Got a quick question

[drb1984]

My 26rr with electric jack is currently stored at a family members home not plugged in. The battery has drained down and no power to jack. Will I need to plug it in to power to be able to pick it up or will plugging it into towing vehicle provide power to jack?

[davel1971]

the tow vehicle should provide 12 volt power. Key word being "should".

[doc73]

Yes it should be able to power the jacks, but you should have a charged battery before towing. That is what powers your brakes if the trailer separates and the break away switch is pulled. Not good for a battery to be allowed to die either, it will shorten its life or end it.

[Flybob]

the 12V line in the Bergman connector should power the winch if battery is just little low. If the TT battery is dead, and you connect TT to TV there is a good chance that you will blow the fuse in the TV as the TV will see very high load. I would charge the TT battery first by either connecting it power or taking it home.

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by davel1971

the tow vehicle should provide 12 volt power. Key word being "should".

To the OP, to help clarify:

Not all trucks supply power right from the factory. My Ram did, my brother's Ford needed a Relay installed. Can't speak for GM, neither of us have one.




Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[drb1984]

Thanks for all the help guys

[Papa GLS]

You should have a tool that came with TT to raise jack manually.

[ChipBruce]

My Chevy does supply power. Not sure if it will be enough to lift yours if really dead though.

A battery tender would be a good option to have. Either connect it at site if possible or remove the battery, bring it home and then trickle charge it until needed the next time. The latter is what I do. Works great!

[wmtire]

As an addendum somewhat: You have parasitic battery draws from the CO detector, digital displays like on the radio, etc. These will drain a battery when not plugged into a form of shore power that recharges your battery thru the converter.

To help with this, you can install a battery cutoff switch, or disconnect the negative terminal from your battery when storing.

[kraftengr]

Hey wmtire - what is the reason for disconnecting the negative wire vs the positive?

[Lvn2tvl]

Originally Posted by drb1984

My 26rr with electric jack is currently stored at a family members home not plugged in. The battery has drained down and no power to jack. Will I need to plug it in to power to be able to pick it up or will plugging it into towing vehicle provide power to jack?

Much great advise from others. However don't wait to long to get the battery charged again. If you leave it discharged the water will become more like water and will freeze. You will probably need to purchase a new battery if freezing occurs. I had a seldom used car that drained the battery without me being aware and since I live in Minnesota the sever cold actually cracked the battery. Just glad I found out before it thawed out (whew). That would have been a mess to clean up battery water.

[Flybob]

Many of the new TVs are wired for the 12V aux pin in the Bargman, but to have it functional, you need to add a fuse, relay or both. Some vehicles provide the fuse/relay but it is in a plastic bag in the glove box. Even if you do have it, It will not charge a dead battery in normal use. Note if you have a relay, that pin is not powered when the ignition is off.

[dont tread on me]

My newer trailer with the power lift, is probably a lippert product, and it is mounted on the head of the jack. There is a rubber plug that is dominant in the center of the top. pull the plug and you can see a nut that is the same size as my lug nuts and stabilizer jacks. I used a socket, extension and a ratchet to turn the nut but I bet I could have used that wimpy speed crank they supply with the trailer. by turning the bolt either way it winds the jack either up or down. It takes a little winding but it works. If you have the same kind of jack, maybe that will help.....Walt

[muddyrode]

if the battery is dead when you plug into the TV it may take all the juice and not allow the jack to work

[Brother Les]

My electric jack has comes with a manual wrench to insert in the top of the jack to move it up and down. Does yours have this manual options?

[Bpenn]

I use a Coleman Solar 12 Volt Battery Maintainer to keep my battery charged that I bought from Northern Tool.

Coleman Solar 12 Volt Battery Maintainers — Twin Pack, Model# 58215 | Amorphous Solar Panels| Northern Tool + Equipment

[Loraura]

I've had to use the truck to power the jack before. I always take the battery with me and put it on a trickle charger between trips now.

[TGR]

Originally Posted by kraftengr

Hey wmtire - what is the reason for disconnecting the negative wire vs the positive?

It is safer to remove the wire from the ground terminal from a battery post first because touching the frame with your wrench will not cause a spark. If you remove the wire from the positive battery terminal first you will get a high-current spark if your wrench touches the frame or other grounded metal. Once the ground wire is removed from the battery, touching the metal frame while removing the positive wire will not cause a spark if your wrench touches the frame, etc.

When installing a battery, install the positive wires first before installing the ground (negative) wire for the same reasons as above.

[pdqparalegal1]

Originally Posted by kraftengr

Hey wmtire - what is the reason for disconnecting the negative wire vs the positive?

No, grounding, no sparking

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by kraftengr

Hey wmtire - what is the reason for disconnecting the negative wire vs the positive?

Originally Posted by TGR

It is safer to remove the wire from the ground terminal from a battery post first because touching the frame with your wrench will not cause a spark. If you remove the wire from the positive battery terminal first you will get a high-current spark if your wrench touches the frame or other grounded metal. Once the ground wire is removed from the battery, touching the metal frame while removing the positive wire will not cause a spark if your wrench touches the frame, etc.

When installing a battery, install the positive wires first before installing the ground (negative) wire for the same reasons as above.

Originally Posted by pdqparalegal1

No, grounding, no sparking

TDR and pdqparalegal1 summed it up quite well. It's really a mechanics safety issue, and best practice type of thing. You can actually disconnect either the positive or the negative to accomplish this, but it's safer to disconnect the negative.

I explained it in more detail in this thread:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post1006208