1980 Hi Lo
 

My husband and I recently bought a 1980 Hi Lo... The inside looked great for its age and the AC worked... we really just needed a tent on wheels with AC so this was perfect. Our big issue so far is POWER. When we purchased it the battery was dead and we jump started it and where able to raise and lower the camper no problem... got it home and tried the same thing with the jumper cables from my emergency road kit.. they were small and dinky but we figured they would work the same... NOT so much we used more heavy duty jumpers and it worked. So, we know we need to replace the battery but we just don't want to spend the money. One of the things I have read in the different manuals on here is that if you leave the refridgerator on it can drain the battery... so my question is how do you know if the refridgerator is on? I couldnt find an on and off switch... theres a switch to turn it from electric to gas. I figure if we can make sure everything is off we can try to charge the battery. Any thoughts?

It may not be a 3 way refrigerator, but if it is, there should be another position on the switch that you found for 12 DC, there should also be an off position.
The lift motor is a 12 volt starter motor that runs a hydraulic pump it takes around 80 to 100 Amps of current to operate. If you should replace the battery, it has to be a deep cycle battery as a reg auto battery won't hold up. You can also look for a fuse panel and pull the fridge fuse.Just remember that 6 or more up and downs will run a good battery down.
The appliances all had their own manuals, get the name and model and do a Google search.

Ref. on off switch
 

JRjohnsonOO, Welcome to the forum. What make and model is your REF.? On my 1990 HiLo Classic our ref. has been replaced. It is a two way. Runs on gas or electric. It uses absolutely no battery power. I am able to light my stove burners and run for a minute or two. This clears any air out of the line. Then we shut the stove burners off and light the ref. following the directions at the floor panel. I am able to have the trailer out in front of my house and light the ref. up a day before a trip. Absolutely no battery or electric is needed. Hope this helps you.

jrjohnson,

"So, we know we need to replace the battery but we just don't want to spend the money".

"6 or more up and downs will run a good battery down".

I suggest you take Rich's advice as well as your own and buy a new deep cell battery. You didn't say how old the battery is that came with your unit but you should be able to look at the little punch-out sticker and see the month/year it was purchased. My experience with batteries is that once they reach that magical warranty year, they will quit on you. You do not want to be caught out camping and have a battery die on you; it is not much fun.

So long as your RV is plugged in, you should be okay in leaving the refrigerator turned on AC/DC. If you are dry docking, use the gas setting.

Good Luck and welcome to the forum.

Jerry Curtis
2406 T

You have to have a battery, if nothing more than to operate the emergency brake breakaway switch, which is required by law in many states. The battery is a must for the lift system unless you want to keep using jumper cables all the time. The interior lights, the furnace, the fridge, the water pump, and gas leak detector all need 12 volts.

Thank you all for the good advice. My husband was pretty sure that the battery didnt do anything for the refridgerator and after hearing what you guys say it sounds like he was right. The reason I thought we could get away with not having a battery was I thought we could just plug it in and raise it but its a 30 amp plug so thats not even close to the 100 you said it needs from the battery. So a deep cell battery it is. Where would I find a deep cell battery probably not at Walmart huh? His dad offered the one out of his golf cart but since the reason hes getting a new one is it wont hold a charge I dont think we want it either :)

So for the fridge part of my last thing I was thinking that you could either run the trailer off the battery or off the plug in... so I was worried about the refridgerator being left on or a light switch being left on... but it sounds like the battery only operates the necessities the lift and brakes... Is that right? If so good because we are bound to leave a light on.

Thank you all for all your helpful advice.

Actually the battery operates the lift, the water pump, the interior lights, the furnace, the TV antenna booster, the gas leak detector, and most anything that is inside that doesn't have to plug into a 120 volt receptacle. When you unplug from shore power the battery takes over. You can get a deep cycle battery at Walmart and at auto parts stores. Do not get a car battery or a boat starter battery because they are not designed for trailers and will be short lived. Interstate brand batteries are a popular choice.

Interstate batteries
 

We have had interstate batteries for years in both our truck and our HiLo. We have had very good luck with them. Perhaps you could do an internet search for a place to buy one in your area and price. Well worth the $.