HOW DOES TOAD-CHARGE™ WORK? The TOAD-CHARGE™ kit connects between your motorhome and dinghy vehicle, using the motohome's 12 volt electrical system to supply charging current to your dinghy vehicle's battery. The kit supplies whatever amount of current your dinghy vehicle battery needs to keep it charged (up to a maximum of 10 continuous amps). This current is available whenever the  motorhome engine is running. WILL TOAD-CHARGE™ WORK WITH MY PARTICULAR BRAND OF MOTORHOME AND DINGHY VEHICLE? Yes, the kit is designed for universal installation, and works with ALL motorhomes and dinghy vehicles equipped with 12 volt electrical systems. WILL TOAD-CHARGE™ OVERCHARGE MY DINGHY VEHICLE'S BATTERY? No, the Charge Controller supplies only the amount of current being demanded by your dinghy battery to keep it charged. Up to 10 amps of charging current is available, but just a fraction of that amount is typically supplied (depending on how much current is being drawn by the ignition/accessory switch, dashboard lights, supplemental braking system, etc.). HOW EASY IS IT TO DISCONNECT TOAD-CHARGE™ FROM MY DINGHY VEHICLE WHEN I'M NOT TOWING IT? Although the kit is installed permanently, it has plug-in connectors at the back of the motorhome, at the front of the dinghy vehicle, and on both ends of the tow bar. This allows the tow bar to be completely removed and stowed, or left attached to either the motorhome or dinghy vehicle when not in use. The kit also comes with snap-on dust caps, to protect the connectors when they aren't in use. DOES THE TOAD-CHARGE™ KIT WORK WITH GELL-CELL OR AGM BATTERIES? Yes, TOAD-CHARGE™ works with all lead-acid battery chemistries - Gell-Cell, AGM and conventional Flooded-Cell. WHAT HAPPENS IF I START EITHER VEHICLE WHILE TOAD-CHARGE™ IS CONNECTED? The Charge Controller prevents your motorhome from supplying excessive current through the wire harness when you start the dinghy vehicle's engine. Similarly, the Charge Controller will not allow any current to flow from the dinghy back to the motorhome, thereby preventing excessive current draw when you start the motorhome engine. ON MY DINGHY VEHICLE, THE BATTERY IS NOT LOCATED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. CAN I STILL INSTALL TOAD-CHARGE™? Yes, the Charge Controller is still  installed in the engine compartment, but is connected to the Jump-Start terminals in your engine compartment, rather than directly to the posts on the battery. CAN I CONNECT THE TOAD-CHARGE™ KIT TO MY MOTORHOME'S HOUSE BATTERIES INSTEAD? Yes, this approach has the advantage of allowing you to charge your dinghy vehicle overnight, using AC shore power and your motorhome's DC power converter or inverter/charger to supply the charging current. As soon as the motorhome engine is started, its electrical system takes over the process, continuing to supply charging current to the dinghy vehicle. The installation instructions describe how to connect the kit in this manner. MY BUS CONVERSION HAS A 24 VOLT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. WILL TOAD-CHARGE™ WORK WITH IT? On 24 volt buses equipped with a 12 volt house battery bank, TOAD-CHARGE™ can be usually be connected to the 12 volt house batteries (provided they receive a charge from the engine while the bus is being driven). It can NOT be connected directly to a 24 volt electrical system. WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD THE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS? Click HERE. WHAT TOOLS ARE NEEDED TO INSTALL THE TOAD-CHARGE™ KIT? You'll need: (1.) a power drill and 1/8" drill bit to drill the mounting holes for the charge controller and circuit breaker, (2.) a #2 Phillips screwdriver to mount the charge controller and circuit breaker, (3.) wire cutters to cut the wire harness to desired length, (4.) a 1/8" slotted screwdriver to attach the harness wires to the connectors, (5.) a 11/32" nutdriver or socket to connect the wire harness to the circuit breaker, (6.) wire strippers or a knife to remove the insulation from the wire harness ends, and (7.) a crimp tool for crimping the ring terminals on the motorhome wire harness and dinghy charge controller. I WANT TO TOW A SECOND DINGHY VEHICLE BEHIND MY MOTOR HOME - CAN I BUY JUST THE TOAD-CHARGE™ PARTS THAT INSTALL ON THE DINGHY VEHICLE? Yes, a "2nd Dinghy Vehicle Kit" is available for $78.95, plus $5.95 shipping. Click HERE to order it. CAN I USE MY MOTORHOME'S EXISTING REAR HITCH CONNECTOR, INSTEAD OF YOUR CONNECTORS AND MOTORHOME WIRE HARNESS? Yes, a "Dinghy Kit Without Connectors" is available separately (see below) for this purpose, and contains only the parts that install in the dinghy vehicle (i.e., Charge Controller, nylon wire ties, battery terminal connectors, mounting screws, etc.) - You simply connect it to your motorhome's existing hitch connector and tow bar interconnecting cable. However, your existing wiring and hitch connector must be adequate for supplying up to 10 amps to the TOAD-CHARGE™ Charge Controller, plus any other dinghy vehicle loads (i.e., transmission lube pump, supplemental braking system, etc.). Note that the motorhome wire harness included in our complete TOAD-CHARGE™ kit includes a dedicated ground wire and connector pin, in order to avoid the combined voltage drops from the dinghy's running lights, lube pump, supplemental braking system and TOAD-CHARGE™ Charge Controller. If you use your existing motorhome wiring and connector instead, this important advantage may be lost. Also, note that an adequate circuit breaker or fuse MUST be present on your existing motorhome power wire - Without it, a fire hazard exists in the event of a wiring fault. If this protection isn't already present in your motorhome's wiring, please consider installing the 15 Amp Waterproof Circuit Breaker (available below). TOAD-CHARGE™ Dinghy Kit Without Connectors (includes Charge Regulator & dinghy mounting hardware) @ $72.95 + $5.95 shipping: Click HERE to order. TOAD-CHARGE™ 15 Amp Waterproof Circuit Breaker @ $12.95 (free shipping when ordered with Dinghy Kit): Click HERE to order.   DOES THE 15 AMP CIRCUIT BREAKER NEED TO BE INSTALLED NEAR MY MOTORHOME BATTERIES? It needs to be installed as close to the battery end of the motorhome wire harness as possible. This ensures that the entire length of the harness is protected against short circuits and overcurrent. Installing it at some midpoint in the harness (or at the motorhome hitch connector) defeats this important protective feature, and is NOT recommended. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE REVISION E  CHARGE CONTROLLER AND EARLIER VERSIONS? The Revision E controller uses a microcontroller (earlier versions used an analog design), and has less foward voltage drop when supplying high charging current to the dinghy battery. The Rev E controller also has screw terminals, eliminating the need to cut or remove wires when replacing it. AFTER I'VE INSTALLED THE TOAD-CHARGE™ KIT, HOW DO I KNOW THAT IT'S WORKING? After plugging in the tow bar and motorhome connectors, plug in the dinghy vehicle connector while observing the Charger Controller's status lights - The green POWER and yellow CHARGING lights should immediately blink 3 times to confirm that the controller is receiving power and operating normally. CAN I BUY SPARE CONNECTORS OR DUST CAPS? Yes, a "Spare Connector/Dust Cap Kit" is available for $9.95 (free shipping). It includes 2 Male and 2 Female connectors (which are also used as dust caps), along with 2 nylon dust cap tether cords. Click HERE to order it.

(last updated 10/17/2011)