House Battery Roll Out Tray

[thompson_skip]

I’m cleaning my 4 6volt house batteries on our great 2003 Dyansty. The bearings on the roll out tray are broken. I’m looking for a new tray. Any ideas where I can find one?  Thanks 

[Marine Boy]

Made by MORryde.  Different sizes are available.   Amazon or many supply companies have them.

[Ivan K]

Isn't it easier to just replace the bearings and not worry about fitment? Or is the whole tray just eaten up beyond repair. I fixed ours but it may not be the same.

[Jdw12345]

Hoping this will help!

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Kwikee/LC366328.html?feed=npn&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google | Smart Shopping - Accessories and Parts - Low Margin&adgroupid=99976847237&campaignid=9818208904&creative=430392848360&device=c&devicemodel=&feeditemid=&keyword=&loc_interest_ms=&loc_physical_ms=9020173&matchtype=&network=u&placement=&position=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAi9mPBhCJARIsAHchl1zIhaXOBzFU80q3K2IQrtADqGXJRAL5pw4_aWL74W6EpZ_NEHKPgywaAmktEALw_wcB

[thompson_skip]

4 hours ago, Ivan K said:

Isn't it easier to just replace the bearings and not worry about fitment? Or is the whole tray just eaten up beyond repair. I fixed ours but it may not be the same.

It is the rollers, one side won’t come out all the way. The other side has come out of the track and the bearings have fallen out. I’m have trouble finding the right side tray so I may need to rebuild my tray. Thanks 

[Rikadoo]

All the years i worked on Trucks that had slide trays the ones with bearings always seemed to have the frozen bearings, where as the ones with the plastic slides just seem to rot out from acid. Over the years i started to understand that when a battery begins to start “gassing” that the vapor would gather on the top of it then that collected dust, so if you took a DVOM and touch one terminl to the POS terminil then drag the other lead of the DVOM across the battery you can see voltage. Its my opinion that once that voltage gets on the tray then its seeking a path to ground… thru the bearings. Which doesnt take long to etch and destroy the bearings surface then failure is eminent, there kind of like the sacrifice for the tray itself. Then for the ones with “slides” that acidic contact has nowhere to go so now the entire tray becomes the sacrifice. Please note this is just my opinion, with no science to back it up just years of trial an error of trying to fix a inherant issue that has plauged fleet shops for ever. Even with “sealed or AGMs” though they dont have gassing they do get dust an dirt that mixed with moisture will an do make a connection from battery posts to ground, all this morning coffee Philosophy leads me to look forward to the day we can power our coaches with dilithium crystals😜🤪😂 HAPPY MONDAY everyone😎

[thompson_skip]

Thanks so much for your insight and I look forward to that form of power.   “Live Long and Prosper” 😬😬😬

[wamcneil]

On 1/30/2022 at 2:48 PM, Ivan K said:

Isn't it easier to just replace the bearings and not worry about fitment? Or is the whole tray just eaten up beyond repair. I fixed ours but it may not be the same.

Yeah. I haven't scrutinized my battery tray, but I bet it's just a super-heavy duty set of industrial drawer slides in there that could be replaced.

At one point I was considering adding a 2nd tray above my 4xGC batteries. Couldn't find a standard size tray that was the same size. 

Cheers

Walter

[Jdw12345]

Is this what you are looking for?

 

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Kwikee-Heavy-Duty-22-Slide-Assembly-p/92-6933.htm?gclid=CjwKCAiAl-6PBhBCEiwAc2GOVPocMOc75sKs3pwR1TxUW34J_Xgks03W5XnJxGyYST_SV_1-Z_ijoBoCDVMQAvD_BwE

[thompson_skip]

Looks like these would work to let replace the broken ones on my current batty tray.   Thanks so much for the link. 

[Paul A.]

On 2/3/2022 at 8:49 AM, wamcneil said:

Yeah. I haven't scrutinized my battery tray, but I bet it's just a super-heavy duty set of industrial drawer slides in there that could be replaced.

At one point I was considering adding a 2nd tray above my 4xGC batteries. Couldn't find a standard size tray that was the same size. 

Cheers

Walter

Sheet metal shop should be able to make a tray for 40-60$. Easy peassy.

