Dinghy towing

[randycurr]

I tow an Equinox behind my Precept. I use a Patriot braking system. After about a hour of driving, the battery in my car dies. Does anyone have a solution to this problem?

[Griswald One]

Hey Randycurr,

I tow a Chevy Sonic. When they added my tow equipment I had the dealer add a charging line. Your precept has a seven pin connector which includes a charging line. Where the connect plugs into the car, have them add a charging line going to your battery. To be safe make sure they add an in-line Fuse.

[NickM]

I just towed my Jeep Wrangler 900 miles to FL. Day 1 the battery was able to start the Jeep at the end of 6 hours of towing. Day 2 the battery died about 4 hours into the trip so I disconnected power to the auxiliary brake and charged the battery after we arrived at our overnight stop. I could feel the difference in braking and could tell that there was no assistance from the Jeep. Day 3 my wife drove the Jeep and followed the last 100 miles.

I have 2 options, add a charging line or pull a fuse. I will probably add the charging line, should have done that when I installed the rest of the wiring. I'll put a fuse in series with the charging line for protection.

You might search on the IRV2 forum for other Equinox solutions.

[LkptRvPilot]

1) Are you sure you turned everything off in the car (stereo, fans). Also, ignition should only be in ACC position. (Headlights should not be on).

2) When normal driving, are your tail lights on? If the brake is even slightly depressed, the lights may turn on.

3) I added one of these for my tow vehicle:

https://rvibrake.com/products/towed-...ant=8804388741

[abarkl]

Originally Posted by randycurr

I tow an Equinox behind my Precept. I use a Patriot braking system. After about a hour of driving, the battery in my car dies. Does anyone have a solution to this problem?

Fuse #32 needs to be pulled to prevent battery drain from the discrete logic ignition switch. Check your owners manual for towing behind a recreational vehicle.
Chevrolet Equinox: Towing It Behind An RV | GM Authority

[Dustdevil]

I added a charging line to the electrical cable between the motorhome and the Jeep, with a fuse and a circuit breaker in line to protect everything. There's already one under the hood of the motorhome, but it doesn't hurt to be extra safe. Your braking system draws a large amount of juice from the battery, as it has a motor turning an air compressor. Even with a brand new battery, that load can discharge in just a few hours of use, depending upon the number of braking cycles you perform. I didn't want to worry about it, so I just added the charge line to keep the Jeep battery topped off all the time.

[Bobs A Class]

randycurr, first be sure you talking apples and apples. Different toads and different installations will produce different results. I pull a 2015 Equinox with my Precept. My dealer installed everything so that if I follow the directions in the owners manual, I will be good. My owners manual does say to disconnect a fuse. I have no battery drain and rack up no miles. I run the toad for 10 minuets at lunch and after arrival at the stop and before leaving the next day.

Bob

Bob