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Battery boost on the road
Well did I ever have a dumb issue.
I had an appointment for a Level 2 service with Prevost.
I went to start up and only had a cclicking relay, the start batteries were at 8.5 volts.
For some reason my jumping with the 24 volt house batteries did not work.
So the heck with it, call Good Sam anf get a jump.
I made sure to tell Good Sam call taker that I needed a “24VDC” jump.
A small tow truck showed up and I asked the young driver if he had 24 volts? “I got 12” was his reply. I also asked if they were advised that 24 volts was required? no was the reply.
He called his boss who told him to connect to the 24 volt system with there 12 volt system and charge for an hour then try it.
I could not believe my ears, he actually thought that the 24 volt battery system could be pumped with 12 volts and somehow FILLUP the 24 volt battery.
He then said he was authorized to tow me to Prevost. That was almost as dumb as filling up the 24 volts when all that is needed was a jump.
I told him to go away.
I called back Good Sam and explained to them that the information regarding “24 volts” is important and needs to be passed on to the dispatcher.
The next truck that showed up was the same size and also did not have 24 volts.
This driver says “Who do think has 24 volts? nobody uses 24 volts!”.
I pointed to the H3 and said this does, he left.
Back to Good Sam again, this time I was passed on to a dispatcher who seemed perplexed that no one had 24 volts and wondered who did.
I told him Prevost had service vehicles which no doubt were equipped to boost 24 volts.
Although Prevost was not on his list of approved road service facilities he called them and they said they could do it in 48 hours.
They quoted 3 hours at Cdn$170.00/hour aand Good Sam paid it.
What has been your experiences trying to get a boost?
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6 Replies
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Not sure about an “H”, but the XL’s are all setup with 4 12V batteries and they are wired as 2 12V banks plus the 24V output. That means that each set of 2 batteries (check voltages to ensure which are wired how) is a 12V bank and could be charged separated or, with 2 12V chargers, each charged separately but simultaneously. I had to do this and use my car as the power source. Let the one bank charge up for a while and then did the same to the second bank. It took about 1/2 hour but she fired right up after that.
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Right after buying my first bus and being stranded by low batteries I’ve always carried a 24V charger with me. Never have had to use it on my own bus, but have jumped others at times. Cheap insurance.
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Don’t ever sell it. That will be the day you need it
Chuck
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So hypothetically you need to jump your own bus while boondocking how would the charger be powered?
If on-board generator has it’s own battery that might be an option. Maybe noosnoost from house battery?
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You could of called Prevost Pass…and taken care of fast.
AL
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My coach came with a huge 120v to 24V charger connected to a coach charge button in my firefly. Also came with 120v to 12V for the house and a gen charge button to connect house to the dedicated genny battery.
I’d just run the 24v charger off my inverter or genny and let it charge up before trying to start. Might take couple hours.
Also yes for the starter there are 4 12V batteries back there in a series/parallel setup for 24V. You could have used their 12V hooked up to 2 of the batteries which would charge those up and then the Vanner would equalize the load to charge the other 2.
Another option is to use 2 12V jump packs in series – to + to – to + which will give you the 24V needed.
Invest in a 120v to 12/24v charger and keep it in your breakdown kit. .I’d never leave home without it.
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