29RLI WITH SOLARFLEX 400i standard battery

[Louisburg Cougar]

We picked up our new 29RLI last Saturday. Drove home 7 hours and tried to get the trailer off the truck the next morning. LONG story short, we discovered they didn’t install a battery in the trailer! I put in my boat battery so I could get it off the truck. They’re going to put a battery in. I want to make sure I get what should have been installed and not the cheapest undersized battery they have laying around. Does anyone know what size and type should have been installed?

[Texas Steve]

Welcome to the forum! Typically, the dealer will install the cheapest Group 24 or Group 27 battery they have. It might not even be a true deep cycle battery. If they try and give you a battery that has CCA (cold cranking amps) then it is not a deep cycle battery.

If you drove home the 7 plus hours, maybe you can get them to reimburse you for the purchase of a battery locally and not have to return to the dealer. Check Sam's or Costco near you. They usually have sales on RV batteries pretty regularly. Check everything out once you get your battery installed and pay particular attention to the battery leads. The color of wire does not always follow conventional wisdom. Trace the wires to their connections or the result could be blown reverse polarity fuses at your converter.

Good luck!

[jasin1]

Did you do a walkthrough at prepurchase? I’m not sure how anyone would have missed that…. did you stop someplace to eat on the trip home or at a rest stop? Maybe somebody stole the battery…it’s a long shot but it happens…our cousin stopped at a rest stop for five min and his f450 caps were stolen

DO NOT operate the slides and leveling system without a battery hooked up as you can damage the slide motors.

You also need a battery present for the emergency trailer brakes when towing

Also many dealers will only install one battery even though the provision is for two.

Good luck and welcome to the forum

[flybouy]

You would spend far more money driving 14 hr round trip for a <$100 battery. Do yourself a favor and go buy 2 golf cart batteries (two 6 volt GC2 batteries) and appropriate boxes and you will far better off.

[wrvond]

Take a look at your purchase agreement to see if the dealer charged you for a battery. Generally speaking, batteries are not included in the price of your camper. If the dealer did charge you for a battery then a refund is due. If not, you're better off purchasing batteries from your own source.