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Old 04-21-2022, 05:11 PM   #1
joe1047
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80amp for slides

Hello to all.i have a 2020, 3121rl montana. I am going to install an 80 amp breaker for slides. I see 2 breakers to the right that are covered with red rubber , and then there is the big black one on the left. The one I ordered from Amazon. Looks like the big black one. Is this the one I change or is it one of the 2 little ones on the right. Please help, I don't want to make a mistake. Thank you.
 
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Old 04-21-2022, 06:14 PM   #2
rohrmann
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On our rig, there were two small breakers, one that feeds small loads, and that does not need to be replaced. The other one had two load cables connected, one to the inside panel via the battery disconnect switch and the other cable goes directly to the motor reversing switch that controls the hydraulic pump motor. That is the one I upgraded to an 80 amp breaker.
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Old 04-21-2022, 06:36 PM   #3
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Seems different trailers are wired different. Go to the pump and follow the large wire on the center terminal back to that circuit breaker under the red cap. That is the one to replace.
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Old 04-21-2022, 10:38 PM   #4
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80A hydraulic system circuit breaker.

If you follow the fat red wire from the battery box (bottom right) it goes to the first breaker left post. Then you have a short 3" jumper to the 2nd breakers right post. On this post put a short 4 gauge cable to the new 80A self resetting circuit breaker. On the other post of the new 80A circuit breaker place the cable that goes to the hydraulic motor dual polarity solenoid.
So electrically speaking, the 80A is tied to the battery + post. By doing this you have placed the hydraulic system on its own circuit breaker without changing anything else.
No need to actually replace the existing 50A one. Just put a short 4 gauge jumper from the + side (battery feed side) of the existing 50A breaker to the 80A one then put the cable from the hydraulic pump dual polarity solenoid to the other side of the 80A breaker.

80A circuit breaker
This is a link to the Automatic reset one (in the picture)
Bussmann CB181F-80 80 Type I Flush Mount High Amp Circuit Breaker, 30Vdc. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008QDI9HY..._7B0oEbRQQ00AE
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Old 05-01-2022, 12:04 PM   #5
TwoBrewDogs
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Dumb question here, but why the need to replace it? Unless your slide has a mechanical issue that is making it materially more difficult to move, isn't the existing breaker sufficient?
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Old 05-01-2022, 12:15 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by TwoBrewDogs View Post
Dumb question here, but why the need to replace it? Unless your slide has a mechanical issue that is making it materially more difficult to move, isn't the existing breaker sufficient?
Just being proactive to avoid a potential problem at an inconvenient time. Many have never had a problem with the OEM 50 amp breakers after years of use. But there are also a lot who have had problems with the 50 amp tripping, resetting, tripping, resetting, making it a slow process to get slides in or out. And some have failed completely preventing slides from moving at all.

They are super cheaply made devices simply using a piece of bi metal.
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Old 05-01-2022, 12:25 PM   #7
Carl n Susan
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Plus it controls the jacks in addition to the slides. So when it quits, and it will, you can really be SOL. Each use diminishes its life span. Cold weather causes the hydraulic fluid to stiffen up and makes the pump work harder, which draws more amperage, further affecting life span. As BB_TX wrote, they are cheaply made devices. Life span is measured in years so failure isn't imminent. But 6-8 years is a common age when they quit.
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Old 05-01-2022, 02:47 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TwoBrewDogs View Post
Dumb question here, but why the need to replace it? Unless your slide has a mechanical issue that is making it materially more difficult to move, isn't the existing breaker sufficient?
Lippert put out a Technical Service Bulletin advising putting the hydraulic system on its own 80A circuit breaker.
I think there is a copy of the TSB in the files section

https://www.montanaowners.com/forums/downloads.php?do=cat&id=3
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Old 05-01-2022, 03:02 PM   #9
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Ahhhh..... "plus it controls the jacks in addition to the slides..." That might explain why I sometimes have issues of jacks not retracting all the way. I wait a few seconds and then they do. I haven't had slide issues however. I will be doing a 7 year total review of the trailer this summer prior to our fall tour of Yellowstone. Thanks for the explanation.
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Old 05-01-2022, 03:38 PM   #10
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The problem is exacerbated when it gets cold. In 2021 they started installing 80 amp standard.
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Old 05-01-2022, 06:03 PM   #11
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The first time Lippert issued any literature about using the 80 amp breaker was in 2014, and we were having the issue lifting the jacks. That is when I purchased the 80 amp breaker we are still using and have never had any issue since with the hydraulics stopping and starting like we had with the smaller breaker.
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Old 05-01-2022, 06:20 PM   #12
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This is the current Lippert document regarding the breaker upgrade. https://support.lci1.com/documents/t...ydraulic-pumps
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Old 05-03-2022, 09:28 PM   #13
AZMont
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80 amp, 30 amp & 50 amp breaker upgrade.

Here is what I did. I replaced all of the 30 and 50 amp auto-reset breakers with manual ones and added an 80 amp manual breaker for the level up system. I have not had any more issues with the breaker tripping when I use the level up. I also used a large amperage terminal trip as a power bus. This is a pretty easy do it yourself project. All you need is the special crimp tool for battery cables to ensure your ring terminals fit correctly.
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Old 05-04-2022, 02:18 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joe1047 View Post
Hello to all.i have a 2020, 3121rl montana. I am going to install an 80 amp breaker for slides. I see 2 breakers to the right that are covered with red rubber , and then there is the big black one on the left. The one I ordered from Amazon. Looks like the big black one. Is this the one I change or is it one of the 2 little ones on the right. Please help, I don't want to make a mistake. Thank you.
Look at the wires on the breakers, the one where the wire goes to the hydraulic motor is the one you want to change.
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Old 05-04-2022, 02:20 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AZMont View Post
Here is what I did. I replaced all of the 30 and 50 amp auto-reset breakers with manual ones and added an 80 amp manual breaker for the level up system. I have not had any more issues with the breaker tripping when I use the level up. I also used a large amperage terminal trip as a power bus. This is a pretty easy do it yourself project. All you need is the special crimp tool for battery cables to ensure your ring terminals fit correctly.
Those breakers appear to be in series, that's incorrect but the only harm is you break at the lowest setting.
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Old 05-04-2022, 02:50 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by bcrvman View Post
Those breakers appear to be in series, that's incorrect but the only harm is you break at the lowest setting.
Actually it appears the red bar with 4 studs is a buss bar with one wire to the battery and then a wire to each of 3 breakers. Better and cleaner arrangement than jumpering breaker to breaker.
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Old 05-04-2022, 03:00 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by BB_TX View Post
Actually it appears the red bar with 4 studs is a buss bar with one wire to the battery and then a wire to each of 3 breakers. Better and cleaner arrangement than jumpering breaker to breaker.
Agreed, that's how I did mine, but I can't see a battery wire. If the red bus bar is tied to +12VDC then the wiring is correct but I can't see it in that picture.
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Old 05-04-2022, 06:21 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joe1047 View Post
Hello to all.i have a 2020, 3121rl montana. I am going to install an 80 amp breaker for slides. I see 2 breakers to the right that are covered with red rubber , and then there is the big black one on the left. The one I ordered from Amazon. Looks like the big black one. Is this the one I change or is it one of the 2 little ones on the right. Please help, I don't want to make a mistake. Thank you.
If you have a residential fridge, then the large breaker on the wall is for the inverter, and you don’t want to mess with that. Usually, the factory daisy chains the line sides of the breakers, so the battery is feeding all the battery sides of the breakers, then the cables leaving the breakers are on the load side. This is no different than having separate cables all coming directly off the positive of the batteries.
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