Our Lorry BREAKS DOWN and We Are Left STRANDED - The ULTIMATE OFF-GRID TEST!
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- čas přidán 16. 12. 2023
- Stranded in Spain because our lorry has broken down!
Join us on the coast in the beautiful town of Vinaros, where we unexpectedly run into a major problem with our engine batteries!
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Kira, Please, Please, Please don’t travel with your feet up on the dash board. If you are unlucky enough to have a head on crash your legs will break and the broken bones will be driven into your chest. Chances of survival will be next to nil xx
Sound advise, well said I was just about to say the same. Also if there is a passenger airbag, your ankles will end up around your ears. My Dad was a HGV recovery operator, seen it first hand.
100% refuse my kids or wife to travel in that position, I have seen some nasty accident related videos on my CPC presentations.
I must admit I was going to say the same, be careful guys
czcams.com/video/5uEt79tGgL4/video.htmlsi=xBJxXAXryM4IaTK-
I will add my caution too. A friend of mine was a dancer who broke both ankles this way. She jas not danced si ce.
You need side windows in the back for your kids to be able to enjoy driving around more.
We have them on order, will be fitted once back in the UK 👍
I realise it's a bit late now but you could fit a smart relay with an emergency switch that means you can jump your starting batteries from your house batteries, definitely not a good idea to use it unless you have no other choice as your house batteries will suffer but it could save you an expensive recovery charge.
I always interconnect my battery banks so i can switch between them in various ways, having your solar capable of being switched to charge your starting batteries can also be a life saver.
Awesome video again guys. With your battery issue… you might have been able to jump start it from a 12V system if they weren’t completely flat. I have jumped a horse box in a petrol station (24v) off my 12V car. Some of them campers around you will have larger than normal batteries which should have managed it. Once that initial starting draw was overcome, the trucks alternator would have taken over. Providing the slave vehicle was running when doing so 👍
From EX Auto sparks on heavy trucks etc...now retired at 80 years....make sure no 12volt equipment is wired into just one of the lorrys 12v batterys....the Alternator regulater wont know its there....and that one 12v will allways run down....any 12v ony equipment must be connected to a 24 volt dropper to 12Volt...with the lorry make sure the Alternator warning light does indeed come on...and goes off when running, check you see with a multimeter 26/28 volt output on batterys engine running. Peter
27.6V to 28.8V above tickover, 30V will give excess venting & need topping up with distilled water.
Vinaros Spain lovely place been many times there use to be a smaller parking place right next to the beach we had Christmas there. But no longer able to park there. Well done on your 20.000 subscribers.
21:21 it's really important you get good connections on the batteries, the starter draws 700 Amps for the first half a second or so & that's plenty enough to completely vapourize a post. Very few garages have the crucible & moulds to cast a new post so you would need a new battery, actually a pair of batteries so they're balanced.
It's your DCtoDC charger when you stop it draws from your start battery to top up your other batteries first the solar cant cope with the draw so flattening your start battery .
That was not 'Stranded'. Just extended break in town.
as a hgv fitter, i can tell you that if your re-gen kicks in, and you can,t maintain a constant 40 mph speed, then your batteries kick in to heat the strobe to do the regen, this takes alot of power from your batteries, so if you cant maintain 40 mph then make sure you don,t over load the batteries, ie; make sure nothing else uses the main batts whilst re-gen is powering, no phone chargers, air con off, radio off, that,s what killed the batts on your way...
Thanks for the info 👍
best way is to start lorry and disconnect sub battery if regen due usally every 1000 miles@@Touringwiththekids
First ive heard of that. Most trucks have a extra injector that injects diesel upstream of the catalyst, this in turn creates the extra heat to burn off the particulates. Hence why you have 2 nox sensors, upstream and down stream. Never seen probes acting as heaters, not big enough and no wiring to support the power required, not and scania and volvo that i worked on or owned.
Think you will find a DPF is fitted to all modern diesels in most countries to meet emission standards, not only larger vehicles lol
Get a Volt Meter in the cab connected to the batteries so you can keep an eye on the voltage. Should also show high voltage when driving so you know the alternator is working.
