Auto-leveling jacks "low voltage" fault & maintaining chassis charge

[ljh684]

Got a low voltage fault on the Greyhawk 30X auto-leveling jacks while camping this weekend. So I started the motor to raise the jacks. Must have drained the chassis battery a bit when parked at the first campground.

[EDIT: turns out after poking around on the forum and reading the manual, the Lippert system on the 2019 Greyhawk requires 12.75V and the engine to be running to raise/lower the jacks in Auto mode.]

At the next campground, with all accessories off/unplugged, voltmeter says 12.6V, which I figure is 70% to 80% charged. So I've got a 6A trickle charger plugged in now.

What's the standard method for maintaining charge on the chassis battery at the campground? The 50 ft extension cord & trickle charger with the hood open seems like a hack (picture below).

[Berjr]

I noticed the same on our Greyhawk, started the engine all was good.

Question: are the jacks running off the chassis battery or the coach battery? and being plugged into a shore line will the trickle charger charge both the coach and the chassis batteries at the same time ? I don't want to put the unit away for the winter only to find out ill have a dead battery in the spring.

[bababooey]

Originally Posted by ljh684

What's the standard method for maintaining charge on the chassis battery at the campground? The 50 ft extension cord & trickle charger with the hood open seems like a hack (picture below).

Install a trick-l-start. I had the same low voltage alarm a few times before I installed the trick-l-start. Haven't had this issue since.

[ljh684]

Originally Posted by Berjr

Question: are the jacks running off the chassis battery or the coach battery?

My jacks run off the chassis battery, not the coach battery. And they require 12.75V to run in auto mode, basically the motor/alternator needs to be running to move them reliably. Was running them with the motor off and getting low voltage faults. Should have read the Owners Manual first, which says leave the motor running to lower/raise the jacks in auto-leveling mode.

and being plugged into a shore line will the trickle charger charge both the coach and the chassis batteries at the same time?

I ran a 50ft extension cord from the campsite's 20A outlet to a portable "smart" 6A trickle charger clipped directly to the chassis battery terminals per the photo I attached to the original post. This charges the chassis battery only. Presumably the 30A campsite service into which I plugged the coach was charging the coach battery.

It seems strange to have to carry a separate extension cord and charger, and pop the hood to charge the chassis battery. I'm used to carrying around a bunch of chargers for powersports (lead acid, AGM, lithium, etc.), so no big deal. But why doesn't a Class C have something built-in as standard equipment? I see the aftermarket has available a "Trik-L-Start" charger that takes care of trickle charging the chassis battery while the 30A shore line is connected to campsite power.

[ljh684]

Originally Posted by bababooey

Install a trick-l-start.

Looks like the aftermarket solved this problem. Wonder why the manufacturer don't include a Trik-L-Start as standard equipment. My guess (and it's only a wild guess) is Ford doesn't want any permanent connection between the coach electronics and the engine, for warranty and liability reasons.

[bababooey]

Originally Posted by ljh684

Wonder why the manufacturer don't include a Trik-L-Start as standard equipment. My guess (and it's only a wild guess) is Ford doesn't want any permanent connection between the coach electronics and the engine, for warranty and liability reasons.

It's probably simpler then that, $$. If buyers knew how the chassis charging worked, they would insist this as part of the deal when they purchased it. Unfortunately, most buyers (myself included) probably don't think about the need for this until weeks down the road when they go to use their rig after it sat for 2 weeks, plugged into the pedestal and you get low voltage alarm or forget to turn the radio off and have a dead battery.

Why would Jayco put it in, that's an extra $40 in the part and labor probably. As has been stated before, it's a rush to the bottom!

[hoppers4]

Battery Minder includes an adapter so you can plug their trickle charger into a port on the dash. That way you don't have to open the hood. Plug the trickle charger into an outlet in the RV (of course you have to be hooked to shore power) and then plug the charger output into the dash port. Dash ports feed the chassis battery directly.

[NativeTexan]

My jacks will not function if the engine is running. There is actually a light on them that says "Engine Running". In fact, since the Jayco dealer screwed up my whole electrical system when replacing a wiring harness, the "Engine Running" light flashes for 10-15 minutes after the ignition is off and the key is in my pocket, and I cannot use the jacks until the light goes off.