Invisibrake

I have an Invisibrake on my Honda CRV. The only problem I had was the cheap connector used to connect the wiring to the motorhome. The LT pin was intermittently shorting against the connector frame, causing the fuse to blow. Since I wired my motorhome to combine the brake and turn lights the Invisibrake will only work if both turn signal lights are activated, as with a brake application. Once I replaced the cheap connector, that the dealer told me was supplied by Roadmaster, the system worked very well.
The other consideration is the potential to drain the battery in the toad. Roadmaster says the system will charge the battery, but that’s true only if the running (tail) lights are turned on. I chose to run a separate wire to maintain the battery, and I installed a switch under the dash to turn off the electronic system mounted in the dash, thus the battery stays charged. I’m quite satisfied with the Invisibrake.

Tripalot wrote:
We have used Brake Buddy for the past 6 years but have recently bought a new toad and BB does not fit particularly well. We were considering ReadiBrake but our dealer/installer is pushing Invisibrake.
Does anyone have experience with Invisibrake - concerns to be aware of etc.
I noticed there is another thread with many people using ReadiBrake and all seem happy with it. There is a big difference in the price of the 2 systems.

Would appreciate any comments users may have.

You said it, big difference in price and I'd be pushing it too, if it made more money for me, but who put him in charge of what product you must or must not use? Even if the reasons he stated were valid, who even says that he must be the one to install it and there's plenty of hitch shops that can do a good job and most likely much more reasonable. Fact is, READYBRAKE is simple enough for anybody with some mechanical aptitude to install.

Well it looks like we will be getting an Invisibrake. We were really leaning towards a ReadyBrake, but we live in Canada and there are no dealers close by. Our RV dealer/seller will not handle ReadyBrake because of problems dealing with warranty issues with a US company.
Our dealer claims they have almost no problems with Invisibrake and sell many of them.

It sure is expensive compared to ReadyBrake - hope it is worth the extra cost.

view2a.thrill wrote:
Tripalot:

We have an Invisibrake. Like its ease of use. No problems.

What does your MH manufacturer say about towing a car that has a surge brake system? For example, Winnebago does not recommend a surge braking device on towed cars because it "places excessive stress on the hitch."

Interestingly, no manufacturer other than Winnebago says this (even though they all build their gas MHs on the exact same F53 chassis).

Makes me take their non-recommendation about surge systems with a grain of salt, basically.

Will

Tripalot:

We have an Invisibrake. Like its ease of use. No problems.

What does your MH manufacturer say about towing a car that has a surge brake system? For example, Winnebago does not recommend a surge braking device on towed cars because it "places excessive stress on the hitch."

I have the invisibrake in the Jeep. No problems whatsoever

..My comment is, save yourself over $1000, get the Readybrake and be done with it. You'll be glad you did. :)

No electronics to foul up and over-brake your toad (like some electronic systems are known to do). No tapping into your toad's electrical or brake systems. Nothing to have to put in and take out all the time like you had to with your Brake buddy. Just a simple cable operated brake system that simply works and costs much, much less than almost anything else.

Not really surprising your dealer is pushing the Invisibrake (think $$). If they won't install the Readybrake cable on your toad, it will not be hard to find another place that will do it. It is a pretty simple installation, just a physical cable linkage from brake pedal to front of the vehicle. Lots of people install it themselves.

I have had an Invisibrake in my Jeep Wrangler for a year. Before that I have the Roadmaster air actuated cylinder in my tow car. The Invisibrake is easier. However, it applies the brake to my tow car when the engine brake goes on. The previous one did not. Also, a month after having the Invisibrake installed it died. They put in a new one. A computer glitch.

Between the Roadmaster Invisibrake and the Roadmaster air cylinder I am 6 of one, half dozen of the other. Might have to flip a coin to decide. I have no idea on the Redibrake.

I had an Invisibrake in our previous toad, a Chevy Equinox. After dealer installed it, I never looked or thought about it for about 18 months and 18,000 miles, until I had it removed so I could have it re-installed in our new toad, a Jeep Wrangler.

That ought to tell you my thoughts on it.