Thanks for the suggestion, will have to get the multi metre out and test 👍
@@Touringwiththekidsa permanently wired meter indoors is worth considering so you can glance at it every time you go past.
Anything below 25.2V is something to panic about.
Had to remove a Habitation battery for jump leads reach My flat starter battery. The problem was caused by bumpy roads in Greece and a lose battery leads. Now have new starter battery and a new battery booster pack.
Congrats on 20k 🎉
Merry Christmas to you all and hope the children have a good day
Same to you! ❤️ Christmassy Vlog going out tomorrow 😃
Urine isn't sterile its full of bacteria!!!! Be very mindfull of where you empty it as you could get a hefty fine!! It should only be emptied into a toilet or elsan as lots of drains are river water ..... and please don't travel with your feet on the dash its very dangerous for you if you crash ..... otherwise great vlog and live the children
fully agree about feet on dashboard also in many country's its illegal to have your feet on the dashboard let alone dangerous
under some shrubbery should be okay for disposing of your liquid waste . Probably should avoid emptying on flowers and fruit trees as this might be detrimental to the plant and fruit.
If there are some obvious weeds it might act as a weedicide in same way as a dog's urine will
As an electronics hobbyist i'd be soldering up a 12v to 24v dc converter so the Renergy system can top off the vehicle batteries if the need arises. But I agree with the others, just having a multimeter would be a good start !
For what it's worth, a lot of trucks have the side bars hinged so they can be swung out of the way to remove the batteries, can be easily retro fitted.
Another ace video guys ❤
Well done with the 20k subscribers. Good firm battery connections are essential. Make it a priority to fix that, even if it means buying either new batteries or cables/connectors. Also, as others have said, get a volt meter. Check the battery voltage accross them both with no engine. should be minimum 24v. With the engine running it should go up. With the engine reving up I would expect in the region of 27 to 28 volts if your alternator is working well.
Alternator charges the battries. I would have the alternator checked out. Its a common issue no big deal
Phew 😰 thank goodness you had a garage near and they were so helpful …. Really look forward to your flogs hope you don’t get many more hiccups 🙂 I love how you both deal with problems so calmly so good for the kids to see their parents working as a team 👍🏻 Love the decs 🎄
We were very lucky! Just hope it doesn't happen in the middle of nowhere. Then we might not be so calm 😂
True 😂😂
Also, thanks to you. I'm looking to get a C driver's license. Just for private use. I would like to buy a Scania.
Scanias are usually the first things stuck on soft ground, make sure you've got snow chains & a winch & ground anchor for self-recovery.
They're reckoned to be the best to drive *_on_* the road though.
Go for it! Best of luck 🤩🥰
Aww bless all of you! Happy Christmas to you and Happy New Year - Jack, Teddy, Pippa and mum & Dad.
Thankyou! Same to you 🎅
A must for your adventures is a suitcase generator does not a lot of money but will charge up everything in a 3/4 hours and save you from being stuck without power
Congratulations on your 20,000 subscribers what an achievement by the look of them battery’s there look old ,you might have to invest in two new ones,Happy Christmas and a great new year,just love your blogs the kids look so happy and contented ,how does the lorry doing on fuel? Take care guys see you soon ,John 🎄🌹🎅🏻🌲🤶🥳🤫🫶🙃🌲👀💡
Another great edition. If the batteries were at 50% after 6 days with shade, and being overcast, you would be good for 2 to 3 weeks in optimal conditions. With the truck batteries, could be a bad connection, or an alternator issue. Great to see the Christmas spirit, and the tree. Take care and see you in one week. Happy Christmas all.
Very enjoyable
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching 🙂
super video guys, shame about the battery situation but you handled it so well. your kids are amazing just loved Jack singing "hit the road Jack" at the end. What memories for all the kids. Take care
Thank you 🤗 haha we sing that song a lot 😂 see you next Sunday 🙂🥰
You have Solar -- why not charge the truck battery's from the solar system? do you not have a DC to DC charger connected to them? you could still patch them in
to the solar system if not :)
12:24 the underrun bars should flip up really easily, probably a single ¼" pin on each bracket.
