Stopping For The Night and Battery Drain

[Maverick226]

Hello,

I made a deposit to buy a Cherokee Trailhawk as a toad. I was wondering:

1. After a long drive towing the Trailhawk behind the motorhome and stopping for the night at a campground, does the trailhawk have to be taken out of flat towing mode (N button released, disconnected from the motorhome, shifted into drive to check the trailhawk is operating properly). Can it be left in flat towed mode with the auxiliary brake connection removed from the 12 volt plug and not have to worry about the battery being drained over night.

2. While in flat towing mode and connected to the motorhome can the Trailhawk engine be run and does it need to be run at any time for some reason.

Thanks,

Ken

[Old-Biscuit]

Read the Owners Manual ---it will cover 'towing all wheels down' etc


No owners manual.....you have year/model/engine/tranny info so goggle and download one

[TonyDi]

My Grand Cherokee stays hooked up until I reach my destination. I have never had to start it prior to unhooking and never had a battery issue.

[Bikinjim]

On our 2015 Trailhawk, putting it into tow mode originally only involved placing the transfer case into neutral - no power was used in this configuration just as in the normal non-tow configuration (we used the Ready Brute Elite braking system which doesn’t use toad power to operate). We towed cross country several times with long multi days without disconnecting or running the car’s engine without issue. However, after the flat tow harness came along some action was needed to stop the power draw to the power steering or the battery will be depleted during the stop. With an as-designed installation this would require removal of the under hood fuse followed by reinstallation prior to resumption of towing the next day (we used a modification of the automatic flat tow harness posted here to avoid having to install and remove the fuse so we didn’t have to take this action). The 2019s no longer need the flat tow harness so no power draws should be present with the transfer case in neutral. However, action may bar required to stop a power draw from the toad during the stop depending on the type of braking system you have installed (or to replenish the battery charge if a charge line isn’t used to keep the toad battery charged during towing).

[YC1]

Agree referring to the manual. Many have requirements to start and run through gears to lube the tranny.

I had to replace my Ford Edge tranny last year at 65K miles on the odometer. Probably 90K total. I suspect my failure to follow the rules killed the tranny.

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by Maverick226

Hello,

I made a deposit to buy a Cherokee Trailhawk as a toad. I was wondering:

1. After a long drive towing the Trailhawk behind the motorhome and stopping for the night at a campground, does the trailhawk have to be taken out of flat towing mode (N button released, disconnected from the motorhome, shifted into drive to check the trailhawk is operating properly). Can it be left in flat towed mode with the auxiliary brake connection removed from the 12 volt plug and not have to worry about the battery being drained over night.

2. While in flat towing mode and connected to the motorhome can the Trailhawk engine be run and does it need to be run at any time for some reason.

Thanks,

Ken

Hi Ken! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

I can't help with the question but noticed you are kinda new on IRV2 and wanted to say hello!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Jeff24g]

We have a 2016 Trailhawk that is towed behind the TV. I normally don’t disconnect the electrical but I will remove the 20 amp fuse that is part of the circuit to energize the electric steering. The connection configuration is the coach electrical powers the braking system and as such I don’t need to disconnect it. The electric steering connections are per Jeep but required installation of a wiring harness. I heard the 2019 were factory wired for the electronic steering.

[Maverick226]

Thanks for all the posts on stopping overnight and Battery Drain .

For 2019 Trailhawk model, assume you are fully hooked up for an overnight stay in a campground and do not want to unhook the toad. In speaking with a FCA representative, he thinks the toad battery should be OK overnight while hooked up. It would wise to disconnect any supplementary braking system in the toad from the 12 volt. Any drain on the toad battery while hooked up to the motorhome overnight should be minimal. Although, I think he indicated there is some drain on the battery when hooked up for towing in Neutral when the power steering is engaged. However, I am not sure that this only occurs when the power steering is engaged when actually towing or when just in a neutral towing mode and not actually towing.
I hope, I have not confused things or incorrect and would not at all uncomfortable if someone wanted to verify this information on the forum.

Ken