Flat tow brakes

An update on the Ford Focus!

First of all, thanks for all the replies!

The situation with the Focus has gotten interesting. The Focus can be flat towed, but it has a 6 speed auto transmission that senses the engine and road speed using, for the lack of a better term, a computer. The system then sends a signal to the transmission, as if it were a stick shift, to tell it what gear to be in. If the system has battery power you can only tow at 35 mph and have to stop and run the engine every 50 miles.

They give you a procedure to insure you are in neutral and then disconnect the battery ground. This disables gear shifting and you can go 70 mph any distance.

With no electric in the car, most of the breaking system will not work, at least as an emergency tear away.

We found one tow bar that can handle this at readybrake.com, their ReadyBrute Elite which has a built in surge brake.

Our RV dealer does not want to install this tow bar since you have to drill separate holes in the firewall for wire cables for the normal braking and the tear away brakes. The cables are then connected to your brake pedal. Our Ford dealer says he will do the job, but it will be the first time they have ever done it.

The solution we are now trying to work out is to have the RV dealer install the Base Plate. We will pre-buy the the tow bar so he can also install the dash mounted brake indicator and drop bar so we are towing about level, but no brakes or lights! We will then take the car and motor home to our Ford dealer so he can install the necessary brake cables through the firewall and insure that the tail lights are run completely from the motor home.

The Focus is a nice FWD car that can be flat towed, but they sure do not make it easy to have it set up.

PS: Camping World, about 100 miles from us, will do the complete job for just under $3,500. We can get it done way cheaper by two local dealers.

I have the SMI system on the Hyundai Elantra we tow. You DO NOT need to buy new as many brake systems are available used on craigs list etc. A $1000 system can be had normally for $2-300 used.

As to pulling the battery cable its only to cut off draw due to key in ACC position. A charge wire will eliminate this issue if installed. Remember every time you disconnect the battery that you will have to redo certain items such as radio stations etc.

The only law that matters and covers all states and provinces is the law of physics. An extra 3,000 pounds or so pushing on the back of your RV will lengthen your stopping distance, even if it's only a few inches.

I still tow my liberty w/o brakes, mainly because there ain't no good, easy and inexpensive way to do it. And it hasn't been a problem, except I do drive a little more defensively thinking that I mite not be able to stop quite as fast in a panick situation,
And if our "united" states can't get any more united on their laws than what they are, knowing that there are millions of interstate travelers, then I couldn't care less what the law says. Besides that, the braking law is not inforced in even 1 of the states as far as I can find.

I still like towing on a dolly, mainly because of the braking simplicity, amongst other things, but sold mine when I learned my 4wd could not be dolly towed.

We use one of These.

I checked with Remco and yes, their braking system requires a connection to the cigarette lighter, which will not work towing a Ford Focus with the battery disconnected.

Thanks gbopp, I followed your link to readybrake.com and the system looks good, and much cheaper than Remco using Blue Ox products.

Thanks mowermech, I found the Ready Brute Elite. Not sure where we go, but it can’t hurt to have the braking system. Remco wants almost $1,400 for their Blue Ox. The price difference with Ready Brake with and without the surge brakes only seems to be $400, a reasonable cost to be sure we don’t break any laws now or later.

LOL, at 68 I’m just not into the new slang, had to look up AFAIK to find it meant As Far As I Know LOL.

Moved to Dinghy Towing forum from Towing.

While a braking system is a very good idea, it is not required by law in many if not most states.
Some states AND the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) have a braking performance law. ANY "combination of vehicles" (a motorhome towing a car is certainly a "combination") must be able to stop within a specified distance (usually 40 or 45 feet) from a specified speed (usually 20 mph) on a hard, dry, clean, level surface.
Most of the supposed "towing laws" that are referred to on the various lists on the internet actually are for TRAILERS, and the legal definition of TRAILER in many states specifically excludes towed motor vehicles!
AFAIK, none of the various braking systems available have been tested by any independent testing organization, such as Consumer Reports or Good Housekeeping.
I agree, the Ready Brute Elite integrated towbar/surge brake system or the Ready Brake braking system that can be used with any towbar is, IMO, the best of the bunch!

To me, the Ready Brake seems to be reliable and effective.