Roadmaster invisibrake brake questionHave a

[fred1845]

Have a question about brake system. There is a skinny wire going from MH to towed car which I think is for trickle charge and maybe
for alert for when brake is applied which shows in MH . (Not sure of last part) .Question is wire has a lot of slack which hangs down almost to road.Can I tie it to tow bar to lessen slack,or does it need all that play ?Not sure if in case of turns it needs that play in wire .Thanks .

[phil-t]

Yes - secure it to the towbar, make sure turns are no problem, but if you route it along the towbar, there should be no problem. Certainly does not need to be near dragging the ground.
Yes, that wire on my invisibrake system, just installed 2 weeks ago, does just what you described.  Gives light and alarm in MH and gives trickle charge to toad.

[Sailorkane]

I don't think it provides trickle charge to toad.  It fires off the light  when the toad brake is applied.  And alarm when it is applied for more than so many seconds ( I think 15 seconds).  The toad battery is charged from the rear brake wire, I believe.  Check the manual.  Don't let it drag on the ground, it'll fray and break.  Personally I used the extra wire in my 7-wire toad cable for that purpose.

[phil-t]

Sorry - I had the part about that single wire providing a trickle charge to the TOAD battery wrong.  The tech that did the install on our car told me, jusst 2 days ago, that the charge to the TOAD battery is provided by the running lights wire, when the MH tail lights are ON.

[Alfa38User]

that the charge to the TOAD battery is provided by the running lights wire, when the MH tail lights are ON.

That may well be so on your installation, but... it seems like a strange way to provide power for that charge as, in many cases, those circuits will not be live all that often leaving you with no charge to the battery the majority of the time (unless you were instructed to drive with the parking lights on at all times. I do believe I have seen installation instructions for a similar unit that did specify this).

Maybe only when driving at night.... who knows??

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The tech that did the install on our car told me, jusst 2 days ago, that the charge to the TOAD battery is provided by the running lights wire, when the MH tail lights are ON.

I don't think that tech is correct about that either. There are systems that can provide a charge to the toad battery, but it's not a usual thing and not fed from the tail lights either. If you have the usual 4-pin flat plug for toad lights & signals, plus that single wire for the brake alert, there is no toad battery charging. If you have a round 6 or 7 pin connector, there may be.

Here is one device designed to charge the toad battery while underway:
http://www.lslproducts.net/ToadChargePage.html

[phil-t]

I don't think that tech is correct about that either. There are systems that can provide a charge to the toad battery, but it's not a usual thing and not fed from the tail lights either. If you have the usual 4-pin flat plug for toad lights & signals, plus that single wire for the brake alert, there is no toad battery charging. If you have a round 6 or 7 pin connector, there may be.

Here is one device designed to charge the toad battery while underway:
http://www.lslproducts.net/ToadChargePage.html

You are probably correct.  I do not see where there could be any charge circuit out of that flat-four wire/cable.  Not worried about it, just repeating what the tech told me.  Next time I'm there, I will pin him down for some detail. There is absolutetly no reason for any draw on the TOAD battery while being towed; not any more than if the car were setting parked somewhere, with everything off.