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BrewdogMN · 04-12-2017, 07:56 PM

I am getting ready to hook a mini cooper to my motorhome. I was checking different brake systems and was considering M & G as well as AFO. I have not picked out which tow bar yet but am seriously considering the new Avail by Blue Ox. That being said, my embarressing question is what type of braking system do I have on the Newmar. Is it air only or air over hydraulic? I was looking at the AFO and apparently it hooks into your air system and is this something I can do without special tools. Have not watched their installation video yet.

Beach Aire · 04-12-2017, 09:00 PM

I have a 2012 Mountain Aire and am towing a 2012 Mini
I don't think you will find that the M&G system will work for you with the Mini.
I ended up going with the Airforce 1 system and have towed for 25,000 miles with no problems.
Biggest problem you will have is where to mount the Airforce 1 control box in the Mini.
PM me if you want to discuss further

Tigerfan1 · 04-12-2017, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrewdogMN

I am getting ready to hook a mini cooper to my motorhome. I was checking different brake systems and was considering M & G as well as AFO. I have not picked out which tow bar yet but am seriously considering the new Avail by Blue Ox. That being said, my embarressing question is what type of braking system do I have on the Newmar. Is it air only or air over hydraulic? I was looking at the AFO and apparently it hooks into your air system and is this something I can do without special tools. Have not watched their installation video yet.

It is an air brake system. I just installed the AFO system on the motor home and toad. Don' t need any special tools but you need to make sure you are tying in to the correct air lines on the coach. Before I cut into any air line I took pictures of the lines I thought were the correct ones to tie into and contacted the company and sent them the pics and they verified. Great company to work with and great brake system.

BrewdogMN · 04-13-2017, 09:06 PM

Thanks to both of you for your opinion. I will likely PM you when I start the project. First time I have ever worked on air lines.

Dutch Star Don · 04-13-2017, 09:25 PM

"BrewdogMN".....I'm an ardent supporter of the proportional air braking systems like the SMI Air Force One and the M&G unit, especially for towing heavy toads. But.....when it comes to towing something like a Mini with a large powerful motor home that has an engine brake, the Air Force One and M&G can be overkill. As a matter of fact, the only reason you need a braking system with the combination you have, is to be legal (braking system required on most toads).

With all that said, I would go with the NSA Ready Brake system. The brake is built into the tow bar. The whole system, tow bar and braking system, is HALF the price of any other braking system and tow bar. It's very effective and very simple to use. The installation is done on the car, (attaching a cable) with nothing to install on the coach.

If you do a search for NSA Ready Brake/Brute, you'll find nothing but happy campers. Here is a link to the product. Ready Brake Ready Brute Elite Tow Bar - By N.S.A. | HitchSource.com

The SMI Air Force One is a reasonably simple installation on your car, but I think you might be uncomfortable with the coach installation. It requires crawling under the center of the coach and cutting airlines, then running an airline to the rear of the coach. Here is a photo of the assembly you have to tap into.

BrewdogMN · 06-22-2017, 09:44 PM

I don't know if you all are still following this thread but I did go with the AFO and other than it took 10 times longer than the videos it was not too bad. I did have a trained installer do the light hook up on the mini, the brake pedal install and the coach install as I was out of time..... had to replace back up monitor/stereo also. The system works great however. Alternator went out on trip also but was first big trip and a lot of fun. Thanks for all the sage advice. It helped a lot.