From PU to x213. A few questions...

[bucko]

Originally Posted by ATx213

Looks like the dealer/manufacture forgot to put a fuse in the little fuse box that comes off the positive battery terminal. Hopefully that will do it.

^^ This ^^

I found out quickly that this 30 amp fuse can identify if/when power is being drawn from the battery; the rep unplugged it and handed it to me during the demo/pickup. When we went on our first camping adventure, I installed the battery, plugged the fuse in, and heard the "arc", indicating something was drawing off the battery. All the inside lights were on!

I was also told it's a good idea to turn off the main breaker at the inside power box as well.

Also showing my "newbie" at this, I did not know at first that the battery will charge from the converter when the camper is plugged into a 120 volt source. I was being very stingy on what interior cabin lights were on at night thinking I was draining the battery, even though I had the trailer plugged into a full hookup site.

[RVCamperDan]

Lots of good advice here... I will add my two cents:

I have a 2014 x213, pulled by a 2006 tundra dc
I got the equalizer hitch- easy to set up, I leave on when parking. My tundra pulls it like a champ with this hitch.
We get about 4 nights with light battery usage on our stock battery- upgrading to two golf cart batteries soon.
I can park mine at my house and leave it plugged in all the time- comes stock with a battery charger.
I have forgotten to plug it in when I came home once and it lasted a few weeks with just the stereo clock and other draws- it didn't run out of juice, I just plugged it in when I realized it wasn't.
Bed- look for the sticker on the right near the coach, I believe its 1000 lbs.

Hope this helps
dan

[TCNashville]

Originally Posted by ATx213

Awesome info everyone, thanks!

How do I know how much juice the battery/batteries have? Can I just get a voltmeter and put it on the battery? If so what kind? I've read as much as I can find, but some of it is over my head. How do I know when I am fully charged? What reading should I get on the voltmeter? And what reading should I get when I am at that 50% mark and need to recharge? I'm not ready (capable) to install the fancy indoor meter and I don't really trust the little "1/3 2/3 box" that came with the camper.

I have read that many people travel/ store with the battery unhooked. I have also read that the emergency brake system only works if the battery is engaged. I am I missing something or are we just praying nothing goes wrong on the road? Do you travel with the battery hooked up or not?

Thanks again. Our first trip in this camper is only two weeks away, and I want to make sure we are ready.

I believe that a regular group 24 battery when fully charged should read 12.7 volts. Deep Cycle may be higher. Got to Lowes etc and get a digital multimeter. I got mine for around $15. I can check all systems in the camper, once I learned how to use it. Also, never tow your camper without the battery hooked up.