Stab Jacks on 300BHS

[Feldhege]

Hello All,
I will admit that I haven't started really digging into what is going on but I thought I would ask for things to check. I have a 2010 300BHS Coachmen Freedom Express TT. Last night we decided to start putting all the things in it that have been suggested (we are new at this). I hadn't put the stab jacks back down since getting home from the shop after installing the new front tool box. Anyway, the batteries are not hooked up right now but the camper is plugged into electric. Front jacks went down with no issues. Rear jacks do not appear to be working now for some reason. They were working perfectly before the trip to the shop. So here are somethings to think about when giving suggestions.

1. Do both sets of Stab jacks work off of electric? Or could the problem be that I haven't hooked up the batteries up front yet?

2. I did get my new PI surge supressor in and wanted to see where to hook it up. I removed the fuse panel and saw there was room behind it. I put it back in but did not disconnect anything. Could there be a wire there I may have knocked loose?

3. Lastly, while searching the internet last night, I see that sometimes there are inline fuses that don't go to the fuse panel (I checked those). Would anyone know where they would be on my model of trailer? I really don't want to remove the rear switch as it is sealed up nicely on the back of the TT.

4. I also tested the GFI using an electrical tester (plug in kind) and it popped the GFI in the house on the circuit I was plugged into. Could the test maybe ruined the motor on the jacks?

And before anyone would criticize me asking before checking things like power and connections, it was dark last night when we were working out there and it was time to put the two boys to bed in the house. I will check more thoroughly tonight when I get home as the weather and the light should be fine. Just wanted to get some more opinions.

Thanks everyone.

[jeeplj8]

There was a conversation recently about how to wire stab jacks as an add on. One person posted a picture showing how theirs was wired direct to the inside panel, fused etc., nice clean job, factory.

However - I know mine are the opposite, wired straight to battery (fused there).

Thus we learned that not all TT are wired the same.

It is entirely possible your rears are wired straight to battery. It is also possible that when using them without a battery present (BTW not the best idea) you may have blown a fuse.

I would start with hooking up a battery and see what happens. Then start hunting down fuses. you may want to try and trace those wires for future reference so you know. I like to know those things.

Back to the issue of why you should not run without the battery. The converter is capable of producing so many watts at 12v. For most things that is no problem, there operating wattage is below what the converter produces. But the problem is start up, most appliances, motors etc use more power when starting. The battery provides a buffer and keeps that start-up demand from blowing breakers, fuses etc.

[Feldhege]

Thanks for the info. This weekend I got the front box all finished and the batteries installed. We went with 2 Golf Cart batteries and a cutoff switch.

As for the jacks, Motor still didn't work even though we had full power at the motor connection. My dad and I discovered that if I manually started it with the crank, then it would run until we stopped. Then it would not start again. We both feel it has a dead spot in it (or maybe a bad brush). I pulled off the motor and we sent it to a local motor shop to be rebuilt. I found another thread (maybe on here) where people were discussing these Lippet brand motors and how they were only used a couple years before they redesigned them. They also came up with the solution of just rebuilding them since you can't get the parts for that style of stab jacks.

Forgot to add that I emailed Coachmen service and they said that the resettable fuse was behind the switch panel on the back of the trailer. I cut the sealant and removed the panel, no fuse. I just sealed it back up and will continue my search later.

[steeleshark2]

Check the breaker and or any GFCIs that the power can be coming from. I raised mine too much and popped a breaker once.