Batteries OUT before the steps IN

[NowWhere2]

Pulled a bone-head move yesterday and pulled the batteries out of our brand new FR3 30DS while the retractable step was in :S I've done this before, but i failed to bring out my 'cheat sheet' from prior years to remind myself not to do that!

so i hooked one battery back up, but steps would not move, I tested the slide out and it had power, so my battery was hooked up OK

Isn't there a manual way to bring these steps in without disassembling them?

[tropical36]

dougrainer wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

dougrainer wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

dougrainer wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

NowWhere2 wrote:
Pulled a bone-head move yesterday and pulled the batteries out of our brand new FR3 30DS while the retractable step was in :S I've done this before, but i failed to bring out my 'cheat sheet' from prior years to remind myself not to do that!

so i hooked one battery back up, but steps would not move, I tested the slide out and it had power, so my battery was hooked up OK

Isn't there a manual way to bring these steps in without disassembling them?

My steps work from the chassis starting battery and the slide comes from the house batteries.

You POSITIVE about this claim? National always connected the steps to the coach batteries. To test is simple. Turn the coach battery disconnect OFF(NO Shore power also), then try to operate the steps. IF they operate you indeed have the steps to the chassis battery. Doug

Yep, more than positive and yes they still work with the house batteries off. It actually takes a little more than a test like that, when checking out electrical systems. For instance, my slide still works with the house battery switch off, as well and even though it's fed from the house batteries.

My test comment was only for the operation of the Steps. Nothing else. I probably replaced at least 10 steps over the years(1994 to 2006 when they went out of business) due to the customer NOT turning on the coach battery system and they hit/dragged the steps due to them not retracting. Doug (former National dealer Tech)
Are you the original owner? Doug

NO and bought the coach in 2007 without any history on it, whatsoever, but it has been a good one, overall.
Here's a good one for you and it used to be that my jacks would retract as soon as I turned on the ignition, along with the alarms going off and would always just start the engine for warm up and have the jacks going up on their own while I was finishing up for getting underway. Then one day, they no longer did that, but still would, when it was put in gear and just in case I forgot to manually retract them. Without troubleshooting, I'm suspecting a float sw. in the reservoir, but have decided that I like them better this way for a number of reasons.

The CORRECT Jack procedure is what you have now. NOT when the ignition was ON. If you release the Park brake, and key is ON, they should retract. Some used the Transmission, but most used the parking brake release. I suspect someone rewired your entry steps. Your comment is based on your RV and since it was not your RV when new. This points to a slight problem on these forums. Someone has a used RV and they post how their RV functions and never realize that maybe the previous owner/s had modified the systems in the RV. Doug

I've had others tell me that their 98 Tropical had leveling jacks that worked the same as mine did and I guess it would prevent driving off with them still down and which you could probably do now, if you were quick enough. One wouldn't think that they were malfunctioning for years before and now have decided to repair themselves and I tend to think it in the opposite.
As for how one's RV might work, that also alerts others as to how their's might work and not necessarily with the way it came from the factory. Now, with all due respect, I also tend to believe it came from the factory that way. I'm sort of a gear head with working on things and have found with this coach, the previous two owners (talked with the original owners only) did next to nothing, except to care for the small things and it was an exceptionally clean coach. I even had to redo the EMS shedding program, which was a joke, so if not that being taken care of, I doubt seriously if anything was rewired on purpose.
Just sayin....

[msmith1199]

dougrainer wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

NowWhere2 wrote:
Pulled a bone-head move yesterday and pulled the batteries out of our brand new FR3 30DS while the retractable step was in :S I've done this before, but i failed to bring out my 'cheat sheet' from prior years to remind myself not to do that!

so i hooked one battery back up, but steps would not move, I tested the slide out and it had power, so my battery was hooked up OK

Isn't there a manual way to bring these steps in without disassembling them?

My steps work from the chassis starting battery and the slide comes from the house batteries.

You POSITIVE about this claim? National always connected the steps to the coach batteries. To test is simple. Turn the coach battery disconnect OFF(NO Shore power also), then try to operate the steps. IF they operate you indeed have the steps to the chassis battery. Doug

My National Tropical has steps hooked to the chassis battery. And yes I'm positive.

[dougrainer]

tropical36 wrote:

dougrainer wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

dougrainer wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

NowWhere2 wrote:
Pulled a bone-head move yesterday and pulled the batteries out of our brand new FR3 30DS while the retractable step was in :S I've done this before, but i failed to bring out my 'cheat sheet' from prior years to remind myself not to do that!

so i hooked one battery back up, but steps would not move, I tested the slide out and it had power, so my battery was hooked up OK

Isn't there a manual way to bring these steps in without disassembling them?

