Wireless toad lights

[C20]

Anyone have the wireless toad lights? I bought a new toad and they can't wire into the wiring harness without causing a lamp out light on the dash. So I bought the LED magnetic lights, and ran a wire under the toad to plug into the coach. This means I have to plug in two different plugs to get the lights to work, one into the coach and one at the rear of the toad to make the magnetic lights work.

Just wondering if anyone has experience with the wireless ones, and if that might me easier.

Thanks all!

[Hudsoner]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
Hudsoner you may be right but my Smart car is only about 9ft over all so its not 4ft past the dolly tail lights....Not to worry though, if I am going far away I have a featherlite trailer I use which takes care of all the problems mentioned and I can back up without disconnecting......Just offering my observations

You are lucky to be able to use a Smart! And I agree, you do not have to be concerned about much overhang.

I travel with this more than 100 lb heavy Rottweiler - Great Dane mix, and a Smart could become a little tight for the two of us. Until last year, I had another additional big dog. That was the reason that I bought medium sized SUV to allow me to transport the two beasts in the back of it.

[ferndaleflyer]

Hudsoner you may be right but my Smart car is only about 9ft over all so its not 4ft past the dolly tail lights....Not to worry though, if I am going far away I have a featherlite trailer I use which takes care of all the problems mentioned and I can back up without disconnecting......Just offering my observations

[Hudsoner]

TechWriter wrote:
You might want to take a look at the Tekonsha Modulite ZC1 which now retails for about $65.

My original RV toad plug just failed one day. Had a RV dealership try to fix it, but after a two hours I stopped them after they couldn't locate the problem.

The Tekonsha unit works by induction so you don't cut into your RV's wiring at all -- except to ground it and run 12V to the unit.

Here's my Tekonsha install.

Thanks, I did not even know that something like this was existing!

[Hudsoner]

tropical36 wrote:

Hudsoner wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

C20 wrote:
Anyone have the wireless toad lights? I bought a new toad and they can't wire into the wiring harness without causing a lamp out light on the dash. So I bought the LED magnetic lights, and ran a wire under the toad to plug into the coach. This means I have to plug in two different plugs to get the lights to work, one into the coach and one at the rear of the toad to make the magnetic lights work.

Just wondering if anyone has experience with the wireless ones, and if that might me easier.

Thanks all!

My favorite method if there isn't an un-intrusive harness available, like the COOLTECH for our Wrangler, is for a stand alone system. What you do is to first put a hitch receiver on the car, if one isn't already available. Then make up a light bar from angle iron and for pinning it, in the receiver, like you would a bike rack or other. In fact, the right bike rack might work. Now you install a plug and outlet and take your wiring down under and to the front for wiring it into your installed, umbilical cord outlet, on the toad's front somewhere.
We did this once, on a vehicle that already had a hitch receiver and a wiring connector for it, so even if you didn't want to remove the bar when not towing and being that we wired it the same, you could just plug it in and have the extra lighting back there. In this case we used a hitch haul, instead of a bar and it doubled as a carrier and bike rack, as well. At any rate, there is no connection whatsoever to the toad lights, themselves.

I was thinking along the same lines. My SUV has a hitch installed already. I planned to use a cheap ball mount, weld some length of angle iron onto it, and attach normal trailer lights to the end of the iron, and run the wires underneath the car to the front. Probably even splice into the dolly wiring and install a flat connector on the dolly.

You may want to install a lic. plate bracket as well on one side, with the proper tail light for that purpose. Now you're all ready to go, if you decide on towing four down, at some point, so think ahead for that and whereas you can go from dolly to a direct hookup, with no mods.

I do not plan to go back to 4 down towing. I did that before I changed my car and bought this dolly. 4 down is just way to restrictive for the vehicles one can buy. I used to have a Subaru Outback with a manual transmission (2013 was the last year the sold it), but now one has to take either a Fiat (called Jeep in the US), or one of the really small other vehicles. I have a 100 lb ++ dog to haul around, I need a vehicle that has a decent size. If Subaru would have continued selling the manual in the US (they do it in the rest of the world), I would have stayed with flat towing.

[TechWriter]

You might want to take a look at the Tekonsha Modulite ZC1 which now retails for about $65.

My original RV toad plug just failed one day. Had a RV dealership try to fix it, but after a two hours I stopped them after they couldn't locate the problem.

