Battery Maintainer (brake buddy) Hookup question

[rv rick]

I am hooking up a new tow car and decided to try the Brake Buddy Battery Maintainer and hooked it up according to instructions -- all you do is connect the aux. power source from the coach to the maintainer and then the maintainer to the positive terminal on the tow car. However, there is no connection to the negative battery or ground on the car. So, I was curious how the negative connection was made -- I assume it is connected through the tow bar when the car is physically connected to the coach.

Have any of you used one of these? Does it work well for you? I appreciate any information.

[rgvtexan]

Does it get the ground through the lighting connector?

[rv rick]

I installed separate lights in the tow car and the ground through the coach wiring connector is connected directly to these lights on the tow car. The ground from the coach is not connected to the tow car itself. However, when the car is connected to the coach with the tow bar, I believe the tow bar will serve as a ground according to the Brake Buddy folks I just spoke to. Still not quite clear on this, but hope it works!

[mfire1339]

I would connect that ground wire to the toed chassis as a precaution!

Mike

[wa8yxm]

They are relying on the hitch/tow bar to provide the ground return.. I recommend an aux ground return, 10ga sounds about right.. but then I'm paranoid about that kind of thing.

or if you have tow lightes via a diode kit the ground return there (Which I would like to see upgraded) is the path.

If you use magnetic tow lights or "Add-a-bulb" that may not be the case.