My steps work from the chassis starting battery and the slide comes from the house batteries.

You POSITIVE about this claim? National always connected the steps to the coach batteries. To test is simple. Turn the coach battery disconnect OFF(NO Shore power also), then try to operate the steps. IF they operate you indeed have the steps to the chassis battery. Doug

Yep, more than positive and yes they still work with the house batteries off. It actually takes a little more than a test like that, when checking out electrical systems. For instance, my slide still works with the house battery switch off, as well and even though it's fed from the house batteries.

My test comment was only for the operation of the Steps. Nothing else. I probably replaced at least 10 steps over the years(1994 to 2006 when they went out of business) due to the customer NOT turning on the coach battery system and they hit/dragged the steps due to them not retracting. Doug (former National dealer Tech)
Are you the original owner? Doug

NO and bought the coach in 2007 without any history on it, whatsoever, but it has been a good one, overall.
Here's a good one for you and it used to be that my jacks would retract as soon as I turned on the ignition, along with the alarms going off and would always just start the engine for warm up and have the jacks going up on their own while I was finishing up for getting underway. Then one day, they no longer did that, but still would, when it was put in gear and just in case I forgot to manually retract them. Without troubleshooting, I'm suspecting a float sw. in the reservoir, but have decided that I like them better this way for a number of reasons.

The CORRECT Jack procedure is what you have now. NOT when the ignition was ON. If you release the Park brake, and key is ON, they should retract. Some used the Transmission, but most used the parking brake release. I suspect someone rewired your entry steps. Your comment is based on your RV and since it was not your RV when new. This points to a slight problem on these forums. Someone has a used RV and they post how their RV functions and never realize that maybe the previous owner/s had modified the systems in the RV. Doug

[Vulcan_Rider]

NowWhere2 wrote:
I live just north of Philadelphia and it gets pretty cold, weeks of teens and 20's in January February. I put them in the basement on a trickle charger and they stay there until March, been doing this for 5 years

Whatever makes you happy.

BUT....if you have some way to apply a charge every 30 days or so, like running the engine and/or generator for a half hour, then removing the batteries is TOTALLY unnecessary. Note that the engines must be run long enough to come up to fully hot.

A wet cell battery ages more slowly the colder it is.
And they will not freeze (if fully charged) down to about -70 F.

In 99.5% of the cases, removing the batteries in winter is a totally unnecessary hassle.

[tropical36]

dougrainer wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

dougrainer wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

NowWhere2 wrote:
Pulled a bone-head move yesterday and pulled the batteries out of our brand new FR3 30DS while the retractable step was in :S I've done this before, but i failed to bring out my 'cheat sheet' from prior years to remind myself not to do that!

so i hooked one battery back up, but steps would not move, I tested the slide out and it had power, so my battery was hooked up OK

Isn't there a manual way to bring these steps in without disassembling them?

My steps work from the chassis starting battery and the slide comes from the house batteries.

You POSITIVE about this claim? National always connected the steps to the coach batteries. To test is simple. Turn the coach battery disconnect OFF(NO Shore power also), then try to operate the steps. IF they operate you indeed have the steps to the chassis battery. Doug

Yep, more than positive and yes they still work with the house batteries off. It actually takes a little more than a test like that, when checking out electrical systems. For instance, my slide still works with the house battery switch off, as well and even though it's fed from the house batteries.

My test comment was only for the operation of the Steps. Nothing else. I probably replaced at least 10 steps over the years(1994 to 2006 when they went out of business) due to the customer NOT turning on the coach battery system and they hit/dragged the steps due to them not retracting. Doug (former National dealer Tech)
Are you the original owner? Doug

NO and bought the coach in 2007 without any history on it, whatsoever, but it has been a good one, overall.
Here's a good one for you and it used to be that my jacks would retract as soon as I turned on the ignition, along with the alarms going off and would always just start the engine for warm up and have the jacks going up on their own while I was finishing up for getting underway. Then one day, they no longer did that, but still would, when it was put in gear and just in case I forgot to manually retract them. Without troubleshooting, I'm suspecting a float sw. in the reservoir, but have decided that I like them better this way for a number of reasons.

[dougrainer]

tropical36 wrote:

dougrainer wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

NowWhere2 wrote:
Pulled a bone-head move yesterday and pulled the batteries out of our brand new FR3 30DS while the retractable step was in :S I've done this before, but i failed to bring out my 'cheat sheet' from prior years to remind myself not to do that!

so i hooked one battery back up, but steps would not move, I tested the slide out and it had power, so my battery was hooked up OK

Isn't there a manual way to bring these steps in without disassembling them?

