Slide out problem

[scotty46]

Last weekend went camping and slide out would not extend. Took it to dealer and they said it was because the battery disconnect was not turned on. Esentially he was saying the slide out operated off battery power rather than the 110 shore line. I have had this trailer for 3 years and never had a problem extending the slide out with the battery in disconnect. Has anyone else heard of this problem? And why would 110 power not supplement the battery

[LarryJM]

Huntindog wrote:
The slide can draw a LOT of amps... in some cases more than the converter can supply. In that case the Battery is needed. Even though it has worked before, it can need more amps depending on how the TT is parked, or perhaps the mechanicals need lubrication, or the seals are getting stiff etc.

Many TT manufacturers even have a sticker by the slide button stating that a battery is needed to use the slide. Some put it in the owners manual instead.

I also keep my Van running and the charge ckt energized when traveling and stopping for the day before I have all my utilities hooked up so the slide goes out quicker. I only have one battery since we almost never are anywhere w/o shore power. My slide is hooked up directly to the battery thru it's own dedicated resetting circuit breaker.

Larry

[Huntindog]

The slide can draw a LOT of amps... in some cases more than the converter can supply. In that case the Battery is needed. Even though it has worked before, it can need more amps depending on how the TT is parked, or perhaps the mechanicals need lubrication, or the seals are getting stiff etc.

Many TT manufacturers even have a sticker by the slide button stating that a battery is needed to use the slide. Some put it in the owners manual instead.

[reppoc12]

I can run everything in my trailer with my battery disconnected...cables off...because the job of the converter is to take 110V and turn into 12V for the 12V system. No battery should be needed.

If your slide wont go out my guess is you had a mechanical problem. Or your inverter is not working as it should.

It really depends on how the trailer is wired. On mine I can not operate the electric slide with the battery disconnect on, but I can operate the hydraulic slides. I can also operate the landing gear with the disconnected engaged.
The lingering question is if it works now.

[4X4Dodger]

scotty46 wrote:
Last weekend went camping and slide out would not extend. Took it to dealer and they said it was because the battery disconnect was not turned on. Esentially he was saying the slide out operated off battery power rather than the 110 shore line. I have had this trailer for 3 years and never had a problem extending the slide out with the battery in disconnect. Has anyone else heard of this problem? And why would 110 power not supplement the battery

I can run everything in my trailer with my battery disconnected...cables off...because the job of the converter is to take 110V and turn into 12V for the 12V system. No battery should be needed.

If your slide wont go out my guess is you had a mechanical problem. Or your inverter is not working as it should.

[RoyB]

Yes - both on-board converter/charger units and the battery are both used to power up your 12V Distribution setup. It normally works well with either the Shore power 'ON' or just the battery.

I have had that happen here as well. The slide requires alot of 12VDC CURRENT to operate. The normal 55-amp DC capacity from the on-board converter/charger unit is sometimes just not enough capacity to operate the camper slide-outs freely. Other 12VDC high current items may have been 'ON' at the same time...

I have on occasion actually nosed my truck up to the front of the 5th wheel trailer I was using at the time and used jumper cables from the truck to give a better battery assist.

To me its just the nature of the game. You can purchase a larger capacity CONVERTER/CHARGER unit I guess or just always have the Battery connected when in use.

My trailer setup is using smart mode converter/charger so having my batteries always connected does not harm the batteries like the single mode older converter/chargers would do. Batteries would tend to start boiling out fluids if left connected for long periods of time when using a single mode 13.6VDC system charging setup.

I learned all of these short comings early on and try to have a PLAN B to over-come them as they raise their ugly heads haha... "These short comings are not going to ruin my long term trip" - Can't always run back to the dealer sometimes...

Just some of my thoughts here...

Roy Ken

[downtheroad]

I think all slides are part of the DC system. Low or no battery, the slides will not operate.
Did turning on the battery solve the problem?