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Cardinal Battery Boxes
I have a '20 Cardinal Limited 388 RDLE with two plastic battery boxes that mount thru cutouts in the thin metal floor in the forward compartment. When I purchased the trailer, at the suggestion of the dealer service tech, they changed the battery setup to dual 6 volt GC-2 Interstate batteries. They worked fine for 3 years until hydrometer tests showed degraded cells. When I removed the batteries for replacement, I didn't like the lousy installation the dealer did to accommodate the taller GC-2's and found that both boxes had split along the flanged area at the top where they are supported in the floor cutouts. The GC-2's each weigh about 67 lbs. I also noticed the generator compartment sheet metal wall was separating from the thin steel floor (floor is sagging) from the weight. I also carry a Honda 2200 generator in the "gen prep" portion of the storage next to that sheet metal wall. I believe the factory delivered the trailer with these cutouts in the floor and installed these plastic boxes in a way that they were not intended to be installed. My questions to the forum are has anyone else experienced this situation? Does anyone know what the floor loading capacity is of the front compartment? I purchased two new CAMCO 55371 battery boxes that were a slight improvement over the original ones. I then installed a steel strap along the floor, bolted to the generator compartment wall and to the floor to help support the floor. I then made a 3/4" thick plywood floor with matching cutouts for the boxes and installed it, supported by the rear and outboard flanged structural beams and the front portion of the thin steel floor where it is curved up and attached at the front. I believe this will provide the additional support needed for the two GC-2's. I also added 1.15 inch foam rubber seal to increase the height of the boxes so the tops clear the batteries.
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'20 Cardinal Ltd 388RDLE
'19 GMC Denali 3500 Duramax Diesel
4X4 CC Dually
Curt Q24 Hitch
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Linear Mode
