All vans that are now fitted with the breakaway brake system require the tug to have a volt meter or a lowvoltage alarm system fitted to the tug displaying the vans battery voltage.
INFO via NSW RTA/RMS Tech.
JC.
ken thomas said
04:45 PM Oct 1, 2014
JC you live in the wrong state, come to vic
Ken
KFT said
04:46 PM Oct 1, 2014
G'day JC
yep, been that way for a while now. I have a voltmeter on my dash that reads the van battery voltage. I put it in just after we got the new van (2010) when the Inspection place told me it had to be there to comply with NSW regs.
Not hard to do and if you like I will pm you with a neat way to do it.
say hi to Leonie from us
frank
justcruisin01 said
05:00 PM Oct 1, 2014
KFT wrote:
G'day JC
yep, been that way for a while now. I have a voltmeter on my dash that reads the van battery voltage. I put it in just after we got the new van (2010) when the Inspection place told me it had to be there to comply with NSW regs.
Not hard to do and if you like I will pm you with a neat way to do it.
say hi to Leonie from us
frank
Yes I had heard of it some time as well but I enquired into it today to be sure as there is so much hipe out there on all this stuff.
Ive all ready thought about it in readiness for the new van , always keen the view idears.
JC.
justcruisin01 said
05:02 PM Oct 1, 2014
ken thomas wrote:
JC you live in the wrong state, come to vic Ken
Too cold down there Ken; guess it will happen there soon as well.
All these regulations should be accross all states , then no conflict.
mr glassies said
06:14 PM Oct 1, 2014
yea not needed up here jim but if we went to new we do .
pauline handson one nation one policy hahahahahaha .
dibs
Bluey1 said
06:45 PM Oct 1, 2014
Hi JC
We have a freelander 19"6 purchased earlier this year. I went and purchased the proper break away alarm to suit the brake away system in the van. The van brake away system alarm wiring is wired to the 12 pin plug so run two wires from the cabin to the cars 12 pin and all done. Monitor wasn't that expensive and works well. when ever you brake, the brake away unit disconnects the system battery from the charging curcuit and applies a small load to the battery. If the battery is sick then the alarm will buzz.
regards Darren
Bluey1 said
06:54 PM Oct 1, 2014
sorry double post
-- Edited by Bluey1 on Wednesday 1st of October 2014 06:57:32 PM
Phil C said
07:20 PM Oct 1, 2014
OK, pander to my dumbness..
Does this mean my SA registered rig will not be leagal for me to drive in NSW? I agree those rules should be national and consistent..
Yipes!!!
I Hope you are all well.
Bluey1 said
07:24 PM Oct 1, 2014
Hi Phil
In NSW at the moment not having a monitor only becomes an issue when you need to have the van inspected for rego. But I assume at some stage they may start checking vans. My thinking is it only will relate to NSW registered vans and not interstate travelling through NSW.
Olley46 said
07:29 PM Oct 1, 2014
Phil C wrote:
OK, pander to my dumbness..
Does this mean my SA registered rig will not be leagal for me to drive in NSW? I agree those rules should be national and consistent..
Yipes!!!
I Hope you are all well.
I think you will find it only applies to NSW reg caravan ,s.
lance C
Phil C said
07:42 PM Oct 1, 2014
Thanks Guys
oldbobsbus said
08:51 PM Oct 1, 2014
Another reason to enjoy your travels in a motorhome...
ducks and leaves the thread..
Dougwe said
05:40 AM Oct 2, 2014
In the Colorado I can scroll through a short menu and it gives me the volt reading. Is this the same thing and does it pass the Regulation ??
justcruisin01 said
08:56 AM Oct 2, 2014
Bluey1 wrote:
Hi JC
We have a freelander 19"6 purchased earlier this year. I went and purchased the proper break away alarm to suit the brake away system in the van. The van brake away system alarm wiring is wired to the 12 pin plug so run two wires from the cabin to the cars 12 pin and all done. Monitor wasn't that expensive and works well. when ever you brake, the brake away unit disconnects the system battery from the charging curcuit and applies a small load to the battery. If the battery is sick then the alarm will buzz.
regards Darren
Darren ; have no issues with fitting a volt meter to the tug as this al fall into my line of work. (past tense)
I was just putting the info out there as Im sure many dont have this.
