Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? March 21, 2014, 01:38:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 145407I have been told that my 2002 CR-V will draw enough power during a tow, with the key in accessory mode, to warrant the installation of a charge wire from the coach. Can anyone confirm this? How long before battery drains? I realize the extenuating circumstances like amount of braking, the type of braking system, and time length of tow however I'm just looking for a general idea on if I really need a charge wire or not. OBTW...I've decided to go with the RVI2 brake system.
Re: Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? Reply #1 – March 21, 2014, 08:37:53 pm Yahoo Message Number: 145413Ted: I have towed a 2005 CRV for 30,000+ miles with no battery problems. As per the Honda owners manual before towing I pull a fuse, shift through the gears, etc., but with no battery problems. I normally do not tow the car more than 350 miles in a day...usually less. In the morning I run the engine for about 10 minutes to warm up the tranny and the engine, then shift through the gears, and away I go. I have been told the key is pulling that fuse so I'm not draining the battery in the accessory mode. Other CRV owners may have experienced problems, but I have not when following Honda's directions. I tow my CRV behind a 30' IB Lazy Daze and it tows great. The only problem has been towing over mountain passes, like the Rockies, but you gear down and go slower. No problems! Good luck, Gale
Re: Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? Reply #2 – March 21, 2014, 10:49:10 pm Yahoo Message Number: 145417Ted, not familiar with the RV12 braking system but towing my 2009 CRV without charge line resulted in several dead batteries. I have the SMI Stay and Play and since I had the charge line installed I have eliminated all problems. If you are towing out in Wyoming or Montana and never have to use your brakes you probably don't need one. Stuck in stop and go freeway traffic is a different story. For what little cost it is to install I would do it.Joe Hamm
Re: Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? Reply #3 – March 22, 2014, 02:06:00 am Yahoo Message Number: 145420I have seen several CRVs with battery drain problems, especially when towing towed for two or more days in a row. The battery has small drain on it, when towing, and the CRV's toy-like battery has little reserve power. Chris H. found an isolator designed to prevent killing the toad's battery. http://www.lslproducts.net/ToadChargePage.html I installed one in his CRV and several other Honda products. It connects the toad and LD's starting batteries together and only provides power to the toad when the LD's alternator is spinning and producing power (to prevent killing the LD's starting battery). It requires an additional wire in the umbilical cord or a second umbilical between the LD and toad.Larry
Re: Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? Reply #4 – March 22, 2014, 11:38:36 am Yahoo Message Number: 145426I have towed my CRV with a brake buddy installed for several years. I would run the engine periodically during the day if I had to do a lot of stopping in heavy traffic. I can see the level of charge on the CRV battery with the brake buddy display. If I let it get to low I had several times a dead battery and had to jump it. Because of the concern for the battery drain and running the engine several times during the day to charge the battery back, I decided to get a kit to continuously charge the battery from the LD. I have now had it for about 5000 miles and I love it. No more worries about the level of charge on the CRV. Some people say its not a problem but I wonder if they do not have a braking system installed on their tow vehicle. I have really been surprised at the number of people I come across in my travels that tow without any braking system. Peace, Larry
Re: Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? Reply #5 – March 22, 2014, 11:54:19 am Yahoo Message Number: 145427" Some people say its not a problem but I wonder if they do not have a braking system installed on their tow vehicle. I have really been surprised at the number of people I come across in my travels that tow without any braking system"Larry Glad that you fixed the discharged problem, the Brake Buddy uses 12-volt power and is supplied from the toad battery unless there is a supply of 12-volt power from the LD. As to not having toad brake system, I see it all the time and have had some heated conversations on using them. Some feel their car are lightweight and see no need them evidently sleeping through their physics classes or they want to have a legal argument. Ford (in our E-series's owners manual) and many states call for brakes when towing a "trailer"over 1500-lbs . The lawyer-types will say a toad is not a trailer...as the English say, "right".Larry W
Re: Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? Reply #6 – March 22, 2014, 01:16:22 pm Yahoo Message Number: 145430Thanks Larry. Here's another one: http://www.rvibrake.com/RVibrake-Towed-Battery-Charger-p/tbc-12014.htm
Re: Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? Reply #7 – March 22, 2014, 02:06:05 pm Yahoo Message Number: 145434I have towed my 2003 CRV and a newer 2010 CRV. Both will kill the battery after 3-4 hours of steady towing.Steve2001 mb-- emails are not the best tool of communication. They do not show emotion, voice intonation, and other characteristics associated with human communication. They are open to interpretation by the reader. At best, email is used to communicate basic information. Please do not interpret the wording of the email to mean anything else. If you have a question about the tone or meaning of an email, please phone me.Stevan S. Chandler CLPF California Licensed Professional Fiduciary #44 National Certified Guardian ... when only a professional will do. Assistance for at risk persons; Bill paying service with home visits; Helping seniors with out-of-state family; Power of Attorney; Executor; Estate Administrator; Conservatorships; Trustee services. My wife calls me a "Rent-a-Son"! P.O. Box 1426, San Mateo, CA 94401 phone 650-344-3233 fax 650-344-3833 website: www. CFiduciary.com Email: Steve@...
Re: Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? Reply #8 – March 22, 2014, 06:55:33 pm Yahoo Message Number: 145436I don't have much to add, as I just got the call to pick up our 31IB at the end of April and have not towed our 2011 CRV as yet. CrampingWorld installed the Roadmaster base plate last December. At that time I had them put in a 6-pin connector on the Toad (and sent a 7-pin connector to the mothership for installation) to run a charge line. At installation time, I found they had a $70 kit that moves fuse #34 (if I recall correctly) and mounts a cutout switch. That would be more convenient than groping for fuses. I went with the SMI Plug-In-Play which was installed the first of the month in Placerville CA. They added a relay for the brake circuit which they said was needed. If you don't want to go with the charge line, or a booster which Larry Paulik mentioned, and are as inagile as I, the cutout switch might be worth looking into. Will have more to report later as we expect to be in Wyoming in early June and then points East.Waiting for Orwany (Our rig without a name yet) JoelFrom: "ted_shred@..." To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 21, 2014 10:38 AM Subject: [LD] Anyone towing a Honda CR-V?
Re: Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? Reply #9 – March 24, 2014, 12:14:58 pm Yahoo Message Number: 145455And so far this device has worked well.Chris H.
Re: Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? Reply #10 – March 24, 2014, 05:09:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 145457I just spoke with them. He said most coiled umbilical cables use thin wire and can present voltage drop issues so the recommendation was a JetConnex brand coiled cable or run a separate wire. The charge kit comes with 12 gauge wire. I checked on the Blue Ox umbilical and it has 16 gauge wires. Fine for lights but iffy for charging. He mentioned some go from the house batteries so when on shore power with the toad attached it gets charged too. Not sure that will happen often but good to know. This looks like a good product I will be purchasing soon.
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Topic: Anyone towing a Honda CR-V? (Read 4 times)
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