mowermech wrote:
rr2254545 wrote:
jplante4 wrote:
I'm adding a toad to the Sahara for the next trip so I asked the owner of the RV shop where I part time about Ready Brake and he said when they first came out they didn't work very well and were generally panned. We carry the RVi Brake system, but the thing costs a small fortune. Plus I don't want yet another monitor on the dash. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'll probably skip the braking system and see if I really need it.
Looking forward to getting the mag. There are just too many choices.
Wow skipping the braking system is a big deal
Not really such a "big deal". Lots of people have done it over the past 50 years or so. I have towed a PT Cruiser on a dolly with no brakes. I have towed a couple of different Jeep Wranglers without brakes. I even towed a Dodge Ram 1500 without brakes.
Nothing bent, nothing broke, nobody was injured or died, and brakes on a towed motor vehicle are not required in many states, IF the combination of vehicles can be stopped within 40 feet from 20 MPH on a level, hard surfaced, clean, roadway.
Yes, an auxiliary braking system is a good idea, and claiming they are required by law has made a lot of money for some companies, but it isn't necessarily true.
FMCA who I trust says it much better
Safety is the most important issue for motorhomers
when they operate their coaches. That’s why, for safety’s
sake, every motorhome owner who tows a vehicle four
wheels down should consider using an auxiliary braking
system. Many motorhome, chassis, and automobile manufacturers
recommend that supplemental brakes be used
on any towed vehicle.
A question that is often asked concerning supplemental
brakes involves the legal ramifications of not
using them. Not all jurisdictions mandate supplemental
brakes on towed vehicles, but when it comes to fourwheels-
down towing, safety should be paramount.
Your motorhome’s brakes were designed to stop the
weight of the coach. Add several thousand pounds
of towed vehicle weight to the equation, and the
motorhome’s braking system is being asked to do more
than it was intended. The extra weight can reduce the
effectiveness of the brakes in emergency stopping situations,
as well as lead to premature — and potentially
costly — wear on the motorhome’s braking system.
A supplemental brake provides stopping assistance to
the tandem, allowing the towed vehicle’s brakes to slow
the vehicle and reduce the weight inertia that’s pushing
forward against the rear of the motorhome. Most of us have
never heard anyone say that the brakes on their motorhome
stop it too quickly. Nevertheless, many of us have seen
what happens when brakes don’t work quickly enough.
