Battery not charging while towing

[Steve L.]

In my opinion, cars and light trucks are not designed for towing. They merely accommodate towing. A tow package does not mean the vehicle is designed to tow, it's just another accommodation. Pretty much the only vehicle I know that is designed for towing is the semi tractor. Cars and light trucks are designed to haul people and stuff. Trucks generally tow trailers better than cars but some people complain about the compromised fuel economy usually associated with trucks. So we apply band-aids to lighter vehicles like WDHs and anti-sway sytems.

[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

It is concerning for many of us who buy new or recent-model trailers and tow vehicles (in many cases with factory-installed tow packages) to read that the trailer and/or the TV wiring is not adequate to meet the demands of installed appliances—especially in small, easy-to-tow MFG trailers.

While I certainly could spend many hours crawling around under my TV and trailer stringing new wires, fuses, etc., I really have other demands on my time, and rather expected that the state-of-the-art systems in my late-model Casita and Ford Expedition would be more than adequate for our modest needs.

It can be rewarding to remedy minor deficiencies or oversights (like no springs on the screen door), or to personalize with mats and curtains, etc., but should I have to assume that my vehicles are just not adequate to the tasks they were designed for?

/Mr Lynn

I certainly feel your pain; I don't wish to crawl around under my TV or trailer either. But it's probably more complicated to determine WHAT tasks the vehicles were designed for. At minimum (and we all know that manufacturers are usually interested in meeting [not exceeding] minimum requirements, I suspect that a tow package is expected to handle turn signals and brake lights, brakes, and a small charge. The larger the vehicle, the more it might be designed to handle.

Not to defend designers or manufacturers, but they're probably not mind readers, just like OPs who ask questions don't always know IN ADVANCE what kind of details they should include in order to elicit answers to their questions. (If they did know these things, they might not even need to ask the questions.)

We definitely shopped for a trailer that we could use with our current vehicle, and jumped through some painful hoops to get the two to work together. But the trailer is within the vehicle's specs, and we've followed all of the MF guidelines, including getting brakes on a 13 footer, even when many people say they're not necessary on a trailer that small. The TV specs required them, so that's what we did.

But when we next do this (I still have that BF 17 dream), I DO want a TV that is set up, ready, and well-reviewed for that job. (And I won't depend just on the manufacturer to assure me that it is, I'll listen to nice people like the ones we usually encounter here.)

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Steve L.

In my opinion, cars and light trucks are not designed for towing. They merely accommodate towing. A tow package does not mean the vehicle is designed to tow, it's just another accommodation. Pretty much the only vehicle I know that is designed for towing is the semi tractor. Cars and light trucks are designed to haul people and stuff. Trucks generally tow trailers better than cars but some people complain about the compromised fuel economy usually associated with trucks. So we apply band-aids to lighter vehicles like WDHs and anti-sway sytems.

[Mr Lynn]

Originally Posted by Steve L.

In my opinion, cars and light trucks are not designed for towing. They merely accommodate towing. A tow package does not mean the vehicle is designed to tow, it's just another accommodation. Pretty much the only vehicle I know that is designed for towing is the semi tractor. Cars and light trucks are designed to haul people and stuff. Trucks generally tow trailers better than cars but some people complain about the compromised fuel economy usually associated with trucks. So we apply band-aids to lighter vehicles like WDHs and anti-sway sytems.

Aside from a self-contained camper or motorhome, the best device for home trailer towing would seem to be a fifth-wheel, which mimics the tractor-trailer by putting the hitch over the rear axle.

But even a fifth-wheel truck-trailer combination might not solve the problem of inadequate power for your 'fridge.

/Mr Lynn