slide out battery tray May 03, 2020, 10:31:10 pm Hi all- I want to take a good look at my house batteries on my 2003 26.5 MB. Today I tried to pull out the sliding tray- I figured out the lever system and pulled the tray. It came out about 6 or 7 inches and then stopped completely. It really seems like it should come out quite a bit further. At this distance, I can't even see all of the cells on the front battery, never mind the rear. I've looked through the owners manual to read about this tray, but I can't find a single mention of it. Can anyone give me guidance as to how far that tray is supposed to come out, and what the problem might be if it's supposed to come out farther but doesn't?Thanks in advance- hope you are all well!Laura
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #1 – May 04, 2020, 02:07:30 am I think you have two six volt batteries that are side by side as you look at them, not front to back. My battery door is up against a wall right now so I can’t look. With the tray 6” out I think you can remove the batteries one at a time and then see what the problem is.The batteries are 55lbs each so be aware. The battery tray is branded Kwikee. Etrailer sells them and replacements are available.It could be the bearings in the slide need cleaning and lube. It could be that is all it is designed to move.Remove the negative lead first. Need more info? Ask again.
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #2 – May 04, 2020, 02:10:03 am The battery tray doesn't come out far, making it difficult to see down into the cells, to check the electrolyte level.Yoou can use a flashlight and a small mirror to checking. A remote watering system would the process, making servicing the batteries a clean, five-minute chore, one that you will not be as tempted to ignore.Pro-Fill RV Edition Dual 6-Volt Battery Watering System | Camping WorldMany battery tray slides of your LD's vintage are badly corroded and are difficult or impossible to move unless they have been lubricated regularly. Spray the moving parts of the slides with a heavy grease, such as white lithium or a marine grease and then push and pull the tray, in and out several times, this may free the slides up and allow a little more movement.Many owners have removed the slides and either changed to AGMs or larger T-145 batteries.LD eliminated the slides in 2010 when they switched to AGMs.Larry
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #3 – May 04, 2020, 04:41:18 am Hi Laura. The battery tray is only designed to come out about 5 inches. Lazy Daze uses multiple stiff wires attached to the terminals, so they want to pull the battery tray back in. I use a wood stick stored in with the batteries to keep the tray out when I'm checking the battery water levels. RonB
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #4 – May 04, 2020, 08:35:57 am Thanks, everybody! I bought my beloved BlueByrd from a wonderful consignment lot in Oregon. They had installed two 12 volt interstate batteries , one in front and one in back. I've owned her for over a year and this is the first time that I've checked the water, but from the one cell that I can see it looks low. I like the idea of the remote watering system. Thanks for the link, Larry W!
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #5 – May 04, 2020, 09:25:29 am The coach batteries are 'deep cycle' 6V batteries; these batteries are not the same as the one in the engine. Interstate lists two deep cycle batteries: GC2-ECL-UTLGC2-HCL-UTLThis link shows the 'Pro-Fill' battery watering system.Pro-Fill RV Applications - Flow-Rite ControlsI don't know how the batteries (two 6V deep cycle batteries are standard; some owners have 4 or 6, depending on where they've found to put them!) are laid out in a mid-bath, but mine are side-by-side in my TK. Note: If a battery has one 'bad' cell, you will need a new battery; I suggest replacing both at the same time. 1 Likes
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #6 – May 04, 2020, 10:45:56 am Oops; (sort of) duplicated Larry's link. Sorry.
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #7 – May 04, 2020, 10:48:06 am Quote from: frayednot - May 04, 2020, 08:35:57 amThanks, everybody! I bought my beloved BlueByrd from a wonderful consignment lot in Oregon. They had installed two 12 volt interstate batteries , one in front and one in back. I've owned her for over a year and this is the first time that I've checked the water, but from the one cell that I can see it looks low. I like the idea of the remote watering system. Thanks for the link, Larry W!I don't remember the battery tray on our 2002 MB extending very far. A Pro-Fill battery watering system was an early and very helpful addition. If you have the original power converter (120VAC->12VDC) and have your rig plugged in much of the time, you need to check your battery water levels much more frequently. We eventually changed our converter to a "smart charger" and the battery water levels in our usually plugged in coach dropped much more slowly.It is not unusual for someone uninformed or cheap to replace coach batteries with something cheaper than good deep cycle batteries like the Trojan series. If you are certain that you have 12V batteries, maybe you could get some model information off of them so we can look up their specifications.Art
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #8 – May 04, 2020, 11:19:48 am I’ve attached a few photos of my battery tray ,extended, on my 2005 26.5 MB LDS. The tray extends out 5”. Macmarty2005 26.5 MB
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #9 – May 04, 2020, 11:54:31 am This site is an excellent source of battery information:Car and Deep Cycle Battery FAQ 2020, Battery Manufacturers and Brand Names...
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #10 – May 04, 2020, 11:55:45 am OK, I'm a moron!!! I just went out and looked again and I have Interstate GC2 deep cycle Extreme 6 volt batteries.What's worse, they ARE mounted side by side. I wish I could say that I have a drinking or drugging problem to explain how I got this so wrong!Thanks to you all, especially for the info about how far the tray pulls out and for the information on the watering system. Sorry to have lead you all down a rabbit hole regarding everything else!I think I've been inside for too long.......
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #11 – May 04, 2020, 12:12:13 pm "I think I've been inside for too long..."----No worries; most of us have a few (or more) grey areas from lockdown fatigue! It's likely a good thing that I'm not running loose; not telling what mischief I might get up to at this point. I did start to be a bit concerned when I found that reorganizing the 'crap drawer' in the rig was enjoyable. One's standards for what's 'fun' do tend to decline as entertainment options diminish; I'm now thrilled at the prospect of emptying the shredder drawer. YMMV, as always. 3 Likes
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #12 – May 04, 2020, 12:21:17 pm "One's standards for what's 'fun' do tend to decline as entertainment options diminish; I'm now thrilled at the prospect of emptying the shredder drawer. Oh, yeah??? I'll have you know that WE have an electric pencil sharpener that occasionally needs an emptying and a good scouring! Virtual hugs, Judie 1 Likes
Re: slide out battery tray Reply #13 – May 04, 2020, 12:50:19 pm Quote from: frayednot - May 04, 2020, 11:55:45 amOK, I'm a moron!!! I just went out and looked again and I have Interstate GC2 deep cycle Extreme 6 volt batteries.What's worse, they ARE mounted side by side.Take it easy on yourself. As long as the batteries fit and the cables hook up correctly, the orientation in which they are installed doesn't matter, except for the tie-down. The Interstate batteries are OK , when they die, consider replacing them with Trojan T105s, a high-quality battery with a longer lifespan.Larry 3 Likes
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