First Flat Tow Behind the Motorhome RV

[BradnChristine]

Most ruined hybrid batteries came from deep sleep sitting. Towing the hybrid the ignition is off. No difference than just sitting in the driveway. The lights and brake lights are powered by the motorhome lights. My RV1 brake controller never engages unless I hit the brakes really hard So it uses very little power.

Meaning the 12 volt battery in the Hybrid...NOT the HV Battery.

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[Jatrax]

I am expecting at least 14 mpg from the Transit.

That's darn good! The 6.8 V10 in the E450 gets 10mpg, doesn't matter if I'm towing or not. It just always gets 10mpg. Brutal when gas is north of $4.50 here.

 

[Donald]

Meaning the 12 volt battery in the Hybrid...NOT the HV Battery.

Thought that was obvious. Haven’t heard of the hybrid battery going bad.

 

[GPSMan]

Well that is true on any Toad really. I have a trickle line hooked up from the MH to prevent that, so it's never been an issue for me before.

Just wanted to make sure @GPSMan wasn't saying it was the hybrid battery. Which really makes no sense as I understand how these work but wanted to be sure. Thanks for the reassurance.

12 volt battery is the main concern.

But you also need to start the gas engine every 6 hours (some say 4-5 hours) to lubricate things, and also charge the HV battery.

 

[GPSMan]

Most ruined hybrid batteries came from deep sleep sitting. Towing the hybrid the ignition is off. No difference than just sitting in the driveway. The lights and brake lights are powered by the motorhome lights. My RV1 brake controller never engages unless I hit the brakes really hard So it uses very little power.

This is not completely true.
Many computer systems say awake drawing power while the Maverick is being towed. There are events, not 100% known, that "wake up" the truck turning the computers on. Opening the driver's door is one KNOWN event. Stuff "times out" and goes to sleep after so many minutes, not well documented how many minutes that is.

Also, using a FordPass app on your phone can "wake up" the truck at any time. Parked in the driveway, or while being towed.

Once here, once there, shouldn't be a big battery drain. But many events in a row can be.

 

[ejouie]

This is not completely true.
Many computer systems say awake drawing power while the Maverick is being towed. There are events, not 100% known, that "wake up" the truck turning the computers on. Opening the driver's door is one KNOWN event. Stuff "times out" and goes to sleep after so many minutes, not well documented how many minutes that is.

Also, using a FordPass app on your phone can "wake up" the truck at any time. Parked in the driveway, or while being towed.

Once here, once there, shouldn't be a big battery drain. But many events in a row can be.

Considering in this scenario that the hybrid IS the trailer, could the regenerative brakes be used like trailer brakes to keep everything charged?

 

[Donald]

This is not completely true.
Many computer systems say awake drawing power while the Maverick is being towed. There are events, not 100% known, that "wake up" the truck turning the computers on. Opening the driver's door is one KNOWN event. Stuff "times out" and goes to sleep after so many minutes, not well documented how many minutes that is.

Also, using a FordPass app on your phone can "wake up" the truck at any time. Parked in the driveway, or while being towed.

Once here, once there, shouldn't be a big battery drain. But many events in a row can be.

Ok GPS man. I just said it’s no different than sitting in the driveway with the key off. I do hear some clicking and noises while sitting in the driveway. I have no idea what’s going on or how much power is being drawn. Plus, no one is opening the door while towing. I do know for sure, on my hybrid, the 12 volt lighter stays active for 90 minutes after turning off the ignition. Others have said not true.

 

[GPSMan]

Considering in this scenario that the hybrid IS the trailer, could the regenerative brakes be used like trailer brakes to keep everything charged?

It's actually true from a technical standpoint but I wouldn't do it.

Key would have to be to "Run" and the truck be in Drive or L.

It WOULD recharge the HV battery in a mile or two, then be useless drag after that, doing more harm than good.

 

[Jatrax]

But you also need to start the gas engine every 6 hours (some say 4-5 hours) to lubricate things, and also charge the HV battery.

Yep, that's in the tow guide. I rarely tow more than 3-4 hours without stopping for the night so that is not usually an issue for me. Thanks!

 

[GPSMan]

Ok GPS man. I just said it’s no different than sitting in the driveway with the key off. I do hear some clicking and noises while sitting in the driveway. I have no idea what’s going on or how much power is being drawn. Plus, no one is opening the door while towing. I do know for sure, on my hybrid, the 12 volt lighter stays active for 90 minutes after turning off the ignition. Others have said not true.

No disagreement here.
But I'll bet SOME people open the door at a rest stop or gas station to put something in the Mav, take something out of the Mav, or just to check on things.

Also, I put mine in Toad mode, stayed in the truck to use the brake; and coasted down a mild hill, just to try it out, and was surprised the radio stayed on. I assume it would time out eventually but I didn't wait.