My steps work from the chassis starting battery and the slide comes from the house batteries.

You POSITIVE about this claim? National always connected the steps to the coach batteries. To test is simple. Turn the coach battery disconnect OFF(NO Shore power also), then try to operate the steps. IF they operate you indeed have the steps to the chassis battery. Doug

Yep, more than positive and yes they still work with the house batteries off. It actually takes a little more than a test like that, when checking out electrical systems. For instance, my slide still works with the house battery switch off, as well and even though it's fed from the house batteries.

My test comment was only for the operation of the Steps. Nothing else. I probably replaced at least 10 steps over the years(1994 to 2006 when they went out of business) due to the customer NOT turning on the coach battery system and they hit/dragged the steps due to them not retracting. Doug (former National dealer Tech)
Are you the original owner? Doug

[NowWhere2]

to the folks questioning why i took the batteries out - I live just north of Philadelphia and it gets pretty cold, weeks of teens and 20's in January February. I put them in the basement on a trickle charger and they stay there until March, been doing this for 5 years

[tropical36]

dougrainer wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

NowWhere2 wrote:
Pulled a bone-head move yesterday and pulled the batteries out of our brand new FR3 30DS while the retractable step was in :S I've done this before, but i failed to bring out my 'cheat sheet' from prior years to remind myself not to do that!

so i hooked one battery back up, but steps would not move, I tested the slide out and it had power, so my battery was hooked up OK

Isn't there a manual way to bring these steps in without disassembling them?

My steps work from the chassis starting battery and the slide comes from the house batteries.

You POSITIVE about this claim? National always connected the steps to the coach batteries. To test is simple. Turn the coach battery disconnect OFF(NO Shore power also), then try to operate the steps. IF they operate you indeed have the steps to the chassis battery. Doug

Yep, more than positive and yes they still work with the house batteries off. It actually takes a little more than a test like that, when checking out electrical systems. For instance, my slide still works with the house battery switch off, as well and even though it's fed from the house batteries.

[Pass42]

My National Tradewinds 2001 37' DP has steps on chassis battery........

[dougrainer]

tropical36 wrote:

NowWhere2 wrote:
Pulled a bone-head move yesterday and pulled the batteries out of our brand new FR3 30DS while the retractable step was in :S I've done this before, but i failed to bring out my 'cheat sheet' from prior years to remind myself not to do that!

so i hooked one battery back up, but steps would not move, I tested the slide out and it had power, so my battery was hooked up OK

Isn't there a manual way to bring these steps in without disassembling them?

My steps work from the chassis starting battery and the slide comes from the house batteries.

You POSITIVE about this claim? National always connected the steps to the coach batteries. To test is simple. Turn the coach battery disconnect OFF(NO Shore power also), then try to operate the steps. IF they operate you indeed have the steps to the chassis battery. Doug

[tropical36]

NowWhere2 wrote:
Pulled a bone-head move yesterday and pulled the batteries out of our brand new FR3 30DS while the retractable step was in :S I've done this before, but i failed to bring out my 'cheat sheet' from prior years to remind myself not to do that!

so i hooked one battery back up, but steps would not move, I tested the slide out and it had power, so my battery was hooked up OK

Isn't there a manual way to bring these steps in without disassembling them?

My steps work from the chassis starting battery and the slide comes from the house batteries.

[Vulcan_Rider]

RoyB wrote:
I guess my question is why do you take the batteries out haha... If the batteries are fully charged they will last the winter months around here just fine. Charged up batteries also will not freeze up as well.

AND there several different things that can, and often do, go wrong in the removal and replacement. If you leave them in and keep them charged, the list of possible problems is a LOT shorter.

[hottubkid]

Couple of questions. One iare they 6 or 12 volt batteries. If 6 did you put both of them back? And second make sure cables are not grounded and start the engine. Mine will power the steps. Also check the connections on the battery, Pos and neg. Good luck

[SeaDog_BRR]

Its very common for the steps to be powered by the coach starting battery and not the house battery check and ensure you are connecting to the cables powering the start circuit. Heat effects batteries much more so that cold. A fully charged battery will be fine even in the coldest weather. A better reason for leaving the batteries in is that some electronic circuits on the newer engines and transmissions need constant power to perform correctly when restarted in the spring. An example is a ford 400 transmission it will have a stiffer shift pattern for some time after all power has been removed, but will learn as ford calls it to smooth out. I never remove the batteries and keep a battery tender on the starting battery.