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vehicle must also be negative (-) ground since it must always match the trailer. Most tow
vehicles are negative grounded, but always check your vehicle owner manual to be sure.
The complete assembly, battery post and cable connector should be coated with heavy
body mineral grease, petroleum grease or petroleum jelly.
• Keep Case Clean. Keep the top of the battery clean of heavy dirt and oil with a cloth
dampened by ammonia or a 50/50 solution of baking soda and water. Then rinse with
clear water and allow to dry thoroughly. Care must be taken to make sure soda is not
allowed to enter battery cells.
• Keep Battery Charged. If your trailer is not used regularly, it may be necessary to charge
your battery before use. Lack of use is hard on a battery. Any unused battery, regardless
of its chemistry, will self-discharge over time and, if allowed to remain discharged, will
undergo severe positive grid corrosion and battery failure. The rate of discharge depends
on the type of battery and the storage temperature.
It’s important to keep your battery charged by connecting to the shoreline monthly. If you prefer
that your mechanic take care of your battery, be sure to ask him to:
1. Maintain the water level, and
2. Keep the connections and case clean of corrosion and dirt.
As batteries age, their maintenance requirements increase. Typically, the specific gravity gets
higher and gassing increases due to some battery deterioration and/or loss of reserve capacity.
An older battery normally requires more frequent charging.
WARNING: WHEN CHECKING OR FILLING THE ELECTROLYTE LEVEL IN THE BATTERIES, DO
NOT ALLOW BATTERY ELECTROLYTE TO CONTACT SKIN, EYES, FABRIC, OR PAINTED
SURFACES. THE ELECTROLYTE IS A SULPHURIC ACID SOLUTION, WHICH COULD CAUSE
SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY OR DAMAGE TO THE TRAILER. WEAR COMPLETE SPLASH-
PROOF GOGGLES AND CLOTHING PROTECTION WHEN WORKING WITH BATTERIES. AVOID
TOUCHING YOUR EYES WHILE WORKING NEAR BATTERIES. THE GASES GENERATED WITHIN
A STORAGE BATTERY CELL MAY BE IGNITED BY AN OPEN FLAME OR SPARK IN THE VICINITY
OF THE BATTERY. DO NOT USE A MATCH OR FLAME TO PROVIDE LIGHT FOR CHECKING THE
LEVEL OF THE WATER.
We suggest checking the battery at least every two weeks in freezing weather. The temperature
at which a battery will freeze depends on the condition of its charge. As an example: a fully
charged battery with a specific gravity of 1,265 will not freeze until the electrolyte temperature
drops to -71.3 °F (-57 °C), while a discharged battery will freeze at +19 °F (-7 °C). The following
table shows the freezing points of batteries at various specific gravity readings, temperature
corrected 80 °F (27 °C).
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