He purchased it to pull his 28 ft. Double slide out
camper,
Three times a year.

Every 8 days I see he has the hood cracked open and a battery charger hooked up.

Is that s.o.p. ?

Should pickups lose their charge in a week?

No, not normal.
Despite the draw on the battery by the compuer(s), radio memory, security systems which is called by GM as a parasitic load that should not require a battery charge in eight days.

Technical Service Bulletins that GM issued suggested that if a vehicle was not being operated for over thirty days that the ECM fuse be pulled.

I’d suggest that the battery be load tested and if that passes then a current draw test be performed to find the draw.

Get the batteries tested. Being four years old, I'm thinking they need to be replaced.

Is this a battery maintainer since the truck is driven so little, or is his battery (or two, if a diesel) actually going dead?

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
Is this a battery maintainer since the truck is driven so little, or is his battery (or two, if a diesel) actually going dead?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I don't "know" Lewis.
I
Just know of him.

He and his wife and two kids live three houses down.

I thought the whole jumping and recharging thing was a bit odd.

Is it a diesel?

Is it only during the winter?

Is there an actual jump box or battery charger, or is there just a power cord run out to it?

If the latter, that's normal. Most diesel trucks have a block heater that's run off an extension cord while the truck is parked during the wintertime, used to warm the engine and prevent cold starts, which are hard on diesels (and they won't start at all in really cold temps).

I've seen him pull another pick up to it and use jumper cables to start it.
And
I've seen him pull an orange extension cord out there and plug in a charger.

Cant know about the diesel question.

It sounds like the battery is going dead, then. If original, at 4 years old it might just be plain old bad. Or there is a parasitic drain. This could be something as innocent as a dome light being left on, it has an improperly wired electrical accessory, or it has some electronic module not "going to sleep." I hated getting those when I was in the business. With all the time the truck spends sitting, rodent damage to wiring is possible.

I had a 99 silverado that needed a battery within 2 years from when I purchased it brand new.
I had a diesel Jetta same thing. After I put new batteries in I had normal lifespans with the batteries.I believe that car companies put in cheap batteries to keep costs down.

He should buy a Noco battery maintainer if he doesn't drive it daily.

Was the alternator checked?

If the trailer pigtail was messed with for towing the camper, or if trailer brakes were added later there may be something wrong in the wiring.