[thompson_skip]

I will check into having a shop make me a tray if I can’t rebuild my tray. Thanks 

[veraken]

This is what a used to replace the slides on my battery tray

https://www.cabinetparts.com/p/accuride-drawer-slides-side-mount-drawer-slides-AC930122-p241   and

https://www.cabinetparts.com/p/accuride-drawer-slides-side-mount-drawer-slides-AC418022-p255

[thompson_skip]

Thanks so much for the links. Looks like they are what I will need. 😀  

[thompson_skip]

Thanks to all that replied with your suggestions. I have rebuilt my slide tray using a pair of VEVOR 500lb drawer slides. Amazon about $35.00. I think the rebuild should last the life of our great 2003 Dyansty we purchased new in 2003😁😁. Here is the link for the slides.  I used stainless nylon nuts and stainless bolts to attach the slides to the drawer.  
 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B091T1CZD6/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Rikadoo]

Very nice👍 I would add 1 thing, install one or two ground straps from the top tray that holds the batteries to a good ground below the slide. 

[6Wheels]

Maybe a braided grounding strap would carry the leaking current away from the rollers and eliminate the damage.

Connect from the tray to ground on the battery.  Amazon.com : braided grounding strap

[Chargerman]

I painted my trays with POR-15. Great product. Neutralizes the rust and puts on a very rugged coating. 

[Mike H]

On 2/3/2022 at 8:51 PM, Jdw12345 said:

Is this what you are looking for?

 

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Kwikee-Heavy-Duty-22-Slide-Assembly-p/92-6933.htm?gclid=CjwKCAiAl-6PBhBCEiwAc2GOVPocMOc75sKs3pwR1TxUW34J_Xgks03W5XnJxGyYST_SV_1-Z_ijoBoCDVMQAvD_BwE

I see it's only rated for 200 pounds.  That might be a little light for 4 batteries.  My 6v Duracell AGM's at 70 lbs each.

 

[Tom Cherry]

1 hour ago, Chargerman said:

I painted my trays with POR-15. Great product. Neutralizes the rust and puts on a very rugged coating. 

That, from a lot of reading and past comments, be the Daddy Rabbit, of preferred coatings for a MH battery tray.  However, the 3 or 4 coats of Rustoleum PU bed liner paint is working well on mine, which I refurbished in 2013.

BUT THE BEST CORROSION PROTECTION is ELIMINATION.   Don’t overfill the cells.  Use a dipstick or Trojan “card”.  Install the Battery Miser caps that prevent misting or spewing out of electrolyte.  They also lengthen battery life as they cut down on 90% of the evaporation during charging.  That is probably why my “paint” job has lasted so well.

 

[thompson_skip]

Tom, where do you get the items you mentioned?  I have thought I’m over filling but never knew of a way to check. I did paint my box with Rustoleum, picture doesn’t look like it as it has dust on it😀. Thanks 

[Tom Cherry]

47 minutes ago, thompson_skip said:

Tom, where do you get the items you mentioned?  I have thought I’m over filling but never knew of a way to check. I did paint my box with Rustoleum, picture doesn’t look like it as it has dust on it😀. Thanks 

Find a hardwood (or pine) dowel about 3/8" Dia.  I cut mine about 6" long.  Put the dowel into the battery and let it seat or sit or rest on the plates.  Mark the "top" of the cell wall on the dowel. That is a "reference" dimension. If you measure DOWN from whatever surface you used to the bottom of the well, then that is, theoretically, the OVERFILL Mark.  What you are trying to get is the distance from the bottom of the fill well to the top of the plates. Trojan handed out plastic "gages" at an RV show, but I can't get them to send me one.  Once you know the distance from the bottom of the well to the top of the plates, then you "HALVE THAT".  I added about 1/8" just for a little margin. I then scribed a line onto the dowel at the "Fill Plus" dimension. I then cut a small groove into the dowel, all away round the perimeter or circumference.  

