Something I don't understand...Toad Battery

[Spizzer]

Originally Posted by JLWoodward

Spizzer
If I read right, you have to leave ign keyed on to keep steering unlocked. That's a drain but shouldn't be more than the std charge line should be capable of handling.
Assuming you know toad battery itself is good, then first make sure you've got power at the charge line at the 7 pin connector. Then I'd connect umbilical from rv to toad, start rv, leave toad not running and check batt volt on toad with meter is it 14v?
My bet is your not charging toad.

This is just what I am going to do, first chance I get.

Thanks,
jeff

[YC1]

Before you cut that line measure the voltage on the wire that feeds the pin. You can use a sharpened meter probe or a push pin to penetrate the wire.

If you have a diesel the batteries are probably near the rear and your fuses for the charge line may be near that. You may have plenty of power at the rv plug.

I got tire of all the pins and connections giving me heartburn so I just ran my own cable and connections. No more problems now.

[TeJay]

Have a ball!!! You are not taking a measured approach because you don't know what you are dealing with. I think what you are doing is usually called the shot gun approach.

"I suspect turn signals, brake light, running lights, and brake activation are all originating under the steering column, so does the hot lead. "

I almost can't believe that you just realized this. It has been mentioned a few times. In fact all vehicles are wired that way. How can you activate brake lights unless a wire is run from the front to the rear lights??

You still don't know what the charge voltage is at the TOAD. You don't know what the current draw is at the TOAD. UGH chasing a tail that you can't find!! You're choice!! So be it!!

I hope it works out for you. You will learn from this.

[Leary54]

I bought the toad charger 3 Year’s ago. The major problem is that the plugs don’t last long. I averaged 10 to 12 k a year and this product does not hold up to my demands. I was thinking that I can set up a toad charge line from my RV to my car with out causing any damage to both. Am I correct by assuming that is ok?

[l1v3fr33ord1]

Leary54-

Many of us do not use the wires and connectors sold with the Toad Charge. Instead, we use the 6- or 7-pin hitch connector on the RV to send the 12V down the same umbilical cable that carries the ground, turn/stop and park lamp signals between coach and toad.

If you look at these diagrams you'll see the pin position reserved for 12V charge line use. On a standard 6-pin, it's the center pin; on a 7-pin, it's the one o'clock position.

Depending on the age of your Bounder, it may already have a functioning, connected 12V charge line that terminates on that pin. If so, you'd just have to rewire the toad's hitch connector to carry that signal to the Toad Charge.

[Leary54]

I was thinking I can run wires from my chassis batteries to my toad battery and not to start my toad until I unplug the wires between the two. Is this functional?

[Spizzer]

Originally Posted by Leary54

I was thinking I can run wires from my chassis batteries to my toad battery and not to start my toad until I unplug the wires between the two. Is this functional?

It certainly is. If you look up earlier in the thread there are some posts describing this and with descriptions of the plugs and wires. Also some links to purchase them.

Jeff

[rcrevolution]

On my ‘05 Fleetwood Rev, I have a 10ga red wire connected to pin 7 on the coach plug, but no juice either with coach running or not. Is there a fuse somewhere? I’ve looked in the usual places and nothing is jumping out at me.

My thought was to just pull a wire from the house batteries to pin 7, but that would be hot all the time and I’d rather have it switched.

I thing instead of running a charge wire to the Jeep battery, I’m going to run the 12v line to a dedicated cig plug for the toad brake unit. That’s all I need 12v for. Then I can just install a battery disconnect and leave the key on to unlock.

[TeJay]

Just about any, "Keyed" or (live only with the ignition key on) 12-V RV source will work as a charge line. When you are running the RV engine any 12-V source should show the same voltage that is present on the engine battery which should be at least 13.6 V's or 1 -V higher that the normal 12.6-V of the engine battery while it is not being charged. That voltage is typically called the battery's, "Open Post voltage."

As far as the charge voltage not being present at the pin on your 2005 RV. Yes, there should be a fuse in that line. Common sense says that a wire running from the front of the RV all the way to the back carrying 13.6 V's and higher with a decent amount of current would & should be fused. There may also be a relay in that circuit as well.

We had a 2010 F-150 that was used as our tow vehicle with a 27' TT. We traded an RV in on the truck so they knew we were going to tow a TT. We drove the new truck and TT to FL and determined that we did not have a charge going to the TT battery.

I called the Ford dealer and was told there is a fuse and relay in a plastic bag in the glove box of the truck. Lift up the hood and find the correct fuse box. Insert the relay and fuse and you'll have your charge voltage.

My simple question to the Ford garage was this. It's a truck we bought with a tow package and we and you knew we were going to pull a TT. Why were we not told about the fuse and relay that WE were supposed to insert???

We later found out that Ford didn't want to insert the fuse and relay because they thought it was a potential fire hazard because of the HOT charge wire running all the way back to the rear of the truck.

There's some really deep thinking that went into that decision. Like if we did use the fuse and relay then the HOT wire running all the way back to the rear of the truck was not going to be a potential fire hazard anyway????

Then I continue to have folks tell me, "Well if the engineers designed this or that they know what they are doing so don't mess with it."