Trickle Charge for Towed Vehicle

[Village Guy]

I have a 2014 Ford Edge that I am towing behind my 2016 Newmar 3214. The car has to be started every 4-6 hrs and run to recharge the battery. We are planning a very long trip to Alaska this year and I think this will be a real pain when on the road for several days at a time. I want to try a trickle charger and have thought of everything from a small 110v battery maintainer that I would have to power from the coach while on the road, to (probably a better idea) getting a solar trickle charger. The problem is I have no idea how much the battery is being drained while going down the road (have to leave ACC on) and what size trickle charger I might need.

Anyone have any experience doing this with suggestions????

Thank You

 

[Neemer]

Have you considered a charge line off the coach’s batteries? That’s what most do including myself.

 

[Village Guy]

Sorry, but not sure what you mean by a charge line? The tow system I had installed has a line (in the power plug) that is supposed to feed power back to the tow vehicle, but it apparently is not adequate to replace the power used and my battery went dead after about 5 hrs. (Battery is close to 3 years old, so may replace it before the trip). Do you mean you run another a separate line from the coach batteries back to the tow vehicle?

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I don't know the Ford Edge specifically, but is the ACC on just because the key has to be in that position to unlock the steering column? Or, is there something in the toad that needs to be powered from the ACC position (lights, brake system, etc.)?

On our Honda CR-V, we have a battery disconnect relay that operates automatically when the coach-to-toad electrical cable is plugged in. The 12V power from the coach powers the tail/brake/signal lights via the "charge line" mentioned by @Neemer. That's a common/preferred setup to keep the toad battery from discharging.

Obviously, if there is something about the Ford Edge that requires power from the battery, that approach won't work. Usually, however, the toad's lights can be set up to work off the charge line, or to use separate magnetic-mount brake/tail/signal lights. I would consult a qualified RV shop to see if your toad can be set up this way.

TJ

 

[Neemer]

OK. Several points to talk about.

1. Welcome!

2. Please fill out your profile to include information regarding your rig and toad. That helps us with answering questions you may have.

3. Given the age of your battery, I would have it load tested. It’s entirely possible you just need a new one. If you want, you can pick up a load tester at places like autozone for not much money. They are handy to have.

4. Take a voltmeter and make sure there is 12v power going to your car battery from the motorhome. Just trace wires to find the correct one. When you find it, make sure you are either plugged in, running the generator, or running the engine to properly test it. As an aside, not all manufacturers provide that 12v line. Mine didn’t.

5. If you find you do not have 12v power going to your car’s battery, there are a couple of easy remedies for that which we can talk about if that happens to be your case.

I pull a 2012 Taurus and the coach keeps the battery charged just fine with the key in ACC position and an aux braking system that also puts a small drain on the battery.

 

[lemondrop9344]

You state you need to leave the ignition switch on ACC when the vehicle is towed. This would seem to suggest something needs 12 VDC while you are going down the road. Do you know what requires power? For example, my Jeep Cherokee requires the electronic power steering be activated while being towed.
I use a combination of a 15 amp auto reset breaker & a simple on/off switch to keep the battery charged while the vehicle is being towed. If I don't disconnect for the night, I turn the switch off.
Do you know if the battery in the towed vehicle is getting power from the RV? In your post above, the operative words are 'supposed to feed power back to the tow vehicle'. I would never assume that anything I had to pay someone to do for me was done correctly until I verified that it worked. This is especially true with anything associated with a RV or a boat.
Do you have a muli-meter? If you don't have one on the RV, I would encourage you to acquire one.

 

[Village Guy]

OK. Several points to talk about.

1. Welcome!

2. Please fill out your profile to include information regarding your rig and toad. That helps us with answering questions you may have.

3. Given the age of your battery, I would have it load tested. It’s entirely possible you just need a new one. If you want, you can pick up a load tester at places like autozone for not much money. They are handy to have.

4. Take a voltmeter and make sure there is 12v power going to your car battery from the motorhome. Just trace wires to find the correct one. When you find it, make sure you are either plugged in, running the generator, or running the engine to properly test it. As an aside, not all manufacturers provide that 12v line. Mine didn’t.

5. If you find you do not have 12v power going to your car’s battery, there are a couple of easy remedies for that which we can talk about if that happens to be your case.

I pull a 2012 Taurus and the coach keeps the battery charged just fine with the key in ACC position and an aux braking system that also puts a small drain on the battery.

Ok, Thanks for the Welcome. I filled out the information in my profile. I had thought about getting a load test done, but the battery has so far shown no signs of being weak under normal use and we have no trips coming in the next 30-60 days, so see no reason to rush replacing it.

I did check the plug and there is power going through. The shop that installed my tow package had me check that early on and I used a voltmeter to check it. Don't remember how much, just that the position that he told me to check had power. They also told me that it would be almost likely that it would not be enough to keep the battery charged, based on the prior history they had seen with Ford Edges. So, I am open to whatever the easy remedies might be!

 

[osuallen]

Do you have to leave ACC on only to keep the steering wheel unlocked or is there a power reason as well? If it is the former, then a battery disconnect along with the charge line from the coach should provide adequate power to keep the car battery topped off.

 

[Village Guy]

Thanks---that makes sense---I'm not certain why the key has to be left in that position and the manual only says it has to. I will try to find out what the reason is---

 

[amullis59]

My 2018 Ford Explorer has a feed line from the coach to keep the battery charged up. The battery is disconnected after placing the transmission in neutral. I never have to stop every few hours and run the Explorer to charge the battery back up.