I then insert the dowel and BINGO....have a dip stick. I add DI water to the Electrolyte....Kentucky Windage from a small squirt bottle. I use a paper towel, as it is disposable and the acid eats holes, to wipe "semi dry" the electrolyte and remeasure.  BINGO...a perfect fill. I have been doing this since I refurbished the trays.  I store the stick inside the plastic pouch that came with the Specific Gravity Meter that I got from Amazon...  It is VERY accurate, assuming you are careful using the bulb and also getting the fill volume to the "fill line" at the top...and hold it vertical.  My SP measurements now correlate with the Voltage readings for the SOC.  So, I know how the cells are....or the condition.  

Look on Amazon for Battery Miser Caps. You want the Medium sized...  Now I am using Flooded Cells and my Vette DOES have a Buggy Whip bracket....Don't ask me about AGM's.  Trojan says they have "flooded" AGM's and that you maintain them....same as wet cell flooded.

BTW...for what it's worth...I have not had any corrosion and I, semi annually, drain down my Trojan's 2 - 3 times to around 50% to keep them exercised. I rarely, and others report this also, add more than maybe 3/16" of DI water to the cells as the Miser Caps are like a mini distillation tower and the electrolyte runs back down in instead of being vented.

Good Luck...

 

[thompson_skip]

Thanks Tom I will have a project as soon as I figure out why I don’t have any 12v in the coach. 😤😤

[jacwjames]

So after reading this post I decided to do some maintenance on my battery tray.  Last year when I had new batteries installed I couldn't take the time to clean and paint the tray.  So last month I ordered some Water Miser Caps to have on hand and finally got a chance to tackle this.  I first pulled the coach out of the garage and pressure washed the battery compartment, took some baking soda and dusted the top of the batteries and let them sit for a while.  Then took a tooth brush and brushed all the terminal connectors as best I could.  Backed the rig back into the garage and removed all the batteries.   I scraped all the loose stuff off the bottom of the tray,  it really didn't look that bad, I had painted it about 10 years ago with Rustoleum and it seemed like it did a decent job.

I had a bottle of the navy jelly that I used to clean up the old rust, did this two times.  Then took a side grinder and sanding disc and cut the remaining paint off down to bare metal.  Then used a small air grinder with wire brush to clean any remnants off.  Also cleaned the shelf under the battery tray and the support metal.  I had a can of spray rust inhibitor the sprays on clears and then turns black as it reacts with the rust, I sprayed the tray with then first and the I put on three coats of Rustoleum.  I thought about the Por15 but already had a gallon of the Rustoleum and used it, since it lasted 10 years the last time without as good of prep work I figured it was good enough.

One thing that I was trying to figure out was there was a 12awg wire attached to the (-) battery terminal, no marking and it did not show on the schematic.  So I used a tone tracer to figure out where it went.  It went to where my Lambert 415 maintainer had been, I had taped up the terminal end that had connected to the center post for the (-) battery connection.  So I just rolled this wire back up and zipped tied it out of the way.   Mystery solved.

While the batteries were out I lubricated the drawer slides several times over the last couple time while I was watching paint dry.  They were pretty hard to work even without batteries in the tray but after 3-4 days of moving them back and forth and relubircating each time they freed up nicely.   I also checked battery voltage with them disconnected, all of the batteries stayed at 6.4 volts while I was working on the tray.

This AM I put the batteries back in place, I had already cleaned up all the cable ends.  Got everything connected and checked the voltage, 12.8 volts so I was good to do.  I had installed the new Water Miser caps so I topped off each battery with distilled water.  I'll monitor over the next period of time but no doubt the new caps will help prevent corrosion and water loss. 

So another project off the list, but I did scope out installing a BMV712 battery monitor while I was working on the tray, should be pretty easy, so that's on the list. 

Here are some pictures.

 

[Tom Cherry]

Looks great.  Only thing missing is the “wooden dowel” dip stick, the accurate (readings not colors) Specific Gravity meter and the battery lifting strap.  LOL.  Mine was corroded….but the batteries were not as unkempt….again….LOL. I wire brushed and primed and put on several coats of Rustoleum bed liner.  Folks swear by the POR15 coating.  Your “clear” rust inhibitor was probably a reactive phosphate coating.  After many years of doing commercial coating and finishing, the “phosphate” dip or coating is the key to success.  Glad to see the Battery  miser caps.   They will serve you well.  I exercise mine every 4 - 6 months.  I barely add an ounce of DI water to each cell.

Good Job….thanks for sharing….