Slide came in but didn't go out!

[comfun1]

I bought a new to me fifth wheel, a 2014 Springdale 247. When I got it home I ran the slide out and then back in. A few days later I tried to run it out and nothing, not a click or anything. After much examination, checking connections and tracing wiring I discovered that the battery has 12.6 volts and the voltage at the slide switch is only 11.48. I then took a battery from one of my mowers and charged it till it read 100%. I connected it to the wires on the motor side of the switch and the slide worked fine. It appears to me that in order to work the slide motor needs a full 12.6 or more to operate.

How can I lose that much voltage between the battery and the slide switch?

[66joej]

Are all connections clean and solid? Something like a poor ground will cause voltage drop.

[chuckster57]

Could also be a bad switch.

[comfun1]

All connections I have been able to find look just like new. I will look some more in a few hours when it cools off a little.

[travelin texans]

You say you used your mower battery & it worked. Curious if you have that type battery in the RV that has CCA/CC amps listed on it, if so it's not designed for use in a RV. The initials indicate cranking amps used for starting motors, a quick blast of amps is what they're designed for not a continuous draw. You'll want one that only list Ahs & the more the better. If that's by chance what's there have it load tested, check the water levels & give it a good charge.
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[Terry W.]

LikeTT said you need a good deep cycle battery. You didn't say weather the camper was plugged into shore power or not. If it's not plugged in the battery will discharge due to drains in side the camper. IE. radio memory, radio dial light, lp leak detector, carbon monoxide detector

[comfun1]

I didn't actually install the lawnmower battery, I set it on the kitchen floor and used jumpers to bypass the switch so that I could be certain the slide motor was not the problem. I am suspicious of the switch but the voltage drop between the battery and the switch also concern me. I will try to check some more things this morning while its cool.

[JRTJH]

If the voltage drop is with the slide motor running, that's to be expected, if the voltage drop was measured with the motor not running, then I'm not sure what you were measuring. With the motor running, the load will pull down the voltage and with the motor not running, the battery voltage "should" be the same at the battery terminals and the motor terminals. It's the load that brings down the voltage when the motor is operating.

[comfun1]

The voltage drop is without it running. There are two wires that bring power to the switch. I am measuring the voltage at this point.

[dadnjesse]

You could have a bad Battery, take it out and have it load tested.

[GHen]

I agree, an apparently fully charged battery that only shows 11.8 when it has rested some time after the charger has been disconnected certainly has a dead cell. Auto parts store can test it for you also.
My daughters new trailer came from the dealer with one battery with a dead cell (delivered with 2). Batteries were reading 11.75, nothing was working, slides, refer, Jack etc. Removed the bad battery and everything ran just off the good one. Got it charged up good and they haven’t had any problems since. Dealer replaced bad battery.