JC.
justcruisin01 said
08:58 AM Oct 2, 2014
Dougwe wrote:
In the Colorado I can scroll through a short menu and it gives me the volt reading. Is this the same thing and does it pass the Regulation ??
Doug, this system is to monitor the caravan battery voltage so will have nothing to do with the tug info.
JC
justcruisin01 said
09:05 AM Oct 2, 2014
Bluey1 wrote:
Hi Phil In NSW at the moment not having a monitor only becomes an issue when you need to have the van inspected for rego. But I assume at some stage they may start checking vans. My thinking is it only will relate to NSW registered vans and not interstate travelling through NSW.
This being so does a new van come under the same regulation as a new car, not haveing to have an inspection for the first 5 yrs.?
I may be wrong but I think it is now 5 yrs as it used to be the first 3 yrs.
That a side, its still a good idear to be able to monitor the battereis if you are running a compressor fridge which is what I will be doing so therefore a dual purpose system at very little cost, a small digital volt mtr & a bit of wire.
JC.
ken thomas said
12:58 PM Oct 2, 2014
Buy a small plug in volt meter from ebay, about $5 and put it in your cig or 12v outlet
ken
Be aware that most panel meters cannot sense their own voltage, ie their own power source must be isolated from the voltage that the meter is measuring.
Phillipn said
02:19 PM Oct 2, 2014
Olley46 wrote:
Phil C wrote:
OK, pander to my dumbness..
Does this mean my SA registered rig will not be leagal for me to drive in NSW? I agree those rules should be national and consistent..
Yipes!!!
I Hope you are all well.
I think you will find it only applies to NSW reg caravan ,s.
lance C
This subject was a hot topic on another forum some time back. It only applies to NSW vans.
Be aware that most panel meters cannot sense their own voltage, ie their own power source must be isolated from the voltage that the meter is measuring.
Those meters are powered from the voltage that they are reading.Hence the 5VDC - 30VDC
dorian said
03:28 PM Oct 2, 2014
03_troopy wrote:
Those meters are powered from the voltage that they are reading.Hence the 5VDC - 30VDC
Yes, I know. They're designed to work that way whereas many are not. That's why I selected that particular device, and made people aware of the pitfalls. All you would need to do would to run two wires to the positive and negative terminals of the relevant battery.
justcruisin01 said
05:13 PM Oct 2, 2014
dorian wrote:
03_troopy wrote:
Those meters are powered from the voltage that they are reading.Hence the 5VDC - 30VDC
All you would need to do would to run two wires to the positive and negative terminals of the relevant battery.
Thats exactly right & thats what I'll be doing. Very simple.
JC
justcruisin01 said
05:14 PM Oct 2, 2014
ken thomas wrote:
Buy a small plug in volt meter from ebay, about $5 and put it in your cig or 12v outlet ken
Ken, its the van batteries voltage that has to be monitored, not the tug.
If the van should part company with the tug its the van batteries that have to apply the van brakes, thats the purpose of the break away system.
-- Edited by justcruisin01 on Thursday 2nd of October 2014 05:16:00 PM
mr glassies said
06:23 PM Oct 2, 2014
where do yo find that on your colly doug hmmm will check mine
dibs
Bluey1 said
07:06 PM Oct 2, 2014
justcruisin01 wrote:
Bluey1 wrote:
Hi Phil In NSW at the moment not having a monitor only becomes an issue when you need to have the van inspected for rego. But I assume at some stage they may start checking vans. My thinking is it only will relate to NSW registered vans and not interstate travelling through NSW.
This being so does a new van come under the same regulation as a new car, not haveing to have an inspection for the first 5 yrs.?
I may be wrong but I think it is now 5 yrs as it used to be the first 3 yrs.
That a side, its still a good idear to be able to monitor the battereis if you are running a compressor fridge which is what I will be doing so therefore a dual purpose system at very little cost, a small digital volt mtr & a bit of wire.
JC.
Yep from what I hear it is five years before first inspection. Don't forget the breakaway system has a separate battery to the van batteries.
darren
justcruisin01 said
09:09 PM Oct 2, 2014
Bluey1 wrote:
justcruisin01 wrote:
JC.
