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Old 08-29-2016, 06:50 PM   #1
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New To Jayco, Forum AND Trailer'ing!

Hello everyone!

I'm glad I ran across this forum!

My wife and I have always loved camping and have been Tent camping with air mattresses and other minor conveniences for many years!

Last year I began to develop some interest in pop up tent trailers, as I knew my wife would not go for the full blown RV thing.

I stopped by an RV lot during a business trip to Dallas and came across Jayco. I really liked it and I planted the bug in my wife's ear about how we should consider one.

About a month later I was out on a run and it just so happened that I noticed a for sale sign on a 2012 Jayco Jay Series 1207. I knocked on the door and set an appointment for the following day.

It was meant to be because it had been used a total of 4 times and it still smelled new when they opened it up. Unfortunately the owner had gotten very ill.

Long story short, we bought it and have now used it for our second time, our last trip being to the Sequoias.

There is a lot to figure out and test, etc.. We dry camped both times and was a bit bummed that the battery died after just a few hours on the first day. We were running the little fans and some lights. I am suspicious that the battery is no good but I DID have it tested prior to the trip and I was told it was fine. I am having it tested again because I've heard that 1 12V should last me at least a couple of days with moderate use.

I hope to learn a lot from all of you to make our future experiences with dry camping the best possible!


Ivan
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Old 08-29-2016, 06:54 PM   #2
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Welcome aboard. Sounds like you got a great deal. When the wife and I went from tent camping to a trailer we stumbled across a great deal as well - not an illness but folks had owned the trailer 6 months and decided they wanted something bigger.

If that battery has been sitting unmaintained for a while it's sure suspect. But also make sure it's getting a good charge - your onboard charger may not be bringing up to full.
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Old 08-29-2016, 07:04 PM   #3
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Welcome to the forum.
A lot of good people on here and years of experience to give advice on everything from where to go on trips to how to fix things that have gone wrong. i get in trouble from my wife for surfing too long usually
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Old 08-29-2016, 07:09 PM   #4
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I can remember when I moved "off the ground" - the year I turned 40, two hour drive to the campground, pounding tent stakes into the ground, massive hangover from the night before, wife and kids unloading a utility trailer full of camping "stuff", sitting an the ground looking up into the trees and telling myself "this is nuts!" Went home, bought a truck, bought a pop-up cab over truck camper and have never looked back! LOL
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Old 08-29-2016, 07:13 PM   #5
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Congrats on the good deal and WELCOME to the group!
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Old 08-29-2016, 07:21 PM   #6
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Welcome to the family. When the DW and I turned 40 we also bought our first popup, the 1996 version of yours. We kept it for 19 years, 3 kids, 2 dogs and a trillion memories. Now that the kids are out on their own we traded up to nice couples trailer and still love going out and making more memories, but now with our grandkids. Have fun and enjoy the camping and the forum.
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Old 08-29-2016, 08:49 PM   #7
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Thank you all so much! I'll be spending some time on here for sure.

@BuddyRay I had plugged it into my trickle charger for a couple days prior to going and it said it was full. This last weekend when we arrived, it would not even pop my trailer up. Fortunately, I brought a back up battery and was at least able to pop it up.
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Old 08-29-2016, 09:09 PM   #8
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Ivan, welcome! Two big consumers of battery power -- the fridge and the emergency brake system. For the fridge, only use it on 12 volt when attached to a running tow vehicle, when boon docking run it on propane. For the emergency brake system, there should be a small wire cable near the hitch going to a pin -- make sure the pin is fully inserted.

Otherwise how many days between when you trickle charged and when you left? There are small battery drains in the camper which could add up over time.

Not saying the above if your problem, just a couple of things to check.
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Old 08-29-2016, 09:20 PM   #9
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Ivan,

Welcome to the JOF!

Is your battery a deep cycle battery? If not, you really need to get one. The bigger the better! Even better, if there is space on the tongue for two batteries, get two 6-volt golf cart type deep cycle batteries. These will keep you going the longest. If the cost scares you, contact a battery distributor near you and ask them if they have any blemished batteries. These are batteries with a crease in the case or some other thing that makes them "unsellable" by dealers. They come with a full warranty but can be half the cost of "pretty" batteries.

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Old 08-30-2016, 10:08 AM   #10
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CONGRATULATIONS on the JAYCO!!!

...and WELCOME TO JOF!!! The members here are GREAT!!! There is a lot of GREAT information to be found here. I am sure that you will have information and pictures to share with us... so please do!!

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Old 08-30-2016, 10:36 AM   #11
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Welcome aboard Ivan!
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Old 08-30-2016, 10:49 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Heady View Post
Ivan, welcome! Two big consumers of battery power -- the fridge and the emergency brake system. For the fridge, only use it on 12 volt when attached to a running tow vehicle, when boon docking run it on propane. For the emergency brake system, there should be a small wire cable near the hitch going to a pin -- make sure the pin is fully inserted.

Otherwise how many days between when you trickle charged and when you left? There are small battery drains in the camper which could add up over time.

Not saying the above if your problem, just a couple of things to check.
Thank you!

I am so used to tent camping I have not even bothered to use the fridge yet. Just seems like almost a waste of propane or electricity when I have everything nicely cooled and kept in my cooler.

The break system will pull power even when it's just sitting there and unplugged from the TV?

I had unplugged it a couple of days at the most prior to installing it. I did not drive with the battery installed, which I guess would have helped since it would have picked up a charge from the TV on that 5 hour drive.
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Old 08-30-2016, 10:52 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by Murff View Post
Ivan,

Welcome to the JOF!

Is your battery a deep cycle battery? If not, you really need to get one. The bigger the better! Even better, if there is space on the tongue for two batteries, get two 6-volt golf cart type deep cycle batteries. These will keep you going the longest. If the cost scares you, contact a battery distributor near you and ask them if they have any blemished batteries. These are batteries with a crease in the case or some other thing that makes them "unsellable" by dealers. They come with a full warranty but can be half the cost of "pretty" batteries.

Murff
I do have a deep cycle but I fear it may not have held a charge. I am definitely considering going with dual Trojan T-105's in the future. How quickly that happens I suppose will depend on if this current battery is shot. I'm having it tested now. Thanks!
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