Master Battery Switch and Electric Tongue Jack

We recently had a master battery switch intalled in the back storage comparment of our 3326 where our 2 batteries are located. After turning off the battery and closing the trailer, how much trouble is it to operate the electric tongue jack with the handle supplied?

[arniland]

We have an electric tongue jack. We received our trailer without a battery, so almost all of our operations while moving it around has been using the hand crank. I don't find it too difficult, but that is very much a personal thing. I have a 20 foot box trailer for our antique car with a manual jack and this is certainly no more difficult.

I am considering a similar battery switch arrangement for our trailer. Would you please post a few photos of your installation? It might inform my seat-of-the-pants engineering.

Thanks,

Arn

Not being nearly as handy as most TM owners, we had our master battery switch installed by our dealer. We're bringing our TM home this weekend, so we'll take some photos and post those.

I installed a battery cut off switch ( marine type purchased at West Marine) in the trunk storage area. My 3124KS doesn't have a bumper per se, but rather a fiberglass and sheet metal storage area across the rear of the TM with a removable lid. I store water hoses, electric cord extension, sew drain lines etc in that area. The bottom and rear of the storage are a made of heavy gauge metal. I ran a No. 12 "hot" line through the floor of the storage area where the batteries are kept to the cut off switch and back. I used plastic wire loom to sheld the lines and used silicon seal to seal up the hole in the battery storage compartment where the wires run. I can get access to the shut off switch from within the storage trunk without having to raise the TM. Just release the two hold down clamps at the bottom rear of the TM when it is closed, lift up just a little and you can remove the trunk cover to get access to anything that is stored there and to access the switch. I do the same thing when we have been dry camping and need to stop at a dump station on the way home to dump all the tanks without having to open the TM up.
I have no pictures but hope that helps.
Dan

Since I use my battery disconnect switch to disconnect the batteries when I have the fridge set on 12 volts and I stop for dinner, I have my switch on the outside.

Mine was easy because the battery is on the tongue. If I had my battery in the back I would use the same weather resistant box and marine switch, only move it to be back by the dump valves.

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

Since I use my battery disconnect switch to disconnect the batteries when I have the fridge set on 12 volts and I stop for dinner, I have my switch on the outside.

Mine was easy because the battery is on the tongue. If I had my battery in the back I would use the same weather resistant box and marine switch, only move it to be back by the dump valves.

Wayne - can you post a picture of your battery disconnect switch? I want to do the same thing - set the fridge on 12v when I close and run it from the TV while traveling - and turn it off when we make stops! Any suggestions on components? Waterproofing? etc. This sound easier than putting a switch just on the fridge.

Thanks
Alan

I posted some pictures not too long ago, but I don't know how to find the thread where I posted them. I can describe what I did.

I used a 4 position switch that I purchased at the local West Marine store. I figured that a marine switch could tolerate moisture better than a regular switch. The switch is white and red, about 3 inches sorta rounded off square. Positions are off, battery 1, battery 2 and both batteries.

I used marine grade stranded tinned wire of the same guage as was already on the TM. I have a 30 amp fuse on each battery and another 30 amp fuse for the switch. All current goes through two fuses. I'm not sure that is proper, but that is what I did.

I found an electrical box for outdoors that has a flip up cover. It is not sealed in the back, so I cut a piece of sheet aluminim to close of the back with some caulk. For fear of the wires on the back of the switch making contact with the sheet aluminum there is a sheet of plastic between the aluminum and the switch. There is a full circle terminal lug on the end of each wire, that is crimped and then soldered. I don't trust just a crimp with all that vibration. A short from a loose connection would be very bad.

I bent a pair of aluminum bars into a J shape. They each attach at two points, the top machine screw is attached to the angle iron that supports the front endge of the floor. The short front edge of the J attaches to the back side of the rear battery support piece of angle iron. I had started with an L shape and bolted it to the bottom of the battery support, but I scraped in a driveway and sheared off the machine screw.

I used machine screws to go through, in this order, the switch, the plastic sheet, the aluminum sheet, the electrical box, the J brackets.

Rain will not get to the switch because it is under the front of the TM, near the front drains, but inside the frame.

I know that when the switch is aligned vertically it is either on both batteries or no battery. I turn on an external light to know the difference.

I have to bend down to get to the switch. There is some risk that I could forget to turn it on and then I would not have an operating breakaway brake. I just am very careful. If in doubt I turn on one of the three outside lights to verify that I have power from the batteries. The TM must be unplugged from the TV to verify this otherwise it would just draw power from the truck.

When the TM is disconnected from the truck and the switch is off then there is no 12 volt power anywhere in the TM. This includes the fridge when it is set to 12 volts. This is what allows me to control the fridge on or off from the outside. It also eliminates all parasitic loads when the TM is closed in storage.

I hope that helps.

[Keith Wire]

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

I posted some pictures not too long ago, but I don't know how to find the thread where I posted them.

I think these are what you are referring to... Look at Post # 7.

[Bill]

PopBeavers posted

I posted some pictures not too long ago, but I don't know how to find the thread where I posted them.

Wayne -

Go to the top of most any page, and click on User CP (User Command Post). In the resulting menu, scroll down to Miscellaneous and click Attachments. This brings up a list of all of your attachments, and the threads in which they appear.

Bill

Originally Posted by Keith Wire

I think these are what you are referring to... Look at Post # 7.

Yup, that is them.

These pictures were taken when the aluminum bars were bent into an L. I made them a J after I sheared the lower machine screws.