Yep from what I hear it is five years before first inspection. Don't forget the breakaway system has a separate battery to the van batteries.
darren
Not aware of the seperate battery system in a van, a boat trailer system has its own battery as there is no other use for a battery on a boat trailer.
If this is so then there needs to be a charging system for that battery (even though it never gets used under normal situations)whish has to be isolated from house batteries.Will check it out.
JC.
woollie said
09:32 PM Oct 2, 2014
hi just read the piece about the volt metre I live in Qld so do I need this thing if I go over the border or is it only if its registered down there thanks
Cupie said
10:27 PM Oct 2, 2014
woollie wrote:
hi just read the piece about the volt metre I live in Qld so do I need this thing if I go over the border or is it only if its registered down there thanks
Popular wisdom would say that your van only needs to comply with the regs of the State in which it is registered.
My break safe system has its own 'motorcycle' size battery that is separate from the van battery and has its own inbuilt charging system drawing from the tug's alternator when driving. I use the test button on the break safe module a week before going on a trip & if necessary remove the battery & place it on charge.
I have been waiting for all the battery experts to wade into this discussion, commenting on how the battery terminal voltage on its own doesn't tell you much about the state of the battery, especially if it is or has just been on charge. But if that's all the regs require (I'd be surprised if they do) & you just want to comply .. so be it.
BTW for me, all but basic battery theory is a black art, just like aerial theory is. Perhaps I slept thru too many lectures in my trainee days.
Edit ...
Picked this off a link in a later post on this thread .. This is how to check the battery condition rather than just having a volt meter across it. ....
The BREAKSAFE RM6000 Remote Battery Monitor is fitted inside the tow vehicle and operates each time the brake pedal is pressed. The additional circuitry in the BREAKSAFE 5000 and 6000 disconnects the Breaksafe battery from the charge circuit and then connects the battery to the Remote Monitor. A small electronic load inside the Remote Monitor then pulls the battery terminal voltage down. The micro-processor inside the Remote Monitor measures what the voltage drops to over a preset time to determine the charge state of the Breaksafe battery. Should the Breaksafe battery be fully charged, a green light will illuminate on the front panel of the RM6000 Remote Monitor. If the battery is below the safe level, a red light will flash and a buzzer will sound for about 10 seconds
-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 2nd of October 2014 10:28:01 PM
-- Edited by Cupie on Friday 3rd of October 2014 04:54:10 PM
Dougwe said
07:13 AM Oct 3, 2014
mr glassies wrote:
where do yo find that on your colly doug hmmm will check mine
dibs
How,
Dib's, you will find it within the three readings when you push the "Menu' button on the indicator lever. There is three sections, just keep pushing for each section. The read out will be above the speedo etc.
All vans that are now fitted with the breakaway brake system require the tug to have a volt meter or a lowvoltage alarm system fitted to the tug displaying the vans battery voltage.
INFO via NSW RTA/RMS Tech.
JC.
Ken
yep, been that way for a while now. I have a voltmeter on my dash that reads the van battery voltage. I put it in just after we got the new van (2010) when the Inspection place told me it had to be there to comply with NSW regs.
Not hard to do and if you like I will pm you with a neat way to do it.
say hi to Leonie from us
frank
Yes I had heard of it some time as well but I enquired into it today to be sure as there is so much hipe out there on all this stuff.
Ive all ready thought about it in readiness for the new van , always keen the view idears.
JC.
Too cold down there Ken; guess it will happen there soon as well.
All these regulations should be accross all states , then no conflict.
pauline handson one nation one policy hahahahahaha .
dibs
Hi JC
We have a freelander 19"6 purchased earlier this year. I went and purchased the proper break away alarm to suit the brake away system in the van. The van brake away system alarm wiring is wired to the 12 pin plug so run two wires from the cabin to the cars 12 pin and all done. Monitor wasn't that expensive and works well. when ever you brake, the brake away unit disconnects the system battery from the charging curcuit and applies a small load to the battery. If the battery is sick then the alarm will buzz.
regards Darren
sorry double post
-- Edited by Bluey1 on Wednesday 1st of October 2014 06:57:32 PM
Does this mean my SA registered rig will not be leagal for me to drive in NSW? I agree those rules should be national and consistent..
Yipes!!!
I Hope you are all well.
