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battery depletion with Honda CRV
Yahoo Message Number: 112057

Hi Group; I have owned two CRV's, a 1998 and now a 2005.  Indeed there can be battery issues if one uses a Brake Buddy (BB) or other similar device.
This will possibly hold true with any vehicle using the BB.
 I added the BB $20 item which connects directly to the battery.  That helps but does not charge the battery.  I believe it is merely more efficient then using the 12v adapter in the car.  The other $100 item mentioned last week should do the job but I do not feel like spending $100 and doing the attaching.
 For BB owners: set the sensitivity lower.  The factory sets it at 4 and I have used #3 for several years.  I recently changed it to setting #2.
The only time I have set it higher is when descending steep mountains with steep grades.  The higher the setting the sooner the BB will engage (and deplete the battery).  I am now crossing the country and write from Craters of the Moon in Idaho and have not had any problems yet.  I am using state roads and driving at 55 and setting 2 is fine.  If I do have to hit the LD brakes hard then the BB will engage.  Keep space between you and the car in front, drive at a reasonable speed, watch out for nuts, drive defensively and there will be no need for any accessory brake.  It is there for an emergency and when a hard brake is required.
Luckily for me that is usually a light that is changing.
 However, I wish to criticize LD!  If they supplied a 6 way plug, rather then the 4 way that is present, then I believe power would be supplied to the toads battery when an umbilical cord is used.  It would be simple to do the wiring when the coach is built.  Not everyone tows a car though but I doubt the addition of two more wires and a 6 way plug would add much to the price.
 I also criticize LD for the cheap hitch receiver they supply.  I realize that LD extends the chassis.  So do many other companies.  Yet LD is the only one I know that uses a bumper hitch.  Surely, for the question of safety, LD could add some more crossbars and attach a real, solid, bonafide, hitch receiver.  I have looked into the matter and the cost of the hitch receiver is not much.  The labor involved to attach a new cross member (or two) and remove my waste hose carrier brings the cost up.

My 2cents...
So far, in 3 weeks up the Pacific coast on hwy 1, and east across OR and ID on route 20 and other state roads I have seen ZERO LD's.  Where is everyone??? Mike
2007 RK
battery depletion with Honda CRV
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112058

Hi Group; I have owned two CRV's, a 1998 and now a 2005.  Indeed there can be battery issues if one uses a Brake Buddy (BB) or other similar device.
This will possibly hold true with any vehicle using the BB.
 I added the BB $20 item which connects directly to the battery.  That helps but does not charge the battery.  I believe it is merely more efficient then using the 12v adapter in the car.  The other $100 item mentioned last week should do the job but I do not feel like spending $100 and doing the attaching.
 For BB owners: set the sensitivity lower.  The factory sets it at 4 and I have used #3 for several years.  I recently changed it to setting #2.
The only time I have set it higher is when descending steep mountains with steep grades.  The higher the setting the sooner the BB will engage (and deplete the battery).  I am now crossing the country and write from Craters of the Moon national monument in Idaho and have not had any problems yet.  I am using state roads and driving at 55 and setting 2 is fine.  If I do have to hit the LD brakes hard then the BB will engage.
Keep space between you and the car in front, drive at a reasonable speed, watch out for nuts, drive defensively and there will be no need for any accessory brake.  It is there for an emergency and when a hard brake is required.  Luckily for me that is usually a light that is changing.
 I also start the car quite often stopping every 2+ hours or so for a break or picture taking or whatever.  I put the BB thru its paces and let the car engine run for 5 minutes.  What with these problems would I buy the BB again?  Probably not but it depends.  I purchased the BB in 2004 when my CRV was 6 years old.  I replaced that car in 2007 with a used 2005 CRV.  The BB made sense for me.  I do not have the expertise to install a permanent brake system nor to move it from one vehicle to another.
 However, I wish to criticize LD!  If they supplied a 6 way plug, rather then the 4 way that is present, then I believe power would be supplied to the toads battery when an umbilical cord is used.  It would be simple to do the wiring when the coach is built.  Not everyone tows a car though but I doubt the addition of two more wires and a 6 way plug would add much to the price.
 I also criticize LD for the cheap hitch receiver they supply.  I realize that LD extends the chassis.  So do many other companies.  Yet LD is the only one I know that uses a bumper hitch.  Surely, for the question of safety, LD could add some more crossbars and attach a real, solid, bonafide, hitch receiver.  I have looked into the matter and the cost of the hitch receiver is not much.  The labor involved to attach a new cross member (or two) and remove my waste hose carrier brings the cost up.

