Invisibrake or Stay-In-Play Braking System?

Dr Jay wrote:
Hi, I have had the Stay and Play for several years and it has works fine. There is no problem with it. The only thing I wish I had was an indicator in the MH that shows when the brakes to the "toad" are applied. The LED light indicator they provide cannot be seen well with the rear view TV monitor.

Are you sure that indicator you are hanging on the mirror is not a transmitter that sends a signal to the receiver with an indicator light in the motorhome. My present SMI unit is an older Plug and Play unit and it uses the transmitter in the toad that is wired to the brake light switch. When the toad brakes apply the transmitter signals the light in the coach and you know precisely when the brakes are applied and released. Sounds like you are missing part of your setup.

Thanks to all of you, have decided to go with the SMI Stay-In-Play system, seems to be a little better (but more expensive), and it can be mounted under the hood of our Jeep Wrangler. The Invisibrake required mounting inside the cab where it had better weather protection, and the only place it would fit inside was in the rear which used up some valuable space and didn't look too good either.

Another SMI happy user. It was easy to install under the hood of my Wrangler and is much more convenient to use than the Brake Buddy that it replaced.

SMI makes good systems. I've been using their Silent Partner system since 2003...two different motorhomes and two different toads. The Silent partner is similar to the Stay n Play except the Silent Partner uses radio signals instead of wiring.

Their customer support is great. You won't go wrong if you select the SMI system. I have no experience with the others.

Fred

Another here with the SMI unit. Got it when we bought the rv. guy had it in his mini and took it out as he didn't need it. Pulled the car 5000 miles last summer no issues. Do not have any brake indicators for the rv I just check when the brakes are on while stopped and the unit activates them. Has an on off switch that is used. Pretty simple system that works well.

Forget about all that other junk and get a Ready Brake system. Trouble free. You don't have to bu another tow bar, just the part that doeas all the work.

Alfred622 - Our toad is already equipped with a base plate and tow bar, a Stowmaster 5000, so I'm not looking to replace the tow bar with something different. Am looking at the Invisibrake and the SMI units as I didn't want a braking unit that sits on the floor on the driver's side that has to be removed before driving the vehicle. Toad is a Jeep Wrangler so we're talking about tight spaces for whatever we choose.

Have you looked at the Ready Brute Elite? It is a towbar and integral braking system all in one. I've used it for years towing my CRV in many different geographical areas (mountains, open roads, twisty New England roads, etc) with excellent performance. I like it because there is nothing to go wrong and it is fast to hookup. Maybe, do a forum search and think what others think about it....

I have the SMI and have been very satisfied with it. Even had it transferred to a newer toad from the old toad.

Dr Jay, the folks who installed my system were able to bring that LED light indicator up to the dash in the motorhome. Put a piece of velcro on the dash and stuck the light to it. So I can "see" when the toad brakes are applied. Like you, I could not see the light in my old toad hanging from it's rear view mirror.

Hi, I have had the Stay and Play for several years and it has works fine. There is no problem with it. The only thing I wish I had was an indicator in the MH that shows when the brakes to the "toad" are applied. The LED light indicator they provide cannot be seen well with the rear view TV monitor.