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Old 07-31-2015, 11:57 PM   #1
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Battery dead after cross country pull?

Facts: Brand new Aerolite 302
Plugged in to shore power for 2 months, battery switch open
Drove 2500 miles (San Diego ~ Raleigh NC)
Truck terminals o.k. all the way (lights etc, newer truck)
Unhook and battery dead when trying to raise tongue???
I can't figure out what would have caused it. The battery switch was open all the time and don't know if that would have caused something inside to drain the battery?

Any help would be appreciated
thanks
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Old 08-01-2015, 12:14 AM   #2
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Battery switch open in electrical terms means off. Are you sure you had the switch in the ON "closed" position?
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Old 08-01-2015, 12:18 AM   #3
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What type of truck? A lot of them don't have the charging relay for the trailer battery installed from the factory, the dealer's are supposed to take care of it, however... I have a 2003 F150 and we had to put it in, ditto our 1998 Exploder. That would be my first guess.

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Old 08-01-2015, 12:19 AM   #4
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green showing on the switch (open to the trailer). It's almost like something was draining the battery while we were parked. The trip took 3 1/2 days and the battery should have been charged to the max, I thought!?
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Old 08-01-2015, 12:20 AM   #5
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Truck is a 2012 Ford Raptor.
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Old 08-01-2015, 12:24 AM   #6
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There are transient amp draws on all trailers. 3 1/2 days will drain a battery. There are usually things connect before the switch which will leave them powered. Next time, close the switch while towing and the truck will help keep your battery charged.
I can maybe get three days on my battery with nothing connected.
The Propane detector and radio are the biggest culprits.
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Old 08-01-2015, 12:33 AM   #7
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thanks! that was my fear. Learned the hard way.
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Old 08-01-2015, 01:03 AM   #8
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Is the truck providing 12v power to the trailer? My battery will go close to a week with the parasitic draw. I have a disconnect at the battery if I have to leave it off of shore power for any length of time. The charge line from the truck is limited in total amps to ~7 amps of charging power. Which should have been enough to stay ahead of the parasitic draw.

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Old 08-01-2015, 01:51 AM   #9
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yes, its providing power. I think it was drawing the whole time at more than the truck was providing and draining while parked. thanks everyone for the quick responses!
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Old 08-01-2015, 11:25 PM   #10
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Don't know if your trailer has a generator...but if not plugged in at an RV park, always run the generator to keep the batteries charged...and well...to watch TV, run the AC units...

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