Do I need a brake buddy on a Honda CRV behind a 40' DP? Thanks.

Let the fun begin, if you did a search on here this is prehaps the most volitale subject ever If you value your own saftey the answer is yes. Also required by law in some states.

Will the DP stop it? Probably. HOWEVER, if you have an accident, realize not having a supplemental braking system is a good excuse for the insurance company to deny your claim. Also leaves another opening for a lawsuit because you did NOT do all you could have to be safe.I can't even tell my toad is back there but I have a supplemental braking system to protect me from lawyers.

check out what your owner's manual for the RV says about towing a toad. if it says that anything over XXXX lbs. should have a braking system, you may not read that section but the lawyer for the people you hit will have read it. and I think there should also be a breakaway system installed.bumpy

Check the law for your state and use that for a minimum. Just remember even a 40' DP will stop faster in an emergency situation if the toad has brakes than it will if the toad doesn't have brakes. You be the judge.Brake Buddy is just one of many different supplemental brake systems out there. Research before you buy.Good luckRon

Yes, this is always a very volatile subject. One of the reasons being, it frequently results in a lot of misinformation, urban myths, etc. getting spread. Those that know better then feel like they need to speak up. A previous post here is a prime example of that:...If you have an accident, realize not having a supplemental braking system is a good excuse for the insurance company to deny your claim. ..This is a very common urban MYTH, that has been proven to be false over and over and over, yet some folks still insist on spreading this myth. Really wish folks would stop propagating this myth.Your insurance may well raise your rates, or even cancel your policy after paying on a claim, where something like this happens. However, they are NOT going to be able to deny coverage, just because you exceed a manufacturer recommendation like GVWR, GCWR, braking capacity, etc. If that were the case, they could weasel out of paying ANY and EVERY claim in one way or another. Insurance would be worthless. That whole idea is ludicrous, and just needs to die, haha.Oh, and here's another one:...Also leaves another opening for a lawsuit because you did NOT do all you could have to be safe..LOL, using that 'you didn't do all you could have to be safe' logic, leads down a ridiculously slippery slope, and proves nothing.You COULD have also spent a ton more $$, and upgraded the brakes on your MH, 'to do all you could to be safe'. You COULD have also just not towed the vehicle at all, drove it separately 'to do all you could to be safe'. You COULD have also just rented a car at your destination and not brought another vehicle on the road 'to do all you could to be safe'.You COULD have also just sold the MH, drove a much safer car, stayed in hotels, 'to do all you could to be safe'.You COULD have also spent $1M on a Prevost bus conversion MH with air brakes, 'to do all you could to be safe'.(..You see how ridiculous this 'you didn't do all you could have to be safe' argument really is?)...Anyway, to answer the original, specific question: No, you do not necessarily need a Brake Buddy for your CRV. There are several other brake systems to chose from, some of which are a much better choice. I highly, highly recommend a Readybrake system over Brake Buddy.As to the more broad question, of whether you need a braking system of some kind with a CRV behind a 40' DP: Check with the laws of the states you'll be towing in, see if they require braking on a towed vehicle. If so, you'd best be adding a brake system. Doubtful you'd get stopped and ticketed for such, but still not a good idea to be ignoring laws like that. If the laws where you will travel do NOT require such, then its really a personal decision that you have to make, based on how much $$ you want to sink into it, vs just how much increased safety you think you'll get. No doubt you'd be safer and could stop quicker with a braking system added. However, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be a ticking time bomb on the road just waiting to kill a bus full of nuns without the supplemental braking system either, hahaha. :) People towed cars with MHs for years and years without issue, long before there ever were toad supplemental braking systems. Regardless whether you chose to get a braking system or not, you should seriously consider getting some kind of break-away setup. I personally recommend a Readybrake system, with their Readystop breakaway unit. Simple cable-operated system, works great, no electronics to mess with or foul up, nothing to have to put in and take out every time you travel, and costs a LOT less than all the other systems.

Honda CRV. | Good Sam Community

moparmaga2
Explorer
Jun 01, 2013
Bumpyroad wrote:
be assured that when I win my civil suit against you It will also include paying off my legal fees.
bumpy

Ok, back to the real world were not everyone is a bazillionaire with money laying around to give to Bumpy when he wins his civil suits against them.

I would be curious to what kind of RV bumpy owns, to gauge what kind of experience he may have with this subject. Bumpy, have you owned a 40 + foot Diesel Pusher as we are discussing here, that weighs in excess of 35,000 lbs? If you had, you would know you will not feel any perceptible difference as long as your toad is below a reasonable weight.

True, there are some laws in some states that state you must have a toad braking system, however, these laws are general. The requirements are the same, no matter is you have a 8,000 lb class B towing 4,000 lbs or a 60,000 lb Newell towing 4,000 lbs. There are quite a bit of a difference between these scenarios.

To the OP. I choose not to have a towed Braking System. My present Motorhome weighs 43,000 lbs going down the road. It has 8 tires, on it, thus 8 sets of brakes.

