charging the toad battery when towing

[peter1]

hi
if i hook up a wire from my positive rv battery to my toad vehicle postive battery will that keep the battery on toad vehicle charge while the ignation is in the acc position

pete

[GaryKD]

Hi Pete,
I would not recommend this. There should also be a diode and fuse between the coach and toad. The object would be to allow current only from the coach to the toad (diode). The fuse for overload problems. In addition to all this, one would need to add a device so when the coach alternator is not charging the coach battery, there would be no current flowing to the toad. It would be a bad situation to have the coach battery drained because of the toad.

I took the easy way out. Go to http://www.lslproducts.com/ToadChargePage.html and consider this product. It is what I use.

[rmmpe]

Another vote for the "Toad-Charge" powered directly from the Coach battery (fused, of course).

[Gary RVRoamer]

Instead of running direct from the coach battery, run it from the hot side of the ignition switch. That way it provides power only when the coach is running. Use a diode and fuse or circuit breaker rated for at least 10A - 15-20 would be better. You can do that for less money than the Toad Charge, but the TC has everything you need in the package and it works good. That's the easy way out and best if you aren't versed in wiring from scratch.

[peter1]

thanks for all the great responses

pete

[RVDude]

One other significant advantage of the Toad-Charge over just the diodes is the TC limits the current flow. The old model limits it to 5amp and the newer models (past couple years) limits it to (I think) 10amp. This way you never need to worry about excess current in the wiring to the toad.

[Our Time]

Another vote for the toad charge. I installed the 10 amp version and have had no problems towing for three days without starting the toad. You can also buy it from RV Upgrades. (One of our sponsors)