Installation Instructions

The TOAD-CHARGE™ kit connects between your motorhome's starting (or chassis) battery(s) and the towed vehicle's battery, using the motorhome's alternator to supply up to 10 amps of charge to the towed vehicle's battery.

The TOAD-CHARGE™ kit consists of several components: A charge regulator installed in the towed vehicle's engine compartment monitors the charging current, and prevents reverse current flow when the motorhome engine is started. A thermal circuit breaker installed near the motorhome starting battery protects against excessive current flow due to wiring faults or a dead battery. A 40 foot (12.2 M) wiring harness in the motorhome and a 10 foot (3.0 M) towed vehicle harness are connected by a 7 foot (2.1 M) cable that can be permanently attached to the tow bar. Detachable connectors on both ends of this cable allow it to be stowed along with the tow bar when not needed.  To mimimize voltage drops, the cables and harness use thick 12 guage wiring, and include a dedicated ground wire - The kit operates completely independent from your motorhome's existing trailer hitch wiring.

FEATURES:

• Prevents battery discharge when towing with an auxiliary braking system
• 10 Amp maximum output keeps your towed vehicle's battery at peak charge
• Complete kit includes everything you need to install - Charge Regulator, Circuit Breaker, Wiring Harnesses & Hardware
• Motorhome and towed vehicle harnesses are permanently installed - no need to disconnect system when not towing
• Charger cable unplugs when not in use - can be stowed away with your towbar
• Automatic shutoff - Won't run your batteries down when parked
• Complete kit installs in minutes - Nothing else to buy
• LED indicators show charging status at-a-glance
• Pays for itself in longer towed vehicle battery life - Prevents premature battery failure due to heavy discharge
• Rugged, safe design - Fully protected against overloads, short circuits at BOTH ends of the wiring harness
• Weatherproof epoxy-encapsulated enclosure
• American-made
• One-year warranty

Installation is quick and simple, with just two wires to connect in both the motorhome and towed vehicle engine compartments - The motorhome side of the harness connects to your motorhome's starting or house batteries, and the towed vehicle side connects to your vehicle's battery. Crimp-on ring terminals and mounting screws are supplied; a pair of split-bolt connectors are also included for corrosion-free connections directly to the towed vehicle's battery cables.

HOW IT WORKS: With the motorhome connected to the towed vehicle, the Charge Regulator's yellow CHARGING light will illuminate whenever a high charge is being delivered to the towed vehicle battery. As the battery approaches a full state of charge, the current will taper off until the green MAINTAINING light is illuminated instead. The red REVERSE POLARITY light will only illuminate if the unit is wired incorrectly.

When the motorhome engine is shut off, all charging will soon cease, and virtually no power will be drained from the motorhome's batteries. There is no need to disconnect the cable while the hitched motorhome/towed vehicle combination are parked overnight. When the tow bar cable is unplugged, the Charge Regulator is effectively disconnected, and virtually no current is drawn out of the towed vehicle's battery. There is no need to disconnect the Charge Regulator from the towed vehicle battery when driving this vehicle by itself.

The Charge Regulator has a built-in blocking diode that prevents reverse current flow in the event that the motorhome's starting or house batteries are discharged. This ensures that the towed vehicle can always be started, even if both battery banks on the motorhome are completely dead. This blocking diode is also used in conjunction with a thermal circuit breaker to ensure that a short circuit occurring at any point along the power cable will not cause excessive current to flow from either the motorhome or towed vehicle batteries ­ an important safety benefit.