Battery Issues Part 2- Lance 650

In this thread and the other, you were ask questions about you existing equipment. Did I overlook your responses? We need info to help you.

I will try to respond directly to this post.

horseshoesnhappyhrs wrote:
... I also have a battery charger and I can attach that to the "EZ Charge" outlet. I'm assuming I jump start it like a car right?

I am not familiar with the "EZ Charge" outlet. Give it a try. What will work is Jumper Cables connected to your TC battery/ies and a fully charged battery. You could park your truck beside your TC, use the jumper cable from truck to TC to raise the jacks. Leave the truck running when you do this. You can then disconnect the cables and back under the TC. When under the TC, I see four methods to lower the TC.

1 Re-connect the jumper cables and lower the TC. If your cables are too short, you may need to connect a second jumper to add length.

2 You might be able to lower the TC manually, if your jacks have that feature.

3 Depending on your trucks wiring system, you might be able to connect the TC's electrical cord to the truck. This alone may provide enough battery voltage to lower the TC. You might let the truck run for an hour to put a little charge in the TC battery.

4 After backing under your TC, remove the truck battery and install it in your TC. Lower the TC, put the batttery back in the truck.

horseshoesnhappyhrs wrote:
3) Should I get a generator? I've been battling battery issues all year. Have had my battery replaced 3x and added solar panels.

Shooting from the cuff, I say yes on the Generator. Do not just go buy a generator, you need to know which generator and why. Depending on your TC's setup, A/C, size, charger amperage requirement, the size generator you need will be $1000 or $4000. You will need to load and unload the generator. The smaller generator will easily fit in your back seat, the smaller gen will use half as much gasoline. A big advantage to the $4000 generator is it should have electric start. I'm talking about the Honda or Yamaha generators, not construction generators.

I strongly suggest starting a new thread on generator options for your TC.

horseshoesnhappyhrs wrote:
I have never gone camping to where I could plug into electric because all of my base camps are in the middle of nowhere. My biggest reasons for needing a battery is I like to use my propane heater, the electric jacks and being conservative on my trips so the battery doesn't die.

I all of your 12 volt components are working properly, I think your furnace is killing your battery. Posts have been previously stating not to use your refrigerator on 12 volts. Unless I missed it, you never said you do or do not.

This is from your other thread:
horseshoesnhappyhrs wrote:
I feel a bit relieved to know that the battery usage appears to be normal based on what everyone has said. I didn't realize the furnace uses that much battery and I do use it quite a bit during the night. I think before I spend any more money, I should just save up and get a generator.

Reddog1 wrote:
That could be a tough decision. I can say it is cheaper to save battery usage than it is to increase/replace it. The furnace easily uses 15 to 20 AH per day. A Wave3 heater (about $300) uses no battery power. A decent generator will cost about $1000.

horseshoesnhappyhrs wrote:
I do have another question though, should I try to get in the habit of plugging my Lance into the 120V outlet in the garage for about 12 hours before and after a trip? Could a deep cycle charge help my battery out?

Reddog1 wrote:
More information is needed on the charger you have in your TC. Post the make and model number, or a photo. We could then better advise you. Simply stated, any time you can plug in to 120v is a good thing.

Wayne

horseshoesnhappyhrs wrote:
I've done 2 trips in the past year where I wished I had AC. I've been told it would be silly to get a portable generator for my camper but I can store it in the tack room of my horse trailer. If so, what would you recommend me getting?

I don't think it is silly at all. If you want to run your A/C, a generator is a must. Without running the A/C or other 120 volt appliance, you might just need to add more solar and a Wave3 heater.

This post is much longer than what I intended. I think maybe the information you have received must be overwhelming. At your request, I will make a simple to the point post. I don't recall your acknowledging my previous posts.

Wayne