Unhook toad nightly?

Paulie G · 03-06-2023, 07:48 AM

We plan on several one night stops on our way to Canada this summer. Do I need to to unhook our vehicle each night if the the space is fairly level?

Morich · 03-06-2023, 08:09 AM

Basic idea is "NO"!
But then it can depend some on how you have modded the car. If the electronics are still hot, it may be worth unplugging the tether but that is not normal if things are done correctly at the start.
We always liked state and national parks and finding them with pull through sites was always a bonus we looked for.

**creativepart** · 03-06-2023, 08:46 AM

We leave our Toad connected when we have pull-through sites and don’t plan to use the car for anything during that stay.

But, I start the car, take it out of neutral tow mode (our Lincoln has a mode for towing) and put it in park as soon as we setup our rig for the night. I use an auxiliary braking that uses a 12v cigarette lighter plug for power so I unplug that as well, to keep the vehicle battery from going dead.

The above depends on your specific toad and braking and how it is setup.

**creativepart** · 03-06-2023, 08:54 AM

Paulie G, as a FYI, it always helps us help you if you add as much info as possibly to your posts seeking help. For instance in this thread, you gave it a one word title. It’s best to be more descriptive in your title. And, if you mentioned the year, make and model of your toad that too would be a big help. Lastly we almost always can be of more help to you if you tell us your RV’s year, model and floor plan version, too

The goal is to not post as little as possible, but to provide as much detail as possible so we can do a better job of helping you.

Scotty B · 03-06-2023, 09:09 AM

Certainly the answer is vehicle dependent. With us, we just unplug the connector cable from the rig and toad and the break system in the toad. No worries at all. You do have to press the setup button again on the break system every time you power up on ours.

Morich · 03-06-2023, 11:12 AM

I think where most of us are coming down is that it depends on how the wiring works out but the actaul hitching is okay to just leave it hitched if it fits the space, etc. Some of our cars made life more difficult due to having electronic transmission which had to have power turned off while towing but the brake system needed power!
The whole was a bad deal and unpluggin for over night was the simple way out!

We never worried the issue of actually disconnecting the hitch,etc. as the RV was so much heavier than the car, we never worried about either one moving ---- as long as we kept the rear RV wheels on the ground!

Paulie G · 03-07-2023, 01:08 PM

I have a MG braking system and a seperate charge line that can easily be disconnected when camping for one nigt. My 2020 Equinox is easy to flat tow. I can put it in park but I really need to is I am not disconnecting from the motorhome?

bigb · 03-07-2023, 01:23 PM

I'm going to be towing a Jeep and if I leave it connected I don't plan on putting the transmission in gear or setting the parking brake, I don't see the need and it leaves the possibility of forgetting to release things in the morning. I do have a very good parking brake on the MH, it will not budge when set and it must be set in order to operate the slides. I do plan to unplug the cord as I have a relay drawing power when plugged in, but laying the cord on the driver's seat should help in not forgetting to put it back in the morning, plus will prevent it from growing legs.

Morich · 03-07-2023, 03:10 PM

My thoughts on putting the tow in park is the huge different in size and weight. Is even a 6000 pound car really going to matter to a 30,000 pound RV? If the car wants to move, the Rv ignores it. If the RV wants to move it kinda ignores what the car wants to do again! The RV will slide all four wheels if it wants to move when the car wants to stop!

Ray,IN · 03-07-2023, 06:12 PM

If I get a pull-through I never unhook the towed unless we need to go somewhere else. When we had a truck and 5er I didn't unhook for the same reason, assuming the site was reasonablly level..

tim myers · 03-08-2023, 07:56 AM

I am in the "put it in park" group, but as mentioned your specific setup may dictate what you do. Our CRV provides the power for the Stay-N-Play braking system so when I arrive at my overnight stop, I feel the need to run the car to recharge the battery. Out of habit I put the CRV in Park to run it. Before I can tow the CRV the next morning, I have to start the engine, cycle through all the gears stopping at D for 5 seconds then to Neutral for a minimum of 3 minutes, then turn the key back one position. This process lubes the transmission for 8 hours duration. I also take this opportunity to pull the emergency release to make sure the brakes do operate, and recheck all lights before pulling out of the camping spot. This is just how I roll, and your mileage may vary.

bigb · 03-08-2023, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tim myers

I am in the "put it in park" group, but as mentioned your specific setup may dictate what you do. Our CRV provides the power for the Stay-N-Play braking system so when I arrive at my overnight stop, I feel the need to run the car to recharge the battery. Out of habit I put the CRV in Park to run it. Before I can tow the CRV the next morning, I have to start the engine, cycle through all the gears stopping at D for 5 seconds then to Neutral for a minimum of 3 minutes, then turn the key back one position. This process lubes the transmission for 8 hours duration. I also take this opportunity to pull the emergency release to make sure the brakes do operate, and recheck all lights before pulling out of the camping spot. This is just how I roll, and your mileage may vary.

