SMI vs. US Gear toad brake

[John_Canfield]

My buddy decided on the US Gear Unified Tow Brake (and he likes it) and I was leaning toward buying that one for the new Jeep Liberty toad.

I'm a lurker on the Newmar forum and some folks there were extolling the virtues of the SMI system. It looks pretty good, particulary the silent partner model which is wireless control to the toad unit. Also the brake actuator is a cylinder that mounts on the brake pedal arm and pulls on a cable dead-ended on the firewall. The SMI system looks pretty slick.

Comments?

--John

[John_Canfield]

My buddy decided on the US Gear Unified Tow Brake (and he likes it) and I was leaning toward buying that one for the new Jeep Liberty toad.

I'm a lurker on the Newmar forum and some folks there were extolling the virtues of the SMI system. It looks pretty good, particulary the silent partner model which is wireless control to the toad unit. Also the brake actuator is a cylinder that mounts on the brake pedal arm and pulls on a cable dead-ended on the firewall. The SMI system looks pretty slick.

Comments?

--John

[Dave Smalley]

John I have a SMI system. It works great very easy to hook up and test makes you feel safe. I did purchase a New m/h like yours and switched the system over had a little problrm but the hot line helped out till problem solved.

[JanBCarter]

John: We've just bought an '05 Liberty for a toad, so I've also been looking over auxiliary brake systems. The SMI units look like a very sanitary installation and stay away from clamping something onto the brake pedal which seems kind of mickey mouse to me. However I don't like the thought of messing with the TOAD brake system by cutting into the vacuum line either (for warranty as well as other reasons). I'll look for your follow-up comments with interest on this subject.

[bobpie]

you still clamp something to your brake peddle with the SMI (Mickey Mouse)

[JanBCarter]

Bobpie: Thanks for the input. If I understand it however the link is not something that is taken off and on to use the vehicle (as with the brake pro or others). It is a cable that pulls on the brake pedal when activated and stays attached during normal operation of the toad. When the driver uses the brakes in normal operation, the cable slackens when the brakes are applied. Please correct me if this assumption is not correct so we have the right info. Thanks

[Fred B.]

Jan,
I installed the SMI unit & it works great. Like the idea of just turning it on & off we go. I didn't cut the vacuumn line, I just pulled it off of the source, put in their Tee & a short length of vacuumn line with the check valve in it. If it took me a minute to uninstall the vacuumn set up I'm sure I would be yakking to somebody. (probably about how good this system is).

[GreyDog]

John,
It seems we are tracking on very similar gadget paths. I have the SMI unit. Before purchasing SMI, I evaluated numerous other solutions (including US Gear). I felt the US Gear was the best of breed because of the in the cockpit manual control. US Gear's solution is labor intensive and expensive to purchase and install. US Gear requires hard-wiring through the whole rig and toad.
SMI, on the other hand, can be self-installed. The manufacturer (owner) is an avid RVer and very accomodating. They were of great assistance during the installation process. Additionally, their after market support is excellent. The technology employed by SMI is both proportional and progressive...to actuate the system, two conditions must be present; brake application and inertial shift. There is no easier system to use while navigating the byways and highways of the North American continent.

[John_Canfield]

First poster Dave - welcome to the forum.

Thanks all for the comments about US Gear/SMI.

Jan -
It is a fact of life for toad braking that there is some rube goldberg engineering to actuate the brake peddle. Some push (the so-called brake in a box) and some pull via a cable (US Gear & SMI).

US Gear uses a cylinder that mounts under the seat or on the firewall and pulls the brake arm via a cable & pulley directly under the brake peddle arm. SMI uses a cylinder bolted on the peddle arm and pulls on a very short cable attached to the firewall. Both systems are intended to be permanently mounted.

I'm looking for a permanent mount system because I don't want to move a box around. Storage space is priceless, especially since we will be full-timing when we get rid of the stick house. We lived on a sailboat for a few years and every cubic inch of space was accounted for.

--John

[ISLAPP]

I am very happy with my SMI wireless unit. The box in the car wouldnt fit under my seat. The seat was just a tad to low to the floor. So I have it sitting on the floor behind the seat. If I need the space for passengers, it takes about 1 minute to move the box out of the way.
The control panel inside the motorhome gives you the ability to adjust the response any time you need it. For example, if you are on city streets where you dont need alot of toad braking, you use that setting. The is the setting I usually leave it in. It works fine for expressways etc. also. But the other weekend, we were in W. Va. on some pretty stiff down hills. I switched it to the latch position which gave me instant braking on the toad along with the motorhome to help keep the speed down on the downhill. That way the toad isnt "pushing" the motorhome down the hill.
I did elect to have a dealer instal the portion in the car. I installed the motorhome side of it. And I agree the mfg. is more than helpful with any questions you have.
Mike

[Kiwi]

John,
If you have a diesel pusher with air brakes, please don't exclude the M&G Engineering system from your evaluation/search.

The system is so simple, foolproof, and maintenance free that it is well worth a look.

Essentially it puts air over hydraulic brakes on your toad. Yet, the brakes do not apply with only exhaust brake activation.

Walt

[tomsm]

John,
I agree with Walt. Unless you've already investigated and eliminated the M&G system, you really should look into it. Some of most knowledgeable posters like Cruzer and Joe-K have had positive things to say about it. You do have to accept Freightliner's CYA statement, but in MHO, that's all it is.

The system uses zero electronics (nothing to fail) and doesn't move your brake pedal. In fact, nothing is installed inside the toad. The actuator is between the vacuum booster and the master cylinder.

If you should decide on the M&G, the shop that installed mine is fairly close to you. It's a small one-man shop, but Pete does a very professional job. Here's a link

[John_Canfield]

Tom & Walt,

M&G has a very loyal following and the unit has simplicity on its side for sure. I'm just very very reticent to tee into the Freightliner air brake plumbing. I realize it is a very small risk, but nonetheless it is still a calculated risk the the M&G won't have a catastropic failure which affects the coach braking. I just can't get past this fear...

--John

[3huskies]

Jan,
I use the Brake Buddy and there is nothing mickey mouse about it's clamping system at all. Very easy to connect and disconnect and rock solid and no screwing with the mh brake system. There is a reason it is the most popular system out there...reliability. There is also no problem storing it. It's basically a 1'square box.