Flat tow battery drain?

[D.J. Swanson]

If it costs $3000 to set up for flat tow and the worries about torching your transmission are real along with battery drain etc. then it seems to make sense to me to use a car hauler type trailer to avoid all that and all the mileage readings on the flat towed vehicle.

I think you can get a pretty good car hauling trailer for $3000 but haven't priced them recently. An enclosed one that would accommodate a Ranger Raptor would be pretty big and heavy and I'm thinking it suddenly becomes quite cumbersome and the cost to buy it and the fuel to tow it would be over the top.

I thought about a flatbed trailer to haul the Raptor but that adds more weight for me to tow. My Class C motorhome is rated to tow 7500 pounds and the Raptor weighs around 5800. I don't want to add more if I can avoid it. Also, my HOA does not allow us to store RVs and trailers at our homes so I would have to pay for storage of the trailer in addition to the RV...

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[bigb]

When I flat

When i flat tow, keep the remote handy. When i stop for gas I hit the remote start and let it run for 10m while i get gas snd a bev.

I question whether 10 minutes of idling actually puts back even what it took to start the engine.

 

[John E Davies]

YES, a charge line was installed, so I do not need to worry about the battery going dead. That makes me feel much better! Whew!

That is good news, however you still need to verify that the charge circuit is actually functioning. Check the power at the positive terminal with a volt meter when you hook up the cable and start your motorhome. A device and app that would monitor the charge status in real time as you drive would be very helpful. It would prevent worries and let you know immediately if something went wrong.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f85/toad-battery-monitor-from-motorhome-634571.html

I have no direct knowledge of this!

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[paulhut]

That is good news, however you still need to verify that the charge circuit is actually functioning. Check the power at the positive terminal with a volt meter when you hook up the cable and start your motorhome. A device and app that would monitor the charge status in real time as you drive would be very helpful. It would prevent worries and let you know immediately if something went wrong.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f85/toad-battery-monitor-from-motorhome-634571.html

I have no direct knowledge of this!

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

That's why I like my RVI Tow Charge device. It has idiot lights on it that indicate charging, charged, etc. I pop the hood on the RR and look for da blinkin lights

 

[ShadowDragon24]

I thought about a flatbed trailer to haul the Raptor but that adds more weight for me to tow. My Class C motorhome is rated to tow 7500 pounds and the Raptor weighs around 5800. I don't want to add more if I can avoid it. Also, my HOA does not allow us to store RVs and trailers at our homes so I would have to pay for storage of the trailer in addition to the RV...

for the land of the free. you guys certainly love having people to tell you what you can and can not have on your bought and paid for property. lol HOA's NEED to be abolished, and made illgeal.

 

[D.J. Swanson]

Tell me about it, LOL! My mom died this past spring and when my sister and I sold her house, we found that the HOA was in line for an $800 payment. Supposedly the HOA takes a cut of every property sale in that development. My sister tried to fight it... without success. I said, "Sis, I told you so. There's no fighting the HOA." (The good news ending to my flat-tow of the Raptor inquiry is that I do indeed have all the right equipment, I've figured out how to speedily set up the dashboard controls, and I've been happily flat-towing with no problems. I did 250 miles today even. Yay!)

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