 

[Village Guy]

Thanks for all the input. I just went back to the manual in my car and it says to leave it in Acc, start and run for 5 min in am and every 6 hrs. The guy at the Hitch place I got it installed said that was to keep the battery charged. I just reread the manual and it also says to put the transmission in D, then R before going back to N (picture of manual attached). I’m now thinking it has something to do with transmission??? I will contact Ford Customer Service on Monday to see what I can find. If for transmission purpose, no way around that, but still think it will take an additional boost to keep battery up to full charge.

 

[JRW-NAW]

When we towed our 2017 Jeep Cherokee, which required the 'flat tow harness' (basicly the electric power steering) to be powered while the Cherokee was being towed, I used an RVi Towed Battery charger which operates from the 12V supplied from the coach via the 6 or 7 wire umbilico cord. I never had a problem with Cherokee battery staying charged.

My friend does the same with his Jayco and his 2018 Cherokee.

On my VTDP, the 12V is only supplied when the coach iginition is on.

Towed Battery Charger Plus for flat towing

RVi Towed Battery Charger Plus, charge line replacement for flat towing a vehicle. Great peace of mind for the towed battery while towing a car behind a motorhome. Often used with RVibrake. TBC+

rvibrake.com

Here's the info on the connector wiring: https://www.etrailer.com/faq-wiring.aspx

Safe Travels.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

You really don't have a choice about starting and running every 4 to 5 hrs. The exersize you go through is to keep oiling the bearings in the trans. The only option to this issue would be tow on dolly or trailer. Dolly assumes 2x4.

 

[Village Guy]

When we towed our 2017 Jeep Cherokee, which required the 'flat tow harness' (basicly the electric power steering) to be powered while the Cherokee was being towed, I used an RVi Towed Battery charger which operates from the 12V supplied from the coach via the 6 or 7 wire umbilico cord. I never had a problem with Cherokee battery staying charged.

My friend does the same with his Jayco and his 2018 Cherokee.

On my VTDP, the 12V is only supplied when the coach iginition is on.

Towed Battery Charger Plus for flat towing

RVi Towed Battery Charger Plus, charge line replacement for flat towing a vehicle. Great peace of mind for the towed battery while towing a car behind a motorhome. Often used with RVibrake. TBC+

rvibrake.com

Here's the info on the connector wiring: https://www.etrailer.com/faq-wiring.aspx

Safe Travels.

Thanks! That looks like exactly what I might need.

You really don't have a choice about starting and running every 4 to 5 hrs. The exersize you go through is to keep oiling the bearings in the trans. The only option to this issue would be tow on dolly or trailer. Dolly assumes 2x4.

I'm guessing you are absolutely right. After rereading the manual, it is pretty clear that you have to do that. I am guessing that running 5 min at a time would not recharge the battery, so I am still considering a charging system like the one recommended above. That way, I can do what Ford requires and not have to run the vehicle for 1/2 hr or so at an idle to recharge.

 

[Joe Gluckman]

We tow a ‘15 Edge. We hook up in neutral, stop the engine by pushing the button (key fob model) and drive away. No need to put the car in accy position. We’ve towed for days without starting the car with no difficulty.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

We tow a ‘15 Edge. We hook up in neutral, stop the engine by pushing the button (key fob model) and drive away. No need to put the car in accy position. We’ve towed for days without starting the car with no difficulty.

Anyone can do what they want. My guess is you may well regret it one day.

 

[Village Guy]

To kinda close this thread, here is what I have been able to figure out. Calling Ford Customer Service was a waste of time. Kept getting cut off and asked to fill out a survey. (I did and gave them all terrible ratings since I did not come close to getting any answers!) Based on what is in the manual, I am convinced that starting the vehicle and running for 5 min every 6 hrs and shifting to D, Then R before back to N has to indicate a concern with not lubricating the transmission. Since I was simply trying to confirm that was the reason for starting it up, I will just follow those instructions and not take any chances hurting the transmission.

I have called the company who installed my tow package and they tell me that I have the "battery tender" package (ie: there is power coming from the Chassis batter of the coach back to the Toad that is supposed to "help" keep the battery charged. Since my battery is over 3 years old, it very likely will not handle the drain, so my next step will be to replace the battery.

Then, after another test run, if the battery doesn't stay sufficiently charged, I will add a solar trickle charger.

Thanks to all who offered information and advise.

Happy RV'ing!

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

When replacing the battery, find the highest capacity one you can. Our 2014 Honda CR-V came with a barely sufficient battery. It has been replaced with the largest capacity one I could find; about 40% larger than the OEM.

TJ

 

[4RS]

I have a 2014 Ford Edge that I am towing behind my 2016 Newmar 3214. The car has to be started every 4-6 hrs and run to recharge the battery. We are planning a very long trip to Alaska this year and I think this will be a real pain when on the road for several days at a time. I want to try a trickle charger and have thought of everything from a small 110v battery maintainer that I would have to power from the coach while on the road, to (probably a better idea) getting a solar trickle charger. The problem is I have no idea how much the battery is being drained while going down the road (have to leave ACC on) and what size trickle charger I might need.

Anyone have any experience doing this with suggestions????

Thank You

I think the reason you need to stop every 6 hours is to lubricate your transaxle. You should hold the brake and put the car in drive for a few minutes to pump oil throughout the transaxle. I had a Edge that I pulled for years. I had a quick disconnect on the battery to shut down any power draw. The lights on the car were powered by the coach. I had a seperate light bar strapped to the roof rails on the car. It was a simple easy system for me. Read your owner's manual about towing.

 

[Rich W.]

We tow a ‘15 Edge. We hook up in neutral, stop the engine by pushing the button (key fob model) and drive away. No need to put the car in accy position. We’ve towed for days without starting the car with no difficulty.

I know this is a somewhat aged thread but Im thinking about towing my ‘16 Edge. What brake system did you choose?