The Tekonsha unit works by induction so you don't cut into your RV's wiring at all -- except to ground it and run 12V to the unit.

Here's my Tekonsha install.

[oldkeywest91]

We use TowMate,bought thru walmart (32in bar) for about 250.00

[tropical36]

Hudsoner wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

C20 wrote:
Anyone have the wireless toad lights? I bought a new toad and they can't wire into the wiring harness without causing a lamp out light on the dash. So I bought the LED magnetic lights, and ran a wire under the toad to plug into the coach. This means I have to plug in two different plugs to get the lights to work, one into the coach and one at the rear of the toad to make the magnetic lights work.

Just wondering if anyone has experience with the wireless ones, and if that might me easier.

Thanks all!

My favorite method if there isn't an un-intrusive harness available, like the COOLTECH for our Wrangler, is for a stand alone system. What you do is to first put a hitch receiver on the car, if one isn't already available. Then make up a light bar from angle iron and for pinning it, in the receiver, like you would a bike rack or other. In fact, the right bike rack might work. Now you install a plug and outlet and take your wiring down under and to the front for wiring it into your installed, umbilical cord outlet, on the toad's front somewhere.
We did this once, on a vehicle that already had a hitch receiver and a wiring connector for it, so even if you didn't want to remove the bar when not towing and being that we wired it the same, you could just plug it in and have the extra lighting back there. In this case we used a hitch haul, instead of a bar and it doubled as a carrier and bike rack, as well. At any rate, there is no connection whatsoever to the toad lights, themselves.

I was thinking along the same lines. My SUV has a hitch installed already. I planned to use a cheap ball mount, weld some length of angle iron onto it, and attach normal trailer lights to the end of the iron, and run the wires underneath the car to the front. Probably even splice into the dolly wiring and install a flat connector on the dolly.

You may want to install a lic. plate bracket as well on one side, with the proper tail light for that purpose. Now you're all ready to go, if you decide on towing four down, at some point, so think ahead for that and whereas you can go from dolly to a direct hookup, with no mods.

[Hudsoner]

tropical36 wrote:

C20 wrote:
Anyone have the wireless toad lights? I bought a new toad and they can't wire into the wiring harness without causing a lamp out light on the dash. So I bought the LED magnetic lights, and ran a wire under the toad to plug into the coach. This means I have to plug in two different plugs to get the lights to work, one into the coach and one at the rear of the toad to make the magnetic lights work.

Just wondering if anyone has experience with the wireless ones, and if that might me easier.

Thanks all!

My favorite method if there isn't an un-intrusive harness available, like the COOLTECH for our Wrangler, is for a stand alone system. What you do is to first put a hitch receiver on the car, if one isn't already available. Then make up a light bar from angle iron and for pinning it, in the receiver, like you would a bike rack or other. In fact, the right bike rack might work. Now you install a plug and outlet and take your wiring down under and to the front for wiring it into your installed, umbilical cord outlet, on the toad's front somewhere.
We did this once, on a vehicle that already had a hitch receiver and a wiring connector for it, so even if you didn't want to remove the bar when not towing and being that we wired it the same, you could just plug it in and have the extra lighting back there. In this case we used a hitch haul, instead of a bar and it doubled as a carrier and bike rack, as well. At any rate, there is no connection whatsoever to the toad lights, themselves.

I was thinking along the same lines. My SUV has a hitch installed already. I planned to use a cheap ball mount, weld some length of angle iron onto it, and attach normal trailer lights to the end of the iron, and run the wires underneath the car to the front. Probably even splice into the dolly wiring and install a flat connector on the dolly.

[Hudsoner]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
When we had tow trucks we used the cheap ones from Harbor Freight. Never had any blow off but the thieves helped their self to a few. I have a tow dolly I use behind the DP now and then with its own lights and have never had a problem with that. Don't make it more difficult than it is.

Sadly enough, different states require that you have extra lights for the toad, if it exceeds more than 4 feet out behind the dolly lights. My dolly has lights (it is the top of the line from Roadmaster), and because I will be towing in Wisconsin and Minnesota, I do not want to take the risk of some tickets just I went cheap with an extra set of lights.

