Battery box question - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Problem Solving | Owners helping each other
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-06-2014, 09:58 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 29
Battery box question

I have two 6 volt batteries on rear bumper of 17B. The battery box is attached to the bumper frame but there is an added 1/2 piece of plywood between the box and frame and I'm not sure why.

Any ideas? This is a 2009. Is it the same setup for the newer models?
__________________
Ron
09 Tacoma ext-cab (v6, 4wd,auto)
Escape 17B
RonS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2014, 10:02 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SLO County, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21C 2019 Expedition
Posts: 5,210
On my 2010 17B the batteries were mounted directly forward of the bumper and encased in black plastic with a nylon belt strap to secure the lid. Don't recall any wood platform.
Rossue is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2014, 10:38 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
The rear bumper is 1.5"x3" box-section steel tubing... which means without some sort of platform, the battery is sitting on a 1.5" wide bar. I doubt the battery case is designed for that, so I would use a steel or plywood platform.

I've seen several Escape battery installations, including some on the 17's rear bumper, but sorry - I don't recall the platform or clamp.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rossue View Post
On my 2010 17B the batteries were mounted directly on the bumper and encased in black plastic with a nylon belt strap to secure the lid.
What holds each battery down, and what does it attach to?
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2014, 11:05 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SLO County, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21C 2019 Expedition
Posts: 5,210
Brian- I modified the post above; they don't sit on top of the metal bumper. They are between it and the trailer. Can't remember exactly how they are mounted, but am pretty sure they're not on plywood.
Rossue is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 05:52 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Chapitre's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Trailer: 2014 5TA/ *012 17B (previous)
Posts: 442
Our 2012 is on plywood.
__________________
Min D
Chapi II
--------------------
'Have No Regrets'
Chapitre is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 07:26 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
fudge_brownie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Janesville, WI, Wisconsin
Trailer: Escape 19 (sold) Escape 21 2014
Posts: 1,879
On my 2010 Escape 19, two pieces of plywood were sandwiched to form at least a 1 inch board that had bolts running through from the plastic battery box and then through the frame.

I has some issues with these bolts. It appears the battery box was taking on some water, the bolts were tightened down sufficiently that there were places for water to pool around the bolt. In turn, the bolt rusted and left some rather nasty stains.

I replaced the fasteners with a galvanized version and painted the plywood. The plywood was too weathered for me to determine if it was treated wood.
__________________
Paul and Janet Braun
2003 Toyota 4Runner V8 now 2012 Toyota Sequoia V8
Escape 19' 2010 now 2014 Escape 21'
fudge_brownie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 09:54 AM   #7
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 29
So the sole purpose of the plywood must be to protect the box strap from the road elements.

My plywood is not treated and badly weathered.
__________________
Ron
09 Tacoma ext-cab (v6, 4wd,auto)
Escape 17B
RonS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 04:05 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
santacruzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 755
On mine the plywood is the floor between two pieces of angle iron welded to the bumper bars. The plywood is bolted to the metal angle iron, and the battery box is screwed down to the plywood from the interior of the battery box. The box strap is in a groove in the battery box, between the box and the plywood. I actually prefer a plywood bottom, since that's easier to replace than if the battery frame had a solid metal floor, which would collect water and rust out easily.
__________________
2019 Tundra CrewMax Limited TRD 4WD
2014 Escape 19
santacruzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 07:54 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
Thanks for the clarifications, especially santacruzer - that's quite clear. If the angle irons are spaced just right to support the long edges of the battery then I don't think the plywood would be needed, but sometimes what is practical to fabricate is not the simplest design.

The strap over the outside of the plastic battery box holds the box lid on, but what holds the battery? Is the battery just sitting loose in the box?
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 08:42 PM   #10
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 29
Santacruzer did a much better job of explaining the setup.

And yes the battery sets loose in the box. The angle iron in my case was heavily corroded and the bolts securing the box had to be cut off because of rust. Also there were rust deposits on the ground where I park. Just finished repainting the bumper area and not quite sure how I will re-assemble the box.
__________________
Ron
09 Tacoma ext-cab (v6, 4wd,auto)
Escape 17B
RonS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 09:48 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
santacruzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 755
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Thanks for the clarifications, especially santacruzer - that's quite clear. If the angle irons are spaced just right to support the long edges of the battery then I don't think the plywood would be needed, but sometimes what is practical to fabricate is not the simplest design.
The angle irons actually are on the shorter ends on the battery box. They're perpendicular to the bumper, and the batteries sit lengthwise on the bumper frame. Without the plywood as a floor it would be difficult to attach, as firmly, the plastic battery box.
__________________
2019 Tundra CrewMax Limited TRD 4WD
2014 Escape 19
santacruzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 10:02 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
I don't know if this is of any use in the discussion, but it's my group 27 battery box on my 17B bumper.
Attached Thumbnails
battery box.jpg  
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 10:14 PM   #13
Commercial Member
 
tractors1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 - "Felicity"
Posts: 2,945
I'd be really tempted to replace the wood with something less organic like pieces used on decking - Timber Tech or something along those lines. Don't know if a piece of Dri-Dek flooring would be stout enough, but it might be as the weight is really carried by the angle irons on the ends.
__________________
Charlie Y

Need custom storage to your design? Don't drill holes!
www.RVWidgetWorks.com
tractors1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 10:32 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
Watched a show last night about the eruption of a "super volcano" underneath Yellowstone. It will likely erase life in North America. Apparently it erupts about every 600,000 years. Last time it erupted was 640,000 years ago.

I have no plans to replace the supports for my battery box. I'm not concerned about rusted bolts.
If the battery box falls through the plywood, I probably needed to replace the battery anyway.

It's interesting to observe the difference between this forum and FGRV. Over there, members are trying to assemble awnings out of umbrellas they got at the thrift store and over here we keep trying to fix stuff that isn't broken yet.

If I wasn't so lazy, I'd probably "fix" some stuff too.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 10:42 PM   #15
Commercial Member
 
tractors1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 - "Felicity"
Posts: 2,945
Many on FGRV own pre-2001 trailers to work on, prior to Escape manufacturing. Oldies prior to factory awnings, too!
__________________
Charlie Y

Need custom storage to your design? Don't drill holes!
www.RVWidgetWorks.com
tractors1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 11:17 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
Quote:
Originally Posted by RonS View Post
And yes the battery sets loose in the box.
That's not at all uncommon. At least with the plywood base it should be easy to add a couple of threaded rods for a hold-down clamp, if desired.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 11:24 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
With the battery in a box and the box secured by webbing and bolted to the trailer, why does the battery need to be clamped? I've been on some rough roads and unless I'm missing something, it looks just fine to me.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 11:54 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
santacruzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 755
We have solutions looking for problems, it's the American way!

I'm with gbaglo on this one, that plywood will likely outlive me, and the battery sure as hell is secure. Let's move on to keeping our ice cold for the cocktails.
__________________
2019 Tundra CrewMax Limited TRD 4WD
2014 Escape 19
santacruzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2014, 12:00 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
With the battery in a box and the box secured by webbing and bolted to the trailer, why does the battery need to be clamped?
Because it can bounce around in there which is hard on it, and because in a collision that case is not designed to contain the massive battery. Most cars have the battery in a box these days - ever seen one without a clamp?

Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
I've been on some rough roads and unless I'm missing something, it looks just fine to me.
It's pretty hard to see the internal condition of the plates and connections.

Loose batteries are pretty common, and perhaps most people are happy with the life of their trailer batteries. Plus, in a collision an RV trailer is assumed to be totally destroyed.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2014, 12:05 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
OK, I follow that. What is the battery clamped to?
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:08 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.