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01-04-2012, 09:03 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: sebring,fl
Posts: 314
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brake buddy/ battery charge
hi new at towing 4 down so ths may be just a stuoid question but i have a 2011 jeep wrangler and using the blue ox patriot 2010 break buddie system and was wondering if i need to run a wire from the coach to the jeep to keep the batterie charged and if the break buddie constantly pulls from the batterie of the jeep, this break buddie does have a baterie in it self also but not to sure how it all works, getting ready to go to florida in febuary so it will be the first long hual withthis settup. i plan on driving 4-6 hours a day and then stoping for a day no rush to get there and back. any info will be great thanks
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01-04-2012, 11:36 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Wellington, Florida
Posts: 13,599
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Hi jimbooth25,
I do not use or know about BB battery draw. However, I use TOAD-CHARGE Dinghy Vehicle Battery Charger/Maintainer to ensure the toad battery stays charged. For me, it is cheap insurance against unplanned tasks. The USGEAR brake system, I use, charges the toad battery automatically. The toad charge is a backup to the USGEAR capability.
__________________
Gary
2005 Newmar KSDP 3910 + GMC ENVOY XUV 37K lbs Moving Down The Road
The Avatar Is Many Times Around The USA
Nobody Knows Your Coach Like Somebody Who Owns One Just Like Yours
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01-04-2012, 11:39 AM
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#3
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Litchfield Park, Arizona
Posts: 10,530
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I've used Brake Buddy on my Jeep and now Explorer toads without any charging hook up. No problems at all so far.
Rick
__________________
Rick, Nancy, Peanut & Lola our Westie Dogs & Bailey the Sheltie.
2007 Itasca Ellipse 40FD
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01-06-2012, 09:22 AM
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#4
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 71
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just in case, I have a solar trickle charger sitting on the dash of my toad and plug it into the cig lighter using a Y adapter. Never had any issues.
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01-06-2012, 07:16 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner Triple E Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Williams Lake,BC Canada
Posts: 1,230
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I have towed for up to 5 days without any problems. I don't even unplug it at night while camping.
__________________
2020 Triple E Wonder RTB
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01-06-2012, 11:41 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Forest River Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: San Diego County, California
Posts: 875
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OK my two cents...I have had a dead battery on my toad from towing. So I starting use the Toad-Charger..works great keeps things charged on the toad. No more dead toad battery.
__________________
Steve & Leslie
Forest River 2018 Forester 3011DS
Honda 2010 CR-V AWD "Toad"
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01-09-2012, 08:21 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: sebring,fl
Posts: 314
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so whats this toad charger thing?
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01-09-2012, 08:44 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: sebring,fl
Posts: 314
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was wondering if i can tap into the light wires that are run from the coach to put an 12v port to plug the break buddie into that instead of the on in the jeep, any feed back would be great
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01-09-2012, 08:46 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: sebring,fl
Posts: 314
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forgot to say its a 4 way plug from the mh to the jeep
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01-09-2012, 09:42 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Forest River Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: San Diego County, California
Posts: 875
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jimbooth25
so whats this toad charger thing?
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This will keep your tow vehicle battery charged while towing. You hook it up to the MH chassis battery, run a long wire (supplied) to the back of the MH, across the tow hitch and hook into the car battery. Has an included protection to keep from over charging the toad or draining the MH battery. With this in use you need not worry about having a dead battery in the tow vehicle having towed long distances. Works like a charm...I use one and would not tow without it.
__________________
Steve & Leslie
Forest River 2018 Forester 3011DS
Honda 2010 CR-V AWD "Toad"
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01-09-2012, 09:52 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Forest River Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: San Diego County, California
Posts: 875
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jimbooth25
was wondering if i can tap into the light wires that are run from the coach to put an 12v port to plug the break buddie into that instead of the on in the jeep, any feed back would be great
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Break Buddy instructions do not say anything about doing this, BUT this seems kind of odd. IF you lose power to the Break Buddy "if" the plug fails you have no breaking in the tow vehicle. I would instead us a 12v port/plug on or in the Jeep. Be very sure to fuse the plug. While traveling\towing the Break Buddy will be drawing current from the Jeep battery. But the draw should not be heavy...unless you traveling very long distances. The try a Toad Charge.
__________________
Steve & Leslie
Forest River 2018 Forester 3011DS
Honda 2010 CR-V AWD "Toad"
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01-10-2012, 04:58 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Everett,PA
Posts: 178
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I am new to the RV world as well. I have the brake buddy system on our 2003 Jeep Liberty. I ran the extra auxillary lights into the existing lenses of the jeep so that I can unhook the toad battery. We have made three trips to Florida (right at 1000 miles one way). I have no auxillary charger on my toad and have not had a single problem with dead batteries. I do however, keep a 110v battery charger in the coach for any battery issues.
__________________
The Collins Family
Travis, Kim, Richard, Rebecca
2 Yorkies(Sophie and Annie)
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01-10-2012, 05:22 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,648
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jimbooth25
was wondering if i can tap into the light wires that are run from the coach to put an 12v port to plug the break buddie into that instead of the on in the jeep, any feed back would be great
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Only if you want to have significant wiring damage in the lighting system of your coach!! The BrakeBuddy will draw close to 15 amps when it applies the brakes on your toad. This is why BrakeBuddy recommends 12 gauge wiring be used to wire the power port DIRECTLY to the toad battery with a 15 amp inline fuse. The lights on your coach are probably wired with 16 or 18 guage wire which is not heavy enough to handle the current draw.
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01-10-2012, 06:36 PM
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 3,607
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There's lots of high priced solutions to your problem that many will try to promote, but all you need is a wire and fuse. Your class A should have a +12V post in the seven wire plug. Run a 10ga wire up to the + (red) post on your battery. To protect the circuit, put a 15 or 20A fuse close to the battery. Check the +12 on your class A plug to see if it goes cold when you turn the RV ignition off. Some stay hot and some shut down. I'm a belt and suspenders type guy myself, so when I stop for a night on the road without unhooking, I pull the 7 wire plug to be sure I don't drain coach batteries. I also use a cigar lighter voltage monitor (< $10 at Walmart) in the toad to keep track of toad battery condition. When you put the 7 pin in, you'll see a change in voltage on the monitor that confirms the charging setup is working. Easy, quick, and cheap and it's worked for over 110K tow miles for us.
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