Community Forums

NYtravelers · 02-18-2015, 05:11 PM

should you be able to use your landing gear when hooked to truck plug.

My power line to the trailer was not working so brought it into the shop that sold me the 5th wheels set up. A fuse blew and they replaced it and told me i shouldnt use my landing gear while the trailer is plugged into the truck which is most likely why the fuse blew.

Doesn't seem right to me especially since i am unable to keep my trailer plugged it when not in use to keep the battery topped off.

Just curious to hear every ones thoughts ?

twinboat · 02-18-2015, 05:30 PM

The jacks could be overloading the wiring and causing the fuse to blow.

If your trailer battery is too low to run the jacks, you could plug in and wait, while the battery charges.

Option 2 would be to have them upgrade the wiring and fuse.

Option 3 is to replace the fuse with a auto reset circuit breaker of the same amps. It may cut in and out a few times, but you get your jacks up.

Option 4, keep a portable jumper pack handy and hook it to the trailer battery.

By the way, letting your battery sit, run down, is very bad for it.

Good luck

Ray,IN · 02-18-2015, 05:32 PM

If I understand correctly, the umbilical cord from 5er to truck is blowing the fuse. The landing gear/front jacks do require a fully-charged 5er battery to operate. If your 5er battery is run-down and you use the truck battery via the umbilical cord to power the jacks it will require a high-capacity fuse in the 12V charging wire, and it requires a #10 wire size from the truck battery to the Bargman plug to carry sufficient amperage.
Now the 5er battery running down is a different issue altogether. Todays RV's have parasite-drains that continually draw power from the battery(s) To solve this, install a disconnect switch near the battery in the negative cable.

mcumbie · 02-19-2015, 06:56 AM

On my last two 5th wheels, I have never unplugged the power plug from my truck until I have the front landing gear down and the 5er unhooked from the hitch in my truck. After that, I open my tailgate to unplug the power cord and then pull the truck forward.

I can not see how or why this would cause a fuse to blow.....perhaps it is different for different models, so for the sake of comparison, my first one was a Carriage Cameo and my current one is a Winnebago Destination 36RL.

twinboat · 02-19-2015, 07:05 AM

The OP is talking about hitching it up, after it has been sitting for a long enough time, for the battery to run down.

Enjoy

mcumbie · 02-19-2015, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

The OP is talking about hitching it up, after it has been sitting for a long enough time, for the battery to run down.

Enjoy

My experience is still the same....I have plugged my 5er plug into the truck many times before I retract my landing gear as well and have had to do it with very low drained batteries and have never had a blown fuse. On occasions where I was negligent of my batteries and they were pretty well dead, I have hooked up to the truck long enough to provide a charge that then allowed me to operate my landing gear....again, with zero fuse blowing incidents.

I would wonder if there is an exposed wire somewhere or a loose ground causing the issue.

twinboat · 02-19-2015, 01:31 PM

An exposed wire is a posability, but he had taken it to the dealer to check it.

The wire in question goes from battery to battery and should have fuses on each end. A short, while plugged in, should blow both fuses. A bad ground does not blow fuses.

A short in the jack wiring, should have it`s own circuit protection

Your wire may be, a heavy gauge. Do you have fuses or circuit breakers.

All good

NYtravelers · 02-19-2015, 08:39 PM

Thanks everyone for the comments.. my problem is where i keep the trailer there is no power to keep it topped off. There is a electric cut off in the hook up compartment which i do turn off.

I like the idea of adding another shut off near the battery, had one of those on my boat.

I am bringing truck and trailer back to the hitch place and the are going to make sure there are no shorts on the trailer as well. Also will be adding a reset breaker as mentioned above to handle any extra load without completely shutting me down.. I am also thinking of adding a second battery to double my amp hours.

When i returned from camping this past weekend the battery was fully charged after being plugged in for 4 days.. will see how that is over this weekend to see how fast it draws down

chaps2018 · 02-19-2015, 09:20 PM

Also want to make sure battery cells are topped off with distilled water

caissiel · 02-19-2015, 09:50 PM

I always disconnect the neg posts and batteries last up to 6 months will wintering in my units. Been doing it that way for years.

Bigdsl · 02-19-2015, 10:04 PM

Ever consider a roof mounted solar charger to keep the batteries maintained while it's in storage? Even if indoors, the solar panels will work with artificial light.

caissiel · 02-20-2015, 06:29 AM

Remove the negative connection and your troubles will be over. WM sells battery post ground post disconnect for $4 . I keep some in my tool box all the time. Every battery vehicle I own has one. Used adapters for GM posts.