How many watts????

[samahi72]

Here I am again.
2003 cougar 5th wheel, model 285.

I was under the impression that the electric Jacks and the slide would operate off of the 12 volt system. The previous owner said no, that you need a generator to operate them.

So my question is what is the minimum watts needed to operate the slide and jacks? I assume you will need higher wattage when operating in cold environments. We like to go camping in the winter and want to make sure the generator is large enough to do the job without being excessively heavy to maneuver.

[labs4life]

Landing gear and slide both work off the 12v side.....unless he did some serious monkeying. Don't see how as the slide motor(s) are 12v as are the landing gear. How else would someone boondock??
I think you were misinformed!!

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by samahi72

Here I am again.
2003 cougar 5th wheel, model 285.

I was under the impression that the electric Jacks and the slide would operate off of the 12 volt system. The previous owner said no, that you need a generator to operate them.

So my question is what is the minimum watts needed to operate the slide and jacks? I assume you will need higher wattage when operating in cold environments. We like to go camping in the winter and want to make sure the generator is large enough to do the job without being excessively heavy to maneuver.

Your impression is right - both require 12v to operate and get the 12v from the battery or perhaps the converter. The previous owner may have used a generator instead of shore power but the bottom line is that the jacks and the slide use 12v. Perhaps that is why he told you that you need a generator.
On our unit, there is a direct connection between the battery and the slide motor.
I do not need a generator to operate the slide and/or the landing gear when we boondock. As long as the battery is fully charged and operating at full capacity, both work quite well - no generator required.
As long as your battery is good, you will be good to go.

[samahi72]

Originally Posted by Festus2

Your impression is right - both require 12v to operate and get the 12v from the battery or perhaps the converter. The previous owner may have used a generator instead of shore power but the bottom line is that the jacks and the slide use 12v. Perhaps that is why he told you that you need a generator.
On our unit, there is a direct connection between the battery and the slide motor.
I do not need a generator to operate the slide and/or the landing gear when we boondock. As long as the battery is fully charged and operating at full capacity, both work quite well - no generator required.
As long as your battery is good, you will be good to go.

Man that is why I love this website. Fellow RVers are the BEST. I had checked the battery level shortly after pulling it home. It showed full charge but would not operate the slide and jacks. After reading the posts, I went out and checked the monitor and it showed only 1/3 charge. I pulled the batteries out of our other 5th wheel and shazaam! The slide operates. Thank you all for your inputs.

That being said, I am still interested in knowing what size generator I should get. It has a small microwave that I think would be around 600-700 watts and a flat screen tv, so I think 1500 watts should be enough?
Thanks

[f6bits]

A 2000 watt generator will handle everything quite well except for the air conditioning. Keep in mind that you can't run the microwave and a hair dryer at the same time, or two other high-wattage appliances.

[Festus2]

The size of generator you should consider depends on what you want to run off it. Personally, I wouldn't consider a 1500W - it is just too small and you are probably only going to realize 1000w-1200w of that. For winter camping, you might want to have an electric heater going so you can forget the 1500W. A 2000W will operate the heater ok but nothing much else.
I would go for a 3000W - slightly heavier but you will find that it will, in the long run, serve you much better and would be able to run a couple of heavy draw items at the same time. If you can handle this size, I'd go for it.

If weight is a concern, check out the weights of the various generators and get something that you can physically handle. You can go to the various generator manufacturer's website, check out the models and find one that you can handle. No sense putting your back out trying to move it from A to B.

I'd look at getting the biggest one you can handle and afford.

[PerryB]

What I chose to do was buy a companion set of Honda 2000's, which put out 1600 each continuously. With both you can easily run A/C and tv(s) although I still shut the A/C off temporarily while using the micro. The nice part about having two is, well, having two. During the late fall and winter while hunting out at the ranch, I use one to power the trailer and the other to light up the man cave, which is our 24 x 32 cook shed/rec. room. These units weigh about 50 lbs apiece dry.