Supplemental Brake... Necessity or Preference
We seem to have a good number of discussions on the issue of the need for supplemental brakes... Unfortunately many of the discussions are not very productive in terms of giving those who have an open...
Forum Discussion
lanerd wrote:
Are you trying to tell me that a 35000 lb DP with a 3000 lb toad will NOT stop any quicker or in a shorter distance with or without supplemental braking on the toad?
Who cares if it's legal or not...braking, regardless of what it's on has always been and always will be a safety concern. You can't stop...you're in trouble. Think of yours and others welfare here, not your pocket book.
Ron
No, I'm not trying to tell you that a 35,000 lb DP would not stop quicker with supplemental brakes, though I'm not convinced it makes a significant difference.
What I'm saying is that it's relative, and a toad will have a less significant effect on a heavier RV. That is to say, the same toad will affect the braking of a 18,000 lb class C much more than a 35,000 lb DP. The larger, heavier RV has brakes designed for a much larger load, and the effect of the toad is relative to that weight and braking capacity.
Consider this example: RV chassis, weights, and braking systems vary significantly. I've had several, and my current DP stops far faster than my last gas class A did. The DP & toad without supplemental brakes stops faster than the Gas class A & toad with supplemental brakes. If both have break-away systems, then which one would be considered safer?
The one without supplemental brakes stops quicker even though it doesn’t have brakes on the toad. But nobody is claiming that the gas coach is unsafe, since it has supplemental brakes on the toad. I would argue that the rig that stops faster is "safer", whether or not it has supplemental brakes.
The pocket book is not the concern. It's that what is "safe" is open to different interpretations. If my newer rig stops more quickly without supplemental brakes than my old rig did with them, and my old rig was considered safe, then I don't agree with the arguement that people make that every toad should have supplemental brakes. There are many other things I could do to save a few feet of braking distnace.
To be clear, I'm not objecting to Supplemental Brakes; I'm objecting to the blanket statement that they're required in every case. RVs vary widely, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer.
I also think that's why a number of states have adopted performance standards for braking - it's easier to define and codify a set of performance standards than it is to come up with a blanket rule that fits all the different types of RVs, trucks, trailers, etc...
