Something new?? January 31, 2012, 05:59:57 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128232In the big tent at Quartzsite I saw a tow bar with the toad brakes mechanism built in. Cable operated, direct to the brake pedal. Looked pretty simple. I wonder how well it would work. Dave
Re: Something new?? Reply #1 – January 31, 2012, 06:51:23 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128235Ready Brake. I have one. Works great. Google it.
Re: Something new?? Reply #2 – February 01, 2012, 05:20:01 am Yahoo Message Number: 128246I have it also. Not a new product Dave. I'm not sure how long it has been on the market though.You can purchase the entire tow bar with brake built
Re: Something new?? Reply #3 – February 01, 2012, 07:13:56 am Yahoo Message Number: 128247On Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 5:19 AM, Edward Abrams wrote:Quote I have it also. Not a new product Dave. I'm not sure how long it has been on the market though. You can purchase the entire tow bar with brake built in (Ready Brute I think) or the just the brake if you have a tow bar. The cable is run thru the firewall of the toad to the brake pedal. I'm using a 2005 Jeep Liberty as my toad.Ed I watched the installation video. It seems only slightly less complicated than running 12v wires. They did not cover what is installed in the RV. I would think running the cable so it would not bind would vary from toad to toad. I would like to read the opinions of those who have used both surge brakes and systems like US Gear.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Something new?? Reply #4 – February 01, 2012, 08:18:03 am Yahoo Message Number: 128248If this is the same item, I was looking at one at an Auto Zone or Napa
Re: Something new?? Reply #5 – February 01, 2012, 08:26:45 am Yahoo Message Number: 128249I assume you're talking about the ReadyBrute tow bar with the integrated ReadyBrake braking system? We had this system on our Honda Element which we towed with our Lazy Daze. Put it on in 2004, so it's been around at least since then.Linda Hylton http://earl-linda.blogspot.com
Re: Something new?? Reply #6 – February 01, 2012, 08:34:47 am Yahoo Message Number: 128251Have you been happy with the results of it?jameshttp://timehasshownme.com__ From: Linda & Earl Hylton elh3946@...> To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 9:26 AM Subject: [LD] Re: Something new??I assume you're talking about the ReadyBrute tow bar with the integrated ReadyBrake braking system? We had this system on our Honda Element which we towed with our Lazy Daze. Put it on in 2004, so it's been around at least since then.Linda Hylton http://earl-linda.blogspot.com
Re: Something new?? Reply #7 – February 01, 2012, 08:43:10 am Yahoo Message Number: 128252We were happy with it.Linda Hylton http://earl-linda.blogspot.com
Re: Something new?? Reply #8 – February 01, 2012, 08:50:19 am Yahoo Message Number: 128253QuoteI watched the installation video. It seems only slightly less complicated than running 12v wires. They did not cover what is installed in the RV. I would think running the cable so it would not bind would vary from toad to toad. I would like to read the opinions of those who have used both surge brakes and systems like US Gear. Nothing is installed "in" the RV. Unless you want to install the In-Dash Brake Indicator. It was included when I purchased my Ready brake. I have not installed it. It is not necessary for the Ready Brake to function. It lights up when the Ready brake actuator arm is compressed. You run the wires from the tow bar to where ever you place the indicator light on your dash. Of course it would need some 12V power. The cable runs through a non moving "conduit" from the bumper of the toad to the brake pedal so bends in the cable are possible, sharp turns in the cable are not. I also have surge brakes on a boat trailer on they have performed well for me. It is why I did not hesitate to purchase the Ready Brake. Ready Brake is a much simpler application of my boat trailers surge brakes. Both use the forward motion of the toad/trailer to apply the brakes. I'm not familiar with US Gear.
