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- CLOC-AdminI was wondering do I need a battery to raise the big foot front jacks up if I am plugged in to my trucks 7 wire receptacle.Posted: 4:44 PM – Jan 13, 201632Cameo: In the spring of 2013 I was in a road side picnic area and had extended the off door slide to get stuff for lunch. Went to bring it back in and got no movement. I called the factory and was told that I needed to turn on the truck so it would provide “more power”. I did and the slide worked fine. So, I do know that the truck did supply enough power to operate the slide, but my battery was in place. So, I am not sure if because of how the wiring runs if the battery needs to be in place or not. Hope this helps a little.
RayPosted: 8:51 AM – Jan 14, 2016Not sure what you are getting at here because you mentioned the Big Foot and then the slide. You should be able to operate either on 12V, but if your battery is weak then there will not be enough power to move either.By turning on the truck you provide that little extra kick. You will notice that on the plus side of the battery there are two leads. One is for your Big Foot system. As a note: If you do suspect a weak battery it is best to test it, and if necessary get a new one. You require a good battery to hold your slides in while traveling, else you risk them creeping out as you travel because the motors could not hold them in.Posted: 11:34 AM – Jan 14, 2016I am trying to find out if I need a battery to put my big foot front jack up at my storage lot, because it will 14 Degrees and I wanted to wait to get it home 7 mile away to install it. Someone mentioned you need a battery for slide break so do I need a battery for my 2016 Lifestyle. Out of all these members someone surly has tried this set up.Posted: 12:42 PM – Jan 14, 2016That would be very cold to install battery or batteries. I think I would take battery along but I try the truck connection first.Posted: 1:16 PM – Jan 14, 2016I’m not sure but I suspect that your truck would not provide enough power to use your Big Foot system; you might want to call the company and see what they say. I replaced the batteries in our rig last year because they were getting weak to run the slides or the Big Foot system.The above suggestion from Bollji sounds like a good one.
Posted: 1:34 PM – Jan 14, 2016Running_Bear wrote:As a note: If you do suspect a weak battery it is best to test it, and if necessary get a new one. You require a good battery to hold your slides in while traveling, else you risk them creeping out as you travel because the motors could not hold them in.Running bear
Not to get too far off subject but the slide out motor brakes do not require power to hold the slides in. 12 volts is what releases the motor brake. The brake is always locked when there is no power.Chip
Posted: 10:10 AM – Jan 15, 2016falconhunter wrote:Running_Bear wrote:As a note: If you do suspect a weak battery it is best to test it, and if necessary get a new one. You require a good battery to hold your slides in while traveling, else you risk them creeping out as you travel because the motors could not hold them in.Running bear
Not to get too far off subject but the slide out motor brakes do not require power to hold the slides in. 12 volts is what releases the motor brake. The brake is always locked when there is no power.Chip
Chip. Not to get into an argument with you, but we are talking about the 12V system. I have a 2012 Cameo and per my manual: This is on page 40 under Operating the slide out room. “Note: Do not travel with the override switch in the “off” position or slide out room may “creep” out.” The purpose of the switch being on is to provide 12V to the motors, thus locking the slide. If there is not 12V then it is the same as shutting off the switch. “If for some reason the room fails to operate, check to be sure the motor bypass switch (located next to the slide out switch) is in the proper position. If you have done this and the room still will not operate, you should check the automatic reset 12V breaker.” Also, To move the room I or out simply press the wall switch in the desired direction. Once the room has reached the in or out position. YOUR MUST RELEASE THE AWITCH. Continuing to press the slide activation switch after the room fully slides in or out could result in the tripping of the automatic reset 12V breaker.”
So, when I am traveling the switch is ON to keep the 12V to the motor, when I have reached my destination and after the slides have been extended I turn the switch off, which in turn turns off the 12V to the motor.
Posted: 10:47 AM – Jan 15, 2016First of all I apologize for hijacking this thread.
I’m not looking for an argument as well but I don’t want people to be misinformed. I have an excellent understanding and knowledge as to how the brake worksHere is a post on this forum that explains the electric motor brake.
slide-out-brakes-t868.html?hilit=brake
I have done extensive research and testing on the brake system so I would fully understand how it operates. The brake works like the emergency brakes work on air brakes. It’s a failsafe system so if you loose power the brake will still remain activated. When 12 volt power is put to the brake and motor it releases the brake. When the 12 volts is remover the brake actuates holding the slide. You can tell by how it’s wired. The brake leads are wired directly into the motor leads at the motor. If the motor was energized for long periods of time it would burn up the motor.
There are only two ways to DISINGAGE the motor brake.
#1- Apply 12 volts to the motor brake and an electro magnet will pull the brake off. You can also cut the brake wires and use a 9 volt battery to accomplish this.#2- Manually release the rotating disk in the back of the motor brake. For the full wall slide you have to remove the back of the motor housing to get to the brake.
When there is no 12 volts present the brake will be active.
Chip
Posted: 3:49 PM – Jan 15, 2016Answer regarding battery. If you use HEAVY jumper cables you can probably run big foot without the battery, this works with your truck lifting the load with truck engine running. Completely lift the rear legs while connected this way as well.Lowering Bigfoot would require a second truck and jumper cables, but with a fully charged new battery (you will be putting into the camper soon, you might get away with the heavy jumper cables and the new battery sitting on the ground. I doubt that would work lifting and dropping at those temps.
At 7 degrees, even the best battery loses up to 60% cranking power. And all moving parts encounter more friction. So, keep that battery warm (inside the heated truck) until you are ready to hook up the jumper cables and lower the pin onto the truck. And regardless of truck or battery connection to the camper’s cables in the be sure the + never touches the camper frame!!!
Without a battery the breakaway brake will stop working in an emergency as soon as your trailer’s cable rips out of your truck. I would not worry about that happening on a 5th wheel.
Also, at 7 degrees, your tires probably need air, but OK for short distance.
If you don’t roll /coast well, you may have a rusted / stuck brake. A little drag with a few tips on the brake may fix this. Just be alert at those temperatures.
Thank you Chip; you the man!!.
Posted: 7:29 PM – Jan 15, 2016Not this year but many years we pulled out of Minnesota with temperatures in the single digit or even below 0. We’ve never pulled the batteries out when it’s in storage, but we have a power source close by. We’re able to plug our rig it in over night and the next morning hook up. The Big Foot system has always worked in cold weather. Last year during warmer weather the Big Foot system started to run slow, as did the slides. I replaced the four-year-old batteries and both systems are back working like they did before.If the batteries are fully charged you shouldn’t have a problem, they might run somewhat slow because of the cold but should work. I still don’t believe they will work by plugging into the truck without having your trailer batteries installed, but I don’t know that as a fact.
Posted: 10:03 AM – Jan 16, 2016When ever I hook up I plug our unit in to shore power 1st, and upon unhooking unplug last, that way there is no drain on batteries when operating the slides or the Big Foot.Posted: 10:23 AM – Jan 16, 2016Running_Bear wrote:When ever I hook up I plug our unit in to shore power 1st, and upon unhooking unplug last, that way there is no drain on batteries when operating the slides or the Big Foot.X2 We do the exact same thing.
ChipPosted: 7:35 AM – Jan 18, 2016X3, but test the pole for good power first.B.W.Gentry
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2007 Carri-Lite XTRM5
Breckenridge, TX
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