New to forum, want better mileage!

[Bill]

Originally Posted by NatureBitz

Did have to run a 12 volt power lead to provide power, but it was a short run since the 12 volt battery is located inside the cargo area.

I'm not sure I understand the added 12-V power lead. Where does this power lead come from, and where does it go? When you say "the cargo area", are you referring to an area in the tow vehicle, or in the trailer?

The Curt wireless controller should get both operating and braking power from the 12 VDC charge line that is part of the 7-pin trailer connector. In other words, the needed power should be coming from the tow vehicle, not the TM. Perhaps you are saying that the 7-pin connector on your Toyota did not have a 12 VDC charge line, so you had add to a wire to bring power to that pin?

Bill

[NatureBitz]

Originally Posted by Bill

I'm not sure I understand the added 12-V power lead. Where does this power lead come from, and where does it go? When you say "the cargo area", are you referring to an area in the tow vehicle, or in the trailer?

Perhaps you are saying that the 7-pin connector on your Toyota did not have a 12 VDC charge line, so you had add to a wire to bring power to that pin?

Bill

Our Highlander came from the factory with a 4 pin trailer plug, which probably indicates what sort of towing the manufacturer envisioned. So I had to install a 4wire to 7wire adapter. That required running a 12 volt lead from the battery compartment, which fortunately is located nearby in the tow vehicle's cargo area.

[Shane826]

If you installed a 4-pin to 7-pin adapter hopefully you also added a brake control line. Otherwise that Curt controller is doing nothing for you.

[Bill]

If I am reading the info on the Curt site correctly, the brake controller - meaning the accelerometers and the associated circuits that actually activate the brakes - resides within the barrel-shaped adapter that gets plugged into the 7-pin trailer connector (aka Bargman connector) on the back of the tow vehicle. This is done specifically to avoid the need to run a wire from a cockpit-mounted brake controller. Of course the connector-mounted brake controller has to have a source of 12 VDC, both to power its own electronics, and to power the brakes. Since the tow vehicle does not have a 12-volt charge line in the four-pin connector, he had to add one.

It is a clever idea. I'm not sure why I am so uncomfortable with it. I guess it is because I am a crusty old guy, resistant to change.

My question was meant solely to confirm that the required source of 12 VDC was the tow vehicle, not the TM.

Bill

[rich2468]

Dave (NatureBitz),
I'm towing a 2922KB with a current generation Highlander V6 and have observed 15 MPG as an average with just a little over 17MPG for a high while towing.

The highest MPG I've gotten while towing occurred, ironically, at moderate altitudes/ grades due to being in somewhat congested highway conditions. It seems with the V6 ICE I get the very best mileage with little stopping and keeping speeds below 65 MPH.

My MPG drops more from stop and go traffic (like you get on secondary state highway segments) than driving a more or less constant 65-75 MPH speed on federal highways.

Since you benefit from regenerative braking and electric motors at start, I wonder if that stopped/ started scenario will be where you see your best mileage.

[FlyboyTR]

Originally Posted by NatureBitz

So just wanted to introduce myself and say hello! Look forward to attending a meetup someday!

Dave (NatureBitz)

Dave,
Welcome aboard. You will find a lot of knowledgeable people on this site.

In regards to MPG... We tow our 3023 with a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Summit 4x4 with the Ecodiesel engine. We get close to 29 MPG without and 21 towing at 65 MPH. Our engine has been deleted and tuned for better performance. Sadly...due to a terrible diesel splash-back accident (while filling our diesel Ram truck), my wife got covered in diesel. So she wants us to sell all our diesel powered vehicles. So I guess they will be up for sale.

I am often amazed and puzzled at the MPG highs and lows that people report. Finding the right combination is possible. Good luck!

Travis