In NSW at the moment not having a monitor only becomes an issue when you need to have the van inspected for rego. But I assume at some stage they may start checking vans. My thinking is it only will relate to NSW registered vans and not interstate travelling through NSW.
I think you will find it only applies to NSW reg caravan ,s.
lance C
Another reason to enjoy your travels in a motorhome...
ducks and leaves the thread..
In the Colorado I can scroll through a short menu and it gives me the volt reading. Is this the same thing and does it pass the Regulation ??
Darren ; have no issues with fitting a volt meter to the tug as this al fall into my line of work. (past tense)
I was just putting the info out there as Im sure many dont have this.
JC.
Doug, this system is to monitor the caravan battery voltage so will have nothing to do with the tug info.
JC
This being so does a new van come under the same regulation as a new car, not haveing to have an inspection for the first 5 yrs.?
I may be wrong but I think it is now 5 yrs as it used to be the first 3 yrs.
That a side, its still a good idear to be able to monitor the battereis if you are running a compressor fridge which is what I will be doing so therefore a dual purpose system at very little cost, a small digital volt mtr & a bit of wire.
JC.
ken
How about this?
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=QP5582&CATID=97&form=CAT2&SUBCATID=948#1
http://www.jaycar.com.au/products_uploaded/productLarge_17593.jpg
Be aware that most panel meters cannot sense their own voltage, ie their own power source must be isolated from the voltage that the meter is measuring.
This subject was a hot topic on another forum some time back. It only applies to NSW vans.
Those meters are powered from the voltage that they are reading.Hence the 5VDC - 30VDC
Yes, I know. They're designed to work that way whereas many are not. That's why I selected that particular device, and made people aware of the pitfalls. All you would need to do would to run two wires to the positive and negative terminals of the relevant battery.
Thats exactly right & thats what I'll be doing. Very simple.
JC
Ken, its the van batteries voltage that has to be monitored, not the tug.
If the van should part company with the tug its the van batteries that have to apply the van brakes, thats the purpose of the break away system.
-- Edited by justcruisin01 on Thursday 2nd of October 2014 05:16:00 PM
dibs
Not aware of the seperate battery system in a van, a boat trailer system has its own battery as there is no other use for a battery on a boat trailer.
If this is so then there needs to be a charging system for that battery (even though it never gets used under normal situations)whish has to be isolated from house batteries.Will check it out.
JC.
hi just read the piece about the volt metre I live in Qld so do I need this thing if I go over the border or is it only if its registered down there thanks
Popular wisdom would say that your van only needs to comply with the regs of the State in which it is registered.
My break safe system has its own 'motorcycle' size battery that is separate from the van battery and has its own inbuilt charging system drawing from the tug's alternator when driving. I use the test button on the break safe module a week before going on a trip & if necessary remove the battery & place it on charge.
I have been waiting for all the battery experts to wade into this discussion, commenting on how the battery terminal voltage on its own doesn't tell you much about the state of the battery, especially if it is or has just been on charge. But if that's all the regs require (I'd be surprised if they do) & you just want to comply .. so be it.
BTW for me, all but basic battery theory is a black art, just like aerial theory is. Perhaps I slept thru too many lectures in my trainee days.
Edit ...
Picked this off a link in a later post on this thread .. This is how to check the battery condition rather than just having a volt meter across it. ....
The BREAKSAFE RM6000 Remote Battery Monitor is fitted inside the tow vehicle and operates each time the brake pedal is pressed. The additional circuitry in the BREAKSAFE 5000 and 6000 disconnects the Breaksafe battery from the charge circuit and then connects the battery to the Remote Monitor. A small electronic load inside the Remote Monitor then pulls the battery terminal voltage down. The micro-processor inside the Remote Monitor measures what the voltage drops to over a preset time to determine the charge state of the Breaksafe battery. Should the Breaksafe battery be fully charged, a green light will illuminate on the front panel of the RM6000 Remote Monitor. If the battery is below the safe level, a red light will flash and a buzzer will sound for about 10 seconds
-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 2nd of October 2014 10:28:01 PM
-- Edited by Cupie on Friday 3rd of October 2014 04:54:10 PM
How,
Dib's, you will find it within the three readings when you push the "Menu' button on the indicator lever. There is three sections, just keep pushing for each section. The read out will be above the speedo etc.