To Brake or .....

rvdawg · 01-20-2007, 04:31 PM

I'm back with another question for all of you that have been at this for awile. Got my toad (Jeep Wrangler) got a aventa lx tow bar, wired and ready to go, but what about a toad brake. I'm thinking 3k toad behind a 20K MH, maybe save the money, have a alot of experience towing and really wondering if it is worth the expense and hassle of installing one in this situation.

You're thoughts will be welcome..

Thanks

rvdawg · 01-20-2007, 04:31 PM

I'm back with another question for all of you that have been at this for awile. Got my toad (Jeep Wrangler) got a aventa lx tow bar, wired and ready to go, but what about a toad brake. I'm thinking 3k toad behind a 20K MH, maybe save the money, have a alot of experience towing and really wondering if it is worth the expense and hassle of installing one in this situation.

You're thoughts will be welcome..

Thanks

TXiceman · 01-20-2007, 04:43 PM

It is hard to put a price on safety. When we had motorhomes and towed a dinghy, we used a dinghy brake system with a break-away feature.

Some states require brakes on towed loads over a certain weight and some ague that towed car is not he same as a trailer. It doesnot mater if you have 3000# of car or 3000# of rocks, it is 3000# more to stop and the motorhome does not know the difference.

Also, check you chassis rating. Some require brakes on towed loads over 1500#.

Ken

smlranger · 01-20-2007, 04:49 PM

Brian:

If for no other reason, think of a breakaway situation. It can happen and a supplemental braking system may prevent injury or worse to others. Also, the supplemental system does reduce stopping distance. Even with my MH at 25K lbs. and my TOAD at 4700, I can tell the difference when I need to stop in a hurry.

IMO, no matter how careful you are, you will have instances in which you need to bring the rig to a stop quickly.

Hikerdogs · 01-20-2007, 06:16 PM

Both the Ford and Workhorse chassis recommend a braking system. Ford says the brakes on the coach are only rated for the GAVW. If the total weight of the toad and the motorhome are below GAVW (not the GCVW) you're technically ok

Depending on the chassis Workhorse recommends a braking system when towing over 1,000 lbs or 1,500 lbs.

skigramp · 01-20-2007, 06:40 PM

Brian & Gayle ...

On a different bulletin board ... a fellow ended a long thread on braking by saying

"If you have an accident with your rig with an unbraked Jeep in tow ... do you want a lawyer to ask you in front of a jury 'Why were you operating an unsafe motorhome and tow vehicle combination'? "

Spend the bucks .... buy the braking system

Y-Guy · 01-20-2007, 10:56 PM

I did a quick look and MN Laws require dingy brakes if you are over 3,000#.

Towing Laws

Ron-in-Tn · 01-21-2007, 06:24 AM

I have an 05 Jeep Grand Cherokee toad that I brought with to TN from Alaska and used the Brake Buddy. No hard wiring to install and can be set up and ready to go in under 5 minutes....just as quick to remove when you want to use the toad. I use a mag mount set of aux brake/tail lights that plugs into the back of the coach. The Brake Buddy worked great for us coming through the mountains of Alaska and Canada. You can set the sensitivity on the unit to meet your needs and it comes with a remote sensor that plugs into your 12v power outlet in the dash (cigg lighter) and lights up when the system activates. Also, if I'm not mistaken, it's actually law in some states as well as Canada that you must have a brake system on your toad. Like I said, the whole system including the aux. lights takes me all of about 5 minutes to install....very easy and very effective...IMO. Hope this helps.

rvdawg · 01-21-2007, 08:47 AM

OK the lights come on, just ordered a Blue Ox apollo, with the break away, and the remote alert system..

Thanks all for your imput, I do want to do this right..

Gary the Wombat · 01-21-2007, 08:50 AM

We use a Roadmaster Even Brake when we tow our Wrangler, and it really makes a difference. Especially when we have to go through towns with a lot of stop lights and idiots that cut in front and then step on their brake thinking we can stop in the same distance! I actually think our rig stops in less distance with the toad and brake system than when not towing.

Some people prefer the simplicity of of a built-in system, but we don't have "air" so this was the easiest way for us to go. It only takes a couple of minutes to set up in the morning, and the Even Brake box easily fits in the corner of the basement, or in the back of the Jeep.

gundred · 02-21-2007, 01:13 PM

I tow a 1999 Wrangle behind a 2002 Bounder 33R. I use Ready Brake, easy to install, less expencive than other systems, works good, My Jeep has a 4" lift so tow bar is straight on with hitch. Good luck. Bill