thehippie wrote:
justafordguy wrote:
If you don't boondock you certainly don't need $500 worth of deep cycle batteries. You can get a 12v deep cycle that will work fine for 3 - 5 years for around $100. That would be your best solution for the least amount of money.
Thanks for the tip.
justafordguy has it right.
You DO NOT NEED $500 worth batteries if you are NOT BOONDOCKING (AKA camping without commercial power), PERIOD.
I don't understand where in the world you have gotten that idea, the folks who spend 1 day to weeks at a time out in the middle of nowhere often will upgrade their batteries to allow usage of their RV for long periods of time without commercial grid power and to reduce the use of generators while doing so.
In your case, if you camp in a campground with on grid power ALL THE TIME, then there is no reason to put in a lot of money in batteries.
The typical battery used in YOUR type of situation is what is known as a "group 24" size, it offers about 70 Ahr of capacity and can be had for a very reasonable $60-$70..
I will give you a picture of a group 24 battery for $59 at Sam's Club..
THIS is the battery that YOU SHOULD BUY FOR YOUR INTENDED NEEDS.
That is a whopping $19 more than your jump pack but this battery will have substantially more capacity AND LIFE over what that cheap jump pack will give you.
You DO NOT "need" a bunch of Golf cart batteries.
You DO NOT "need" to spend $500.
However, I do think you will need some troubleshooting.. Your CONVERTER should be able to open and close your slides.. You should be able to power them using your converter.. Just have to have the shore cord plugged into the grid.
But that does not excuse you from towing on public roads without a battery hooked up to your trailer.
See if I can make this easy to understand..
Your vehicle provides braking via your brake controller only while the trailer is connected to the vehicle.
Your trailer is equipped with a thin metal lanyard which attaches the the vehicle in a place separate from the hitch.
The idea is if for any reason the trailer becomes disconnected PHYSICALLY from the hitch of the vehicle the lanyard will pull a plunger out of the break away switch.
This switch applies battery power from the ON BOARD BATTERY when this happens.
When this happens the braking system on the trailer is supposed to not only slow down the now run away trailer but to STOP AND HOLD the trailer.
The ONLY way this will work is if you have a fully charged battery ON THE TRAILER and the battery is connected to the trailers electrical system.
This system is there to protect not only you but OTHER MOTORISTS and possibly land owners from HARM from a run away trailer..
This break away system IS required for any trailer which has a braking system on board (typically 2,001 lbs and up GVWR) in all 50 states and even Canada.. I don't know about Mexico but most likely needed there also.
PLEASE, get that battery size in the pix above, then test AND repair your brakes/break away system.
It IS extremely important to not be so cheap.
Quite a few years ago, near Pittsburgh PA a FAMILY WAS KILLED when a 5,000 lb chipper broke free from a truck.. It ROLLED into a mini van and nearly took out an entire family. the driver of the truck MUST LIVE the rest if his life with this accident haunting him..
You can read about it
HEREHere is a photo of the family from that link..
And just so you really understand how important this is I am quoting the article..
"Accident on Rte. 8 shatters 'miracle' family
April 15, 2006 12:00 AM
By Paula Reed Ward and Jonathan D. Silver Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
They waited for years to have children, and when they learned there would be triplets, Spencer and Nicole Morrison were overjoyed.
Their family and friends shared in the excitement and watched over the last four years as those children -- two boys and a girl -- shaped the lives of everyone around them.
Their children were so important to the Morrisons that both parents took one-year sabbaticals from their jobs as teachers to stay home with them. Mrs. Morrison stayed home the first year. Her husband was there the second.
On Thursday afternoon, the family was shattered when, in a freak accident, a piece of equipment being towed by a dump truck broke free, crossed the center line of Route 8 in Richland and slammed into the minivan that Mr. Morrison, 37, of Cranberry, was driving.
All three of the children, Garret, Ethan and Alaina, were buckled into their booster seats when the industrial wood chipper -- estimated at 5,000 pounds -- hit the van, shearing off the driver's side door and sending it flying 40 feet away.
Alaina and Garret and their father were killed.
Ethan was in critical condition at Children's Hospital yesterday.
Northern Regional Police Chief Robert Amann identified the driver of the truck as Bradley Demitras, 34, of Gibsonia Road in Pine.
Mr. Demitras works for O'Connor Tree Service in Middlesex, Chief Amann said.
No one answered the door at Mr. Demitras' home yesterday, and the owner of the tree service declined comment.
Chief Amann would not speculate on what led to the accident.
