Another scary screw-up - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

hilltool · 09-07-2012, 11:54 AM

Just got back from a week trip- great time though I messed up a few things.

1. Tried switching fantastic fan to blow in instead of out one night without turning it off first- and, of course, it quit. I hope it isn't anything too complicated. Fuse did not look blown but I didn't have another one handy to test.

2. Scary- yesterday while leaving NFC on southern shore of lake Superior- I went and lowered trailer for travel forgetting I had left my two spring bars for the hitch and a can of spray slicone grease- on the tongue on top of battery compartment. As I was walking forward and slowly realizing what I had done my wife mentioned "somebody is burning something" which I found an odd thing to comment on in a campground. Realizing I had smashed the can under the trailer I began to lift top and my wife said she saw sparking from the can. Sure enough- the pressure had bent the sheet metal top enough that wing nut on one of the positive battery terminals had come in contact with the sheet metal top and burned through ! Two nice little holes ... in a real handy spot to have a fire right up there with the propane tanks and hydraulic fluid resevoir. I covered the nut with duct tape and underside of battery compartment lid....and when I got to town bought a regular low profile nut and electrical tape-----but it un-nerved me pretty good. MY bad,for sure. Still-the design of a flimsy sheet metal top that can bend and ground out to the frame when in the control of an idiot(me) has me thinking of different solutions like replacing it with a fabricated non-metal lid or undercoating it with that rubber stuff you can coat tools with. The batteries seem to have survived but I will have to check the next couple of days.

Also- discovered a leak in front window during rainstorm where water was running down partially opened stone shield and into top of window frame and coming out on the inside of the window frame on the bottom. Didn't think I would have to re-caulk windows yet- but this one I will.

Rick

PappaP · 09-07-2012, 01:14 PM

You might want to consider using a lowering checklist, it helps to have one and do a walk around the trailer to ensure you have everything in order before lowering. Here is the one posted here:

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f55/...checklist-362/

PopRichie77 · 09-07-2012, 02:33 PM

I cut pieces of plastic from qt. oil containers, this plastic is pretty strong, I wire tied these over the positive terminals, I done this in case I did something like you did. So far I been lucky, the battery on the 95 is under a fiber glass cover.

gus · 09-07-2012, 03:49 PM

the rubber stuff that comes in a spray can works very good, they say it seals gutters and such (never tried it on gutter) but on other materials that I tried, it sticks solid once it dries, I think they sell it at Walmart.

rgcronk · 09-07-2012, 05:21 PM

The same thing happened to my 1901TL before I got it. There is a stick on rubber patch over the hole the battery burned in the cover. It is a reminder to me that I too can do dumb stuff.

On my last trip I lowered the top with the propane tank cover laying on the battery compartment lid (forgot to replace it when I turned off the propane). Fortunately I heard the crunching before I did any damage. Even with the rubber patch I am nervous with the battery terminals so close to the lid.

hilltool · 09-09-2012, 11:14 AM

Pappap- I hear you on the checklist- and I have printed it out before and have one around. In truth- everything I have screwed up on before I now check....but I am a little "ADD " and tend to get distracted and do things after checking. But you are right- a little more discipline in these matters should help. It turns out my brother-in-laws have a running bet on long it is until I put a beer can through the ceiling.

As far as the arcing issue, however, that seems to be a concern regardless. Clearly, other owners have had issues. I think I will go ahead and coat underside of lid with something non-conductive for the mean time and then work on fabricating a better mouse trap.
thanks for the feedback, everyone.

Rick

JackandJanet · 09-09-2012, 04:38 PM

Rick, I put cable end terminal covers over ALL the battery posts. You can buy them at automotive stores. I coated the wing nuts with the insulating spray you mentioned and put neoprene tubing over the exposed bolt ends that could contact the cover.

If it will make you feel any better. In my haste to move from one camping spot to another at Yosemite (when the first did not work out), I lowered the top onto my portable water pump that I'd placed up on top of the battery cover. In my case, it punched a nasty hole into the plastic underside of the front part of the top half that I had to repair. I HAVE a lowering checklist, but was in too big of a hurry to use it (or to do a quick walk-around).

- Jack

sam · 09-09-2012, 08:12 PM

I,m just getting back from a three day campout and catching up on posts. Several times we have sat around the campfire and told of our goofs. We all are human and make bloopers. The previous owner of our HiLo must have left a pot of the stove and lowerd the RV. We now have a large dent in our stove vent. He also did battle with a tree brance as a large rubber patch is in place. Lastly our bumper on our Classic looks like the cookie monster took a bite out of it. The good news is for you that other have come up with a solution to your problem. It happens to not be very expensive to fix.

hilltool · 09-09-2012, 11:57 PM

@ jack

Thank you, Jack. I have found your posts and wisdom to always be considered, well thought out, and one whos measured suggestions and insight I have learned to put stock in. The fact that you dropped the top on your pump makes me feel, not better, but , not as bad.

By the way- your trip sounded terrific. Also- Sam, thanks for your support.

Some of my battery connections are side mounted on the posts and have covers. However, I do have a few accessories, like the solar charger, mounted to a vertical post. I plan to re-do the whole compartment- for instance, both batteries are mounted the same way (positve towards the hitch and negative towards the trailer) and it makes connecting multi meters and other things a chore as I need to pull screws on the lid to get to the rear terminals. I'm going to switch one of them around and while I do that- have all the negative attachments on one battery and positives on the other which is a recommendation I got off link , here, at some point. For charging and discharging I believe that gives me a more even distribution across all cells. And,I will be isolating all connections with non-conductive materials when I do that. All the suggestions here have been good- and I hadn't thought of neoprene, before, but I like it. Thanks

rick

sam · 09-10-2012, 12:26 AM

It sounds like you need to take your front window completely out and reseal with butyl tape and lexell caulk. What year is your HiLo? I,ve done back posts on how to do this. All windows that are ten years old need to be taken out and resealed. When the window is out you will be able to see the layers of your wall and any delamination/water dammage.