I didn't know this. Thanks for the tip 👍
@@Touringwiththekidsit's not fun wiggling batteries past the bars, I've done it myself & someone told me they unclip minutes later, thankfully before I put the batteries back.
@@Touringwiththekidson most designs the pin holds the guards up too so you don't have to go rummaging for a prop.
Get your self a light weight Large wheeled Sack truck with a few straps to carry heavy items as in this case with the batteries. The batteries could weigh up to 30kg each depending on the amperage. Also as mentioned prior a multi meter to check the voltages. Also sometimes the drainage can also be from opening and closing the doors as you could be utilising the power drain from the lights turning on and off.
Put an Anderson connector on your truck , near the main traction batteries so you can give yourself a jump from your leisure batteries when you need to , and buy a generator to start from that if you get stuck
You could do with a hinged section in that side skirt to make access to the batteries easier.
Glad you are sorted. It’s worth investing in a heavy duty jump pack to jump start if the batteries go flat again. Also worth looking at your off grid charging and whether that’s able to trickle charge the vehicle batteries while parked up.
Also must emphasise don’t travel with feet on the dashboard.
Another suggestion is fit side windows in the cab so the kids can see out better and lighten the rear seat area.
Thanks Mark. We'll be getting the windows in the cab fitted when we return to the UK. We had trouble sourcing them in time for this trip
Another great video adventure after adventure exploring new places seeing and meeting new people different culture what’s not to love the kids are having a great time looking forward to the next video 🎅🧑🎄⛄️❄️❤
Aww thankyou!!! Glad you enjoyed the video 🙂
You can check if the alternator is working by measuring the voltage at the battery - with the engine running you might see a higher voltage than when the engine is off. If the engine is revved sa bit the alternator should provide a higher voltage at the battery (so no need to find your alternator!)
Having jump leads might not help as most motorcaravans are based on van chassis, so will have 12v batteries (though with 2 sets of jump leads and 2 friendly vans, you could get 24v to start.
Is your jump pack 12v or 24v?
I had a 6.5 tonne Iveco with an analogue tacho (using paper charts) - that flattened it's battery when not driven, though it took 2 weeks. I cured that with an isolator switch - though disconnecting one of the battery leads could work as a temporary measure
Congrats on 20k!
That's awesome, thank you 😊
You should have bought a truck from Chris Hodges, you are just down the road from me if you are in Vinaros, we have free park up and free water here.
Nice, how are you enjoying Spain? 🇪🇸
@@Touringwiththekids I been here since 1988 and Portugal too.
Glad you got the van sorted Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all xx
Merry Christmas to you too 🥰
Have a fantastic Christmas guys snd congratulations on the 20k subs! Smashing it. Keira that is me too after a couple of glasses of wine at lunch. Love that happy buzz. ❤😂🎉
Thankyou so much guys 😂😂 definitely a happy buzz going on. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas too 🤩🎅
Hi guys, you can put the DCDC into power supply mode and charge your lorry batteries, don't try and jump start with lithium though.
Thanks, I'll look into this as this would be ideal as we have plenty of solar to keep the leisure batteries charger. 👍
Looking very festive, and very well done for surviving off grid, great to hear all the systems are working as they should 👍
Thankyou. It's feeling so homely with all the Christmas lights now x
Hi guys just I'm just watched your episode with your flat batteries if you're not making a good connection on that terminal that could be why your batteries are failing so get a new terminal sooner than later have a good journey
Hope you get the charging issues sorted, quite envious of the southern sun.
