Tow Bar with Autostop Braking System

Avan, I think you are missing the point of the light. I don't believe the issue is having a light tell you the system is working properly. Their warranty disclaimer may be for having the brakes (and light) on when the system should not be braking which could quickly destroy the toad's brakes. If their system is temperamental, then this second situation may be the one they are trying to avoid liability on.

I hope it turns out to be a goody braking system. Competition helps us as consumers.

Avan, your pontification does nothing to discount the fact that the AutoStop did not work reliably for me and someone with 40 years in the hitch business who set up hundreds if not thousands of toads said he never saw the Blue Ox AutoStop work. Good luck with that AutoStop.

From the wiring diagram in the manual, it appears that the brake lite switch completes the circuit that a)lights the dash lite indicating that circuit is complete and b)energizes the relay that turns on the brake lights on TV/RV.

If the dash lite does not light up, then the question becomes "do the brake lights lite up?"

A couple of different issues have now been raised.

1) Esox, you first state that the system is tempermental. Upon being queried twice to find out the specifics of your system problem, you respond with the problems you had with a "light" not working. Discussing that issue, you respond several times solely about the "light". Now, out of the blue, you write that "it had nothing to do with the light and everything to do with the failure of the mechanical surge braking system to work effectively". You further assert that you've said that before ("I repeat"). The only thing I've seen you repeat is that the light was your issue. I guess what I'm saying is that it's a little difficult to figure out your position when the goal posts get moved and I'm not willing to continue to argue a moving point.

2)7ofus has raised the point of warranty issues. First, I'm not concerned about warranty issues because of a functioning vs non functioning advisory light. I can't readily imagine a situation where I'd need to make a warranty claim where the light was involved. Most likely issue would probably be a bad weld or bad heat treating process. Hard for a mfr to defend that kind of warranty claim because of a "light" since there is no way a light would advise of those type of failures. Second, in the event of a failure causing damage to my assets or those of others, I am insured and the issue would come into play under the subrogation clause of my insurance. After my insurance pays, my insurance would have to determine whether or not the claim payment they made was sufficiently high enough to justify them spending more $ to go after the mfr. Practically speaking, that is not of much concern to me.

But under the terms of my ins. policy, I would have to give what assistance I could to their action against the mfr - and I would. I would turn over my invoices which show that I bought directly from the mfr and that the mfr did the actual install, not some independent hitch dealer. Second I would turn over, well no there would be nothing to turn over since there is nothing on the invoice, work order or anything else that I was given or I signed that states I was giving up any, so-called, valuable warranty coverage. Third, I think that the Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act would be exactly on-point when a warrantor relies on an ancillary issue in an attempt to void a consumer product warranty. Fourth, I've learned over my years to not trust much of what RV salesman say and I've extended a practice that I use with them into other areas as well - I have my phone recording device turned on during those face to face dealings. I have it recorded that, in fact, the mfr made it an option, without prodding from the consumer, to install or not install the advisory light, my subsequent functionality questions and their answers that the light has zero to do with functionality.

Corporate lawyers and companies are known to write disclaimers that won't stand up :). Most of us have probably seen examples of this with restaurants posting signs that they are not responsible for loss from cloak rooms provided by them or dealers with chain link fences surrounding their property posting signs disclaiming responsibility for cars left with them for repairs etc.

Anyway, this thread went far afield from my original intent which was to gather information prior to a purchase. For me, the OP, this issue is moot.

Since you are interested in this unit, you should look closely at the Ready Brake versions. I have the Ready Brute Elite and it works.

The dash light on my version works off a magnetic switch that activates when the brake-cable lever is pushed by the surge unit. So, technically, it does not positively identify when the Towed brakes are being applied. It only indicates the surge unit moved the lever.

I'm OK with that because I see the cable adjustment at every stop and feel (or lack thereof) the Jeep back there.

14,000 miles towing including to West Coast and back and I have yet to feel the Jeep bump the MH.

If this type Blue Ox system is new, it may be that NSA (Ready Brake maker) has cut into their sales enough that they had to copy this system?

avan wrote:
As I said, I'm glad your 'tempermental' comment had to do with electrical circuitry that had zero to do with the effectiveness of the brake. And yes, I did have Blue Ox install the Auto Stop and no, I did not have them install the idiot light and they had no problem with that. I just don't need to be distracted by another dash light which may short out with the first rain storm or wash job.

If the light is not installed the warranty is void. So, while Blue Ox may not have a problem with it, you might. The problem with the AutoStop that I had is that the mechanical surge braking did not work consistently. I repeat, it had nothing to do with the light and everything to do with the failure of the mechanical surge braking system to work effectively. It was not applying the toad brakes it was supposed to be. That idiot light rather elegantly confirmed that the toad brakes were not being applied with a supposedly properly adjusted Blue Ox AutoStop surge braking system. I guess ignorance is bliss, Blue Ox is going to tell you what they want to. I also think that one is delusional if they expect to consistently "feel" that any toad braking system is working.

avan wrote:
They do NOT require installation of the light..... And yes, I did have Blue Ox install the Auto Stop and no, I did not have them install the idiot light and they had no problem with that. I just don't need to be distracted by another dash light which may short out with the first rain storm or wash job.

If you don't have the light, you also don't have any warranty according to page 7 of the linked manual. Did they waive it in writing for you? I really do want to know, because my Saturn Outlook has a brake light switch that is a variable resistor instead of the traditional on/off switch. There is no way for me to hook up the feedback light to my car. I have tried an add-on switch and it only lasted about a year.

They do NOT require installation of the light. The light is purely "informative" to the driver of the rig and that information is purely that an electrical circuit is working. It is NOT the electrical circuit that actuates the toad brakes - it is a mechanical surge. That light is no more important than the light that is installed on a coach that has any other braking system - those provide information as well and that info is that the feedback circuit is working. Feedback is nice but it is not the same circuit in those systems that activates the toad brake just like the AutoStop is not driven by ANY electrical circuit. The mechanics of AutoBrake and Ready Brake is 'surge' - a purely mechanical driver. As I mentioned before, better feedback than a light that is either "on" or "off" without discriminating the degree of braking - a better feedback is the coach driver's feel.

As I said, I'm glad your 'tempermental' comment had to do with electrical circuitry that had zero to do with the effectiveness of the brake. And yes, I did have Blue Ox install the Auto Stop and no, I did not have them install the idiot light and they had no problem with that. I just don't need to be distracted by another dash light which may short out with the first rain storm or wash job.

I think you are wrong. The light only goes on when the toad brakes are being applied. If the light doesn't go on while braking, the toad brakes are not actuating. Did you get the Blue Ox AutoStop installed?

If what you say is true, why does Blue Ox require the light to be installed, and what is it's purpose? If the light does not come on with a supposedly properly working surge braking system, what is it for and why does Blue Ox require it to be installed?

Thanx for the response. As I understand it, the light is either "on" or "off" and does not indicate the degree of braking. As I also understand it, whether or not the light is on or off does not affect a surge brake and its effectiveness. The light in the coach is merely an indicator to the coach operator that the electrical connection (which has nothing to do with braking) is functioning between the toad brake and the coach. Properly adjusted (and the coach operator can make the adjustment) the coach driver should be able to tell/feel whether or not the toad brakes are being applied and whether such application is too light or too heavy.

I was afraid you had problems of some sort with the actual braking operation. Glad that was not the case. Thanks for defining 'tempermental' for me.