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cdbeez · 02-13-2005, 10:21 AM

I just bought my first airstream yesterday. my question is where is the switch to power the electric tongue jack? can i switch over to 12 volt. mine has a rear bath. seen pics on site of others, but not with my sofa style, mine goes across front and side.

Anon · 02-13-2005, 12:16 PM

The switch for the tongue jack is on the bottom of the cylinder. I think that is where it is on the 1973.
I do not understand what you want to switch over to 12V. If you mean the trailer. your lights and water pump run from a 12V converter all of the time. When you are plugged in it charges your battery and runs the electrical. When you are unplugged you run off of the battery alone.
Your sofa configuration is not that uncommon. My parents' sofa is the L-gaucho like yours. We had a pretty big family and the L-Gaucho was nice to have because of the extra bed.

Jim & Susan · 02-13-2005, 12:42 PM

CDB, The switch on my '73 is where Lou indicated; underneath the cylinder. The tongue jack should be a 12v (unless there are other designs that someone else can comment on). As Lou indicated, it runs off the battery when not plugged into "shore" power (and by default the Univolt is providing 12v for the trailer). If your battery is shot, as mine was when I first bought the trailer, you have to provide an alternate source of 12v either thru the Univolt while plugged into shore power or thru the 12v feed coming from the tow vehicle.

Hope that helps. Jim

74SovereignInt. · 02-13-2005, 01:09 PM

My jack wasn't wired to the trailer as I assume it should be. I made a plug to go from the jack to the wiring harness on my tow vehicle. Is it supposed to be wired into the trailer somehow? This would be great to know as the tow vehicle option I use isn't as convenient as the other option could be.

Any thoughts and pictures would be greatly appreciated.

Jim & Susan · 02-13-2005, 07:27 PM

Hi guys, I know you'll find this hard to believe, but in the process of taking apart my '73 Overlander I actually found the original instruction manual for installation and operation of the jack. It was underneath the roadside bed, hidden from view. The problem is that it very much deteriorated after 30+ years. What I'll try to do over the next couple of days is to reconstruct this manual (it is only 4 or 5 pages), scan it & post it. In addition, I'll get some pictures and post them.

I can tell you this much now. The essense of the installation is that you have a simple 12v device. So, you have a hot lead and a ground. The hot lead is supposed to be wired to the inside of the trailer to the "always hot" 12v lug on the 7 wire connector underneath the front sofa/gaucho/table/whatever. This is the interior end of the 7 wire plug that comes from the tow vehicle. I'm not sure where the ground ties down.

I need to fix this particular connection in my camper, as well. So I'll try to do that over the next couple of days and post all of the results here.

74SovereignInt. · 02-13-2005, 08:36 PM

mine wasn't set up correctly to begin with. It didn't seem right that I had to get power from the tow vehicle to use the jack. It sounds like I should have a wire running from the lead on the jack along the tongue, into the unit to the power side. I'm thinking that ground is realized just by having it installed. Seems funny that there was no hint of a supply wire though.

sovereignrwe · 02-14-2005, 03:00 PM

We also have a 1972 with an "L" shaped couch. Love it!

Pick · 02-14-2005, 08:44 PM

Mine has a switch on the jack, and is wired into the coaches 12 volt electrical system. I do not need to be hooked to the tow vehicle to operate the jack.

Anon · 02-14-2005, 08:55 PM

My dad bought his 1973 brand new. It was always wired into the lug on the inside of the trailer. Not sure which lug or what it came from. It had to come from the trailer. It worked as long as there was shore power or a charged battery hooked to the unit.

cdbeez · 02-15-2005, 07:53 AM

thank you all so much. i think my battery is shot, no power to tongue jack at all. i didn't know how 12v system worked. never owned any kind of tt before. dealer said they put battery on tongue for power. does a/s need a speical type of battery?(car or marine)? thank you all again for your help.

Nye Thatcher · 02-15-2005, 05:41 PM

My old '72 had A switch under the the power jack motor BUT A PIECE OF STEEL TUBE ABOUT 1/2" DIAMETER BY ABOUT 1 1/4" LONG was screwed on to the switch to protect it when not in use. This may help. You might still have this piece of tube, as a lot of people still use them. It was originally installed at the factory and I think it is a good idea. It is only put on 'hand tight'. Good luck, NYE

Condoluminum · 02-15-2005, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdbeez

thank you all so much. i think my battery is shot, no power to tongue jack at all. i didn't know how 12v system worked. never owned any kind of tt before. dealer said they put battery on tongue for power. does a/s need a speical type of battery?(car or marine)? thank you all again for your help.