Congratulations on 20000 nutters watching your videos, absolutely love watching your videos good luck with the onward adventure
Thanks so much!
congratulations on the 20k guys 👍👍
Thank you so much 😀 🤩
Hi Keira mama misses you all so much, missing my gorgeous rugrats, kisses to them from nanna x oh and keep your feet off the dash please 😮
We miss you too! Xx
Thank goodness you got out of there! The beach looks lovely. Happy Christmas! Love Beth
Thank you! You too! Have a wonderful Christmas time x
Phew, thank goodness for that mechanic 🎉
I know. We were so lucky to have the garage just round the corner and so lucky that he was so generous!
Congratulations on the milestone, I'm sure the channel will continue to grow. Hope you get the electrics sorted easily, but at least it proved you can do a few days off grid. 😊
Thank you! 🥰🤩
You need a volt metre to check your alternator and some heavy duty jump leads for times like these.
First I need to locate the alternator 🤔. Great suggestions though, thanks 👍
@@Touringwiththekidsyou can check the Voltage at the battery or anywhere in the wiring that isn't loaded, the cigarette lighter socket is easy to get to.
How cool love the video the tree is so sweet we put our tree out it’s 2’ not counting the base and it fits perfectly on the back of the table living in RV don’t have lots of room. What a cute name decoration day. I sure hope you get the batterie’s sorted Yay your up and running travel safe guys God Bless
Thankyou! Sounds like you have a cute little Christmas tree too 🎄 got to be done, no matter how small 🥰
Get yourself a volt meter in the cab so you can see if the vehicle alternator is charging...Also purchase a good jump pack. Topdon 3000 is a good one...
Tacko is enough to drain the battery, if it's not started in few day's
Do you know why the batteries were low? Maybe something that's connected on that circuit was turned on. Also, since you have lithium, you could possibly connect the lithium batteries to the engine batteries for a boost to get the engine running. Finally jumper cables could add another backup procedure so you could get a boost from another camper. Happy camping!
I guess the majority of campers are on 12 volts while they are on 24 volts so a jumper cable wouldn't do much
Talk to an expert before jumpstarting with lithium batteries, I'm pretty sure they don't like it.
A battery charger running off the inverter works fine, either one 24V one or two 12V ones.
Electric wheelchairs are usually 24V lead-acid (though much smaller) so the charger will work as a trickle charger & at least compensate for a tacho or something that's draining the battery.
Well done guys 20k subscribers. If you are doing short stints and the weather is cold it makes the battery’s work harder especially when starting. You could buy a starter pack that you keep charged up and use for starting when required. Do you have a DctoDc charger?. Also you can use your house batteries to start your engine in emergency conditions. Best get it sorted though in case you need new batteries 😢😢😢😢John
ur family is amazing
Thank you 😊
You need a modification on your nearside sidebar front , angle grind it off behind the batt cage , then make bolt on modification for future batt problems = very little cost and it will save your back from injury . Noticed on the first few seconds wifelet had her feet on the dashboard all nice and restful VERY STRONG warning if you crash your going feet first through the glass sliding out of the seatbelt then breaking your neck on the seatbelt or landing up in a wheelchair at the least and the kids have no mother ,
The under-run bars should flip up, no modification needed.
Should they?? I didn't know this, I'll check tomorrow 👍
Sounds to me that one or both of the batteries has got a collapsed cell. If you haven't already done so I would get both checked before you head off to Africa. It may well be that they need replacing.
My taco drains my battery in winter when I'm not driving for several days. I fitted an isolator switch which works really well. When I tested for a battery drain I couldn't get a reading but perhaps its just having the battery in negative state that is the problem. I haven't set up my solar yet as iv been getting my roof redone first. I wonder if having the solar charging the vehicle battery will solve the problem. I've got such a good fridge now that I can go a week without charging my leisure battery so havent bothered setting up the solar. Maybe just a little solar panel in the cab to support your vehicle battery.
We thought about this. We've seen small 40w panels with built in charger, might look into this when back in the UK. Isolator switch is a good idea 👍
@@Touringwiththekidsconsider an electric wheelchair charger running off your inverter. When the starting battery is charged they take next to nothing to keep them charged.
