Ready Brake users

Be aware that the cable length appears to change the amount of slack if you are not on the same surface you set it up on.

There is no reason for the cable to change length unless you make a component change or don't have it tight.

If you hookup with the toad uphill one time and then downhill the next, you will constantly be adjusting your cable.

schwartzworld wrote:
.....I guess it depends if your toad has separate turn signals or not. The CRV does and my goal was to make the back end look and operate the same way as if I was driving it. I didn't want to run an additional wire under the RV and I wanted a charge line too. That put me at the 6 pin connector instead of the 4 pin connector. The bonus was the 6th line, which I used for the brake signal. There was a fair amount of cutting and splicing but in the end I think it was worth the effort.

My approach would work the same, regardless whether the toad has separate turn signals or not. How you wire the tail lights of the toad is not really related to how this part of the wiring for the brake light LED indicator is done.

I ran a charge line as well (have to have it, for the Fusion hybrid). Again, that is separate from the wiring I described above, to make the LED indicator work. I had to use a 6 pin cord, connector as well. I only used one wire from the trailer light unit's 4 flat connector, and ran that wire back up to the front of the toad, connected it to one of the lines in the 6 round connector (did not use the other 3 wires on the flat 4 connector). Sorry, probably should have made that more clear.

I just re-read your post, and realized that you utilized an existing wire in your MH for the brake controller to connect up the LED to show you when brakes are engaged. Avoiding having to run a separate wire under the MH (good idea!) You could just as easily have done that approach with the method I described. Only difference would be in how you did the wiring on the toad itself.

Will

willald wrote:

schwartzworld wrote:

willald wrote:

schwartzworld wrote:
Lots of good ideas here.

I'll add one more. I just wired up my 2010 Honda CRV for toad duty. The Ready Brake is pulling the brake pedal, of course, so the car would be turning on the brake lights at the same time the RV is sending a brake light signal too. I cut the hot side of the brake light wire at the switch and added a relay. Roadmaster has this in a kit form but wants $20 to $30 for it. You can make the same thing from Amazon for less than $15. The Roadmaster kit "connects" the brake light switch to the stock wiring when the relay is on. I didn't like that either so I went with the fail safe method. When the relay is off the brake light switch is connected to the stock wiring. The relay I used is a DPDT 30 AMP unit. When the relay is on, the brake light switch is disconnected from the stock wiring but is connected to the other output on the relay. I set my car up with 6 pin socket, 4 for the lights, one for the charge line and 1 for the electric brake line. I don't need electric brakes on the car. My RV doesn't have an elelctric brake controller. I sent the output from the relay (when it's on) down the wire that is normally associated with the electric brakes. Under the dashboard of the RV I found the wire and added a T tap and a LED light. When the car is setup to be towed there is a switch that not only turns on the relay but also disconnects the fuse that we Honda CRV owners have to pull. The outout of the brake light switch now goes to the dashboard indicator in the RV. I can see if the brakes are working or sticking.

Fred

I agree that its a really good idea to have the warning indicator on your MH dashboard be powered directly off your toad's brake pedal, instead off from the Readybrake Actuator.

However, I found a way to do such with much, much less intrusion on the car's electrical system. I did it this way:

Purchased a trailer light wiring isolation kit/unit like THIS one. Installed it in trunk of car (under a panel), and wired it to the battery (using included fuse) and ground like instructions indicate. Then, run eithr the left or right turn wire (either will work) from the flat four connector of this unit, to the wire going back to the MH's LED indicator on the dash. Then, connect the red stop light sensor wire from this unit to the wire going to brake lights on car's tail light, using one of the provided wire taps. Make sure you tap into your car's brake light wire, BEFORE that wire goes into any diode you may have installed when doing your other taillight wiring.

Thats it, you're done. Now, any time brake pedal is engaged, pressed on toad vehilce, the LED indicator on your MH dash will light up.

Beauty of this approach is, it keeps your wiring to the MH LED indicator totally isolated from your toad vehicle, and is much less intrusive on the toad's electrical system. If there's ever a short in the wire going to the LED, all it will do (at most) is trip the fuse included in this trailer wiring kit. Will not damage anything in the toad's electrical system, nor blow any fuses in the toad. Also, I found it much easier to access the necessary wiring in the trunk and rear tail lights for this appraoch, than it would have been to tap into any wiring, relays around the brake pedal inside the toad.

