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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

You need side windows in the back for your kids to be able to enjoy driving around more.

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 👍

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Think you will find a DPF is fitted to all modern diesels in most countries to meet emission standards, not only larger vehicles lol

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.

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...

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.

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 🎄

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 !

You could do with a hinged section in that side skirt to make access to the batteries easier.

Merry Christmas to you all and hope the children have a good day

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

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

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 🎄🌹🎅🏻🌲🤶🥳🤫🫶🙃🌲👀💡

Congrats on 20k 🎉

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.

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.

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

12:24 the underrun bars should flip up really easily, probably a single ¼" pin on each bracket.

Another ace video guys ❤

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.

Aww bless all of you! Happy Christmas to you and Happy New Year - Jack, Teddy, Pippa and mum & Dad.

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

Very enjoyable

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 🎅🧑‍🎄⛄️❄️❤

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 :)

Congrats on 20k!

Hope you get the charging issues sorted, quite envious of the southern sun.

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.

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

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.

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

ur family is amazing

Phew, thank goodness for that mechanic 🎉

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 ,

Looking very festive, and very well done for surviving off grid, great to hear all the systems are working as they should 👍

Congratulations on 20000 nutters watching your videos, absolutely love watching your videos good luck with the onward adventure

You need a volt metre to check your alternator and some heavy duty jump leads for times like these.

congratulations on the 20k guys 👍👍

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.

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

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...

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

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 😮

Glad you got the van sorted Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all xx

Thank goodness you got out of there! The beach looks lovely. Happy Christmas! Love Beth

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,?

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. 😊

7;20 some new top's perfact for ric lol

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. ❤😂🎉

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!

Tacko is enough to drain the battery, if it's not started in few day's

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😩

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.

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

Congrats to the milestone but i bet in a few mounts its dubbel that size.Loved the video. Have a great week.

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 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

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

Great video guys merry Christmas to you all hope you all have a fantastic Christmas

Legs on dash definitely a no no ! Have a look a some xrays of people who had an accident

Hi guys love the video have a lovely Xmas 😊

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

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.. 😊

Just watching now 😂 love teddy's face with the juice 😂 . Gorgeous family have a great Christmas 🤶 🎅🌲

Congrats on your 20k 🎉

the batteries will have gone flat for a reason, possibly alternator not working or charging them, or you have something else draining the charge.

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.

Are they the original batteries if they are could be worth getting them tested 👍👍

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

1:22 all Diesels with DPFs do "regen", it's nothing to do with size.

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.

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 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.

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

You guys should buy a good battery charger, I’m sure it won’t be the last time it happens

Why haven’t you had the rear cab windows installed so that the kids can see out better.

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 ?

We are not lunatics !!!

Don’t your side protector un clip and lift up

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

Just kidding wont put the ladder out but i will hang my smalls from the wing mirror😅😅😅😅😅

👍😎

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

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....

Famous last words "The lorry is doing really well". How about getting the kids stuck behind the seats a monitor and a camera on the windscreen so they can watch

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.