[ferndaleflyer]

When we had tow trucks we used the cheap ones from Harbor Freight. Never had any blow off but the thieves helped their self to a few. I have a tow dolly I use behind the DP now and then with its own lights and have never had a problem with that. Don't make it more difficult than it is.

[tropical36]

C20 wrote:
Anyone have the wireless toad lights? I bought a new toad and they can't wire into the wiring harness without causing a lamp out light on the dash. So I bought the LED magnetic lights, and ran a wire under the toad to plug into the coach. This means I have to plug in two different plugs to get the lights to work, one into the coach and one at the rear of the toad to make the magnetic lights work.

Just wondering if anyone has experience with the wireless ones, and if that might me easier.

Thanks all!

My favorite method if there isn't an un-intrusive harness available, like the COOLTECH for our Wrangler, is for a stand alone system. What you do is to first put a hitch receiver on the car, if one isn't already available. Then make up a light bar from angle iron and for pinning it, in the receiver, like you would a bike rack or other. In fact, the right bike rack might work. Now you install a plug and outlet and take your wiring down under and to the front for wiring it into your installed, umbilical cord outlet, on the toad's front somewhere.
We did this once, on a vehicle that already had a hitch receiver and a wiring connector for it, so even if you didn't want to remove the bar when not towing and being that we wired it the same, you could just plug it in and have the extra lighting back there. In this case we used a hitch haul, instead of a bar and it doubled as a carrier and bike rack, as well. At any rate, there is no connection whatsoever to the toad lights, themselves.

[lryrob9301]

Hudsoner wrote:
To bring this thread back to life, I have a question, and you might be able to answer it! I cannot tap into the wiring of my toad, because the computers in it will play mad, if they discover anything that is not supposed to be there (CAN Bus controlled)
I just bought a tow dolly that has it's own lights. Doing some research, I found that this is not enough in many states, because my vehicle will be at least four feet behind the lights, and thus requires it's own lights.
The easiest way to achieve this would be a set of the magnetic lights on the back of the vehicle.
I searched Amazon and found that I can get lights for a price between $20 and $300. reading through the ratings, I found that many lights, regardless of their price, have a magnetic base that seems not to be strong enough, and tend to be blown of the toad.
Do you guys have any experience with magnetic tow lights and can recommend some that stay on the vehicle and not get blow to the ground once the setup is moving?

Any advise and information is really welcome!

I have used magnetic tow lights for years, yes the cheap ones will blow off sometimes. The more moderate priced units tend to have stronger magnets. You need units with a 60lbs pull rating or more for the magnets.

[Trumpet_Player]

Hudsoner wrote:
To bring this thread back to life, I have a question, and you might be able to answer it! I cannot tap into the wiring of my toad, because the computers in it will play mad, if they discover anything that is not supposed to be there (CAN Bus controlled)
I just bought a tow dolly that has it's own lights. Doing some research, I found that this is not enough in many states, because my vehicle will be at least four feet behind the lights, and thus requires it's own lights.
The easiest way to achieve this would be a set of the magnetic lights on the back of the vehicle.
I searched Amazon and found that I can get lights for a price between $20 and $300. reading through the ratings, I found that many lights, regardless of their price, have a magnetic base that seems not to be strong enough, and tend to be blown of the toad.
Do you guys have any experience with magnetic tow lights and can recommend some that stay on the vehicle and not get blow to the ground once the setup is moving?

Any advise and information is really welcome!

This is what I use: Wireless Tow Lights

The light has 100 pound rubber coated magnets. Works great.

[Hudsoner]

To bring this thread back to life, I have a question, and you might be able to answer it! I cannot tap into the wiring of my toad, because the computers in it will play mad, if they discover anything that is not supposed to be there (CAN Bus controlled)
I just bought a tow dolly that has it's own lights. Doing some research, I found that this is not enough in many states, because my vehicle will be at least four feet behind the lights, and thus requires it's own lights.
The easiest way to achieve this would be a set of the magnetic lights on the back of the vehicle.
I searched Amazon and found that I can get lights for a price between $20 and $300. reading through the ratings, I found that many lights, regardless of their price, have a magnetic base that seems not to be strong enough, and tend to be blown of the toad.
Do you guys have any experience with magnetic tow lights and can recommend some that stay on the vehicle and not get blow to the ground once the setup is moving?

Any advise and information is really welcome!