Dingy is complete and ready for service

willald wrote:


Now, if you mean to suggest that a lawyer could possibly get a judgement for a more significant civil penalty ($$) from you and your insurance company if you were found at fault for an accident and didn't have a supplemental braking system...Yes, that could potentially happen.

However, until someone shows us just ONE example where that has actually EVER happened to an RV owner...

yes that is exactly what I mean, when your toad breaks loose and smashes into somebody, or if you can't stop in time and the lawyer claims that your inability to control your vehicle led to the crash, or if the lawyer reads the motorhomes owner's manual and it says if you tow a toad more than xxx lbs. this requires an aux braking system, you will pay out through the nose.
and not reading about one is sort of a silly argument, IMHO. I mean do all lawsuits become news in the newspaper. would any go into such detail as to the intricacies of the case? have you searched for all RV accidents, determined all of them that had a toad, read the trial transcripts and verified that that argument has never been brought up in court?
bumpy

** Deleted - duplicate post **

Bumpyroad wrote:

willald wrote:

Your MH insurance "May" not cover you if you don't have supplemental braking

..And here we go spreading the myth again. :R

No, this is one of those ridiculous urban myths that just will not die. No insurance company is going to refuse coverage if you don't have supplemental braking. It just doesn't work that way.
.

no but it will leave you twisting in the wind in a civil suit.
bumpy

Depends on what you are implying by 'twisting in the wind'.

If you mean to imply an insurance company can deny coverage of an accident completely if a supplemental braking system is not used, then no, that is NOT true at all, and is just what I said - an urban myth that really, really needs to die.

Now, if you mean to suggest that a lawyer could possibly get a judgement for a more significant civil penalty ($$) from you and your insurance company if you were found at fault for an accident and didn't have a supplemental braking system...Yes, that could potentially happen.

However, until someone shows us just ONE example where that has actually EVER happened to an RV owner....Well, AFAIC its still falls in the realm of 'urban myth' and 'scare tactic' to make people think they must buy something.

Don't get me wrong - Supplemental braking systems are a great idea, and in most cases make a rig safer on the road. I've always used one for those reasons (ReadyBrake), and highly encourage others to at least seriously consider such a product. At the same time, though, I don't like to see 'scare tactics' and 'urban myths' being used to promote these systems. There are much better, more credible ways to make the point about why one should consider these systems.

Will

willald wrote:

Your MH insurance "May" not cover you if you don't have supplemental braking

..And here we go spreading the myth again. :R

No, this is one of those ridiculous urban myths that just will not die. No insurance company is going to refuse coverage if you don't have supplemental braking. It just doesn't work that way.
.

no but it will leave you twisting in the wind in a civil suit.
bumpy

Another step towards a perfect world is selecting a Toad with a real frame to bolt the base plate to. I would never go the cheap route of buying a unibody vehicle and bolt the base plate to the sheet metal. Sheet metal work hardening and tearing are the second most cause of tow failure.

pops

bocanut50 wrote:
You might want to check out Towing Laws on this web site before you go http://www.rvibrake.com/Towing-Laws-s/1826.htm There is also a list of towing laws in the Trailer Life Directory.

Indeed so, but make sure you check out the TRUE laws, and ALL of them. Not just the ones provided by supplemental brake companies, that almost always conveniently leave out pieces to try and mislead people into believing their products are required much, much more than they really are.

Looking to a supplemental brake company for information about towing laws, is kinda like asking a drug dealer for information about how dangerous or addictive a drug might be. Ya think the information provided in that case just might be a LITTLE 'skewed'? Naaaah.... :)

Your MH insurance "May" not cover you if you don't have supplemental braking

..And here we go spreading the myth again. :R

No, this is one of those ridiculous urban myths that just will not die. No insurance company is going to refuse coverage if you don't have supplemental braking. It just doesn't work that way.

Whether you use a supplemental brake or not is a personal decision, that should be based on several factors. Whatever one decides, though, they should not be deluded into thinking 'most states require them' or 'insurance will require it or refuse coverage'. The former is NOT true for many states when you look closely at all laws involved, and the latter is not true AT ALL. Really wish people would stop spreading those myths.

Anyway, back to the original poster's setup: I respect your decision not to use a supplemental braking system. You make some good points, in that these systems are known in some cases to cause more trouble than they prevent.

However, I would encourage you to have a look at a system like Readybrake, a much more simple, less expensive, and less intrusive system. At the very least, maybe consider a break-away system like their Readystop product. I think the simplicity and low cost of their products may make you reconsider.

RWjSIM2003 wrote:
BTW your Post reads Dingy is complete and ready for service. But its not because you forgot to add the Break system to the Toad

but in a perfect world with a perfect system you will never have a break away and require a braking system. :s
bumpy

BTW your Post reads Dingy is complete and ready for service. But its not because you forgot to add the Break system to the Toad

LOL I think you should rethink your approach you are responsible for your Toad and if there is a failure and it causes a accident by running into someone else or something else then its to late. Its not that big of a deal to hook up and its the LAW no matter how you Feel Take responsibility and add the brake system or don't TOW Its that easy

More rationalization...Towing world does have an excellent summary of the laws state specific and Can province specific and the expected travel profile I will use this summer will keep me in compliance.
That summary of laws also identifies about half the states limiting speed to 55mph(mostly eastern). Those folks concerned about braking capability meeting the more stringent state requirements, probably also keep there speed under 55mph anywhere in the US. After all it is all about the physics.


Pops...good night