"For some reason, the industrial chipper disengaged from the truck, and if it was properly secured and there are no mechanical problems, it wouldn't have disengaged," Chief Amann said. "You see 100 of those going up and down the road every day. Our investigation is to see what caused that disengagement."
Mr. Demitras had wrapped up work at a site on Church Road in Pine and was returning to company headquarters when the accident occurred, Chief Amann said.
His police department has its own accident reconstructionists as well as an officer trained in inspecting trucks and heavy equipment.
Chief Amann cautioned that it would take weeks to complete the investigation. Even then, he said, he would have to consult with Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. to decide if charges are warranted.
"This is a very involved, detailed accident scene with a lot of debris strewn all over the place," Chief Amann said. "These things take time."
Chief Amann described Mr. Demitras as "very distraught." Police spoke with him after the accident and planned to reinterview him yesterday, Chief Amann said.
State law says a trailer must be equipped with two safety chains attached to the towing vehicle in a criss-cross or "X" pattern. The safety chains should be adjusted so that they do not drag and will support the trailer if it becomes disconnected from the vehicle.
Chief Amann would not say how the wood chipper was connected to the truck. Asked how to properly secure a chipper, he replied, "hitch, chain and pins."
After the accident, officers were searching nearby brush for chain links.
As part of the investigation, officers will look into Mr. Demitras' driving record and the truck's inspection history. The chief would not discuss either yesterday, saying he did not want information to trickle out in a piecemeal fashion.
Blood was drawn from Mr. Demitras to test for the presence of drugs or alcohol, as is routine in such situations.
The accident took place in a 45-mph zone with a good road surface. Mr. Morrison was headed south and the dump truck was going north. Chief Amann could not say what type of truck Mr. Demitras was driving or where exactly the wood chipper uncoupled.
At the accident scene yesterday, observers could still clearly see gouges, skid marks and orange spray paint denoting the locations of debris, tires and a "chute" -- presumably the chipper's discharge chute.
News of the accident began to spread in the Beaver Area School District, where Mr. Morrison had taught for more than 10 years, before 7 a.m. yesterday.
Teachers began calling each other almost immediately upon hearing the identity of the victims.
"This is a tough loss for us as individuals in the district and as an institution," said Dr. John Hansen, the superintendent.
Mr. Morrison, who always wore a tie to school, was known for his good humor and dry wit. He was quick to share stories about his children and often showed off new photographs of them.
In the most recent e-mail photos that math teacher Donna Nunamaker received, the three were decked out in Steelers outfits.
"He was so proud when he came in with those kids," said Dr. Hansen. "Every little thing that happened was such a joy to him."
In such a small district, the superintendent said, everyone shared in the Morrisons' good news when they heard about the triplets.
"From the day they found out they were expecting them, his life revolved around those kids," said Ms. Nunamaker. "They were miracles."
John Steele, the only other male teacher in the middle school, said he and Mr. Morrison shared many lunchtime and hallway conversations, and most of them revolved around the triplets.
"His whole life after he had the children was wrapped around them," Mr. Steele said. "He was constantly whipping out new pictures."
Mr. Morrison and Mr. Steele played golf together on Tuesday.
"I never heard him say one bad word about anything or anyone," said Mr. Steele, whose classroom was two doors down from Mr. Morrison's.
Both men picked at each other constantly -- arguing and teasing over just about anything, said Mr. Steele, who helped coach varsity baseball. They even argued over the difference between a curve ball and a slider.
"It was a really good relationship," Mr. Steele said.
A pitcher during his days at Clarion University, Mr. Morrison coached junior varsity baseball in the district until the triplets were born. At one time, he also served as the football team's equipment manager.
Mr. Morrison taught social studies, but his true passion in school, Dr. Hansen said, was technology integration.
Mr. Morrison was the first in the district to teach an online course -- which he did when he was on his one-year sabbatical in 2004.
"Spence was a guy who had a passion for teaching," Dr. Hansen said. "He always wanted to be better. That's how he came across to his kids."
He liked working with technology so much that he was certified in the field at Duquesne University, the superintendent said.
Mr. Morrison taught his students how to use PowerPoint and created a Web site to help them view their assignments online. At the end of this month, he was scheduled to take two students out of town for a technology competition.
"He was never content. He wanted to do better all the time," Dr. Hansen said. "That kind of person has a ripple effect."
The Beaver Area School District was off this week. On Monday, Dr. Hansen said, the school crisis team will meet to set a plan of action for when students and faculty return to classes on Tuesday."End of quote..
DON'T BE LIKE THE DRIVER OF THE TRUCK..
Make sure ALL safety items are in good working order..
Had the driver of the truck checked his safety equipment this tragic event could have been prevented..