Very interesting. You still have to run a line from the front of the RV to the back of the RV? Then to the car?

Oh, yeah, you have to do that regardless, if you're going to use an LED indicator on the MH dash, to show you what the toad brakes are doing.

Will

I guess it depends if your toad has separate turn signals or not. The CRV does and my goal was to make the back end look and operate the same way as if I was driving it. I didn't want to run an additional wire under the RV and I wanted a charge line too. That put me at the 6 pin connector instead of the 4 pin connector. The bonus was the 6th line, which I used for the brake signal. There was a fair amount of cutting and splicing but in the end I think it was worth the effort.

schwartzworld wrote:

willald wrote:

schwartzworld wrote:
Lots of good ideas here.

I'll add one more. I just wired up my 2010 Honda CRV for toad duty. The Ready Brake is pulling the brake pedal, of course, so the car would be turning on the brake lights at the same time the RV is sending a brake light signal too. I cut the hot side of the brake light wire at the switch and added a relay. Roadmaster has this in a kit form but wants $20 to $30 for it. You can make the same thing from Amazon for less than $15. The Roadmaster kit "connects" the brake light switch to the stock wiring when the relay is on. I didn't like that either so I went with the fail safe method. When the relay is off the brake light switch is connected to the stock wiring. The relay I used is a DPDT 30 AMP unit. When the relay is on, the brake light switch is disconnected from the stock wiring but is connected to the other output on the relay. I set my car up with 6 pin socket, 4 for the lights, one for the charge line and 1 for the electric brake line. I don't need electric brakes on the car. My RV doesn't have an elelctric brake controller. I sent the output from the relay (when it's on) down the wire that is normally associated with the electric brakes. Under the dashboard of the RV I found the wire and added a T tap and a LED light. When the car is setup to be towed there is a switch that not only turns on the relay but also disconnects the fuse that we Honda CRV owners have to pull. The outout of the brake light switch now goes to the dashboard indicator in the RV. I can see if the brakes are working or sticking.

Fred

I agree that its a really good idea to have the warning indicator on your MH dashboard be powered directly off your toad's brake pedal, instead off from the Readybrake Actuator.

However, I found a way to do such with much, much less intrusion on the car's electrical system. I did it this way:

Purchased a trailer light wiring isolation kit/unit like THIS one. Installed it in trunk of car (under a panel), and wired it to the battery (using included fuse) and ground like instructions indicate. Then, run eithr the left or right turn wire (either will work) from the flat four connector of this unit, to the wire going back to the MH's LED indicator on the dash. Then, connect the red stop light sensor wire from this unit to the wire going to brake lights on car's tail light, using one of the provided wire taps. Make sure you tap into your car's brake light wire, BEFORE that wire goes into any diode you may have installed when doing your other taillight wiring.

Thats it, you're done. Now, any time brake pedal is engaged, pressed on toad vehilce, the LED indicator on your MH dash will light up.

Beauty of this approach is, it keeps your wiring to the MH LED indicator totally isolated from your toad vehicle, and is much less intrusive on the toad's electrical system. If there's ever a short in the wire going to the LED, all it will do (at most) is trip the fuse included in this trailer wiring kit. Will not damage anything in the toad's electrical system, nor blow any fuses in the toad. Also, I found it much easier to access the necessary wiring in the trunk and rear tail lights for this appraoch, than it would have been to tap into any wiring, relays around the brake pedal inside the toad.

Very interesting. You still have to run a line from the front of the RV to the back of the RV? Then to the car?

Oh, yeah, you have to do that regardless, if you're going to use an LED indicator on the MH dash, to show you what the toad brakes are doing.

Will

willald wrote:

schwartzworld wrote:
Lots of good ideas here.

I'll add one more. I just wired up my 2010 Honda CRV for toad duty. The Ready Brake is pulling the brake pedal, of course, so the car would be turning on the brake lights at the same time the RV is sending a brake light signal too. I cut the hot side of the brake light wire at the switch and added a relay. Roadmaster has this in a kit form but wants $20 to $30 for it. You can make the same thing from Amazon for less than $15. The Roadmaster kit "connects" the brake light switch to the stock wiring when the relay is on. I didn't like that either so I went with the fail safe method. When the relay is off the brake light switch is connected to the stock wiring. The relay I used is a DPDT 30 AMP unit. When the relay is on, the brake light switch is disconnected from the stock wiring but is connected to the other output on the relay. I set my car up with 6 pin socket, 4 for the lights, one for the charge line and 1 for the electric brake line. I don't need electric brakes on the car. My RV doesn't have an elelctric brake controller. I sent the output from the relay (when it's on) down the wire that is normally associated with the electric brakes. Under the dashboard of the RV I found the wire and added a T tap and a LED light. When the car is setup to be towed there is a switch that not only turns on the relay but also disconnects the fuse that we Honda CRV owners have to pull. The outout of the brake light switch now goes to the dashboard indicator in the RV. I can see if the brakes are working or sticking.

