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Old 01-19-2013, 03:17 PM   #1
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Rvi or Brake Buddy power while towing

I have a 2013 Jeep Rubicon and use a Rvi to provide braking while towing. When the ignition is off I have not power to the power points. How do I power the Rvi while towing? Any solutions to this issue. I am assuming if I leave thekeyin the ignition and power point on itwilleventually run the battery down...
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Old 01-19-2013, 08:13 PM   #2
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I have a Blue Ox braking system I use in my Dakota. The owners manual says to disconnect the ground wire at the battery while towing so I was in the same boat as you with no power inside the cab. I went to Wal Mart and purchased one of those re-chargable portable jump start boxes that also have a 12V plugin on it. I sit it in the drivers seat and I plug the Blue Ox in and am good to go. Once I reach my stop for the night I recharge the jump box so it is ready to go the next morning.

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Old 01-19-2013, 08:36 PM   #3
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Hi Al

I also have an RVI and I Like it. I toe my 2006 jeep liberty.
My cigarette lighter has power when the ignition key is off. I plug in the RVI. I leave the car in neutral. I turn turn key to the first position. The only thing on I'd the odometer. When you close had door that goes off also. No extra miles will show on the car. I don't disconnect any wires. I've towed 15k miles so far like that. Car works great.
I hope that helps.
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Old 01-19-2013, 08:39 PM   #4
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Is there any way in ERIC to change the status of the 12V socket? I am awaiting my 2013 Wrangler and think the RVi is the best solution for a brand new rig under warranty. My Sprinter RV has always on 12V and I have come to think this is SOP. Thanks for the heads up that I will be disappointed. Using a emergency starter is certainly a workable solution. Thanks for that tip.

I am wondering about the Mopar wiring harness. I see that it accepts seven pin plugs. I am wondering if that means it will charge the battery from the RV. Need to head to the Dodge dealer and ask some questions. I hope they have answers.
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Old 01-19-2013, 08:43 PM   #5
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Hi

I tow an 04 Dakota and use a brake buddy. My cigarette /power outlets only had power when the key was in the run position. I got under the dash and ran 2 wires from the battery to the outlet so there is always power, was an easy job,My Dakota manual says nothing about disconnecting a battery cable and I have never done that. I only turn the key to the first click to unlock the steering wheel, no miles go on the truck this way. If I turn the key to the run position the is a bigger power drain and the miles being towed show up.

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Old 01-19-2013, 08:48 PM   #6
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Hi,

We use a Brake Buddy when we tow our 2005 Saturn Vue. The ign key is set to ACC, and the Ignition fuse is pulled. Under this set up , the battery has never gone down. We've towed as long as 12 hours in a day. I would think you might be able to do the same thing if you can find the right fuse to pull.
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Old 01-19-2013, 09:31 PM   #7
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Another solution. If you are using a 7 pin cable from the mh to the towd you will have a spare pin to bring over 12v from the MH. I had to bring 12V for my tranny pump on my 2WD jeep. You could easily run that to the RVI. Also keeps do have a 12v power socket somewhere else in the car. Either the front compartment between the seats or the back seats. There is one located in every jeep.
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Old 01-20-2013, 07:29 AM   #8
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What is "RVI"? I installed a US Gear Unified Tow Brake system in my 13 Rubicon and it has a hot wire directly to the MH that gives the system power.

There is a plug inside the console on your Jeep that stays hot, regardless of the position of the key so you should be able to connect to it.
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Old 01-20-2013, 07:38 AM   #9
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I plug the BB into the hot socket in the console of my 12 JK. Have gone 3 days without a battery issue, dont know how long it would go.
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Old 01-20-2013, 07:39 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by workinrvers View Post
I have a Blue Ox braking system I use in my Dakota. The owners manual says to disconnect the ground wire at the battery while towing so I was in the same boat as you with no power inside the cab. I went to Wal Mart and purchased one of those re-chargable portable jump start boxes that also have a 12V plugin on it. I sit it in the drivers seat and I plug the Blue Ox in and am good to go. Once I reach my stop for the night I recharge the jump box so it is ready to go the next morning.

Phil
I also use an auxiliary power supply (sold as a jump starter) for our Brake Buddy and it works quite well. I have gone as many as five days travel without recharging, but normally try to recharge every night. Someone on this forum said this was a stupid thing to use as you would never know if the power supply was dead while you were driving. I ignored the comment and have continued to use it. For me, it is a great solution to the problem of excessive battery draw on our CRV.
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Old 01-20-2013, 08:18 AM   #11
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Hi old dude

RVI is a braking system that required no major installation other then the breakaway switch.
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Old 01-20-2013, 10:10 AM   #12
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Powering from the Motorhome is a bad idea because in a brake away situation you would have no power to the braking system.

If you have to disconnect the battery before towing, you could always rig an additional fused 12V outlet from the battery (use a battery cutoff switch instead of removing a cable) to somewhere in the dash area.

And finally, if you don't have to disconnect the battery but are afraid of the battery being dead by the time you get there, you could always use a ToadCharge system to tie the car battery into the coach charging system.
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Old 01-20-2013, 11:28 AM   #13
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My 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee has a hot-all-the-time outlet inside the console that I use for my RVI unit. Look at your Jeep owners manual and if it's not in the console then maybe somewhere else.

From my Owners Manual:

"ELECTRICAL POWER OUTLETS
Your vehicle is equipped with 12 Volt (13 Amp) power
outlets that can be used to power cellular phones, small
electronics and other low powered electrical accessories.
The power outlets are marked as either a “key” or a
“battery” symbol to indicate how the outlet is powered.
Power outlets labeled with a “key” are powered when
the ignition switch is in the ON or ACC position, while
the outlets marked with a “battery” are connected directly
to the battery and powered at all times."
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Old 01-21-2013, 08:17 AM   #14
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Dennis, thanks! I found my "hot" outlet to power my Rvi brake controller. Simple once put to the forum!
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