Most OEM's require the chassis engine running for slide out operation. The reason is simple, they want a FULL 12.8 to 13.2 volts available to operate the slide systems. Some OEM's, IF you have the Engine on or the key at Ign, the slides will not work---Newmar is one OEM that the slides will not work with the engine on. Doug

I don't know which battery is used on the Southwind, but the instructions say that the engine must be running and the parking brake set to move jacks and slideouts. Engine running seems a no-brainer. If hooked to nothing, the batts put out 12.xV, if hooked to shore power or generator, the voltage is 13.6V, if engine is running the voltage is 14.2V. Which seems better for running 12V high load stuff?

I have heard of folks nosing their truck up to the battery compartment and hooking in jumper cables to help the slides open easier.

With Winnebago it is your starting battery Ours went bad and we where at a rally at a Winnebago dealer .Our bed room slide would not go out. The teck came out with one of those battery boosters and put it on our starting battery and the slide came out. We had a new battery installed the next day and he said that to always run the motor when doing the slides and jacks. He said we where lucky that we did not burn up our motor on our slide with low voltage from our bad battery. Ford did cover the cost after we sent them the bill . Hope this helps