Alpine-Toad Towing Problem- Help!

[rnskareon4u]

I'm a single female RVer in my 06 Alpine I've had for one year. I am new to this site and do note know where to post this question. Has any Alpine owners had toad towing problems related to the Roadmaster Brake, the one with the cylinder on the toad pedal? Specifically: the toad brake ONLY stays depressed consistently with the RV brake pedal engaged when the headlights are on or, either right or left blinker is on, otherwise is vasolates on and off every 4 seconds as do the tail lights on the RV and toad. Lots of $$ has been spent to try to figure out the problem and Roadmaster is stumped also. So far the only fix is driving with the headlight!?

[takepride]

Wow. Sounds like it's mis-wired. When you say Roadmaster is stumped, does that mean they saw it, or were they discussing it via phone?

If you are or can be in Quartzsite January 16-24, Roadmaster usually has their technicians stationed at the West side of the main RV Show tent. Call them first to verify and they can probably troubleshoot it for you.

We always have then rebuild our towbar each year (it's free).

Otherwise, an automotive technician at an RV center (like Camping World or Coach Care, etc.) can troubleshoot it. Just have the installation instructions available, they can be downloaded from the Internet.

[Nick Escamilla]

I have the same system. You have hydraulic brakes on your Alpine which means you have to convert your hydraulic system to an air system through a proportioning valve. It sound like the valve is hooked up wrong. My guess is, if the braking system works when you apply the brakes, the valve is not properly grounded, it's probably getting a feed to ground through your lights,and or turn signals.

[Retiredfields]

Turning off and on every four seconds, or so, reminds me of the Vansco built in circuit breaker going off and on. This happened on my towed wiring until I installed a relay directly to the battery. Not sure if this applies to your wiring setup.

[MRL]

We have the Brakemaster by Roadmaster also. Ours was installed by the dealer in WA when we bought it, and 3 days later in Reno, NV it woke us up at 2 am with the air tank recharging and the coach's brake lights on. We had to turn off the chassis 12v supply to get the unit to stay off. As we were several hundred miles from the dealer and WRV was still in business at the time, I found out that Alpines with the Vansco system receive a -12v signal when the brake is applied, and the Brakemaster wants a +12v. After several schematics were exchanged, I still wasn't sure what was causing our problem and how to correct it. And the tech at Roadmaster wasn't any help. I finally removed the main fuse for the unit so that it couldn't recharge. We pulled our Jeep with the lights connected but not the brake back to Albuquerque, NM. When we found out that my wifes next nursing assignment was going to be up in WA, we went back to the dealer, and got the same technician to rewire the unit. He now knew how to fix ours, as he had learned how to deal with the Alpine. It took him no time to add another relay, in addition to the one he had previously installed. I don't have a schematic, but the tech is Lew Foerster at Uhlmann RV in Chehalis, WA. www.i-5rvs.com
Good luck in your travels...