What power battery

[Ian_5074271]

I have just had a powrtouch model 4 fitted to my twin axel Bessacarr 645. When the fitter demonstrated the mover to me he said he thought the battery was a bit low on charge and did the demo with the mains cable connected. When I fitted a fully charged 85ah battery it would not drive the motors to move the van. A fully charged 110ah battery just about moves the caravan. Would you say this is normal for a powrtouch?, I had an old truma on my previous van and this worked on 85ah or 110ah batteries.

regards Ian

 

[Robtel]

Hi Ian,

No it's not normal. Both an 85 ah or a 110ah battery should drive the mover only difference is the 110 would last longer. I have a 100ah which operates my powrtouch 4 wheel mover very well.

Get on to powrtouch direct, I'm sure they will arrange to have it sorted out for you.

Robert

 

[richard_374364238]

We have a motor mover on our 6 birth elddis and even with the 110ah fully charged its a struggle if you tried a brand new 110ah battery you might find that it will power the mover perfectly ok but as soon as the battery loses its charge even a little its a struggle,we find we have to replace the battery every two or three years or so finally don't buy cheap batteries.

Regards Richard

 

[Martin_E]

Ian,

I think your van weighs 1854 KG (I think)

Model Cameo 645GL

Berths 4 Berths

Axle Twin

Weight 1854 kg

Length 7.92 m

The Model 4 TWIN AXLE, Up to 1700 Kg, (approx 32 cwt) maximum 25% at 1500 Kg

So I would suggest that perhaps the model 6 may have been more appropriate as it is designed for vans over 1700kg.

Have a read on here http://www.powrwheel.com/Shop-Powrtouch.asp

If the weight of the van is incorrect can you post what weight it is please?

 

[Dave_374330759]

You shouldn't use the mover with the mains cable plugged in. Apart from the fact that you might drive over it and pull it out of the van the load on the charger is a lot greater than it can deliver especially if the battery is dodgy - you stand a good chance of blowing a fuse or damaging the charger.

Is the battery new and fully charged (not with the van charger but with a multistage unit which will get the battery up to 100%). As batteries age their internal resistance increases and they cannot deliver the high currents required although sticking a voltmeter across will still show 12.6v. Try measuring the battery voltage when the mover is working and see what it drops down to.

Check the wiring and make sure that all connections are tight including the main battery connections, switch, fuse etc. Have you got long runs from the battery to the control unit and long runs to the motors. With a big heavy van and long runs, you may find the main cables a bit thin.

 

[TD42]

Ian Powrtouch specificaly say in their manual"do not use the mover with the mains lead connected"apparently this can cause problems with the control box

powrtouch's own advice is that there is no difference between an 85ah & 110ah battery in terms of power to operate the mover although a 110ah will supply max power for longer

Check with Powrtouch

 

[xtrailman]

A fully charged 85AH battery should drive four motors, 110AH would be the better choice.

My 6 year old battery still powers my mover.

You need to check that the correct mover is fitted, as mentioned above. Also that adequate sized cables have been used, to prevent voltage drop, checked the battery terminals are perfect, along with connections in the kill switch and control box.

Even a van of your weight should motor on the flat, something is wrong.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Ian,

Either an 85 or 110AH battery in reasonable conditions should power the mover. The fact that it does not points two three possibilities.

1. Teh wrong specification of mover has been fitted

2. the mover is faulty

3. It has been fitted incorrectly

or a combination the above.

You state you have had the power touch fitted, and I assume by that you have employed someone to do it for you. The fitter should have checked the model was correct for your caravan, and if not they should have told you.

If they supplied the unit also they are legally obliged to only supply good that are fit for purpose, so again if it was the wrong model for the caravan the supplier is responsible.

I suggest you check direct with Powertouch to confirm the suitability of the model you have.

Powertouch have an excellent record of customer support and I am sure that they will discuss the symptoms with you, and they may be able to identify what the problem is.

Based on what Power touch suggest you can move forward from there.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Ian

I have the same Powrtouch model fitted to the Wyoming,1678kgs, driving the front pair of wheels.

I have a 4 year old 110amp leisure battery. The Wyoming moves very well and climbs gradients easily. Turning is of course a different matter but it does it in the end but nothing like a single axle.

As others have said I suspect the Powrtouch AWD may have been better for your application. However the cost is considerably greater.

Stupid point , but I assume the handbrake has been released fully?

Are you certain the signal from the handset is getting through to the control box?

When you refer to the mains cable connected do you mean the main 240v power source or the cable that can be connected between the handset and the control box?

Get onto Powrtouch as suggested . Their customer after sales service is excellent.

Cheers

Dustdyog

 

[Martin_E]

Ian,

Have you sorted this one now, or still trying?

 

[Ian_5074271]

Hi

I have been offline during christmas so have not picked up on my messages. Having looked at the various replies I think I will have to get in touch with the fitter and powrtouch.

thanks for your help everyone.

regards Ian

 

[Ian_5074271]

Hi I have been offline over christmas so have not picked up my messages, it seems I will have to get in touch with the fitter and powrtouch and ask them for their comments.

regards Ian