Mammoth501
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Re: Batteries in winter
ReneeG wrote: Agree with mkirsch. We keep our four 6 volt deep cycle in our FW all winter with temps sometimes that low for a few days, but the FW is plugged in. We check them frequently and refill as needed. Thanks for all your advice! I just bought them a week ago, I shouldn't have to check the fluids in them for a few months right? I mean they should come properly filled from the store since they're brand new (probably should've checked them before installing them though). The Northern Lites come with the GO Power GP-PWM-30-SB charge controller which is a 4 stage and from my understanding, it goes into float once the batteries are fully charged and equalizes them once a month. I also have 400 watts of solar on the roof in case the power goes out for some reason.512Views0likes0CommentsBatteries in winter
So the camper is winterized and parked but I left the batteries hocked up and the camper plugged in to shore power to keep them charged. I just upgraded to two 6v golf cart batteries and boy are they a pain to install in a northern lite. The weather was supposed to be staying decent but now it’ll be going down to -20c/-4f for a few days. There is no real draw on them besides the LP detector and the charge controller, little things like that. My question is, will they freeze or is it bad for them in any way if I left them in there.2.8KViews0likes10CommentsRe: Northern Lite power side awning not working
I tried with the switch on and then off, extending and retracting. Nothing. So I got a meter and checked the switch. There’s no power at the switch. Also the last few days the one light in the ceiling at the back of the rig has been coming on and off on its own but only very dim. That’s where the awning switch is too, at the back, so I wonder if that’s somehow related.451Views0likes0CommentsRe: Northern Lite power side awning not working
Durb wrote: This is a real long shot. Try hitting the retract button and see what happens. Possibly it could have been wired wrong. Or, someone held the extend button and the awning rolled up backwards causing you to bump up on the stops and shutting itself down. Try bumping the switch back and forth while observing the motorized end. Zero movement means no juice. Odd that Northern Lite didn't detect a problem on the PDI. Good luck. I tried hitting the retract button and there's no movement or sound what so ever. My guess is there's no power going to it. I took the switch out of the wall, thought maybe a loose wire but they're all attached. I don't know the wiring on this rig at all so I don't know if the switch is wired correctly. I brought some tools with me just not a voltage meter so I'll have to go get one and see if there's even power going to the switch. Start there I guess. The other thing is, shouldn't there be a fuse for the awning somewhere? The fuse panel says nothing about an awning and I don't see any fuses anywhere else on the rig. When I picked up the camper it was covered in snow and ice so they told me not to play with the awnings, witch I understand but I wonder if they knew about this problem and didn't want me to find out on pick up day. Either way, they are the ones that should fix this but I'm hoping that it's just something simple since everything is brand new so I don't have to waste time going back to the dealership. I should also add that I do have power going to the LED lights on the awning, they work just fine. Don't know if that says anything or not452Views0likes0CommentsNorthern Lite power side awning not working
So I finally got to pick up my brand new Northern Lite 8-11 EX LE and take it out for a test run. We're 4 days in on our trip and finally hit some warmer weather so I figured I'd try the side awning for the first time. When I turn the switch to on and try to extend it, nothing happens. First thing I did was check the fuse panel but there's not even a fuse labeled for Awning. I'm not very good with wiring so I don't even know where to begin to look. The dealership is closed for the holidays so I figured I'd try here, hopefully you guys can help me. Thanks in advance2.1KViews0likes6CommentsRe: Buying a new TC
zzyzxpat wrote: I have a 2020 F350 4X4 SRW with an AF865. It has an 11,300 GVWR, the camper wet is about 4200#. I am over the GVWR by a few hundred pounds, but well within the axle ratings. I changed the tires to 4080# rated Coopers and feel I am good to go. As everyone has said, drive it first. I have added a Helliwig BigWig sway bar which was a huge improvement, and Firestone air bags to level it to keep the headlights out of others eyes. I am still experimenting, the overloads do not contact the bumpers even with the camper on, so I have added 2" bumpers to get the overloads to work. Taking it out this weekend so we will see.[ /quote] That sounds pretty close to what I figure mine will be like. I will be upgrading my tires for sure, I don’t trust the stock Firestone tires much. My rear axle is rated for 7000# and the front for 6000#. **** I keep going back n forth ?? to upgrade now or later483Views0likes0CommentsRe: Buying a new TC
Thanks for all the input, it's really helped me make a decision. I've never really been a fan of A/C's and never needed them, but then again I've never been to the desert either :) I'll go without it but have it prewired. 100lbs is not much but think how much more beer that is haha. I'm still a little hung up on the suspension problem. I know for a fact (looking at the numbers) that I will be pretty much maxing out my trucks payload capacity so I wonder if I should just get the lower torklift stableloafds or timbrens for now and use it for a while. Or maybe add a couple leafs would be worth it. It's a 6.5 hour drive for me when I pick it up so I just don't wanna run into problems half way though.468Views0likes0CommentsRe: Buying a new TC
WOW! I'm glad I came to this site, so much food for thought. Thank you very much everybody! I'm starting to lean more towards the A/C delete. I'm getting this camper to go hang out in the bush, dry camping, I don't like campsites that much :) I do have a Honda 2000 generator that would run the A/C easy and on the new NL it looks like its pretty low profile (it's still the highest part of the rig) but since I plan on staying more off grid and in the trees I think I'll just make sure that it's pre wired for it just in case I change my mind, it'll be easy to just pop it in later. That being said I'll move on to the weight. I do have to be weight conscious, even with my truck being a 1ton. The camper will be somewhere around 3300lbs wet, that only gives me about 600lbs for stuff including the wife and me. GVWR on the truck is 11800 and the truck weighs about 7900. That's really pushing it but what TC isn't overweight out there :) They sure don't make trucks like they used to. Anyways, I know the truck will be maxed out according to the stickers so I'm sure I'll have to help out the suspension a little bit just to make the ride more safe/comfortable. I will go with the advice of trying it stock first and feel it out to see what exactly I need. I'm not a mechanic but to me it seems like it's not enough to carry the weight. Looks like I got 3 springs and one helper spring. I don't know, what do you guys think? This is basically what my leaf springs look like https://www.carid.com/dorman/leaf-springs.html?urlId=91086214467Views0likes0CommentsBuying a new TC
Hey, I'm new to this site and Joining the RV world :) So I've got a 2020 Ram 3500 6.7 cummins SRW 6"4" box and ordered the 2021 Northern Lite 8-11 EXLE. There're 2 things that I'm kinda hung up on and can't decide. (1) Should I really get the A/C? I live in lower BC and the summers don't get to hot here. We might get 2-3 weeks of +30C (86f) but other than that it's bearable. So I was thinking of saving the weight and eventually more sealant and getting the A/C deleted. I'm just not familiar with a TC and don't know if it gets hotter than usual in a small rig like that. (2) Do I need some kind of suspension upgrade? I should mention that the TC I'm getting has a dry weight of around 2800lb. So I was thinking of getting the torklift lower stableload as a start and then go from there. Or is that a waste of time and money? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!9.2KViews0likes38Comments
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