Fred

I agree that its a really good idea to have the warning indicator on your MH dashboard be powered directly off your toad's brake pedal, instead off from the Readybrake Actuator.

However, I found a way to do such with much, much less intrusion on the car's electrical system. I did it this way:

Purchased a trailer light wiring isolation kit/unit like THIS one. Installed it in trunk of car (under a panel), and wired it to the battery (using included fuse) and ground like instructions indicate. Then, run eithr the left or right turn wire (either will work) from the flat four connector of this unit, to the wire going back to the MH's LED indicator on the dash. Then, connect the red stop light sensor wire from this unit to the wire going to brake lights on car's tail light, using one of the provided wire taps. Make sure you tap into your car's brake light wire, BEFORE that wire goes into any diode you may have installed when doing your other taillight wiring.

Thats it, you're done. Now, any time brake pedal is engaged, pressed on toad vehilce, the LED indicator on your MH dash will light up.

Beauty of this approach is, it keeps your wiring to the MH LED indicator totally isolated from your toad vehicle, and is much less intrusive on the toad's electrical system. If there's ever a short in the wire going to the LED, all it will do (at most) is trip the fuse included in this trailer wiring kit. Will not damage anything in the toad's electrical system, nor blow any fuses in the toad. Also, I found it much easier to access the necessary wiring in the trunk and rear tail lights for this appraoch, than it would have been to tap into any wiring, relays around the brake pedal inside the toad.

Very interesting. You still have to run a line from the front of the RV to the back of the RV? Then to the car?

schwartzworld wrote:
Lots of good ideas here.

I'll add one more. I just wired up my 2010 Honda CRV for toad duty. The Ready Brake is pulling the brake pedal, of course, so the car would be turning on the brake lights at the same time the RV is sending a brake light signal too. I cut the hot side of the brake light wire at the switch and added a relay. Roadmaster has this in a kit form but wants $20 to $30 for it. You can make the same thing from Amazon for less than $15. The Roadmaster kit "connects" the brake light switch to the stock wiring when the relay is on. I didn't like that either so I went with the fail safe method. When the relay is off the brake light switch is connected to the stock wiring. The relay I used is a DPDT 30 AMP unit. When the relay is on, the brake light switch is disconnected from the stock wiring but is connected to the other output on the relay. I set my car up with 6 pin socket, 4 for the lights, one for the charge line and 1 for the electric brake line. I don't need electric brakes on the car. My RV doesn't have an elelctric brake controller. I sent the output from the relay (when it's on) down the wire that is normally associated with the electric brakes. Under the dashboard of the RV I found the wire and added a T tap and a LED light. When the car is setup to be towed there is a switch that not only turns on the relay but also disconnects the fuse that we Honda CRV owners have to pull. The outout of the brake light switch now goes to the dashboard indicator in the RV. I can see if the brakes are working or sticking.

Fred

I agree that its a really good idea to have the warning indicator on your MH dashboard be powered directly off your toad's brake pedal, instead off from the Readybrake Actuator.

However, I found a way to do such with much, much less intrusion on the car's electrical system. I did it this way:

Purchased a trailer light wiring isolation kit/unit like THIS one. Installed it in trunk of car (under a panel), and wired it to the battery (using included fuse) and ground like instructions indicate. Then, run eithr the left or right turn wire (either will work) from the flat four connector of this unit, to the wire going back to the MH's LED indicator on the dash. Then, connect the red stop light sensor wire from this unit to the wire going to brake lights on car's tail light, using one of the provided wire taps. Make sure you tap into your car's brake light wire, BEFORE that wire goes into any diode you may have installed when doing your other taillight wiring.

Thats it, you're done. Now, any time brake pedal is engaged, pressed on toad vehilce, the LED indicator on your MH dash will light up.

