AirForce 1 brake system vs Ready Brake
Gents, First off, I've used the Ready Brake system for quite a few years now and for the most part, have been pretty happy with it. That included many years using it with a gas coach. Well, we chang...
Forum Discussion
Your Air Force 1 (AF1)/Demco solution is the Best of the Best.
Many, including me, have gone many thousands of miles without any supplemental brake system without any problems, but for ultimate safety, a supplemental brake system is required. The Ready Brute (RB) is quite popular and many like it, but there are some important differences between it and the AF1.
AF1/Ready Brute
1. The Ready Brute is a surge brake. It operates by inertia. That means that the toad must be pushing the MH before the brake will actuate. That means that the RB doesn’t completely remove the toad braking load from the MH brake system – it’s just an aid. Even in panic braking situations, the toad adds load to the MH brake system and the stopping distance will be greater than with the MH alone.
2. The AF1 applies the toad brakes in proportion to the amount of braking action applied to the MH brake system. It completely removes the entire load of the toad from the MH brake system. In fact, in panic braking situations, the stopping distance of the MH/toad combination on my rig is less than the MH without the toad connected – that is impossible with the RB.
3. The AF1 creates the full vacuum for the toad braking system. The RB does not.
4. One advantage of a diesel MH is an exhaust brake that improves the safety of descending mountain grades and such. When descending a long mountain grade, you want to use the brakes as little as possible. Because the AF1 is only actuated when the MH brake petal is depressed, it won’t actuate the toad brakes when using an exhaust brake or changing to a lower gear to help retard the speed.
Being a surge brake, the RB may be actuated by either an exhaust brake or downshifting. My exhaust brake will maintain the current speed of the rig while descending a 6% grade – that’s a lot of braking. The RB may become activated in such a condition. If it does, it puts the toad brakes in jeopardy from over heating. If it does not activate the toad brakes in this situation, it indicates that it doesn’t provide very much braking for the toad.
5. Once installed, the AF1 never requires any adjustments – install it, hook it up and forget it. The manual cable connections of the RB may require adjustments over time and conditions.
6. All supplemental braking systems need an indicator to let you not only know when the toad brake system is activated, but also when it fails to operate. The AF1 brake indicator is actuated when the toad brake pedal activates the toad brake switch. That not only lets you know when the toad brakes are applied, but even more important, lets you know when they don’t operate. I was once alerted to the fact that I didn’t make a good connection between the MH and toad the first time I applied the MH brakes – six feet from the camp site.
The indicator system on the standard RB is actuated when the brake lever on the hitch moves forward – it knows nothing about the condition of the toad brake pedal or toad brake system. That indicator will even operate when the RB cables are not connected. In addition, that system will not indicate that you need to adjust the cables.
Demco
The Demco is unique in a couple of ways.
1. Each tow bar is independently attached to the receiver. That means that one tow bar can be connected without touching the other. Then the other tow bar can be connected. They can also be separately disconnected and stored before touching the other one. That really makes easier and faster.
2. The tow bars can be stored in three different positions – left, right, or split.
3. In addition, the customer service from Demco is the best I have ever had. They even sent a factory representative to my location to help me solve a problem that turned out to be “operator error.”
After more than 100,000 miles of towing a toad with a MH, I highly recommend the Demco/AF1 solution.
Good Luck!
Wil
Many, including me, have gone many thousands of miles without any supplemental brake system without any problems, but for ultimate safety, a supplemental brake system is required. The Ready Brute (RB) is quite popular and many like it, but there are some important differences between it and the AF1.
AF1/Ready Brute
1. The Ready Brute is a surge brake. It operates by inertia. That means that the toad must be pushing the MH before the brake will actuate. That means that the RB doesn’t completely remove the toad braking load from the MH brake system – it’s just an aid. Even in panic braking situations, the toad adds load to the MH brake system and the stopping distance will be greater than with the MH alone.
2. The AF1 applies the toad brakes in proportion to the amount of braking action applied to the MH brake system. It completely removes the entire load of the toad from the MH brake system. In fact, in panic braking situations, the stopping distance of the MH/toad combination on my rig is less than the MH without the toad connected – that is impossible with the RB.
3. The AF1 creates the full vacuum for the toad braking system. The RB does not.
4. One advantage of a diesel MH is an exhaust brake that improves the safety of descending mountain grades and such. When descending a long mountain grade, you want to use the brakes as little as possible. Because the AF1 is only actuated when the MH brake petal is depressed, it won’t actuate the toad brakes when using an exhaust brake or changing to a lower gear to help retard the speed.
Being a surge brake, the RB may be actuated by either an exhaust brake or downshifting. My exhaust brake will maintain the current speed of the rig while descending a 6% grade – that’s a lot of braking. The RB may become activated in such a condition. If it does, it puts the toad brakes in jeopardy from over heating. If it does not activate the toad brakes in this situation, it indicates that it doesn’t provide very much braking for the toad.
5. Once installed, the AF1 never requires any adjustments – install it, hook it up and forget it. The manual cable connections of the RB may require adjustments over time and conditions.
6. All supplemental braking systems need an indicator to let you not only know when the toad brake system is activated, but also when it fails to operate. The AF1 brake indicator is actuated when the toad brake pedal activates the toad brake switch. That not only lets you know when the toad brakes are applied, but even more important, lets you know when they don’t operate. I was once alerted to the fact that I didn’t make a good connection between the MH and toad the first time I applied the MH brakes – six feet from the camp site.
The indicator system on the standard RB is actuated when the brake lever on the hitch moves forward – it knows nothing about the condition of the toad brake pedal or toad brake system. That indicator will even operate when the RB cables are not connected. In addition, that system will not indicate that you need to adjust the cables.
Demco
The Demco is unique in a couple of ways.
1. Each tow bar is independently attached to the receiver. That means that one tow bar can be connected without touching the other. Then the other tow bar can be connected. They can also be separately disconnected and stored before touching the other one. That really makes easier and faster.
2. The tow bars can be stored in three different positions – left, right, or split.
3. In addition, the customer service from Demco is the best I have ever had. They even sent a factory representative to my location to help me solve a problem that turned out to be “operator error.”
After more than 100,000 miles of towing a toad with a MH, I highly recommend the Demco/AF1 solution.
Good Luck!
Wil
