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LarryinID · 05-04-2018, 09:01 AM

Does anyone know why some vehicles recommend this?

How will my brake buddy work with the negative terminal disconnected?

Considering Chevy Colorado as new toad.

Sbrownstein · 05-04-2018, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryinID

Does anyone know why some vehicles recommend this?

How will my brake buddy work with the negative terminal disconnected?

Considering Chevy Colorado as new toad.

if you mean disconnecting the negative terminal in the TOAD...it won't work when you do that. You need to find out why they want it disconnected. Sometimes it is for the wheel lock, sometimes it is just because the acc position in the TOAD will discharge the battery.

On my Enclave, I wired the charge line from the coach...and leave all the fuses in. Starting the engine every 200 miles is a pain in the #### if you have to put the fuses back in.

LarryinID · 05-04-2018, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sbrownstein

if you mean disconnecting the negative terminal in the TOAD...it won't work when you do that. You need to find out why they want it disconnected. Sometimes it is for the wheel lock, sometimes it is just because the acc position in the TOAD will discharge the battery.

On my Enclave, I wired the charge line from the coach...and leave all the fuses in. Starting the engine every 200 miles is a pain in the #### if you have to put the fuses back in.

Thanks, Scott.

I lucked out and chose a Jeep Patriot (2016) as my first Toad. I chose it for the light weight but lucked out because it doesn’t require any fussing with the electrical system to hook up. I put extra bulbs in the taillights for turn signals, parking lights, and RV brake lights. The brake buddy also illuminates vehicle brake lights when it activates. I need to put the key in acc to power the brake buddy. It seems to demand very little power, maybe because the brake buddy rarely fires.

I am considering a new toad that will be my only car. I need one that can pull my small boat trailer. The puny engine in the Patriot isn’t up to that. Plus I need 4WD for winter. My Patriot is 2WD.

redcolorado · 05-04-2018, 03:44 PM

There is a long thread concerning the Colorado/Canyon under toads/towing that starts in Nov of 2014. It contains a lot of good information. Some believe disconnecting the battery is due to the electric steering assist, I do not know. On my 2015 Colorado I disconnect the POSITIVE cable using a Battery Brain. I use a Unified Tow Brake system and have it wired to bypass the Battery Brain. I also run a charge wire from the coach bypassing the Battery Brain. The Colorado has been a great toad. Towed 40,000 miles and driven 38,000 miles in 3.5 years with no problems.

fottip · 05-04-2018, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryinID

Does anyone know why some vehicles recommend this?

How will my brake buddy work with the negative terminal disconnected?

Considering Chevy Colorado as new toad.

No way to comment on all the myriad toad/rv combinations without doing the research. Suffice it to say that configuration requirements are all over the map. Some mandate drive-line disconnects. Others require battery disconnects. Still others require ignition switch positions to prevent steering lock - it goes on and on.

Some of us decide to bypass all these inconvenient requirements and simply tow vehicles that don't necessitate any of that, e.g., current production Jeep Wanglers. There are others. YMMV

LarryinID · 05-08-2018, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redcolorado

There is a long thread concerning the Colorado/Canyon under toads/towing that starts in Nov of 2014. It contains a lot of good information. Some believe disconnecting the battery is due to the electric steering assist, I do not know. On my 2015 Colorado I disconnect the POSITIVE cable using a Battery Brain. I use a Unified Tow Brake system and have it wired to bypass the Battery Brain. I also run a charge wire from the coach bypassing the Battery Brain. The Colorado has been a great toad. Towed 40,000 miles and driven 38,000 miles in 3.5 years with no problems.

How would I find that? When I try the Google search above it returns allbkinds of stuff even with irv2 checked.

LarryinID · 05-08-2018, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryinID

How would I find that? When I try the Google search above it returns allbkinds of stuff even with irv2 checked.

Figured out how to get the threads. Thanks.

Dutch Star Don · 05-09-2018, 07:50 PM

Larry....the GM Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado both have electric steering. The electric steering sensor is active ALL the time, even when the truck is off. If you try and tow it with the battery connected, the electric steering will try and correct when it senses wheel turning.

Some tend to disagree and say they aren't disconnecting the battery....their/your choice. On my Canyon, I disconnect the positive side of the battery, with a powered solenoid. It has a switch in the cab that disconnects the battery. Even with the battery disconnected, you can still connect a brake system directly to the battery.

wa8yxm · 05-10-2018, 07:28 AM

The reason they say to disconnect the negative battery terminal is because that many modern cars do not have an "OFF" position Just a "LOCKED" on the ignition or they have push button start, and thus they will draw power when towing,,, Lots of it. and run your battery down.

Your brake buddy will not work, Recommend a different braking system, Air force one, M&G, Ready Brake (I really like that concept but be careful of it's "issue" (Salty roads in the north corrode and jam the cable, brakes will not release. Same as praking brake cables).

Any sytem which does NOT rely on towed vehicle battery power.

Option 2 is to build yoruself a "portable car"

Say a Group 27, jumper cable it to your RV's batteries (house) for charging, but you put it in a box with a 12 volt accessory (lighter) socket for the brake buddy to connect to. Set it in the passanger seat floor and pad it so it can not roll over or use an AGM I'd suggest a Group 27 or 29 or even a 31 for this.

I used to do something like this for radios on the portable. Works great.

Skip426 · 05-10-2018, 07:49 AM

My toad needs the battery disconnected , because the key has to be on to unlock the steering.
So here's what I did.
I installed a quick disconnect in the battery negative cable , between the terminal and the vehicle frame. Then wired a dedicated power supply for the aux brake system direct to the battery terminals along with a charge wire and ground direct to the coach; with the properly sized fuses and circuit breakers, for both systems.

cvbdsl · 05-21-2018, 10:51 AM

My new toad (2018 Edge) is going in this week for base plate, lights and break away switch install.

In my manual it says I have to disconnect the negative side of the battery, so this morning I put in a simple screw type disconnect - what a pain!

The negative end of the battery is under the dash

and you have to loosen the battery hold down and slide the battery forward to get to it. Great engineering Ford!

With battery back in place I can just get one finger from each hand in to turn the knob. I don't see this working for a long time! I'm looking to see if I can find a battery disconnect with a remote.

P.S. I use a Patriot braking system but I use a portable battery from Harbor Freight with the 12v sockets just behind the drivers seat. I did the same with my last toad and never had any problems discharging it - I charge it each night. If it does die my remote up front will let me know.
Chris