Beauty of this approach is, it keeps your wiring to the MH LED indicator totally isolated from your toad vehicle, and is much less intrusive on the toad's electrical system. If there's ever a short in the wire going to the LED, all it will do (at most) is trip the fuse included in this trailer wiring kit. Will not damage anything in the toad's electrical system, nor blow any fuses in the toad. Also, I found it much easier to access the necessary wiring in the trunk and rear tail lights for this appraoch, than it would have been to tap into any wiring, relays around the brake pedal inside the toad.

Lots of good ideas here.

I'll add one more. I just wired up my 2010 Honda CRV for toad duty. The Ready Brake is pulling the brake pedal, of course, so the car would be turning on the brake lights at the same time the RV is sending a brake light signal too. I cut the hot side of the brake light wire at the switch and added a relay. Roadmaster has this in a kit form but wants $20 to $30 for it. You can make the same thing from Amazon for less than $15. The Roadmaster kit "connects" the brake light switch to the stock wiring when the relay is on. I didn't like that either so I went with the fail safe method. When the relay is off the brake light switch is connected to the stock wiring. The relay I used is a DPDT 30 AMP unit. When the relay is on, the brake light switch is disconnected from the stock wiring but is connected to the other output on the relay. I set my car up with 6 pin socket, 4 for the lights, one for the charge line and 1 for the electric brake line. I don't need electric brakes on the car. My RV doesn't have an elelctric brake controller. I sent the output from the relay (when it's on) down the wire that is normally associated with the electric brakes. Under the dashboard of the RV I found the wire and added a T tap and a LED light. When the car is setup to be towed there is a switch that not only turns on the relay but also disconnects the fuse that we Honda CRV owners have to pull. The outout of the brake light switch now goes to the dashboard indicator in the RV. I can see if the brakes are working or sticking.

Fred

FIRE UP wrote:
I did another mod while installing that ready brake. RB wants you to CLAMP that cable your brake pedal using those hideous, ugly pieces of steel, PERMANENTLY!! AINT HAPPENING!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I drilled the brake arm and, pressed in a 1/4" pin right where the ugly clamps would go. I then re-designed the end of the cable so that I could install a brass, screen door roller, in the end of the cable. Now, when it comes time for towing, the wife reaches under the floor mat, retrieves the cable end with the roller in it and, places it on the pin, on the brake arm. Then she installs a small linch pin to secure tha cable end from coming off. That entire operation takes a whole, 30 seconds to do.

And, when we're not driving it, the cable is not attached to the brake arm. It's hidden under the floor mat and, by not being attached 24/7, it simply does not wear the inside of the cable sleeve for nothing.
Scott

I installed mine using the "ugly" clamp that Ready Brake provided. To hook up, I ignore it. When driving, I ignore it, as it is under the dash and behind the brake pedal, therefore out of sight.

One less thing to deal with, or forget.

Scott, I definitely will be using your ideas for sure. I was thinking the same thing about the cable going in and out of the sleeve. I was thinking of an

excuse to buy one of the crimpers for that type of cable and now I found it. I need a few anti theft cables and being able to make your own to fit your needs

is helpful.

klutchdust wrote:
FIRE UP, I just had one of those "why didn't I think of that " moments. Talk about the need to be flat and level before adjusting the cable. I had my jeep backed into the garage

with the MH just outside. Early AM I hooked everything up and started to go, well the driveway has just a slight incline to it, it was enough though to throw the adjustment off

and as soon as the jeep leveled out the brakes came on. So much for a clean getaway. I will be modifying my cable before the next trip. Fishing in the Sierras.

"FISHING IN THE SIERRAS"
Man, you can't do that without me being there. Darn. We sure like that entire area. Oh, by the way, glad you liked the idea of the turn buckle.

I did another mod while installing that ready brake. RB wants you to CLAMP that cable your brake pedal using those hideous, ugly pieces of steel, PERMANENTLY!! AINT HAPPENING!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I drilled the brake arm and, pressed in a 1/4" pin right where the ugly clamps would go. I then re-designed the end of the cable so that I could install a brass, screen door roller, in the end of the cable. Now, when it comes time for towing, the wife reaches under the floor mat, retrieves the cable end with the roller in it and, places it on the pin, on the brake arm. Then she installs a small linch pin to secure tha cable end from coming off. That entire operation takes a whole, 30 seconds to do.

And, when we're not driving it, the cable is not attached to the brake arm. It's hidden under the floor mat and, by not being attached 24/7, it simply does not wear the inside of the cable sleeve for nothing.
Scott