My 2cents...
So far, in 3 weeks up the Pacific coast on hwy 1, and east across OR and ID on route 20 and other state roads I have seen ZERO LD's.  Where is everyone??? Mike
2007 RK
Re: battery depletion with Honda CRV
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112059
"If [Lazy Daze] supplied a 6 way plug, rather then the 4 way that is present, then I believe power would be supplied to the toad's battery when an umbilical cord is used. It would be simple to do the wiring when the coach is built. Not everyone tows a car though but I doubt the addition of two more wires and a 6 way plug would add much to the price."
 Agreed! The change to a 6-conductor plug would be inexpensive for the factory, and would be very helpful to owners.

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: battery depletion with Honda CRV
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112062
"If [Lazy Daze] supplied a 6 way plug, rather then the 4 way that is present, then I believe power would be supplied to the toad's battery when an umbilical cord is used."

Mike
 If you are going to spend $2000 or more setting a toad up, you should be able to afford to the required plug.
What if LD had installed a 6-way plug? I still would have had to change it because I needed a 7-wire plug to make my toad system work.
Should I criticize LD for not including a 7-wire plug?
4-wire is a very common standard trailer light plug.
 I just left the 4-wire plug in place and added the 7-wire plug next to it. No big deal.
 The rear bumper hitch is perfectly adequate for 4000lbs as long as the attachment hardware is tight. LD evidently felt 4000lbs is enough weight to pull and has purposely limited it.
Most customers are served well with the 4000lbs hitch. Why should they pay for an upgraded hitch when most do not want or need to pull over 4000lbs? If you need to pull more, the expense is on your tab. If you need more solar, battery or any other upgrade, it's also on your tab.

No matter what LD does, someone will not be happy.

Larry
2001 MB
* Not to be confused with Larry W (3000 of my posts are actually from expert Larry W due to Yahoo transition mis-step)
Re: battery depletion with Honda CRV
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112069
Quote from: rvmike@...

The first thing I did was bypass the 4 pin thing on my LD and install an additional 6 pin connector which I use with a Roadmaster coiled harness between the vehicles.
I then added a charge line between the LD engine battery and the toad engine battery with 20 Amp fuses on each end(using a spare in the 6 wire harness). The fuses are to prevent either battery from burning up the wire (and possibly the vehicles) in the event of a short to ground in the harness.
 I also use a Brake Buddy, currently tow a Honda Fit and I have never had any battery issues.
 
Re: battery depletion with Honda CRV
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112075
From: Larry
 Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 10:29 AM
 To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com
 Subject: [LD] Re: battery depletion with Honda CRV

"If [Lazy Daze] supplied a 6 way plug, rather then the 4 way that is present, then I believe power would be supplied to the toad's battery when an umbilical cord is used."

Mike
 If you are going to spend $2000 or more setting a toad up, you should be able to afford to the required plug.
What if LD had installed a 6-way plug? I still would have had to change it because I needed a 7-wire plug to make my toad system work.
Should I criticize LD for not including a 7-wire plug?
4-wire is a very common standard trailer light plug.
 I just left the 4-wire plug in place and added the 7-wire plug next to it. No big deal.
 The rear bumper hitch is perfectly adequate for 4000lbs as long as the attachment hardware is tight. LD evidently felt 4000lbs is enough weight to pull and has purposely limited it.
Most customers are served well with the 4000lbs hitch. Why should they pay for an upgraded hitch when most do not want or need to pull over 4000lbs? If you need to pull more, the expense is on your tab. If you need more solar, battery or any other upgrade, it's also on your tab.

No matter what LD does, someone will not be happy.
Larry

My company installs an 8AH battery where the alarm panel manufacturer calls for a 4AH. There's room for the larger battery, it costs a few dollars more. and is better for the customer. We make such decisions asking ourselves is this the best product, in terms of value, service and price, that we can deliver. Thus, the larger battery just makes sense. Not all companies operate this way, maybe not even most. Spending a bit more for quality isn't an easy decision when you are competing with companies that sell at a lower price point and do that by being chintzy in places the customer doesn't see or even know about. No, I'm not accusing LD of being chintzy, though they are clearly conscious of their selling price. I believe they could make a very many small improvements, each of which would add only a small amount to their cost . . . and all of which would cost a significant, something huge amount after the coach is delivered.
 My point is, LD would lose little by making their frame extension strong enough to support a 5,000 lb hitch as is provided on many SOB's. Whether or not a particular customer might need all that capacity is irrelevant - - some do. There are probably a number of LD owners who base their choice of toad with current hitch capacity being a significant and very limiting factor. If I could tow my FJ Cruiser (4300 lb), I probably would set it up for towing and do that on occasion.
 When LD responds to customer demand and truly improves their product, no one is unhappy.

bumper

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
bumper
"Yonder" '05 MB
"WLDBLU" glider trailer