Forum Discussion

CWSWine's avatar
CWSWine
Explorer
Nov 17, 2013

Opening Slides without Battery.

We removed our battery for the winter and put it on a battery tender. Now we want move the slide enough to get into the kitchen area but to my surprise the slide will not operate with just the trailer hooked up to the TV for power. The trailer is in storage and we don't have access to shore power. Is there anyway you can operate the slide without a battery installed?

10 Replies

  • If the slide is hydraulic, there might be an access to the end of the motor shaft. Ours can be turned with a quarter inch hex drive chucked into a cordless drill. It is a little slow but much easier than cranking by hand.
    Russ
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    You have 4 choices.

    Provide power (120vac) for the converter (NOTE: may not work)

    Lug the battery back out (Heavy) and put it back

    Manual Slide operating (It's in the owner's manual bag)

    And the one I'd suggest.. A good set of HEAVY DUTY jumper cables to connect the Tow Vehicle battery to the battery lead on the Trailer.

    On the negative side connect to the trailer chassis or the metal part of the hitch and MAKE this connection LAST, (Break it first) when you hook up and unhook.
  • Why not simply re install the battery. Do it properly or just use booster cables. Yes you can hand crank the slide but that will take all day. A drill might work but bring extra charged batteries for it.
  • How many wires were on the battery? My previous HTT had separate power leads for the slide, and the rest of the trailer 12V electrical. I had to tie the cables together to get the slide to run w/o a battery.
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Since you have removed the battery raises a RED FLAG to me. Hope the terminals are not touching ground or each other when you add external DC power or connect to shore power without the trailer battery connected up..

    I was going to suggest nosing the truck up close to where the battery goes and use JUMPER CABLES being direct connected to your truck battery,,,

    You just have to watch the polarity of the cables and not blow some fuses if you get them REVERSED...

    My slide handle was laying in the closet floor near the bedroom.

    Roy Ken
  • You should have a handle. My TT has a handle that will operate the nose jack and the slide without power available. There should be about a 1" or so big hole on the opposite side of the trailer from the slide. Mine is just behind the step.