?? on Casita 17' Spirit Deluxe

[Harvey]

Hi All - Still working on my '84 Scamp 13, converting the rear dinette to a full time bed, & the front bunk/couch to a 2-person dinette/porta potti cabinet.

Couple of days ago I was offered a chance at a 2001 Casita 17' Spirit Deluxe. I wouldn't have selected the 17' Casita due to the hitch weight but, this one kinda 'fell into my lap' as it were. Trailer has been used but well cared for & price was what I consider excellent, so I 'pulled the trigger' on it. It of course has brakes but since my '08 Toyota Tacoma 4dr, V-6 4x4 doesn't have a controller installed, I decided to see how it would do pulling the trailer home (300 miles) without a brake controller. If I'd noticed anything untoward or if it had given me ANY indication I might have a problem, I'd have taken it to the nearest U-Haul or RV dealer & had 'em install a controller before continuing. That thing followed my truck like a puppydog & brakes on the Toyota worked like a champ. 'Course I kept a very close eye on traffic & allowed plenty of time to react to developing problems/situations. Driving at 55mph it was a pleasant 6 hr trip home, & surprisingly my fuel mileage only dropped less'n a mile per gallon over towing the Scamp. Apparently the original owner was a 'packrat & a neatness nut' (meant in the nicest, kindest possible way). I think every piece of paper, he ever got on the trailer was kept. Owner manual(s), instructions, invoices, etc., are all in acetate sleeves in a 3-ring binder, & passed on to me by the 2nd owner.

Only problem is there was no battery in the outside access compartment at the left rear. Guy I bought from provided a new battery but when I went to install it today, I can't find any directions/instructions on what wire goes where. I'm pretty familiar with 12 RV wiring & I'm pretty sure the black wire is 'hot' & the white 'ground', but there's a green wire about same gauge as the 'hot' wire in the compartment & the way it is tied off (with ZIP ties) it appears to go to the same lug as the ground (black hot wire is loose in the compartment much longer than the other two. I can't access the rear of the power converter (without almost dismantling the rear dinette) so I'm hoping someone on here with a similar year 17' Casita Spirit Deluxe may be able to at least give me some idea of what the wire is for & where it goes. I first thought of possible power to the brakes for a 'break away' switch but there's no break away switch. May install one of those after I get a brake controller for my truck. Oh yeah, ALL the wire lugs in the comparment have same size hole & none are large enough to fit even the smallest battery lug??

HELP...

[Dudley]

I went through the same thing with my 98 when I bought it. The green wire is the ground to chassis and is hooked to the white which is the negative on the battery. There is a good manual put together by a member of the casita forum. You have to register to view and download it but here is the linkhttp://www.casitaforum.com/invboard/...owners-manual/

The manual has a good wiring diagram that may help.

As far as the lug size, most of the deep cycle batteries have bolt style lugs for the wires while auto batteries have the large lugs.