How long do you run the engine after arrival and at what RPM? I would bet it takes a good long while at a high RPM just to replace what it took to start the engine, say 25-30 min at 1,000 RPM and even longer if your car doesn't start in 2-3 seconds.

tim myers · 03-08-2023, 08:17 AM

That is a very good question, our CRV is a 2013 and originally came with the toy battery, group 58 I think. Really it reminded me of a motorcycle battery, and as soon as the weather turned cold I would have to start jumping the car. The battery box was sized for a Group 24 battery, so that is what I put in it, so in short the car has may more battery than Honda thinks it needs (their opinion, not mine).

It always start with vigor, even after 8 hours of being towed. I usually let the car idle for about 30 minutes and, knock on wood, I have not had any issues with the battery staying charged. However, that said, this battery is coming up on 4 or 5 years of use, Maybe I should consider replacing it.

Just in case, I keep a battery charger in the motor home and if an issue arose where the CRV did not want to start, I would just charge the battery overnight.

Gary92345 · 03-12-2023, 04:21 PM

I tow a 2019 Equinox. Chevy says to start the engine and run it a few minutes, so if I am going to do that, I will leave it in park overnight. Also turn off the ignition to keep accessories from running down the battery. The nice thing about doing this is that every morning I go through the same checklist so I don't forget to turn everything off and end u with a dead battery. I also put elect cord inside for security.

JimStreit · 03-12-2023, 04:54 PM

If it's just an overnight stop we typically don't disconnect if it's a pull through site.

dkoldman · 03-12-2023, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creativepart

We leave our Toad connected when we have pull-through sites and don’t plan to use the car for anything during that stay.

But, I start the car, take it out of neutral tow mode (our Lincoln has a mode for towing) and put it in park as soon as we setup our rig for the night. I use an auxiliary braking that uses a 12v cigarette lighter plug for power so I unplug that as well, to keep the vehicle battery from going dead.

The above depends on your specific toad and braking and how it is setup.

Couple of questions.

Is there some reason you don't activate the emergency brake on the Lincoln Towed vehicle vs taking it out of Neutral Tow mode?

Do you have OEM 12vdc plug that stays hot when power is off, or did you modify the vehicle or add dedicated 12vdc plug direct to the battery?

LizandBruce · 03-13-2023, 08:20 AM

We tow a 2007 CRV with Blue Ox setup. We never unhook when we park for 1-2 nights. But you should be sure to check all of your cable and connections before you leave. Friends have had some of their locking pins taken from their setup. Which would have created a very dangerous situation if they drove off. We now always carry a spare locking pin set because of this. Also remember to recheck lights before driving away on your journey.

Tahoe63 · 03-13-2023, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paulie G

We plan on several one night stops on our way to Canada this summer. Do I need to to unhook our vehicle each night if the the space is fairly level?

Be careful.... I would NOT keep it hooked up mechanically if you plan to use any of the Leveler system functions.

Mongobird · 03-13-2023, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tim myers

That is a very good question, our CRV is a 2013 and originally came with the toy battery, group 58 I think. Really it reminded me of a motorcycle battery, and as soon as the weather turned cold I would have to start jumping the car. The battery box was sized for a Group 24 battery, so that is what I put in it, so in short the car has may more battery than Honda thinks it needs (their opinion, not mine).

It always start with vigor, even after 8 hours of being towed. I usually let the car idle for about 30 minutes and, knock on wood, I have not had any issues with the battery staying charged. However, that said, this battery is coming up on 4 or 5 years of use, Maybe I should consider replacing it.

Just in case, I keep a battery charger in the motor home and if an issue arose where the CRV did not want to start, I would just charge the battery overnight.

Taking a smart charger with you and running an extension to the car with 120 volts, may provide better life for the battery. It will avoid overcharging, and most smart chargers can also desulfate the battery to one degree or another. So periodic maintenance can be done that way as well. Just a thought.