Lastly, there are a few extras to consider for your specific towed vehicle.

1) Umbilical Type

We recommend a 7-pin to 6-pin umbilical power cord verses a 7-pin to 4-pin umbilical. This keeps your options open to other accessories down the road, like the Towed Battery Charger +. 

2) Charging the Towed Battery

For years, RVers have had charge lines installed in their towed vehicle to allow the RV to charge the towed vehicle’s battery while towing. The problem with a charge line is you risk the motorhome draining the towed battery if it gets low, and you have no feedback that the wire is doing its job. This is why we created the Towed Battery Charger +…a charge line on steroids. This on demand system not only has a diode to prevent the motorhome from draining the towed vehicle’s battery, but it has an LED to give instant feedback that the system is working. You can learn more HERE.

3) Disconnecting the Towed Battery

It didn’t use to be this way, but it is becoming very common for manufacturers particularly Ford and GM to ask for the towed battery to be disconnected for towing. This is frustrating for two reasons. First, you have to use a wrench or socket set to unthread the nut on the battery cable everytime you have to tow and second this removes power from the 12V outlet in the towed vehicle leaving you without power for your braking system. This is why we sell the RVi Towed Battery Disconnect. With the twist of a dial you can disconnect the battery in the towed vehicle. We also make and see the 12V Battery Direct Kit giving you a 12V outlet dedicated for the brake system that runs directly to the towed battery even when the battery is disconnected.

4) Pulling Fuses

Another frustration is that in many towed vehicles manufacturers require that you pull a fuse for towing. Most often when you do this, it disables the 12V outlet and other items in the dash area. Again, this is why we make and sell the 12V Battery Direct Kit giving you a 12V outlet dedicated for the brake system that runs directly to the towed battery even when the fuse is pulled. To simplify the pulling the fuse process we created the Mini Fuse Bypass switch. If your car has a micro fuse or any other type of fuse other than a mini fuse, then you’ll have to go to Amazon or another source for a bypass switch. The bypass switch gives you a simple switch to disable the fuse that needs to be pulled.