 

[Dad]

I also wanted a Hybrid just for this application. After a 19 month wait, ours should finally be built in this next week, so I am looking forward to being able to test this out myself.

Did you install the Roadmaster baseplate? I've heard that it requires the removal of the lower air shutters. Was that true in your case?

I had a Chevy Colorado 4x4 which I specifically bought for its flat towing capability. When that truck caught fire and burned to a total loss, the hybrid Maverick was the perfect replacement. While I opted for the Roadmaster baseplate for the Chevy due to its aesthetics and lower mount, Blue Ox is in my opinion, a better choice for the Maverick. As you, other members, and various websites have pointed out, the Roadmaster requires extensive modification to fit . . . much less than the Blue Ox. Lately with two house fires, I haven't had the time or effort to set up my Lariat for flat -towing (and really no need since we're using the motorhome as a residence until our home is restored), but when I do, I'll most likely go with the Blue Ox. It is kind of ironic that fitting a baseplate on a flat towable vehicle requires so much modification to the body. Perhaps, Roadmaster will reconfigure their design.

 

[tdonch]

I had a Chevy Colorado 4x4 which I specifically bought for its flat towing capability. When that truck caught fire and burned to a total loss, the hybrid Maverick was the perfect replacement. While I opted for the Roadmaster baseplate for the Chevy due to its aesthetics and lower mount, Blue Ox is in my opinion, a better choice for the Maverick. As you, other members, and various websites have pointed out, the Roadmaster requires extensive modification to fit . . . much less than the Blue Ox. Lately with two house fires, I haven't had the time or effort to set up my Lariat for flat -towing (and really no need since we're using the motorhome as a residence until our home is restored), but when I do, I'll most likely go with the Blue Ox. It is kind of ironic that fitting a baseplate on a flat towable vehicle requires so much modification to the body. Perhaps, Roadmaster will reconfigure their design.

Very sorry to hear about your trials and tribulations. But glad you at least had the motorhome as a fallback residence.

I have Roadmaster now, so one more base plate would not be a big deal. But, I was not happy about needing to remove the air shutters to accommodate their baseplate. I agree with your assessment that the Roadmaster has a cleaner installed look. And I did not care for the way the Blue Ox required carving up the bumper. I too hope one of them will update the design and/or installation of their base plates.

 

[BradnChristine]

I had a Chevy Colorado 4x4 which I specifically bought for its flat towing capability. When that truck caught fire and burned to a total loss, the hybrid Maverick was the perfect replacement. While I opted for the Roadmaster baseplate for the Chevy due to its aesthetics and lower mount, Blue Ox is in my opinion, a better choice for the Maverick. As you, other members, and various websites have pointed out, the Roadmaster requires extensive modification to fit . . . much less than the Blue Ox. Lately with two house fires, I haven't had the time or effort to set up my Lariat for flat -towing (and really no need since we're using the motorhome as a residence until our home is restored), but when I do, I'll most likely go with the Blue Ox. It is kind of ironic that fitting a baseplate on a flat towable vehicle requires so much modification to the body. Perhaps, Roadmaster will reconfigure their design.

I sure hope so. I've used Roadmaster baseplates on 8 different vehicles over the years, installing 5 myself and had the other 3 installed out of laziness. None of them had this sort of issue. The 2005 Acura MDX was the worst, having me remove a sacrificial bumper absorption thing (but replaced it by wedging in the solid steel square tube). This Maverick design was a real letdown to see.

 

[Dad]

Very sorry to hear about your trials and tribulations. But glad you at least had the motorhome as a fallback residence.

I have Roadmaster now, so one more base plate would not be a big deal. But, I was not happy about needing to remove the air shutters to accommodate their baseplate. I agree with your assessment that the Roadmaster has a cleaner installed look. And I did not care for the way the Blue Ox required carving up the bumper. I too hope one of them will update the design and/or installation of their base plates.

Thank you for the kind words.
We've managed with Plan C . . . if we take a local trip, the hybrid gets such great gas mileage, we will just drive it accompanying our RV. Works well as an advance scout and I'll have the wife block traffic if I need to change lanes.

 

[Dad]

I sure hope so. I've used Roadmaster baseplates on 8 different vehicles over the years, installing 5 myself and had the other 3 installed out of laziness. None of them had this sort of issue. The 2005 Acura MDX was the worst, having me remove a sacrificial bumper absorption thing (but replaced it by wedging in the solid steel square tube). This Maverick design was a real letdown to see.

Couldn't agree more. I also self-installed the RM baseplate on the Colorado and while time-consuming, was surprisingly straight forward. No such plans for the Maverick, yet. Very wary of cutting away the front end.

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