My Jeep toad weighs 4000 lbs. I honestly cannot feel the difference, no matter if I have the Jeep behind me or not. It accelerates the same, it brakes the same, it gets the same gas mileage. Trust me when I say that the itsy bitsy Jeep is not going to push a 43 foot, 43,000 lbs motorcoach with 8 22.5 inch air braked tires through a intersection. The motorhome is going to do what it will, regardless of any backtalk the Jeep wants to give it. :)

If I had say a 14,500 lb Class C towing a my Jeep, I would have supplemental brakes on my tow vehicle.

I would recommend trying the CRV out behind your motorhome first on a few test runs. If you can perceive any difference with the CRV attached, you can always order a breaking system.
dverstra
Explorer
Jun 01, 2013
When I first saw this question, I thought it would be about being safe and the fact that states and Canada might require it of you. Obviously the "need" is to protect oneself from our fellow R V owners that want to sue me!;)

By the way, I have a 2013 CRV with an AiforceOne braking system and like it!
willald
Explorer II
May 31, 2013
Bumpyroad wrote:
be assured that when I win my civil suit against you It will also include paying off my legal fees.
bumpy

Well, we can chat and debate all day about what might or might not happen in court.

However, unless you are a lawyer with specific experience around such things, and/or until you can provide some specific examples where this has happened (someone losing a civil suit because they didn't have a supplemental braking system)......Wellll, its really just a bunch of internet babble and nonsense. And, doesn't really provide much useful info to the original poster on whether or not a braking system is appropriate or not.

Will
Bumpyroad
Explorer
May 31, 2013
be assured that when I win my civil suit against you It will also include paying off my legal fees.
bumpy
willald
Explorer II
May 31, 2013
moparmaga2 wrote:
$0. That is what I pay insurance premiums for.....Your insurance company represents and defends you..........

Again, if you have sustained actual damages due to my negligence, your insurance company and my insurance company will work out a settlement where you will be made whole.

If you have $$$ in your eyes for a "civil suit", complete with pain and suffering and emotional stress, you are going to have to get your own lawyer and pay upfront. My insurance company will will still represent me for free. This is America and the courts can prevent someone from blowing their own money. Even if you win more than my Liability limit, I don't have millions, so you will still get peanuts + have a boatload of bills.

Again Bumpy, big $$$ Civil Suits are only if you are trying to get money out of someone VERY wealthy. (EG Bill Gates, 1990's OJ Simpson, etc etc) If the person you are suing is not extremely wealthy, you would be remiss to waste $$$$ for the shirt off Grandpa's back.

..Well said, mopar. :)

Will
moparmaga2
Explorer
May 31, 2013
Bumpyroad wrote:
how much is it going to cost you up front for that lawyer to defend you in a civil suit?
bumpy

$0. That is what I pay insurance premiums for.....Your insurance company represents and defends you.......... That is part of the .....wait for it.....LIABILITY INSURANCE

Again, if you have sustained actual damages due to my negligence, your insurance company and my insurance company will work out a settlement where you will be made whole.

If you have $$$ in your eyes for a "civil suit", complete with pain and suffering and emotional stress and other BS, you are going to have to get your own lawyer and pay upfront. My insurance company will will still represent me for free. This is America and the courts can't prevent someone from blowing their own money. Even if you win more than my Liability limit, I don't have millions, so you will still get peanuts + have a boatload of bills.

Again Bumpy, big $$$ Civil Suits are only if you are trying to get money out of someone VERY wealthy. (EG Bill Gates, 1990's OJ Simpson, etc etc) If the person you are suing is not extremely wealthy, you would be remiss to waste $$$$ for the shirt off Grandpa's back.
rondeb
Explorer
May 31, 2013
You should have a braking system for the CRV. MHO I'm not saying you need a braking system for all Toads (we had a brake buddy for our Mazda Miata but never used it once due to how light it was), but we have a CRV and you will need a braking system for sure.
willald
Explorer II
May 31, 2013
Bumpyroad wrote:
how much is it going to cost you up front for that lawyer to defend you in a civil suit?
bumpy

..Same amount it will cost you ANY time you are sued because of an accident, regardless whether or not you have a supplemental braking system. ;)

Will
Bumpyroad
Explorer
May 31, 2013
how much is it going to cost you up front for that lawyer to defend you in a civil suit?
bumpy
willald
Explorer II
May 31, 2013
Bumpyroad wrote:
I think the point is, that if you slam into somebody, your toad doesn't have brakes, your MHs manual says that you should/must have them, and the lawyer in a civil suit will read that section to the jury and you will be hung out to dry. and there is such a thing as contributory negligence. look it up.
so take your chances if you are feeling lucky.
bumpy

Understood, but we could go on all day with possible things that a lawyer COULD possibly use against you, if you are in an accident and hurt somebody. And, we could go on JUST as long with ways that your lawyer could shoot down and refute every one of them.

Bottom line is if you're in an accident thats your fault, someone gets hurt, and you get sued, you're in deep doo-doo regardless. Thats what we have insurance for.

Whether or not one decides to invest in a supplemental braking system should be based on cost vs. just how much added safety is achieved. Obviously several factors enter into that decision as well, but horror stories about what might could possibly happen (but nobody has ever shown one instance of it ever happening in the past)....Really should not enter much into one's decision process.

Will

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