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Old 02-25-2017, 06:48 PM   #1
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Towing with My Entegra

I hope this doesn't get yanked over to the towing forum since I would like opinions from my Entegra family...

We recently bought a 2012 Nissan Exterra (manual transmission) to transition from trailer towing to four down towing. The Nissan is well suited for flat towing. My problem is trying to narrow down the almost unlimited towing options for bars and braking systems....

For those that tow four down, what things do you know now that you wished you knew when getting into four down towing.

Any guidance would be appreciated!!!
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Old 02-25-2017, 07:50 PM   #2
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I bought all stuff from a company named DEMCO. It is not the most popular (Blue OX and Roadmaster), but when I studied all the options, it came up as the strongest towbar with the strongest construction and the easiest toad light system that I found described at the time. It was also price competitive with everything else (bought mailorder off the net). I bought their Excali-Bar tow bar. It is a 10,000 -12,000 # rated tow bar.... all steel and stainless steel. It is heavy (~ 40#) but it stays on the coach so I didn't see why I was worried about taking it on and off..... it is on all the time. This is a seriously strong tow bar..... it is built well, solidly welded, and nicely powder coated unit. I also liked their system because the baseplate on the Honda DR-V is reasonably unobtrusive. I have seen some more concealed baseplates (Roadmasteer??), but I have seen tons that make the front of your car look like a used steel hauler. I wanted the Honda to look as much like a "normal" non-towed car as possible, within reason.

But what probably convinced me as much as anything else was their towed car brake light system(which is a "diode type" system (the diodes separate your toad from the coach so the electrical systems are isolated)) (which is designed for each car and is a "take apart two connectors in the Honda, and insert two Demco plugs, and then plug it all together again and run one wire up to the front of the car underneath of the car system". Most cars brake light assemblies are made to be replaced at some point and have a plastic wiring connection between the toad bus electrical wiring harness and the stop light assembly. The DEMCO brake light system simply asks you to pull that apart and insert their plug between the two separated connectors, push everything together, and run the one wire bundle (2 or 3 little wires in one larger wire), up to the front bumper of the car. They give you a connector for mounting on the front. Finally, they sell you a 7 pin to 5 pin pigtail coiled heavy duty wire to run from the 7 pin circular light plug on the back of your Entegra to the front of the toad and the connector you just installed. One of the nicest parts of this is that they give you a steel rod for the pigtail cord between coach and toad to mount on when not in use on the tow bar itself. That seemed really smart.... You leave the pigtail wire on the towbar when you unhitch. I have been using the DEMCO system now for almost 4 years and I would buy it all again. The bar looks brand new.... I have replaced the pigtail cord as it now comes with the wire junction with the plugs completely "potted" (Filled with some waterproof resin of some sort) to keep those connections waterproof. I can connect the Honda to the coach in less than ~ 2 minutes and disconnect in less time..

An Air Force One toad braking system completes the system, and I would buy that again a hundred times if I had to do it. Bought it from shops on the internet and paid about $1,000 and then had it installed complete for about $350.. SOLID SYSTEM for a reasonable cost. Just my solution to the puzzle but I have no regrets. Would make the same decision today.

Gary
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Old 02-25-2017, 07:57 PM   #3
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Ready Brake

I went with the Ready Brute system. Only used it on two trips but I like the simplicity and not nearly as expensive as some of the other options.
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Old 02-25-2017, 08:03 PM   #4
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If I did a do-over I would go with the ReadyBrute Elite setup. Works well, simple, low cost.

Now using Blue Ox towbar with Brake Buddy. Primary reasons for what I have: Found used for a good price.
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Old 02-25-2017, 08:07 PM   #5
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I use all Roadmaster towing equip. The electrical setup I got from etrailer and just plugs in like Gary describes. I also added a relay setup so the brake lights don't override the turn signals, also a Roadmaster setup.
For me Roadmaster is a better setup, but I live about 15 miles from their HQ too.
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Old 02-25-2017, 09:08 PM   #6
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Lifetime warranty tow bar and brake system all in one. It has worked perfect on two different toads for me. Easy to transfer the toad brake cable.
ReadyBruteâ„¢ Elite RV Tow Bar
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Old 02-25-2017, 09:12 PM   #7
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I use blue ox and M&G braking system, the blue ox has lasted a total of 53,000 towing miles so far so happy with it. the brake system is 100% proportional and is always ready to go, no screwing around putting this in or taking this out or hitting a bump and not working,i would really look at their systems. i hate all elec systems but that is me.
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Old 02-25-2017, 09:41 PM   #8
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We've used Blue Ox products until recently.

We now use a Demco Excalibar II rated at 10,500#. As Gary states, it is a quality USA built product.

