Aluminum Camper Forum

I would go with the 2016 unit personally.

It is pretty easy to identify any welding issues with the frame. The slide side will have more cracks than the door side, you can always have some gussets installed and negotiate that cost when you decide on an offer.

Some other things to look for, cross bolts on the hitch. The original hitches had a tendency to bend up. The cross bolts stopped this from happening. Some wall areas pulled away from the bottom of the frame, look for gaps between the floor and walls on the interior, specifically on the front of the slide to the storage area. Easy fix. Just remove the diamond plate skirt, clamp the wall and frame and install some heavy fasteners to tighten things up.

These trailers just last. We are still very happy with our 2015.

All the best.

I personally dont't buy that response, sorry, melted plastic is not a fuse!

Also, let's blame it on the user! Typical crap!

My new Battle Born battery will be provided to a recycling depot for disposal, ordering a Chinese Li Time battery in the spring to replace this liability.

Huge disappointment with this company, we all got scammed!

Be safe!

Response:

Thank you for contacting us. We appreciate the opportunity to provide technical context regarding the engineering and safety of your system. We understand there are conversations circulating externally, and we want to support you with facts about how our products are engineered and certified.

Regarding the concerns you raised:

Battle Born Batteries have been available in the market for more than a decade. During that time, we have delivered well over 400,000 batteries into service across all major markets. Our solutions have undergone extensive third-party testing to UL standards, we operate an open production process in the United States, and we routinely provide tours, published videos, and engineering transparency. These outcomes and the long track record of safe operation speak for themselves.

To address questions that have recently surfaced about terminal heating and fastener design, it is important to highlight that what some observers view as a failure is a safety device working exactly as intended. The aluminum nut used in our 100Ah packs' positive terminal is a purpose-built thermal failsafe. It is engineered so that the plastic deforms and disconnects when excess heat is present at the terminal.

This protects the internal cell structure by interrupting the current, preventing further heat buildup and thermal runaway. This safeguard exists for conditions created in the field such as loose external connections, systems operating outside specification, or uncontrolled short circuits. It is one of several intentional protective mechanisms within our packs and is necessary for our UL Listing Standards.

The key takeaway is this: This design prevents heat from migrating into the cell stack, meaning it is designed to stop conditions that could otherwise create a thermal runaway event. It works as a sacrificial barrier that takes the heat event on behalf of the cells. That is the exact purpose of the feature.

In cases where a pack has already experienced misuse or improper installation, visible damage at the terminal is typically the result of that safety mechanism activating. That does not mean the design is flawed. It means the protective feature served its purpose. The batteries we sell and support today use the same trusted and validated design that has been in successful field service for many years.

If you are currently experiencing a specific operational issue with your system, please reply with photos of your installation so we can assist you further.

Sincerely,

It was yesterday morning.

I tried contacting BB to get their opinion on this issue, couldn't get through.

Hello,

Owning a new Battle Born 100 amp hour battery, this not what I wanted to see.

Fire hazard due to loose internal positive connection?

https://youtu.be/XP2yPY57Wjc

Just on our second set of Goodyear Endurance tires. After seven years the tread was still good but the interior composition had started to rot.

Tire shop informed us that Chinese tire manufacturers are taking over the travel trailer tire market, big brand names are not making them any more, not profitable for them, not sure if this is true or not?

Tarrifs may also impact your decision as well.

I also agree with the previous comments regarding your damaged door.

A tip that a lot of original owners have done to avoid similar issues with your compartment doors is to drill a couple of small drainage holes in the bottom edges of each door. Let's any water out if it penetrates around the perimeter and might help keep the inside materials dry.

Update:

Since purchasing Bilstein products and over the past three years I suggest that you DO NOT BUY their junk!

Both rear 5160 shocks failed in under 2 years, switched to the 5100 series and one has failed in 13 months. Bilstein states that leaking shocks are normal.

So, they just leak all the time and you loose support on a constant basis.

Hi,

The saucer is just a friction fit on the metal extension, grab the antenna with two hands and give it a good pull up. It will come off pretty easily. Changed mine years ago. You should have a few inches of cable to work with. Don't let the cable slide down inside the tube mount.

Sounds like a fantastic trip!

I'm not surprised about your Garmin navigation system, I remember seeing the occasional story on the news about individuals getting completely off track and totally lost trusting those devices.

Interesting about the water heater, our main tank electric power switch has failed, but never thought about a wiring issue as well. Always something.

Hey,

We recently had our Zamp 10 amp controller fail after 7 years. So, we ordered a replacement.

Just for fun I made a new harness and connected the controller to our new Bluetti 100 W solar panel. Comparing our smart shunt information with the new controller and the new Bluetti panel we were receiving the same amount of charge, if not 5-10% more than our original Zamp legacy 120 W suitcase unit.

Gone is our old 120 W 70 pound unit and hello our new smaller 100 W unit. Also, the controller can tuck into the back pocket of the solar panel with some reflective bubble foil backer to reduce heat build up from the panel.

New Zamp charging profiles compared to the older version and advanced solar panel technologies made the difference perhaps?

We like easy.

BTW Heavy forest fire smoke is reducing solar input.

You can also try searching for caravan acrylic windows in the UK, lots of RV shops stock them. But shipping and price might not be feasible, as Merlin mentioned the cost, Europe has been using these windows in the caravan industry before they became popular here in North America.

I think we all naturally gravitate to the same types of setups. Inherently it just works, and that is what we want. Comfortable camping.

Pretty nice area to serve out a posting!

Here is a current pic of our camping spot. A tad different to the sunny Keys.

Have a great camping season with your updated power system!

We also recently made the conversion from our x2 Trojan 6 volt AGM batteries to lithium. Very happy to reduce our tongue weight of approximately 100 pounds as well. Noticed a very nice improvement on towing.

For our requirements a 100 AMP heated lithium battery was imperative with a VE smartshunt. Initially the LiTime product was very appealing, but their BMS required an external power supply to engage the self heating function. Ok, how much power is required? A whopping 10 AMPs! All of our camping is off grid, this will not work.

Battle Born employs a true self heating function that uses low AMPs and cycles the heating element on and off, no external power required. It also has a toggle switch that you can turn the self heating function on/off. Why have the element on during the dead of night. We just turn it on at 7:00 AM and the BMS does the rest. Works perfectly. I don't worry about our legacy electrical system providing a full charge to the lithium battery because we are never plugged into shore power, always solar. Battle Born now has an all in one system, no shunt required. I saved some money and went with the traditional smart shunt and battery. System is installed in our exterior locked battery box. IP67 ratings were also required.

Watching old DVD's on the TV, running our diesel heater 14 hours and general trailer power consumption during the night we are averaging 20 AMPs.

We also purchased a Bluetti AC 60P. All in one do it all, we leave this outside to charge our fun devices including some heated seat pads. We hardly use our Honda geny anymore, only for the microwave and oven. The Bluetti is also charged with solar as well.

Happy so far no issues.

In Calgary I recommend a service visit to Standens. They have been maintaining our axles for the past 9 years. They identified all the areas on the aluminum frame that had compromised welds as well. They also realigned our dual
axles due to some abnormal tire wear. The booking availability can take some time, but, it is worth the wait. They are very thorough and reasonably priced.


Welcome, and enjoy your new trailer!

Derek