Is my Ready Brake Always on going downhill?
We went to Yosemite last week going up 120 through Groveland and our little Tracker pulled like a charm. On the way back down the (New) Old Priest Grade I was able to have the Motor Home in 2nd and it...
Forum Discussion
Bobbo is exactly right - Just 'cause the Readybrake Actuator moves enough to engage the switch, turning on your brake indicator, does NOT mean it has moved enough to actually engage the brakes on your toad. It is taking up the slack, initially.
That is why Bobbo, me, and several other RB owners wired the dash indicator directly to the toad vehicle's brake switch instead of the RB actuator. That way you know exactly when the brakes are engaged and when they are not. This approach does require a bit more work to set up initially, but has several advantages. Its really good to know exactly when and how often your toad brakes are actually being applied, not just when the RB actuator is moving.
As to your specific question: If you have your RB set up correctly, the cable properly tensioned, NO, RB will NOT drag your toad's brakes all the way downhill. I have personally confirmed that several times on ours, when going down mountain inclines. This is a common 'myth' that folks sometimes suggest about surge systems like Readybrake, but it simply is not true. The Readybrake actuator is designed to prevent this.
No, nothing amiss. Just the nature of the system, when the dash indicator is wired to RB's actuator and not the toad's brake switch. You lose something when its wired that way.
Readybrake used to instruct (and give you the parts) to wire the dash indicator directly to toad's brake switch. However, they stopped doing that due to the fact so many folks were having to pull fuses, disconnect battery, etc. on their toad. Its still a much, much better way to wire the dash indicator if your setup allows such. I recommend that approach to anyone using a Readybrake, if they can.
JMO, but I think EVERY supplemental brake system should have some indicator like this, to tell you exactly when your toad brake pedal is being pressed. That way you'll know immediately if something with the brake system isn't working properly.
That is why Bobbo, me, and several other RB owners wired the dash indicator directly to the toad vehicle's brake switch instead of the RB actuator. That way you know exactly when the brakes are engaged and when they are not. This approach does require a bit more work to set up initially, but has several advantages. Its really good to know exactly when and how often your toad brakes are actually being applied, not just when the RB actuator is moving.
As to your specific question: If you have your RB set up correctly, the cable properly tensioned, NO, RB will NOT drag your toad's brakes all the way downhill. I have personally confirmed that several times on ours, when going down mountain inclines. This is a common 'myth' that folks sometimes suggest about surge systems like Readybrake, but it simply is not true. The Readybrake actuator is designed to prevent this.
...I would pursue this issue with ReadyBrake. I don't think this issue should have arisen, seems to me there is something amiss!
No, nothing amiss. Just the nature of the system, when the dash indicator is wired to RB's actuator and not the toad's brake switch. You lose something when its wired that way.
Readybrake used to instruct (and give you the parts) to wire the dash indicator directly to toad's brake switch. However, they stopped doing that due to the fact so many folks were having to pull fuses, disconnect battery, etc. on their toad. Its still a much, much better way to wire the dash indicator if your setup allows such. I recommend that approach to anyone using a Readybrake, if they can.
JMO, but I think EVERY supplemental brake system should have some indicator like this, to tell you exactly when your toad brake pedal is being pressed. That way you'll know immediately if something with the brake system isn't working properly.
