Toad battery charger from RVI - Page 2 (2025)

ChesterRVs2

Join Date: Aug 2022

Posts: 62

wvmkr

Join Date: May 2022

Posts: 11

FIRE UP

Join Date: Dec 2009

Location: Out there, somewhere

Posts: 10,523

CoolTech

Commercial Member

Join Date: Oct 2005

Posts: 248

Scott, I agree, but increasingly tow harness manufacturers are using cheaper and cheaper materials and I've seen some really small (18-20ga) wiring for the lights - including the ground leg. While this *may* be sufficient for rear lighting, when you add the current of a decent on-board charger, it is probably prudent to consider a 12-14ga minimum ground wire size.

Wayneey

Join Date: Jan 2001

Posts: 181

I had the Cool Tech wiring harness and the RVi Towed Battery Charger installed on my 2021 JL Wrangler 2-Door Sport at the same time, when the Wrangler started its life as a toad. I also use the RVi Brake 3 auxiliary braking system.

It's a great combination of components. After approximately 20,000 miles the Wrangler's battery has always been charged while towing, including trips with multiple one night stops without disconnecting the Wrangler.

wvmkr

Join Date: May 2022

Posts: 11

Wow thank you Scott for calling them. That was very thoughtful of you. I ended up calling as well bc we just did not have any 'give' room to make that change.

As it turns out for the one specific model year (2014) of our Jeep that part is not needed. Weird, huh. So instead we made a work-around. This model requires you to disconnect the battery to flat tow and put in the 12v adapter they supply. I added a connector to connect the adapter to the battery so the iRV has power when battery is disconnected. I added a clamp next to that so it holds the wire when not in use so its always there for quick turnaround while traveling.

Took a few days to figure all of this out but iRV was great on the phone to work with. Now we are all set up.

NXR

Join Date: Mar 2019

Posts: 7,242

We have a 2019 F53, the last of the V10 series, and Ford ran the wiring from the front to the rear and even wired the front up, including the charge line, and provided a 30-amp fuse for the charge line. Apparently the newer V8 even has a connector under the dash for a brake controller, a connector that can match up to something like a Tekonsha Prodigy controller (if towing with something that uses electric brakes).

Forest River uses MORryde for the chassis upfit and they installed the hitch, 7-pin connector, and fully wired that end.

Ray

NXR

Join Date: Mar 2019

Posts: 7,242

Exactly. And while the OP has a Jeep it's worth mentioning that the 2018-2022 Chevrolet Equinox pulls almost a whopping 8 amps from the car battery when configured for towing.

(The 2023 and 2024 Equinox require that the car battery be disconnected but if someone is trying to run a portable braking system from the car battery they can still run down the car battery.)

Many an Equinox owner has ended up with a dead battery because, while the charge line may have been barely adequate, the ground wire in the vehicle was woefully inadequate.

The ground line is the other half of the charging circuit and also the other half of the lighting circuits so the ground wire carries the most current, cumulatively-speaking.

That high current drain is why RVi says to not use their Towed Battery Charger on a later model year Equinox. Back in 2020 I went through a lot and proved that their 10-amp charger cannot deliver 10 amps. That's when RVi started adding the Equinox disclaimer.

They even state that on their product page: https://rvibrake.com/products/towed-...y-charger-plus

But they still have not corrected the model years: NOTE: Towed Battery Charger Plus is compatible with all 12-volt batteries, including trailers. NOT compatible with 2019-2023 Chevy Equinox.

Now that RVi has been sold who knows whether that product even has a future. They've already discontinued their RVi Tire Patrol TPMS product.

Lippert: https://rvbusiness.com/lippert-acqui...aker-rvibrake/

4Mavericks: https://rvbusiness.com/4-mavericks-a...glow-from-rvi/

FWIW,

Ray

jacwjames

Monaco Owners Club

Join Date: Jun 2014

Posts: 16,688

The 6 pin allows for easier connect/disconnect. If you don't want to install the 6 pin you could just run a separate set of wires (+) & (-) from the RV to the Jeep. You could by a quick connector to be able to leave the wires attached to the Jeep and then just connect the parts when hooking up. It won't look as clean as having it all in the coiled umbilical cord but it would work.

Which Jeep are you trying to set up?? I bought a used 2015 Cherokee that had been setup with the RVi3 tow package. I also had the wiring that disables the steering while being towed.
I had to mount a 7 blade receptacle onto the back of the RV and make sure the wiring matched. When I first checked the wiring on the jeep wasn't the way I had done the 7 blade on the coach so I had to swap wires. Not a big deal, just had to figure out what was going on. The tail and brake lights all worked.

The RVI3 also has the remote display that I also made sure works, that's how I figured out the toad wasn't being charged.
Haven't towed the Jeep yet, leaving on a trip tomorrow so I'll see how it all works.

FIRE UP

Join Date: Dec 2009

Location: Out there, somewhere

Posts: 10,523

wvmkr,
You're quite welcome Sir. May I ask, you have a 2014 WHAT model of Jeep, Wrangler? If it's a Wrangler, that year is no different than years before or after it in general construction and the like. Ours is a '15 JKUR and it really didn't and doesn't need a toad charging system while being towed. I only installed it because I bought a total package used off Ebay, RVI3, wireless brake adapter and toad charger along with the el-cheapo tablet they sell with that RVI3 system. The whole package off Ebay was $1000. Way cheaper than
if I'd have bought all of it new.

You take chances buying stuff like that under those circumstances but, it is what it is and while I've actually not towed using the RVI3 system just yet since I just got done a while ago setting it all up, based on the reading of the el-cheapo tablet while testing the operation of both the new to us Ram 1500 Crew Cab 4x4 Ecodiesel and our other toad we've had for quite some time, the '15 JKUR, the system, all of it, is responding flawlessly. Can't wait to get out and use it and GO SOMEWHERE!
Scott

hastemaker

Join Date: Jun 2021

Location: Hayden, Al

Posts: 389

I also have a brake buddy used on a Honda CRV without any charger & before the CRV a Honda Element, only problem I every had was when I (my fault) didn't unplug the brake buddy when I stopped for the night..