Battery strap?

[dptak1]

I'm getting our new Fleetwood Santa Fe ready to take out first thing Thursday morning after DH gets home Wednesday night.  I've read all the posts I can find about batteries.  We mostly camp at state parks and won't be doing much dry camping (if any).  I purchased a 27 group deep cycle battery and plastic battery box. I connected the wiring harness and the battery is working fine.  The battery box included a strap which I have wrapped under the battery support frame and over the top of the battery box.  My Fleetwood dealer is telling me this is all I need to secure the battery and that I don't need to bolt it to the support frame.  Seriously?  Will this work without the battery sliding off the end of the frame?
 
Thanks!

[AustinBoston]

This is exactly what I use, and our camper has been 30,000 miles with this arrangement without a single incident.

Austin

[dptak1]

Thanks Austin!  I can just hear hubby saying "are you sure that's how they told you to do this?"  Once I tell him I confirmed it on the board, he has more confidence in me!

[wavery]

Yep!! That's it.   However, check the strap once in awhile. They do have a tendency to rot after a few years.

[GeneF]

Thats the way it is done on many trailers but I also put a stretchy strap around the battery just for a little added peace of mind.

Three popups and one htt and only used the straps.  TT has the box bolted to the frame.

[bountyhunter]

I bolted mine down just to be safe.  I have a Jayco Baja which I take up some pretty rugged Jeep trails in the mountians and it gets off camber and real bumpy going over the rocks.

[wavery]

I bolted mine down just to be safe.  I have a Jayco Baja which I take up some pretty rugged Jeep trails in the mountians and it gets off camber and real bumpy going over the rocks.

I would highly recommend strapping the battery box as well. Those boxes are made of pretty flimsy plastic. I think that you may find that the plastic will crack around the bolt holes over time. I believe that is why the manufacturers don't bolt them down.

The batteries are heavy and jostling around inside the battery box is a lot of stress on the area around the bolt holes, if you bolt them down.

The other issue is that the bolts may chafe holes in the bottom of the battery, if the battery is not set on risers inside the box.

[oreo57]

The box on my 05 Colonial was bolted and strapped w/ the strap being screwed to the frame, already replaced the strap the sun dried it up.

[dptak1]

Thank you all so much for your help as we get ready for our first trip out with our new PUP.  This time tomorrow we'll be watching the sunset in the Florida Keys! :cool:

[bountyhunter]

Hey wavery - I also put the strap on for extra, mostly to keep the lid on, but it also holds it to the frame of the camper.  The battery is on some risers so the bolts won't damage the battery.  You are right about the box cracking over time.

[tlhdoc]

I have used just the strap, but when the strap rotted I used a bungy cord until I got around to buying a new strap.