# Keeping Tv Hooked To 5



## campndox (Mar 8, 2005)

We are headed to Yellowstone next week and will be making an overnight stop at a KOA on the way out and back. I was wondering if we could keep the TV hooked to the 5 for the night.

If so would I put the front legs down and/or the stabilizing jacks down in the back? I know it won't be perfectly level from front to back, I just thought it might help in decreasing the mov't inside. We will be ariving fairly late and taking off early in the morning. Just a little pit stop to regroup.

Thanks


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## rdowns (Oct 20, 2004)

When we stop w/o unhooking we do not drop front legs. We do level out under wheels if necessaary.


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## Morrowmd (Feb 22, 2005)

No need to unhook for the night.

One thing to consider, I heard once that if you plug in to shore power you should disconnect the pigtail from truck to trailer.

-Matt


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## RCColby (Oct 12, 2004)

When I O/N at WalMart I don't put down the jacks. At a campground I usually do even if still hooked up to TV.
Good idea about unpluging the TV if hooked into shore power, haven't done that in the past but will in the future.
Bob


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## 1stTimeAround (Sep 22, 2004)

Don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but .......

When you guys get to the campground, do you hook to shore power before you disconnect the trailer power from your truck or after?

Thanks

Jason


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

I usually don't hook up to shore power until well after the truck has been unhitched. I don't have a special order to do things, just always been that way. No need to hook up power before unhooking truck. You battery should be able to handle any 12vdc requirements you have until you get the shore power connected. If it doesn't, then you need a new battery.

Tim


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

If I'm doing just an overnight and not unhooking, I do disconnect the TV power (and put some sort of reminder on the steering wheel that it is disconnected), do not put the landing gear down, and then hookup to shore power. Like the others, I will level from side-to-side using a 2x6 if necessary. Also, I don't put the stab jacks down, since I'm afraid of leaving them down and pulling out that way. If just an overnight stay, I keep things pretty simple.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

You're truck battery should be okay as long as your camper battery is charged up well and you are not running a lot of 12v appliances where you might begin to drain your truck battery.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Did a one night stop at a Cracker Barrel
Did not unhook the TV. We put the back stabilizer down and used the tonge jack to take some of the weight off the TV it wa pretty level to start.
The only thing we used was the lights for a very short time.

Don


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## rdowns (Oct 20, 2004)

OK, this is news to me, even if hooked to shore power, you believe you could drain your tow vehicle battery?







.


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## drobe5150 (Jan 21, 2005)

i did it once, just dropped the tongue jack, choke the tires, and put down the front stabs, everything was fine.

darrel


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## Morrowmd (Feb 22, 2005)

rdowns said:


> OK, this is news to me, even if hooked to shore power, you believe you could drain your tow vehicle battery?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Doesn't have anything to do with draining TV battery- has something to do with damage from 110V surges.

I caught the thread a couple years ago on another site. My Father in Law told me the same thing so I just do it out of habit- disconnect wiring to TV before hook up to shore power.

-Matt


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## rdowns (Oct 20, 2004)

Thanks Matt, I guess better safe than sorry.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Leaving it hooked up is ok, if you hook up to shore power you should unhook your TV though.


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## Chappy (Jul 20, 2005)

So question. And maybe this could be it's own thread but...

What can be run using your TV connection?

Do you normally run the refrigerator and such while travelling? Does this come off the internal battery or the TV?

Just trying to get a grasp on what is powered where.

Thx


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

The fridge runs off of gas or 110v shore. It won't run on 12v. Same with the water heater, either gas or 110v. Furnace will run on 12v and stop running once you reach a low point on your 12v system. About half of the lights will run off 12v -- you'll know which ones when you try it.


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## RCColby (Oct 12, 2004)

When you are plugged into the TV, the engine alternator helps keep your TT battery charged while the TV is running. When stopped it basically becomes another battery in your TT system. If not hooked to shore power you could possibly drain the TV battery too low to start your engine. This would probably take several days unless running with lots of furnace and other 12V stuff.
Actually when running on propane, the fridge and water heater both also use 12V to open and close the propane solenoid, spark the DSI ignition and run the fridge light.
Bob


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