CDBEEZ-

Sounds like you've begun a great adventure, without much of a formal intro by selling dealer, and if Owner's Manual (big fat binder..) is missing, you'll be back here many times... Welcome to the "Club" and congrats!

If you haven't already discovered "Search" feature for this website, it is awesome! Click on search, and type "battery" into little box, and watch long list of earlier messages and replies come up...

You'll get lots of opinions about batteries, but my advice for minimum is heavy duty group 27 (physical size..) Marine or "Deep Cycle" battery of greatest amp hour rating (electrical reserve) at reasonable price. Brands differ, DieHards and Sears are good, so are Walmart or Costco brands, but regular car batteries won't cut it, in general, due to infrequent charging and long slow discharging... High end option is gel cell batteries (2x price) but too much high end stuff defeats pride of Airstreaming for less with previously owned trailer...

John McG

sovereignrwe · 02-25-2005, 04:54 PM

I would add that you may want to have the Univolt checked or replaced. Our batery was dead, replaced, trailer plugged into the house, and even cycled on a timer this winter and the battery is dead again.

The Univolt hums like a bird back there when plugged in. Spring will bring a Univolt check, probable replacement, and probably a new battery too.

garry · 02-25-2005, 08:07 PM

The battery goes into the very rear compartment above the bumper. There is a warning light in case you hook it up backwards.

Garry

sovereignrwe · 02-26-2005, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garry

The battery goes into the very rear compartment above the bumper. There is a warning light in case you hook it up backwards.

Garry

Our's has it's own compartment curbside. It is near the rear of the trailer, and the univolt is accessed through the curbside closet just before the bathroom. The battery actually sits under the tub from the inside.

Kebamo · 12-08-2005, 02:08 PM

Hi Everyone,
My name is Karl ( Kebamo is my ranches name) I just bought my first Airstream! a 1972 31 Sovereign. I have placed pictures of it on my web site.
www.thebettyboop1972airstream.com We have purchased new flooring to replace the carpet. I was wondering where is the fuse panel or breaker box in these trailers? Mine didn't come with a service manual nor owners, so I am trying to figure all this out.

Thanks,

Karl

sovereignrwe · 12-08-2005, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kebamo

Hi Everyone,
My name is Karl ( Kebamo is my ranches name) I just bought my first Airstream! a 1972 31 Sovereign. I have placed pictures of it on my web site.
www.thebettyboop1972airstream.com We have purchased new flooring to replace the carpet. I was wondering where is the fuse panel or breaker box in these trailers? Mine didn't come with a service manual nor owners, so I am trying to figure all this out.

Thanks,

Karl

I'm going to assume you have mid-twin beds and a rear bath. This is the most common layout. There are two locations that you need to know about. There is a wardrobe closet between the mid-twin bed and the bathroom on the curb side (door side) of the trailer. In the closet there is a door on the bottom right of the floor. Behind that door, you will find a fuse panel. The breaker box is in the bathroom. Next to the toilet (to the left as you sit) is a cabinet on the floor. The breaker box is mounted in this cabinet on the backwall above the shelf over the water heater.

If you have another layout...let us know so that we can try again.

sovereignrwe · 12-08-2005, 07:06 PM

Good News....I clicked the link you provided, and you'll be glad to know you are the proud owner of a mid-twin, rear-bath sovereign!

How's that for being perceptive? LMAO

marvande · 06-30-2006, 07:33 AM

Hello...
I just got my 72 Sovereign 3 weeks ago. It has the 'L' couch...I've been out in it every weekend since buying it. I love it! Just wanted to say hello...
JR

ALANSD · 06-30-2006, 10:23 AM

on my 78 the motor for the jack had a plastic bottle over it to protect it, when I took off the bottle, the blue plastic cover on the motor came apart. What I would like to know is where to store this motor when it is not used, and how to rewire the switch that fell off when the covering broke. I have a manual wrench for the jack but the motor seems like a good thing to use.