No clearance to open battery box

[Whitebark]

Trying to access my batteries to install solar. Already emailed customer support, but I have little faith in their helpfulness, so...

As you can see my battery box, which sits on the back of the tongue, is very tight up against the front of the trailer. I can't open the battery box all the way - photos are of me pushing hard enough to bend the plastic diamond plate on the lower front wall of the trailer. Feels not possible to fully open the battery box without breaking something. On top of that, the boxes are secured to the tongue with screws, which aren't accessible without removing the battery, which seems impossible, so I can't just wrestle the battery boxes off the tongue either.

What's going on with my trailer? This seems like either a crazy design flaw or some crap aftermarket work. It's a 2011 Jay Flight Swift SLX 145RB that I bought secondhand, and the dealer told me they replaced the battery. I've had the trailer for a couple years now and haven't used electricity during that time, so I doubt the dealer would be able to tell me anything about how the **** they got the old batteries out or the new ones in, or if it's a taller than OEM aftermarket battery box.

Would love to know if anyone else has run into this wall.. At this point I'm convinced there's some secret technique I'm not aware of, or that my next step is figuring out the least destructive way to get those boxes free.

 

[Grumpy]

Dealer or previous owner may have replaced the box. All the ones I've seen have a lid that just lifts off. and.....

EDIT: Jayco won't have records back beyond 7 years or so..Also missed the word "boxes" definitely not factory they only provided one.

 

[Kevin Cooper]

Just an observation. There is no way that the screws were installed in the bottom of those boxes with a battery sitting on top of them. So, that means that instead of pulling the lid off on the front, you must pull it off next to the diamond plate first.

 

[Velz]

What Kevin said. It might take some effort.

 

[garywilson]

Cut the lid and box away... they are only plastic.

Remove the batteries.

Replace the two battery boxes with a single double battery box. I got the one at the link at the end 13 years ago when they were a lot cheaper. Still like new.

Move propane bottle to give you more room if you need to.

Move battery box holder giving you room for future maintenance as you need to service the batteries once in a while, which you apparently haven't done for the last couple of years.

Walla walla, your are fixed!

Amazon.com

Or, lift lid from back of the original box and trim it a bit.

 

[OnTheGo]

Mine is similar if not the same. While it's still completely down, try getting the rear tab to go up a little ahead of the front one. If you get the same angle as your picture, only opposite, it will likely have clearance.

Welcome to JOF! Keep those questions and comments coming.

 

[Whitebark]

Back after it started snowing again here and I had to do some work on my car... Well, you all were right, it was actually the very simple issue of needing to pry the lid off from the wall-facing side. I guess I had assumed it was a hinged lid since I couldn't see the back. Thanks haha. Now I can actually get to work and you all will probably hear about the solar mishaps...

 

[OnTheGo]

Back after it started snowing again here and I had to do some work on my car... Well, you all were right, it was actually the very simple issue of needing to pry the lid off from the wall-facing side. I guess I had assumed it was a hinged lid since I couldn't see the back. Thanks haha. Now I can actually get to work and you all will probably hear about the solar mishaps...

Glad it worked out for you.