I have a Lidl 12V charger (on motorcycle setting) off my inverter keeping the starting battery maintained, you would want 2 for 24V unless you find the rare one that also does 24V.
@@Touringwiththekids700 Amp isolators aren't easy to find, most are 200A. Just take a battery lead off. The earth lead where it connects to the chassis may be the easiest, keep it greased to prevent corrosion though.
Enjoyed watching. Always a lovely time of the year when you've got kids. At least you were parked up somewhere safe with lots of other campers around. Did you find out what the problem was with your engine batteries draining,?
Just watching now 😂 love teddy's face with the juice 😂 . Gorgeous family have a great Christmas 🤶 🎅🌲
First taste of a fizzy drink 😂
@@Touringwiththekids aww you can tell 😂😍
@@Touringwiththekidsdon't go overboard with fizzy drinks, it's done with CO₂ which dissolves in water to make weak carbonic acid. Teeth can cope with a bit but not too much.
1st time was today !! @@alanhat5252
Great video guys merry Christmas to you all hope you all have a fantastic Christmas
A very merry Christmas to you too 🤩
@Touringwiththekids hope you get your lorry fixed
Hi guys love the video have a lovely Xmas 😊
Thank you! You too!
Are they the original batteries if they are could be worth getting them tested 👍👍
Had them tested this summer, 97% and 86%, both reading 'good' condition
@@Touringwiththekids is the alternator working correctly and giving full charge 🤔
@@Touringwiththekidsthat mismatch might be a problem, keep monitoring each battery so they're _both_ getting fully charged. 12.8V to 13.2V half an hour after stopping the engine ideally.
Congrats to the milestone but i bet in a few mounts its dubbel that size.Loved the video. Have a great week.
Thankyou! Ah wouldn't that be amazing 🤩
Congrats on your 20k 🎉
Thank you so much 😀
so glad that you guys got out hehe id thought you'd never get out of there anther good video to watch much love guys drive safe now
Thanks 👍 can't complain too much, it was a nice place to be stuck 😂
@@Touringwiththekids hehe as long as you guys had a blast
Great video again, we always look out to see what nationalities are parked up, but as we have a Spanish van Brits usually ignore us until we speak first lol - hope you get your charging problem sorted soon nd enjoy your travels in Spain, if we see when out and about we will say hi
Ah good point, everyone will just assume you are Spanish 😂
7;20 some new top's perfact for ric lol
Just a heads up .....Its illegal to put your feet up onto the dashboard whilst in transit...In the Uk that is.not sure about abroad
we have an apartment in southern spain a quarter drive south of Malaga have had it since 2000 love your videos I must say Merry Christmas I don't know if you will record more this year
Legs on dash definitely a no no ! Have a look a some xrays of people who had an accident
BTW..feet up on the dash is a nono with the guardia, they will fine you, another tip is if the junction says stop, then come to a full stop for a second, they hide up looking to fine you for that as well...hate to see you hit with a 200eur fine😩
Thanks for the heads up
I always check if you have posted a new blog and save it to watch for later. Curious, is it a comfortable ride in the lorry compared with your other van? Lovely to see some sunshine and the sea. I guess there will be occasional hiccups with Lori, you took it in your stride and got it sorted. Looking forward to your next update. Africa will be another great adventure…. I’m sure you will do your research on customs and cultural differences. Happy Christmas. I hope Santa can find you with Santa Maps.. 😊
Aww amazing. Well we have another going live tomorrow, so don't miss that one. Christmassy one too 🧑🎄 It's a comfortable ride in the front, but probably not any more or less so than the van to be honest. I'm sure Santa will find us over here xxx
Another great video guys really enjoying all the diffrent locations. Would be worth checking with a multi meater that the alternater is actually charging the batteries because they definitely shouldn't be going flat like that could be a faulty alternater or batterie
A DC current clamp meter would be useful for checking the charge current into the batteries.