Demco offers a classic baseplate..

http://www.demco-products.com/assets...ts/tp20186.pdf

The corresponding Blue Ox baseplate is here..

https://www.blueoxtowbars.com/vehicl...pe_id=337%2C82

Regarding braking systems, we currently use a Roadmaster system that was left over from a previous vehicle. It functions fine, but I greatly prefer the M&G Braking Systems device.

Wiring setups are available from vendors such as Demco and Hopkins. Unfortunately I couldn't locate a plug-n-play setup for your Xterra, so using a universal kit may be your only option.

I hope this helps,

-Matt
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Old 02-25-2017, 10:16 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hobart22 View Post
I use blue ox and M&G braking system, the blue ox has lasted a total of 53,000 towing miles so far so happy with it. the brake system is 100% proportional and is always ready to go, no screwing around putting this in or taking this out or hitting a bump and not working,i would really look at their systems. i hate all elec systems but that is me.
Same here - we have a Blue Ox towbar and the M&G brake system for our Jeep. Easy to hook up and it just works.
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Old 02-26-2017, 06:42 AM   #10
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One of the best braking system is the Air Force One, directly proportional air braking system. It uses the coach's air system to activate the TOAD's system and is an easy plug and play system that stays in place and once installed, and requires only an air hose quick hook up between coach and TOAD.
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Old 02-26-2017, 07:18 AM   #11
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we tow a 4 door jeep with the roadmaster set up ... we use the blue tooth technology wireless magnetic blinkers.. we do not use any type of extra braking
device... its not needed ... only for maybe legality reasons in some states...
I will take that risk.. flat towing is super easy and convenient .. a lot a years I used a 18 foot flatbed trailer,, glad I made the switch..
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Old 02-26-2017, 07:52 AM   #12
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Well Lowjug, I was with you until you said that you don't use a toad braking system and it is not needed except for being legal in some states..... Well, that last thing is a pretty big deal in my opinion and I disagree with your judgement. If there is a law about toad vehicles, there is a reason for it, probably, and in my opinion, it is safety. If you have no toad braking system, then you have no toad break away braking either, meaning if your toad completely separates from your coach for some reason, then the toad is going to be a 3,000 to 8,000 pound missile careening down your lane, or worse crossing over into the opposite lane and heading into traffic head on. A break away toad is a serious thing, for your own and other peoples safety and it happens. And if it ever happened and it was realized by the accident investigators that you had no toad break away device on your coach/car for braking it and your car hurts or kills someone, even a completely incompetent lawyer would be able to take your estate for every penny that you have to your name. For a $1500 investment, I would never take that chance.

And the other reasons that virtually all of us run toad braking systems is that the toad back there is real weight, real momentum. I only pull a Honda CR-V but some of you pull Suburbans, F-150s, and Hummers behind your coaches and although you may think that you have more than enough braking power in your coach, that additional weight will increase your stopping distance if it is not helping in the process. I have put about 45,000 miles on my coaches. I had a 40' Dynasty tag axle, and found myself in one of those situations where we were traveling down a highway with stop lights but a 45 - 50 mph speed limit. Some complete moron was following me and decided to pass. it was 4 lanes so it was fine. However after he passed me and gained a little distance, the light turned to yellow. All logic would dictate that that motorist would go on through the intersection (I would have), but instead that moron spiked his brakes and came to a complete and sudden and unexpected stop in front of me. I had no where to go, and hit the Dynasty air brakes hard. It was very close, and I felt like I cold feel the toad pushing me up into him. It got the coach stopped inches from his bumper, but the experience made a real impression on me..... I had no toad braking on my Honda then, and I quickly added it to the Honda after that experience. My belief was that the toad force/ momentum when I was panic stopping was pushing the back of the coach up in the air and reducing the friction/ braking of the drive and tag tires.

My personal opinion is that everyone who drives one of these things needs a toad braking system. You can not have one, but you are leaving yourself open to real problems. JMHO. You may never have a problem, but if you do, you have left yourself open to LOTS of liability.

Gary
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Old 02-26-2017, 08:08 AM   #13
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I wasn't going to cover that aspect of the discussion, but seeing as the OP is gathering info, here is a resource regarding towing laws by state.

Towing Laws | BrakeBuddy - Braking systems for motorhomes towing a vehicle

I'm not going to spend the rest of the day verifying the accuracy, particularly as I've made my decision years ago.

I think Gary effectively covered the bases for those in favor of braking systems.

Perhaps we can sidestep the debate and focus on what equipment works well.

-Matt
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Old 02-26-2017, 08:53 AM   #14
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I really appreciate all of the input. I was very interested in the DEMCO, but they don't make kits for my Xterra. One suggestion that I'd never seen was the Ready Brake. That looks very interesting. Tow bar and braking in one. My one question on this setup is the big ring hanging out of the front of the bumper? It looks like that just hangs there when not in use?

Well, this morning I'm crawling under our rig to see if a connection on the rear is the coach half of an Air Force one unit. More research to do!

thanks again
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