Toad brakes

mowermech wrote:
All this brings up a couple of, IMO, VERY important questions:
IF such supplemental braking systems in towed vehicles are so terribly important for the safety of every other vehicle on the road:
WHY has no consumer protection agency ever done any testing to see if such systems really do what the manufacturer claims?
WHY, with the safety oriented governments that we currently have, at all levels, are such systems NOT required by most state laws, and not required by FMVSS?

Well put. I think they have a benefit, but you are correct in that it's difficult to measure that benefit. You certainly can't rely on manufacturer claims, heck they even stretch the laws on the requirements. I would also add, that due to the lack of oversight, what risks are incorporated with adding such systems? Lock ups, blowouts due to dragging, etc. You also change the stresses on the MH and hitch. A hitch used for towing that can pull X with the stress point of Y, when brakes applied adds additional stress several fold (Y+?). You are now using your hitch and all it's connections as an anchor point to help pull it to a stop. I am no engineer so I have no way of knowing what the compounded stress is, but assuredly it's much more than pulling a toad alone. The point is, as Mowermech points out and as I have been saying all along, all these claims about benefit are just that. Claims. Where are the supporting data, tests and oversight?

All this brings up a couple of, IMO, VERY important questions:
IF such supplemental braking systems in towed vehicles are so terribly important for the safety of every other vehicle on the road:
WHY has no consumer protection agency ever done any testing to see if such systems really do what the manufacturer claims?
WHY, with the safety oriented governments that we currently have, at all levels, are such systems NOT required by most state laws, and not required by FMVSS?

cwit wrote:
I am all for brakes on toad and safty cables but please tell me how you hook up the brake away brakes on hydralulic brakes. I can see it on electric brakes but not hydraluic.

..Obviously every system has a different approach, but with Readybrake's Readystop system, you have a physical cable attached to the brake pedal, that is routed to front of vehicle. The cable goes through a 'one-way' box, that allows the cable to be pulled on, but once pulled will not release. This cable is attached via a break-away cable to the MH.

In the event of a break-away, the break-away cable is designed to break when just the right amount of 'pull' is put on it, enough to pull on the cable and engage the toad brakes (that will then stay engaged, due to the 'one-way' box I mentioned above).

You can 'release' the cable on the one-way box, by pushing in a release button on it.

Electronic systems all push on the brake pedal one way or another, so with them, all thats needed for break-away is a simple electric wire that is run to the front, so that when the break-away is pulled, it signals the brake system to push on the brake pedal and engage the brakes that way.

Not a whole lot different, really, than the way its done with electric brakes on trailers.

I am all for brakes on toad and safty cables but please tell me how you hook up the brake away brakes on hydralulic brakes. I can see it on electric brakes but not hydraluic.

dubdub07 wrote:

UsualSuspect wrote:

dubdub07 wrote:

ArchHoagland wrote:
Seems to me in a panic stop I like the idea of eight brakes instead of four.

The facts are four huge MH brakes do most of the stopping and the four tiny brakes on the TOAD are doing very little to stop the whole thing.....I think that most people put a lot of stock in little brakes.

I figured if trailer brakes stop trailers, have safety chains and break away switches, my toad should have them. In the big scheme of things toad brakes are a drop in the bucket compared to what you spent on the rig, and what you spend for maintenance.

A trailer that weighs 10K is heavier than most trucks that pull them. Different dynamic. If I have 5 tons pushing my 4 ton truck, I had better have 8 sets of brakes. The same 5 ton trailer will push my 16 ton MH more than a 2 ton car or SUV, but still weighs a third of the MH. Not sure where you get your maintenance done, but my Jeeps brakes are as much as the maintenance I do on my MH.

As I said before, I do have a supp brake system, so I really don't have a dog in this fight. But I am realistic as to its limitations.

In my case, my toad weighs more than most do, but I always subscribe to the thought when I had a trailer that trailer brakes stop the trailer, and truck brakes stop the truck. Trailer brakes should never be stopping the truck, unless of course the truck has no brakes, and in most cases the truck can stop a heavy trailer if the trailer brakes fail, just takes longer. Same with safety chains, was lucky enough not to use them as it always stayed hitched, just like the breakaway, my guess most never use theirs, but it is there just in case. Just my 2 cents, but if the OP chooses not to use them, and worse case scenario happens, hopefully he steps up and takes responsibility.
It is like riding a bike, I am not required to wear a helmet while peddling around, but I do, at my age I have found any edge I can get I will gladly take, I am enjoying myself to much and want to make sure I do what I can so I can keep rolling.

UsualSuspect wrote:

dubdub07 wrote:

ArchHoagland wrote:
Seems to me in a panic stop I like the idea of eight brakes instead of four.

The facts are four huge MH brakes do most of the stopping and the four tiny brakes on the TOAD are doing very little to stop the whole thing.....I think that most people put a lot of stock in little brakes.

I figured if trailer brakes stop trailers, have safety chains and break away switches, my toad should have them. In the big scheme of things toad brakes are a drop in the bucket compared to what you spent on the rig, and what you spend for maintenance.

A trailer that weighs 10K is heavier than most trucks that pull them. Different dynamic. If I have 5 tons pushing my 4 ton truck, I had better have 8 sets of brakes. The same 5 ton trailer will push my 16 ton MH more than a 2 ton car or SUV, but still weighs a third of the MH. Not sure where you get your maintenance done, but my Jeeps brakes are as much as the maintenance I do on my MH.

As I said before, I do have a supp brake system, so I really don't have a dog in this fight. But I am realistic as to its limitations.

I think the point is that supplemental brakes are just that, supplemental . They are a good idea but some think they are the holy grail to stop on a dime and absolve any risk of negligence. They aren't. If anyone thinks that smaller brakes on a vehicle being drug along that's 1/4 the weight of the mh - at the most- will reduce your stopping distance by half then you place your faith falsely . As I said, they They are a good option but not required or needed in a lot of cases. They can even create problems and risk. Some on here make it seem that if you don't have them you have no business driving a mh and that's just not so. If you have them and like them or need them , fantastic . Some don't . Stick to the law and whatever helps you sleep at night . But the sky is not falling.

dubdub07 wrote:

ArchHoagland wrote:
Seems to me in a panic stop I like the idea of eight brakes instead of four.

The facts are four huge MH brakes do most of the stopping and the four tiny brakes on the TOAD are doing very little to stop the whole thing.....I think that most people put a lot of stock in little brakes.

I figured if trailer brakes stop trailers, have safety chains and break away switches, my toad should have them. In the big scheme of things toad brakes are a drop in the bucket compared to what you spent on the rig, and what you spend for maintenance.

dubdub07 wrote:

ArchHoagland wrote:
Seems to me in a panic stop I like the idea of eight brakes instead of four.

The facts are four huge MH brakes do most of the stopping and the four tiny brakes on the TOAD are doing very little to stop the whole thing.....I think that most people put a lot of stock in little brakes.

LOL...Yep and I'm one of them.

ArchHoagland wrote:
Seems to me in a panic stop I like the idea of eight brakes instead of four.

The facts are four huge MH brakes do most of the stopping and the four tiny brakes on the TOAD are doing very little to stop the whole thing.....I think that most people put a lot of stock in little brakes.