Car braking unit?

[jstrong499]

What is the perfered newest method of car breaking pulling behind your motorhome? We have been pulling my manual VW for our first few years, but now have upgraded to a CRV and planning a 6K trip, figured i better get legal :).

[loggenrock]

Another fan of NSA ReadyBrute towbar with surge brake. Simple, doesn't depend on toad power to run supplemental brake, so no power drain, lighter, less costly than other systems, no "box" to install/remove/store. ST

[Bea_PA]

We had a Brake Buddy, now have a Patroit, easy to switch cars

[j-d]

We've used Brake Buddy for 15 years. Over all those years, we've had two vehicles set up as toads, so a portable brake made sense. If we had only one toad, I'd want something that didn't need that In-and-Out.
Brake Buddy, however, isn't installation-free. There's a breakaway switch, and in nearly every installation, it's better to install a dedicated power outlet wired direct to toad battery with adequate wire and fuse. It's minimal, but I've still had to do that on four toads, the two we started with, and the two we have now.
That Ready Brute system also needs minimal installation, but beyond that, the braking is all in the tow bar so it can serve multiple toads.
If I was choosing now, I'd go Ready Brute, even if I had to get the apply cable installed professionally.

[Gonzo42]

Brake Buddy Select works great for us!

[Islandman]

We have the SMI Stay-N-Play system and are very happy with it, especially the fact that is't not in your way when you want to unhook the car from your motorhome and drive the car to town or whatever; there's nothing lying on the floorboard of the car. Have put 20K miles on the system with no problems.

[jstrong499]

Looking at the Blue Ox Patriot ststem right now. It appears to be a simple plug and play system. No extra wiring or mounting for this unit at all, just setup and calibrate.

[wolfe10]

There is no "best for all situations" toad brake. That is why some companies like Roadmaster make several kinds.

"Best" depends on factors such as:

Is coach gas or diesel?

How often do you change tow vehicles?

How much of a hassle do you find moving/storing a "brake in a box" vs permanently installed systems?

The more you tell us about your needs and equipment, the less "here it what I chose to best fit MY, repeat MY needs" and more about the best options for you.

Example: the fact that the Roadmaster Invisibrake was the best solution for MY needs (and it was) does not mean it is necessarily the best for YOUR needs.

[derh20]

X2 for Roadmaster's Invisibrake. However, if you are planning to trade towed often, this might not be your best choice.

[derh20]

X2 for Roadmaster's Invisibrake. However, if you are planning to trade towed often, this might not be your best choice.

[Ava]

I am using the Roadmaster Invisibrake on my CRV. Nothing to undo when driving the car.

[kalynzoo]

I have and like ReadyBrake, I use it with my Demco tow bar.

[stripit]

I went with the SMI Stay & Play unit as it was so easy to operate and use. SMI