random questions - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

thatguy · 04-28-2017, 08:14 PM

Hi all! A few questions . . .

1)Is a regular 12v battery charger (for autos) correct to use for our deep cells?

2)My clothes all fall off in transit. What helps?

3)I have a battery that measures full on the meter panel in the hi-lo and reads fully charged on my 12v charger yet it doesn't raise the unit. All I hear is clicking. Any insight?

4)The bulb/seal that goes around the unit does have 2 tears. Anybody improvise a solution?

5)Some cabinets (and the bathroom door) have indents/scratches in the shape of an X on the corners. What can I do to prevent this?

Thanks in advance!

Garry · 04-28-2017, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thatguy

Hi all! A few questions . . .

1)Is a regular 12v battery charger (for autos) correct to use for our deep cells?

2)My clothes all fall off in transit. What helps?

3)I have a battery that measures full on the meter panel in the hi-lo and reads fully charged on my 12v charger yet it doesn't raise the unit. All I hear is clicking. Any insight?

4)The bulb/seal that goes around the unit does have 2 tears. Anybody improvise a solution?

5)Some cabinets (and the bathroom door) have indents/scratches in the shape of an X on the corners. What can I do to prevent this?

Thanks in advance!

For #2, all I can think of is to tighten your belt or wear suspenders>

JackandJanet · 04-28-2017, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garry

For #2, all I can think of is to tighten your belt or wear suspenders>

Or, simply remove the bar in the "wardrobe" like I did and put three drawers in that space. We don't need clothes to be hung when camping. Folded clothes in drawers work fine, and, you can store more clothes in drawers too.

I wouldn't use a standard battery charger to maintain the battery in the trailer. I have a "Battery Minder" (that's the brand name) that I keep hooked up constantly when the trailer is at home. If the battery has become discharged, it can also recharge the battery at a 2A/4A/8A rate, which is selectable.

Another brand name is "Battery Tender'. Either of these devices can be used continuously without fear of boiling the battery. Mine applies desulfinating pulses that help the battery too.

If your battery is charged, the top should go up. The clicking you hear is probably the actuating solenoid on the lift motor. It sounds like the connections from the battery to the lift motor itself are not sound. And, it's possible your solenoid is bad.

- Jack

thatguy · 04-29-2017, 09:55 AM

Thanks Jack, would you happen to have any pics of your wardrobe turned drawers?

hilltool · 04-29-2017, 02:03 PM

I'd like to see those drawers, also. ( and I mean the the furniture type given the fact that my imagination ran a bit wild when I read the original post.)

Rick

JackandJanet · 04-29-2017, 02:37 PM

I do indeed. They are in this thread, Post #12: http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f17/...98/index2.html

And, peace be with you Rick - they're not the "tidy whities", Speedos, or boxer styles.

- Jack

sam · 04-29-2017, 09:35 PM

You could put a piece of grey pipe foam over the wooden hanging bar. Then the hangers would sit on top of this. A poodle noodle that is slit would also work. We have solar panels on the roof that keep the battery charged.

sam · 04-29-2017, 09:38 PM

Duct tape would be a quick fix. It even comes in grey color.

maestro123 · 04-30-2017, 08:45 AM

big long zip ties

Treeclimber · 04-30-2017, 11:39 AM

Drawer mod next! GREAT idea!
Thanks Jack.
Tree

hilltool · 04-30-2017, 01:13 PM

Nice looking conversion on the wardrobe, Jack. Thanks. HOWEVER , sadly I guess, the wardrobe set up on your 17' appears different from the one I have on my 22', which is located in the rear passenger side corner of my trailer and , as it were, my bathroom ( the outside shower is also tucked away down in there). Nonetheless, it shouldn't be too hard to install a set of drawers to be accessed by the front door on the thing and still leave me a bit of room to "hang" a shirt or two and pair of slacks for the times people we visit on long road trips want to take us to dinner somewhere where cargo shorts and t-shirts are frowned upon. Actually, it has only happened once.

Rick

KnottyRig · 05-02-2017, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garry

For #2, all I can think of is to tighten your belt or wear suspenders>

Hahaha...and here I was thinking "stop drinkin' tequila", after the country song "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off".

Re: Battery charging-
I haven't found it on here, BUT a good battery tutorial would be useful (try Basic to Advanced Battery Information from Battery University).

ANyway, Battery Tender (smart chargers that don't continue to charge past full) are good to MAINTAIN a well-charged battery. You don't want to charge a dead battery with a Tender-type charger (not enough charge current to properly alter chemistry in the battery). I use these for my motorcycle batteries, or for cars that sit. They even sell a solar Battery Tender these days for under $100.

Oddly, when a battery is pretty low, it really needs a fairly high current to start the charging process (has to do with the chemical reaction), and the typical Battery Tender-type chargers don't put out much: Battery Tender Jr. (small wall transformer style) Output is about 0.75 amp, and the larger is either 2 or 6 amp. The 6-amp MAY be enough current for a dead battery - I haven't "done the math" in a long time.

HTH

Garry · 05-03-2017, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackandJanet

Or, simply remove the bar in the "wardrobe" like I did and put three drawers in that space. We don't need clothes to be hung when camping. Folded clothes in drawers work fine, and, you can store more clothes in drawers too.

I wouldn't use a standard battery charger to maintain the battery in the trailer. I have a "Battery Minder" (that's the brand name) that I keep hooked up constantly when the trailer is at home. If the battery has become discharged, it can also recharge the battery at a 2A/4A/8A rate, which is selectable.

Another brand name is "Battery Tender'. Either of these devices can be used continuously without fear of boiling the battery. Mine applies desulfinating pulses that help the battery too.

If your battery is charged, the top should go up. The clicking you hear is probably the actuating solenoid on the lift motor. It sounds like the connections from the battery to the lift motor itself are not sound. And, it's possible your solenoid is bad.

- Jack

This has nothing to do with batteries, but I lost the link to the bathroom remodels so came back to this.
I do not like to remodel and would rather build from the ground up, but with our Hi-Lows that is not always practical. I recently replaced the two sets of bi-fold doors we had for our bathroom and replaced them with a very much lighter weight accordion door, thinking I would reduce the weight of the trailer by a couple of pounds. WRONG! Our 27T had a fold down hinged dinette on the passenger side of the trailer, and behind the folded down dinette was a storage area that at one time had a television bracket and three useless wire storage bins. I had long ago removed the television bracket since I would have had to buy a TV if I left the bracket in place. I removed the useless wire bins, made a face frame for storage shelves and then from the bi-fold doors, which I had to cut apart, etc, I made two cabinet doors to cover the face frame I made for the shelves. Talk about a happy camper, she is ecstatic. Next project is to convert the hanging closet as Jack has done. Oh, what did we do about the dinette?….bought a folding table from Costco.

JackandJanet · 05-03-2017, 11:09 PM

Pretty work, Garry! I like those shelves.

- Jack

Treeclimber · 05-05-2017, 11:02 AM

Great work! I can see you have the talent to continue doing mods, please share pics with us.
Tree