Toad Brakes Reply #9 – February 01, 2012, 09:14:58 am Yahoo Message Number: 128254I understand what you are talking about Edward. I would like to hear from someone who is familiar with both surge brakes and the electrically operated US Gear and SMI types. I consider these to be the gold standard of toad brakes. Of course, I could change my mind.and yes, I would want the In-Dash Brake Indicator installed.On Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:50:16 -0000, "EdwardA" lancecamper921@...> wrote:
Re: Something new?? Reply #10 – February 01, 2012, 10:15:34 am Yahoo Message Number: 128256I have an OLD Brake Buddy, maybe 15yrs old, that works fine and has been refurbished at the factory. I like it because I can easily put it in any vehicle I want to tow. I have also towed a boat that was ~10k (we tried the boat type RVing) on a trailer with surge brakes. Butttt - I'm not really a fan of either, you have no control over the brakes, what if you need to activate the trailer brakes and your vehicle is not slowing? The surge brake and, I suspect, the BB Tend to drag on long down hills, which causes brake wear, overheating, and fade. JMOODave W
Re: Toad Brakes Reply #11 – February 01, 2012, 10:26:37 am Yahoo Message Number: 128259On Feb 1, 2012, at 10:14 AM, Don Malpas wrote:Quote and yes, I would want the In-Dash Brake Indicator installed. Yes I agree Don. I want one also. IMHO I would not choose the free In-Dash Brake Indicator included with Ready Brake. While it indicates that the ready brake is compressed and the actuator arm has moved. It does not actually confirm the toad's brakes are applied. An example would be if the aircraft cable became unhooked or loosened. Unlikely but possible. I would choose a different brake monitor. The manufacturer sells a wireless one for $260. Anyone have a suggestion for a better brake monitor.Ed[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Toad Brakes Reply #12 – February 01, 2012, 10:59:03 am Yahoo Message Number: 128260Quote I understand what you are talking about Edward. I would like to hear from someone who is familiar with both surge brakes and the electrically operated US Gear and SMI types. I consider these to be the gold standard of toad brakes. Of course, I could change my mind.and yes, I would want the In-Dash Brake Indicator installed. When we first set up our Jeep Wrangler to tow in 2002 we went with a surge brake essentially the same as the ReadyBrake. While it seemed to work as advertised, after 4 or 5 years, corrosion caused a cable inside the brake mechanism to fail. Instead of just replacing it, I researched tow brake options and decided to upgrade to the US Gear system for a number of reasons. I wanted the breakaway feature to stop the toad in case of any failure that caused the toad to detach. I wanted the proportional braking with the adjustable gain control. I liked the ability to manually apply just the toad brakes. It's nice to see the green light when it is properly hooked up and see the amount of braking signal being sent to the toad brake controller. If the electrical umbilical comes out you get an audio warning signal. I did replace the 4-wire tow light cable with a 6-wire cable to carry the extra two signals for the US Gear system. We have used this system for something like 50,000 miles of towing.HTH, Art
Re: Toad Brakes Reply #13 – February 01, 2012, 05:06:01 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128267Ready Brake indicator light is connected to toad brake light circuit. Brake light comes on only when brakes activted. While it indicates that the ready brake is compressed and the actuator arm has moved. It does not actually confirm the toad's brakes are applied.
Re: Something new?? Reply #14 – February 01, 2012, 05:07:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128268Nope. My Ready brake is separate from tow bar.
Re: Toad Brakes Reply #15 – February 01, 2012, 05:42:21 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128269I forgot to add another very important feature of the US Gear system. It has a vacuum pump to enable the power brakes on the toad, so that the braking is much more efficient.Art
Re: Toad Brakes Reply #16 – February 01, 2012, 05:53:20 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128271In another forum, an RVer installed 2 indicator lights; one as per instructions to show surge activated and one that told him the brake pedal was actually engaged. We installed Ready Brake in December, will eventually get 2nd indicator. Pulled Jeep Liberty down only one 6 or 7% grade, so far, but brake worked flawlessly.
Re: Something new?? Reply #17 – February 01, 2012, 08:52:18 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128274"My Ready brake is separate from tow bar." Night Shift Auto (now NSA RV Products) started with the ReadyBrake, but a couple of years ago they introduced a "ReadyBrute" towbar with integrated ReadyBrake--a neat solution at a much lower cost ($669 and up) than a separate Blue Ox or Roadmaster towbar and US Gear or SMI brake system. I've know several people who have ReadyBrake setups, and I've read all the comments I could find online about them. Nobody who owns one seems to have a bad word to say about it. The only caveat I've seen from owners is that you must follow the manufacturer's instructions with regard to lubrication. If you let the sliding part of the ReadyBrake mechanism dry out, it won't work smoothly. But a shot of grease every year or so is a small price to pay. It's true that because ReadyBrake lacks a vacuum booster pump, your toad brakes are not powered. In this respect the US Gear and SMI systems are superior... but they're also much more costly and complex. From all accounts, ReadyBrake provides adequate braking--as I said, owners have no complaints. I have a US Gear system myself, but only because I wasn't able to figure out how to install a ReadyBrake onto my Honda Fit. I've since learned that it's possible to do this, so don't take my lack of skill as a knock against the product. :-)Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Something new?? Reply #18 – February 02, 2012, 07:18:25 am Yahoo Message Number: 128280I'm not sure exactly when they came out with this, but it's what we had installed on our Lazy Daze and Honda Element back in 2004. The main reason we went with this setup versus some of the other tow bar & brake systems was the cost...we had everything installed for around $2,000...compared with at least twice that much for some of the other brands.Linda Hylton http://earl-linda.blogspot.com
Topic: Something new?? (Read 6 times)
previous topic - next topic
Topic: Something new?? (Read 6 times)
previous topic - next topic