Lights on Toad

dramsey1 wrote:
My 2016 Focus is being equipped to be towed and I would appreciate a little info from the forum. We're using Blue OX baseplate and bars and Invisibrake breaking. The vehicle owners manual requires the negative lead of the battery to be disconnected before towing. The shop equipping the vehicle is running a special line to operate the toad brake lights but has said nothing about the tail lights when the motorcoach lights are on. It seems to me the toad tail lights should be on when the motorcoach lights are. Is this the normal hookup? Thanks again in advance you've been a big help to this newbie.

I used the Blue Ox led light kit as I didn't want to ty into the car wiring system. I would contact Blue Ox and see if they have a tail light wiring kit for your car.
Bill

It is unlikely that you can install a bulb "inside" your taillights. The toad tailights are LED fixtures and there is no inside. On my toad the dealer strongly advised against any set up that introduced coach power to my toad taillights, even with diodes. With LED there is no bulb and if the wiring causes a problem in the toad taillight the whole unit requires replacement at over $500.00 per side.

My solution was to use wireless tow lights. They operate independent of the car system. My wireless lights are LED and super bright. I place inside the rear window on the upholstered deck so no danger of them getting damaged or falling off. Each side takes 4 AA rechargeables and one charge will last for a couple of days driving time. I have an extra set of batteries and put fully charged batteries in every morning when traveling.

Quick, easy, legal, inexpensive and no one had to hack into the wiring harness of my new car. I highly recommend

Here is a link, unfortunately I don't know how to make a clicky so cut and paste to your address bar.

http://www.blazer-international.com/video.php?video=2

I did NOT want to invade the toad's electrical system in any way. I installed a separate 1157 light socket inside the tail light fixure, for tail light and stop light and turn signal functions. I also installed a small license plate light, and connected it to the aux tail light wire.
I did all this because I insisted on a system whereby I could run with the toad ignition switch totally OFF, and doors locked, and keys in my pocket, AND light switch OFF.
My toad is a 2007 GMC 4x4 Envoy.

Ava wrote:
The invisibrake will charge the vehicle battery from the coach when in use. The car manual says to remove cable to stop battery from going dead but the lead would need to be attached to keep the system operating properly. I had looked into this braking system and that was the info supplied. Hook up lights as needed and no worry about dead battery.

Battery cable is removed to prevent destroying transmission.

Look at the connector. If it has 5-7 pins they ran a power circuit to the toad.

"dramsey1".....I'm guessing that when they said that to you, they meant all the lights will operate. They know that they need brake, turn and taillights.

The invisibrake will charge the vehicle battery from the coach when in use. The car manual says to remove cable to stop battery from going dead but the lead would need to be attached to keep the system operating properly. I had looked into this braking system and that was the info supplied. Hook up lights as needed and no worry about dead battery.

I installed bulbs in tail light as per blue ox instruction.Ran separate wires, no diodes. Download blue ox base plate install instructions, will include install for bulb.

I have a 2014 Honda CR-V. I got from E trailer set of wires to hook up the lights on my Honda from the motor home. It was a simple job to do. You may talk to E Trailer about wires for your tow. Good Luck

Diodes should be used on the brake and tail lights to allow either signals from the vehicle or the motorhome to light them. A wire is run from the front to the back with a connector at the front bumper. A cable connects between the motorhome and towed that supplies power from the motorhome's lights to the rear of the towed where the diodes act as an automatic switch to provide light from only one source to light the lights preventing any interference between the two sources. Applying the vehicle's brakes light the brake lights and the tail lights work from the dash or automatically just as they always do whether connected to the motorhome or not. When connected the power from the motorhome's brake lights and tail lights goes through the diodes and lights the lights when brakes or tail lights are lit. The diodes allow power to go in only one direction - to the tail/brake lights and not backup into the vehicle's electrical system. You need a diode for each stop/turn signal light and one for the tail lights. They're about $10 to $15 each. Think of them as a check valve for electricity with two inputs and only one output.


ROADMASTER's Hy-Power diodes