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FLRVPEOPLE's avatar
FLRVPEOPLE
Explorer
Jan 13, 2022

TOAD setup advice please

My wife and I just upgraded from a Class C Winnebago Navion to a Class A Tiffin Allegro Breeze 33. We are quite happy with it. We are gong to purchase a new ford ranger 4x4 for a TOAD. The dealer quoted us a price that seemed quite high for the towing setup- $5800. The system they recommended was a blue ox tow bar plus Air Force one braking setup. First- is this a good setup? Second am I correct that the price seems high by several thousand dollars? I would prefer to have a shop do the install. Does anyone know of a good shop in central or west Florida they would recommend for this work?

Thanks in advance for the advice and assistance.
  • willald's avatar
    willald
    Explorer II
    Feb 01, 2022
    X3 and 4 on the readybrake. Have used it for 10 years on 3 different towed vehicles (going on 4th) and two motorhomes, has always worked great. Much less expensive.
  • Ro_n_Joe's avatar
    Ro_n_Joe
    Explorer II
    Jan 17, 2022
    Executive wrote:
    I'd look into the ReadyBrute/ReadyBrake system. We've used it for the past 14 years with zero problems. The braking system is built into the tow bar so you would save on the AF1 cost and install. Here's a link....Ready Brute system We have the BlueOX baseplate installed with the ReadyBrute tow bar....Dennis


    2X on ReadyBrute but unlike Dennis only 2.5yrs. Installed everything including lights (Roadmaster Diode Kit) and Demco baseplate.
  • Executive45's avatar
    Executive45
    Explorer III
    Jan 17, 2022
    I'd look into the ReadyBrute/ReadyBrake system. We've used it for the past 14 years with zero problems. The braking system is built into the tow bar so you would save on the AF1 cost and install. Here's a link....Ready Brute system We have the BlueOX baseplate installed with the ReadyBrute tow bar....Dennis
  • FLRVPEOPLE's avatar
    FLRVPEOPLE
    Explorer
    Jan 14, 2022
    Excellent and local- thank you very much! I will contact them for sure.
  • travisc's avatar
    travisc
    Explorer
    Jan 14, 2022
    Give Roadmaster a call see what their setup would be or get a list of their dealers and call around.
  • dodge_guy's avatar
    dodge_guy
    Explorer II
    Jan 13, 2022
    Sounds about right. Running the wiring for the lights isn’t as easy as it sounds!
    The price sounds a bit high, but it’s 2022 and prices are up everywhere for everything!
  • JoeH's avatar
    JoeH
    Explorer III
    Jan 13, 2022
    It's a bit high . Here's what I find

    base plate -$532 + 3 hours
    tow bar $1132
    AF1 $1300 + 2 hours
    Tail light - $100 + 2 hours

    7 hours @ $165 = $1155
    Parts - $3064
    Misc/shopsupplies- $125

    $4344 total

    They might work slower, so maybe another couple hours labor... so, I think you have a bit of room to negotiate.
  • LouLawrence's avatar
    LouLawrence
    Explorer
    Jan 13, 2022
    I paid $3700 for base plate and similar braking system but that was 10/20 and inflation is affecting everything! I later updated the towbar as well and I believe that was around $800. So, yes, that's a bit high. For me it's more about finding someone who knows what they are doing than the final price. It's worth looking around but be sure you are comparing apples to apples as their are different versions of the towbars and the braking systems.

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