Help. On the Road

[Riverbabe279]

2016 Redwood 38MB 12 v batteries not charging on the road. Maiden voyage!!! Any ideas? Heading to Crested Butte, CO

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by Riverbabe279

2016 Redwood 38MB 12 v batteries not charging on the road. Maiden voyage!!! Any ideas? Heading to Crested Butte, CO

The first thing you need to check is that the battery cutoff switch is in the on position. It must be on when traveling to charge and it also must be on for your breakaway switch to operate in an emergency.

[Tomkidder]

Next thing to check is the fuse in the Tow Vehicle (TV). If the batteries were dead and you tried to run any of the hydraulics while the trailer was plugged into the TV you were sure to blow a fuse. Most charge circuit coming from the TV are 10 amp.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by Riverbabe279

2016 Redwood 38MB 12 v batteries not charging on the road. Maiden voyage!!! Any ideas? Heading to Crested Butte, CO

Since this is your maiden voyage, I'm assuming that you just purchased the 38MB recently. Are you sure the battery is even good? Redwood ships these rvs with cheap batteries and it could have a dead cell if it has been sitting on a lot for some time.

[Riverbabe279]

Tom , running lights when hooked to TV are on. When plugged into TV leveling panel is on, but low voltage error message comes on. When unplugged from TV, no power.Hook to shore power jacks work.

[Riverbabe279]

Possible Rick, we purchased Rv in April 2016. It has been plugged into shore power at Rv resort. We have not tested though

[Riverbabe279]

If batteries are dead, why would jacks not work when hooked to truck

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by Riverbabe279

If batteries are dead, why would jacks not work when hooked to truck

Someone else on here may have more electrical experience then me, but I'm thinking that your tow vehicle simply
charges your current battery, not take over so if you have the voltage going in to the battery but it is not accepting it then they will not work if the battery is completely dead. Do your jacks work ok when on shore power? I recently replaced my battery because a cell went bad. It was charging fine one week and then all of the sudden it was losing voltage. Took it back to Interstate and sure enough, one of the cells was dead. Get a voltmeter and check the voltage direct on the battery with the cutoff switch off. Should be 12.6 and up. I would make sure you are not hooked up to shore power or tow vehicle when you check it. Redwood wires their cutoff switch in such a way that it doesn't cut everything off so I'm not sure if it would be taking a charge from another source if turned off. You can always pull the battery and take it to an automotive supply like Auto Zone and have it checked.

[Shane Wood]

If your batteries are no good the truck does not put out enough amperage to charge them. The truck will keep them topped up when in good condition. As others have stated check your disconnect switch and make sure it is on. When you have a chance pull the caps off the top of the battery's to see if the water level is 1/4" from the top.also look in the owners manual for the fuse diagram and see if the fuse is blown in the truck charging system for the trailer.when connected to shore power the convertor will put out enough amperage to run the Jack's and slides. As stated above if the trailer sat on the lot for any length of time the batteries may be to low and need to be charged up. Or they may be shot.go to a battery shop or Napa store and have them load tested to see if they are any good

[Tomkidder]

My batteries went dead at an RV repair location I plugged in to me truck thinking I would use the 12 volt from the truck to operate the hydraulic jacks and just tow it home ( 3hour drive) to my surprise the fuse blew in the charge circuit of the TV. And I was not able to charge or operate the hydraulic systems. Long story short check the batteries and check the TV. Once the batteries go dead they never really come back. Check the voltage athe the batteries on the TV while it is running plug in the trailer and check the voltage at the battery in the trailer if the voltage is different then the TV is not charging the batteries. Now go the the 7 pin. Plug and look for voltage on PIN number 4 there should be 13.6 volts if not start looking for a fuse or bad wiring.

[Tomkidder]

Hope this helps

[Riverbabe279]

Thanks to all for coming to our rescue! You are the best 🙋

[Tomkidder]

Originally Posted by Riverbabe279

Thanks to all for coming to our rescue! You are the best 🙋

What did it end up being?

[Rick and Mindy]

Yes, please post what the solution was. It will help someone else in the future and increase our memory banks for future assistance, that is if we can recall it!