master kill switch

[Deborah V]

We have just bought a new Safari and sorry to say we were not very well educated with the where abouts of things before we left the dealer parking lot. Everything in the trailer is working fine EXCEPT we can not get the lights to run off the batteries.The batteries are charged that much we do know,any help would be greatly appreciated.
Our fun adventure has turned a bit sour, it took us forever to get the tow vechicle free from the Safari.
We come to this new way of traveling from boating. Who would have thought a 32 foot boat would be so different from an Airstream.
Anyone out there have an encouraging word...when is the fun going to start???
Thanks Deborah V

[RivetED]

Our '04 Safari 25 has an electronic battery switch on the left side of the door as you face it from inside. It is black plastic, about 3-4" square with a sm. rocker switch on it. There is also a LED on it. It has 2 modes, 1=store & 2=on/use. I'm doing this from memory so bear with me if not exactly correct, my trailer is 90 miles away right now! I think the rocker sw. is a 1 position momentary contact type, not 2 position up/down-on/off. Try that sw. & see if you can get the fun started!

[JohnG]

Welcome to the fourms and the world of Airstreaming.

I can identify with you on the boat to AS issue. Hitching and unhitching an AS is quite different. I find that doing this when the trailer and tow vehicle are level is easy, but if either is not in line it can sometimes be difficult.

Make certain that the ball that is on your hitch is not all rusted up. If it is you can remove the rust with a wire wheel on a drill and then spray it down with a light lub like WD-40 or just wipe it lightly with some grease and then place a ball cover over it. Also make sure there is a small amout of grease inside the ball connection on your AS. If this area is not lubed it can make unhitching a real job.

Hopefully you tow the AS with load equalizing bars and use a sway bar. If not you should look into a system like this for an added safety when towing. these bars on level ground. If your AS is not on level ground then you should move the trailer to an area where there is level ground to complete the hook-up.

Good Luck with all your future towing experiences and hopefully the fun has already begun.

[Deborah V]

Originally Posted by JohnG

Welcome to the fourms and the world of Airstreaming.

I can identify with you on the boat to AS issue. Hitching and unhitching an AS is quite different. I find that doing this when the trailer and tow vehicle are level is easy, but if either is not in line it can sometimes be difficult.

Make certain that the ball that is on your hitch is not all rusted up. If it is you can remove the rust with a wire wheel on a drill and then spray it down with a light lub like WD-40 or just wipe it lightly with some grease and then place a ball cover over it. Also make sure there is a small amout of grease inside the ball connection on your AS. If this area is not lubed it can make unhitching a real job.

Hopefully you tow the AS with load equalizing bars and use a sway bar. If not you should look into a system like this for an added safety when towing. these bars on level ground. If your AS is not on level ground then you should move the trailer to an area where there is level ground to complete the hook-up.

Good Luck with all your future towing experiences and hopefully the fun has already begun.

Thanks John for the info about towing.Every little bit helps. Our problem with getting the AS unhooked was becasue of the sway arm etc,the dealer never explained about disconnecting from the tow vehicle.I have been showing horses for years and have a fifth wheel 4 horse trailer and have never seen anything like what we now have.We are going to practice taking the hitch on and off before we leave our driveway,slowly we are geting smart. After we get that going smoothly and have taken a short trip we may try and hook up to the 1 ton.(Which in hindsite we should of had the dealership do) it sits higher and we know there need to be adjustments .
Our awning has not been opened either any tips on that before we hurt ourselves or someone else :O)))
Thanks again, Deborah

[Deborah V]

Thank you re: the master kill switch, we now think the batteries may indeed not be charged.

[RivetED]

Originally Posted by Deborah V

Our awning has not been opened either any tips on that before we hurt ourselves or someone else :O)))
Thanks again, Deborah

I like to think I'm pretty 'mechanical', BUT it took a couple of times before I got it ! , Our dealer showed us at pick-up, & I watched as a fellow A/Ser did ours on our 1st outing. I had to have him actually walk me through the whole process the next time. It was the hands on that made the difference.

[Deborah V]

Originally Posted by RivetED

I like to think I'm pretty 'mechanical', BUT it took a couple of times before I got it ! , Our dealer showed us at pick-up, & I watched as a fellow A/Ser did ours on our 1st outing. I had to have him actually walk me through the whole process the next time. It was the hands on that made the difference.

Hi Ed,
Thanks for confriming what we thought. The 'ole practice make perfect....
I am hoping the dealership is open today. We still have not figured out why we can not get power from the batteries. Out daughter's boy friend is a pipe fitter and reads elecrtical "maps' all the time. We are all still stumped as to where the kill switch is. I have full faith this will be sorted out.
Deborah V