I have a multi metre so will give this a go. Will have to find the alternator first 🤣
you can also measure at the batteries while the engine is running
Put the meter on the battery terminals on the red and black terminals your lorry should be putting 26-28 volts out.@@Touringwiththekids
@@tutsywutsy and you might want to take a closer look at that lose terminal
Excellent video guys but just one problem I noted in that whilst you were driving Kiera had her feet up on the dashboard, should the inevetiable happen which I hope it doesn't Kiera's knees will smash into her face and her hips will be dislocated, when driving always keep you feet on the floor.
Cant you put a tricle charger to the mains battery from the solar and leisure batteries?
Great video, your coping well 😃🙏
Where did you put your poo-compost waste ?
Thankyou. That just goes in with regular waste in bins
@@Touringwiththekids ohh that's easy 😀
@@epcode5121 yes the easiest bit to be honest!
The lorry battery should be charged first when it's full it then charges the leisure battery check connections on your charger put a volt meter on lorry battery see it's charging first then test leisure battery
1:22 all Diesels with DPFs do "regen", it's nothing to do with size.
Why haven’t you had the rear cab windows installed so that the kids can see out better.
We had trouble sourcing them in the UK, so will be getting them done upon our return.
We are not lunatics !!!
czcams.com/video/VU_M0AXM7I8/video.html
Need to do a drop test on the batteries, see if they can hold the load.
Normally once they fail won’t be long before they go again.
Shame you can’t install a 24v out put from the leisure batteries, so at least you can give yourself a jump start…. Next time.
Inverter & battery charger works.
It's not super efficient, though better with the small electronic units.
You can jump start a 24 volt system with 12 volts just put the jump leads onto 1 battery, you need a topdon 300 jc that will start you if you go flat again.
You cannot seriously be giving bad advise like that, yes it might work on starting the broken 24v vehicle but as soon as it does 24v will change direction to the 12v an then what do you think happens. Its not rocket science.
@user-zb9os5lk7t if you only connected to one battery even when running still only be 12v
You really need a volt meter to test the batteries and see if they are being charged. The B2B should have an ignition feed that switches it off when the engine is not running. We have a Renege Battery Meter on our system, this will show you exactly what is happening, especially good for fault finding as you can see in an instant if you B2B is working. we have the Stirling 120A B2B in the motorhome, and our eldest has 2 x Renogy 50A MPPT B2B's on his. We rely on B2B's and treat solar as a bonus. Congrats on the subscribers.
the batteries will have gone flat for a reason, possibly alternator not working or charging them, or you have something else draining the charge.
You guys should buy a good battery charger, I’m sure it won’t be the last time it happens
Just kidding wont put the ladder out but i will hang my smalls from the wing mirror😅😅😅😅😅
Omg churros are soo good we only had them at mablethorpe lol 😂 can’t get them in notts a shame coz there soo good xxx
They're so tasty aren't they!!!
Yea they are 😋 love them hehe there soo naughty could eat them all time lol
Don’t your side protector un clip and lift up
They have bolts but were difficult to undo so went with the next best option.
@@Touringwiththekidson each bracket one bolt is a hinge & one holds it in place, sometimes it's a pin & R-pin, occasionally just a spring clip.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
👍😎
so ever second vid ric is going to get stuck lol
😂😂😂
You have 2 DAF batteries the 2 positive posts should be the same and the 2 neg posts should be the same on the battery , ,Pos and neg posts are different sizes ,possibly if it is the neg that is an issue then someone at some stage of its life may have replaced the terminal on the loom with the wrong one ,they generally have a P or N on them..or the post on the battery is U/S ..I feel your pain with the batteries ,and there are bigger batteries available ,back breakers ..The tacho will not flatten a battery and it also has its own back up battery ,vdo / siemens tacho ,which should be changed 2 yearly....
Paper chart tachos flatten batteries.
Not sure what you're saying with the rest of it though.
@@alanhat5252 but the merc gas a digi not analogue
One battery is dead
Modern batteries don't last long, i see your aren't original, the dealer might have changed the MB ones for some spare second hand ones, new batteries may be needed.
You drove for what you said about hour. Then your van hasnt started for 3 days it will drain