240v hook up battery charge.

[Pudsey Bear]

Rechargeble drill driver would be my go-to, but on hi torque low speed.

 

[AlyJay]

Rechargeble drill driver would be my go-to, but on hi torque low speed.

Definitely easiest option but it's something else to keep charged up?

 

[wildebus]

A 1/2" ratchet with suitable alen key socket would surely work a lot easier and more comfortable on the hands?

I don't think you realised I was talking about an electric tool, not a hand tool

 

[wildebus]

Definitely easiest option but it's something else to keep charged up?

It is very handy to keep some kind of battery drill/driver in your motorhome. you never know when it can be useful. I use one to lower and raise the rear steadies - way quicker and easier than a hand tool. Then you can use the same tool to work on wheel nuts of changing a wheel. Maybe need the wheel tool to make the initial loosen depending on power of power tool, but once freed it can save time and effort.

 

[AlyJay]

I don't think you realised I was talking about an electric tool, not a hand tool

No, I just quoted the wrong part of reply

 

[marchie]

A 1/2" ratchet with suitable alen key socket would surely work a lot easier and more comfortable on the hands?

No! The socket for the Allen Key is covered by a plastic collar that slides to 1/3 open to give access to the key slot. A power tool and drive is an almost guaranteed way to ruin the mechanism. It's not designed to be raised/lowered, other than by battery power, and the 230Ah existing lithium is more than adequate for the job, provided that the solar can harvest adequately, hence the extra Solar Panel + Portable Panels.

Since arriving back in Fife a week ago, with fully charged batteries after the 337 miles straight run from Oldbury Asda refuel [J2 M5 North], there has been enough solar to ensure the Lithium hits 14.21-14.23v every day, even with shunting the bed up and down to bin the original Burstner mattress + Mattress Topper and replacing it with a new 12cm Bodymould Mattress and new quilts et al.

The problem arose because we were marooned for 8 days in a virtual paddy field at Vilafranca where the rain hissed down with barely a break, and we had 3-4 of those days where the solar harvest was 10Wh-30Wh, so the Lithum just couldn't recharge enough for us to use and to be certain that we would be able to raise and lower the bed - the voltage dropped to12.92v or thereabouts every day, and Roamer recommend getting a recharge asap at 12.8v. So the combination of extra Solar Panels + Portable to chase the sun early & late, and the 320Ah Lithium should give us a margin to live if we have a repeat of the poor solar harvest conditions we had at Vilafranca [and the rest of Spain was just as bad at the time!].

Steve

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Definitely easiest option but it's something else to keep charged up?

Unless you have a YoYo bed, a decent one will last ages, and you could always have a spare battery.

 

[marchie]

It is very handy to keep some kind of battery drill/driver in your motorhome. you never know when it can be useful. I use one to lower and raise the rear steadies - way quicker and easier than a hand tool. Then you can use the same tool to work on wheel nuts of changing a wheel. Maybe need the wheel tool to make the initial loosen depending on power of power tool, but once freed it can save time and effort.

Post #46 above explains the frailty of the emergency hand crank tool - it's not really beefy enough to accept powered assistance and access is something you would only want to do in an emergency! More of a deterrent than a support mechanism! The bedding load once the bed frame and underbed 'lounge ceiling' is in situ is limited to 40kg max and the new Mattress is some 16.5kg. Add the weight of duvet, pillows and the bed ladder, and there's not a huge payload remaining - probably just about enough to allow for the Portable Solar Panel to be carried in transit if needed.

There is no published weight for the bed mechanism, but the maximum personnel load is 200kg, and I'm sure that the 4 load straps are rated at 100kg each, hence my 400kg overall load calculation! It's probably easier to show you on Monday than to try to explain, especially if my logic re the true weight is flawed ... What I do recall is the visit to Tambo Motorhomes in Benicarlo in Jan 2025 to get the bed reading lights rewired after the Camper UK 'complimentary valet' that blew the circuit. Started with a full battery, but the raise/lower/repeat hammered the battery senseless and the bed wouldn't stay in the raised position, dropping to one of the [earlier motor version] pre-programmed stops] at a rare old speed. A further hour wasted trying to trace the 'fault' which disappeared when we drove the 30 miles+ back towards Ampola and the battery recharged ...

Steve

 

[marchie]

Unless you have a YoYo bed, a decent one will last ages, and you could always have a spare battery.

The bed is powered by the M/Home cabling which is wired to the Leisure Battery, and we don't have the space or payload to cart another 28Kg of standby battery for Mr Justin Case. The new installation should be adequate to give enough power to get through a couple of days with very limited solar, and enough solar panel harvesting capability to grab whatever the sun can generate to avoid the scraping of the barrel that we experienced in December!

Small M/Home = easy access to tight pitches, home storage, lowest ferry prices etc but the obverse of that coin is the limitations on space+payload for supplementals, and I cannot see that I will ever be fit enough to pass a C1 medical; so 3500kg it is, replete with the attendant compromses. We managed just shy of 90 days in far from perfect conditions on the recent trip, so things can only get better [allegedly!]

Steve

 

[wildebus]

I have not seen the bed mechanism, but there is one thing I would definately have consideration for and possible concerns about ....
It doesn't sound like the strongest cranking mechanism in the world (I don't know if what you hand crank is essentially the same part that the motor activates?). Using an allen/hex key to move it is slow, tedious, hard work, but it is also low torque and low energy and essentially YOU are the weakest point. If you substitute that key for a hex bit on a power tool, the mechanism may become the weakest point and it could be easy to damage it without realising if it is starting to jam up a bit. So while I still think using a power tool such as an impact wrench, driver or drill/driver will be a benefit, you don't want to use too powerful a one, just something that will put around the same effort into the turning as the manual method but without YOU making that actual effort.

The bed is powered by the M/Home cabling which is wired to the Leisure Battery, and we don't have the space or payload to cart another 28Kg of standby battery for Mr Justin Case. The new installation should be adequate to give enough power to get through a couple of days with very limited solar, and enough solar panel harvesting capability to grab whatever the sun can generate to avoid the scraping of the barrel that we experienced in December!

Steve

I think this is where strategic use of hookups, or a bit of extra driving sightseeing, can take the place of carrying around an extra battery just for the odd occasion you may need it due to inclement weather.
I am in the fortunate position where I have the space and payload to shove in more random batteries if I want to (currently have 6 individual ones with maybe one more to come!) but if I have to downplate to 3500Kg, I will be shedding batteries like dandruff