Electric questions

[WoodcarvingGypsy]

I've got a question on the 12v electrics on my Seville. When I put it up last winter, I pulled the battery and discovered that with the battery out and the Seville plugged into the truck, I couldn't run the jacks (had to put the battery back in to get it unhooked). What puzzles me is the previous 3 units we had (all tow types), I could run the jacks from truck power.

Am I confused or is this normal? I'll get the Seville out of the shed next week and do a bit of experimentation but thought I'd pose this to others.

I could be completely confused so if so, just chalk it up to getting older.

Thanks. Let the camping season begin (first trip scheduled for May).








Edited by: WoodcarvingGypsy

[carl]

I would suggest checking the truck plug to be sure you have 12 volts at the proper terminal. With most landing gear jacks you need a 30 amp fuse. You may have blown that fuse which would create your situation.

[FB1965]

I think you trailer was doing the right thing. I'm not very very sure, but I do believe the truckonly goes to the battery and not to the converter and thus when the battery is removered you get nothing.If the trailer were plug in to electrical power the converter would supply the DC requried to operate 12v.I was wrong once before, but that was a while back.LOL

[hhh]

Jacks will take 20+ amps in use. A trailer plug is wired for much less then that, you'd melt the wires trying to draw that much power through the truck plug. You may have even blown the fuse in the truck.

[GaPete]

Last fall I picked my Seville up after repars at CW. It was high enough to back under which I did. I then hooked up the umbilical and lowered to correct height. After getting to campground and unhooking, I noticed the jacks no longer worked. After much head scratching I found the battery disconnect switch had been opened by CW. So in my case the jacks worked from the truck power. My Seville is a 2011 and my TV is 2010 F250 diesel with dual batteries.



Not sure if open switch is equal to not having a battery installed.Edited by: GaPete

[CygnusSailor]

GaPete...It sounds like you only used your jacks going up after the truck was hooked up and going down until they made contact with the ground when unhooking. Going up or going down with no load on them takes relatively little current. If you had continued to lift with the jacks after they had come in contact with the ground, when unhooking, they may have stopped working or blown a fuse in the truck.

[GaPete]

The truck supplied the required power to raise the camper (full load on jacks)off theFW hitch. It only stopped working when I unhooked the unbilical when I was ready to pull forward.

[WoodcarvingGypsy]

I thought I'd let everyone know the resolution to my problem.

I took the truck to my local RV dealer to get a second 7-way plug installed in the bed. When the installer tested the plug at completion, no 12 volt was available so he started looking. The proper fuse was in place, but not the correct wire. The correct wire was hidden underneath the under-hood fuse box. Once connected, all is well.

Leave it to GM to hide the wire. It would be so much easier if the dealers would just hook it up during vehicle prep. The local GM dealer said that they don't do it even if they know you're going to tow.

Thanks to everyone for their help.

[Stan]

My 2008 was the same way - hidden wire. Fortunately my dealer showed it to me when I bought the truck. If you have the camper wiring, that bundle is hidden behind the cab under the bed on the left side. When I had the RV plug installed in my bed area, the dealer used that harness instead of wiring everything new. The harness is about 6' long.

[WoodcarvingGypsy]

That's how they did mine as well. The new socket was installed about 4 inches up from the floor and in from the tailgate about 6 inches. Makes hooking up the Seville a bunch easier. only consideration I've seen is that you have to make sure the plug is seated soundly but that needs to be the case on any trailer wiring. I was in the habit of checking it at each stop.

Now to put a decent clip on the safety brake cable so it will clip to the bed tie down as the previous way had been to pull a hitch pin and put the cable loop around it.