So I'm showing off my new to me moho this past weekend. It's an 02 Sea Breeze 8311. So I start putting out the main slide and both my friend and his wife yell STOP! They say I need to have the engine or the generator running to help the slide motor or it will burn out.
Now I am rather savy with electical stuff and the only thing the engine or genny provide will be a full power from the battery. So it might be an extra .5 volts.
For those of you that have picked up a new moho from a dealer and have had a walk through, does this wives tale hold water? Thanks
Z
Our DSDP's instructions say to have the generator on or be plugged into shore power when moving the slides. So we do.
Deen - Vancouver, WA
'02 Dutch Star 4090 (41+', triple slide)
435/1200 ISC Cummins/Banks PowerPak
'08 Honda Civic/dolly
'05 Honda Odyssey/dolly
NRA Benefactor Life Member
FMCA f47302s, Life Member: Good Sam, Newmar DP Owners Group
51st yr of RV'ing
I run my engine while putting the slide in or out. The manufacture recomends this, Power Gear, and if you think about it, while the engine is running, the alternator is putting out 14.1 volts to the battery that is being used to run the slide motor. Without the engine running, you will have 12.6 volts from a fully charged battery. Suppose your battery is a little low, say only 12.1 volts. The slide motor will draw that battery down. I have put my slide out without the engine running and it did work, but I try not to do it.
Also I have to have the Parking brake ON or the slide will not work
* This post was
edited 07/08/08 02:21pm by othertonka *
Othertonka
2004 Southwind 32VS
2002 CRV Toad
U. S. Gear Unified brake system
Retired Fire Captain, SFD
I'm new to having a slide, so I find this topic particularly interesting.
A week ago I took delivery of a new to me 2003 Foretravel with one slide. I paid careful attention to the instructions during delivery, and it was never mentioned to have the engine or generator running while operating the slide. It was, however, mentioned to have the engine running while using the air leveling system.
I carefully searched the owner's manual, and it agrees with what I was told during delivery. Nothing about the engine while using the slide, but have it running while leveling to maintain air pressure.
Tom and Lynne
Tom is an Electronics Engineer, Lynne a retired teacher.
old rig is a 1988 Winnebago Superchief, currently on tour with the Blue Turtle Seduction (band)
new rig is a 2003 Foretravel 38' U295
Slideout motors will typically draw 50-100 amps DC so you are giving your batteries a real load test if not running the engine!
Your alternator can put out 100 amps or more!
The same is true for your jacks when raising the moho.
Your typical converter can't supply that kind of current.
So, the bottome line is -- run the engine!
That's what I do.
2007 FIESTA LX
TRITON V-10 & JEEP LIBERTY TOAD
3 TIMES RETIRED
CH. 13 "BLACKJACK"
With my e-meter I can measure very accurately how much power is being consumed by any 12 volt device in my motorhome.
I find that the electric jacks consume a wopping 50 amps while running, and during that 45 - 50 seconds it takes to level the motorhome it might consume 1 amp hour of power. Remember that running at 60 amps for 60 seconds equalls 1 amp hour of power. So your table lamp drawing 1.1 amps for a full hour actually depletes the batteries more than the leveling jacks will do in 1/60 of one hour.
While sliding out the sidewalls will consume a little more power, and it might take a full minute - it is still only 2 amp hours or so of power from the batteries. So even though the load is perhaps 50 or 75 amps, it is for such a short time that it will not deplete the batteries.
As for running the motor on 12 volts instead of 14.4 or whatever voltage, it is a DC motor, and if the applied voltage is a little less, it will just turn a little slower.
But the alternator is the real problem. Have you never heard that you can damage a alternator when jump starting a car? The sudden 200 amp load to your battery and alternator can damage the diodes that are attempting to keep the voltage at a steady 14.4 volts. I would think that there would be more danger of damaging the alternator than the slide motor. I always shut off my engine when jump starting another vehicle - after a couple of friends damaged their alternators just after jump starting another vehicle.
When plugged into shore power, (or generator running) the battery charger is better at running at it's maximum capacity for short durations. And it is somewhat isolated from the slide motor especially if there is several feet of small gauge wiring between it and the batteries. But an inverter /charger with it's much larger wiring could see the inverter / charger putting out the full load amperage that the jacks are consuming.
Some manufactures take a differant aproach, stating to shut off the engine and not to plug into shore power before deploying the slide-outs. I guess that that manufacture has seen problems like the circuit breaker tripping in between the battery charger and battery while the slide-outs are using 100 amps or so. Or they might have had warranty problems with a 200 amp $750 alternator found on diesel pushers.
Fred.
Money can't buy happiness but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche or Country Coach!
DaveMac wrote: Slideout motors will typically draw 50-100 amps DC so you are giving your batteries a real load test if not running the engine!
Your alternator can put out 100 amps or more!
The same is true for your jacks when raising the moho.
Your typical converter can't supply that kind of current.
So, the bottome line is -- run the engine!
That's what I do.
I can see your point, and also the point in my Foretravel owner's manual.
If the slideout motor draws 50-100 Amps, that equates to 600-1200 Watts of power. About a quarter to a half of what the 2500 Watt inverter will take (assuming 100% efficiency). Obviously, the battery bank is more than up to the task. It would hardly break a sweat for that kind of work load.
On the other hand, why partially discharge the battery when you can run the engine for another minute or two and start your camping adventure with a fully charged battery?
And not every rig has the kind of battery reserves my Foretravel has, with my three 8d batteries. I suspect most diesels have the reserves for operating slides without the engine running, but most gasoline motorhomes and trailers do not.
We never run the engine to move the slide out. Never have on either coach. (gas or diesel) Never been a problem. 60 seconds of even 100 amps isn't going to even slightly bother a battery in decent shape, much less 2 or 4 batteries.
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