Title: How does a towed car battery charge line work?

Introduction
After a long days RV ride the most exasperating thing would be realizing your
towed vehicles battery has discharged. You’re generally left with two options
when faced with this situation. First fiddle around with your jumper cable only to
realize it’s not long enough. Then ask help from some benevolent person nearby.
Many factors might have played a part in leaving you in this dire situation. Either it
be the supplemental breaking system or the ignition switch triggering your cars
electrical system. They can both substantially drain the battery. A towed battery
charge line can help you get out of this bad situation.
How does a towed car battery charge line work?
A connection is established
A 12 gauge standard wire is usually used to connect the motorhomes alternator
with the towed vehicle. But if the run is long then a lower gauge is definitely
preferred. Fuses are also used at both ends of the wire. They must be appropriate
for the 12 gauge wire and the distance. An unfused ground wire is also necessary.
A battery disconnect switch is installed
To eliminate any possibility of the car battery being discharged a disconnect switch
is vital. Normally the charge line can do the trick. But due to several factors such
as the difference between battery potential, their charging rate, cleanliness of the
connecter terminals they do become discharged occasionally.
This can be easily prevented simply by taking the car battery out of the equation.
This is done with the help of a disconnect switch. This can be installed on either
the positive or negative terminals. But it is pivotal to ensure that the charge line is
established before disconnecting the car battery.
Then the car battery can be reconnected before the charge line is unhooked. Failure
to accomplish this can result in a blown fuse. For the optimal result it is advised to
connect the disconnect switch on this negative terminal.
A towed vehicle that has a supplemental breaking system which requires electrical
power from the battery can’t utilize this setup. The reason is that they have
electrically operated breakaway protection system. If vehicle separation occurs and
the power is cut then the breakaway protection feature would fail to activate.
Installation of a charging isolator system
A charging isolator system helps monitor and limit the charge rate and prevent any
discharge from the car battery. Products like the Toad-Charge from LSL are very
good at doing this task. It is installed on the charge line at the battery of the towed
vehicle. A 15-amp circuit breaker is used for the source end at the coach batteries.
This module has three LEDs that indicate things like power, reverse polarity and
charging. After proper connection if the engine of the motorhome is supplying
more than 13 volts the power light will turn on. A reverse connection on the other
hand will result in the reverse polarity light turning on.
The charging light will turn on once the towed vehicle battery is being charged by
the processor. All the lights will immediately go out if the motor home engine is
shut off and the charge line voltage is below 12.8 volts or so. Alongside this the
processor also disconnects to motor home battery to prevent discharge.
Another impressive isolator system is the Automatic Battery Disconnect
manufactured by Roadmaster Inc. It not only provides a constant charge to the
battery but also positive current to towed vehicles. It is optimal for use with
vehicles that require the battery cable to be disconnected.