Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > MOTORHOME FORUMS > Toads and Motorhome Related Towing
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 06-18-2009, 10:36 AM   #29
Senior Member
 
wa8yxm's Avatar
 
Damon Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 24,024
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingDiver View Post
Common sense will tell you that the more braking you have available, the shorting your stopping distance will be in an emergency. You might be legal, and you might be within the engineering design limits, but that doesn't mean you don't need all the breaking power you can get.

joe
There is one problem with your reply JOE.. The first two words

You are 100% correct of course, Common Sense SHOULD tell you just what you say it should.

However far too often I find Common Sense is ... Not all that common.

Hence, this thread

And as I said, Joe Paxton wrote "IN another ten years we will have 1,000,000 lawyers, well over 10 years ago, and those millions (now) of lawyers all want to get paid.

Common Sense says if someone (not you of course cause YOU have common sense and thus aux brakes) rear ends me cause he could not stop in time cause he did not invest in aux brakes.... One of those lawyers is going to GET PAID!
__________________
Home is where I park it!
wa8yxm is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 06-18-2009, 10:43 AM   #30
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,378
And as I said, Joe Paxton wrote "IN another ten years we will have 1,000,000 lawyers, well over 10 years ago, and those millions (now) of lawyers all want to get paid.

Seen on a billboard in Tampa Florida that was put up by a lawyer"

CALL ME AND WE WILL SUE SOMEONE
melvonnar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2009, 10:59 AM   #31
Senior Member
 
Texas Boomers Club
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Cypress, Texas USA
Posts: 8,854
Quote:
Originally Posted by robert h View Post
When doing all these calculations they all fail to factor in the responce time it takes for a 40 year old; a 50 year old; a 60 year old; a 70 year old; reaction times it takes for these different age groupes are different; this affects stopping distance as much as how much break shoe a motorhome has.
Once the foot is on the brake pedal, the mathematics take over, so response time for any given age group in your posit becomes a constant with the variant being braking system performance.

Unless, of course, you're trying to make the argument that a 50 year old doesn't need an auxiliary braking system while a 70 year old does. If that's the case, I'd still respond that a 50 (or 60 or 70) year old with an auxiliary braking system can stop in a shorter distance than a 50 (or 60 or 70) year old without one.

Rusty
RustyJC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2009, 12:29 PM   #32
Senior Member
 
blacktie.shooter's Avatar
 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Vancouver, USA (WA, that is) the first one!
Posts: 302
Quote:
Originally Posted by RustyJC View Post
Once the foot is on the brake pedal, the mathematics take over, so response time for any given age group in your posit becomes a constant with the variant being braking system performance.

Unless, of course, you're trying to make the argument that a 50 year old doesn't need an auxiliary braking system while a 70 year old does. If that's the case, I'd still respond that a 50 (or 60 or 70) year old with an auxiliary braking system can stop in a shorter distance than a 50 (or 60 or 70) year old without one.

Rusty
Exactly, Rusty, I don't know how many more ways we can say it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wa8yxm View Post
There is one problem with your reply JOE.. The first two words

You are 100% correct of course, Common Sense SHOULD tell you just what you say it should.

However far too often I find Common Sense is ... Not all that common.

Hence, this thread

And as I said, Joe Paxton wrote "IN another ten years we will have 1,000,000 lawyers, well over 10 years ago, and those millions (now) of lawyers all want to get paid.

Common Sense says if someone (not you of course cause YOU have common sense and thus aux brakes) rear ends me cause he could not stop in time cause he did not invest in aux brakes.... One of those lawyers is going to GET PAID!
Well put. I was trying to figure out how to say this without sounding rude, lecturing, pedantic, offensive, ad infinitum. Your last line is really the bottom line for this whole thread. What else is there anyone has to know?
__________________
Ken & Carolee, 1994 36' Pace Arrow/Ford 7.5L, Mobil 1 full syn & Banks Pack. Towing a 1999 Saturn SL2 with Roadmaster Sterling All-Terrain & Brake Buddy.
blacktie.shooter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2009, 02:08 PM   #33
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,378
I thought that this whole discussion was about stopping distance; not to be argumentive but I would include a panic stop to be from the time the hazard is seen till the time it takes to stop. reaction time has to be included in that equation. If your calculating from the time the brakes are applied ;there is no argument that more braking area wins.
melvonnar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2009, 02:13 PM   #34
Senior Member
 
Texas Boomers Club
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Cypress, Texas USA
Posts: 8,854
We're saying the same thing - for a given individual (i.e., reaction time is constant), more braking wins.

Rusty
RustyJC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2009, 04:57 PM   #35
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,378
The original question----are aux brakes necessary? answer: yes----and --------no'---- not necesary----but you pay your money and take your choise.
melvonnar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2009, 06:37 PM   #36
Moderator Emeritus
 
TXiceman's Avatar
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Bryan, TX when not traveling.
Posts: 22,942
Blog Entries: 21
Quote:
Originally Posted by robert h View Post
The original question----are aux brakes necessary? answer: yes----and --------no'---- not necessary----but you pay your money and take your choice.
The ONLY answer is YES, aux brakes are necessary...no matter how you try to argue it. The extra braking may make the difference between stopping or crunching.

Ken
__________________
Amateur Radio Operator (KE5DFR)|No Longer Full-Time! - 2023 Cougar 22MLS toted by 2022 F150, 3.5L EcoBoost Tow Max FX4 Lariat Travel with one Standard Schnauzer and one small Timneh African Gray Parrot, retired mechanical engineer
TXiceman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2009, 07:01 PM   #37
Senior Member
 
mrschwarz's Avatar
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Texas Boomers Club
Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 929
Send a message via Skype™ to mrschwarz
Quote:
Originally Posted by RustyJC View Post

MH alone = 6.4 BTU/square inch
MH + toad, no auxiliary brakes = 7.7 BTU/square inch
MH + toad, auxiliary braking system = 4.0 BTU/square inch

I leave it to the reader to draw his/her own conclusions.
So, what is the maximum amount of heat that a brake system can dissipate? Is 7.7 BTU/ sq. in. reasonable? Does that mean the driver has to step on his brakes harder, but can stop in the same distance by converting the forward motion of a larger mass to heat in the same amount of time (distance)?

What about tire traction? Is this far enough above or below the tires ability to grip the road that it shouldn't be part of the equation?
__________________
Michael
2017 Allegro Bus 45OPP, Cummins ISL 450, Allison 3000
mrschwarz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2009, 07:20 PM   #38
Moderator Emeritus
 
TXiceman's Avatar
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Bryan, TX when not traveling.
Posts: 22,942
Blog Entries: 21
More tires on the road with brakes will do better than fewer tires with brakes.

Ken
__________________
Amateur Radio Operator (KE5DFR)|No Longer Full-Time! - 2023 Cougar 22MLS toted by 2022 F150, 3.5L EcoBoost Tow Max FX4 Lariat Travel with one Standard Schnauzer and one small Timneh African Gray Parrot, retired mechanical engineer
TXiceman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2009, 08:47 PM   #39
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Grayson, GA
Posts: 905
I tow a Ford Focus -- only about 2,300 lbs. Have a braking system and the breakaway system in place. Would not even think about towing without it in place.
__________________
Dave and Karen -- '02 Ultimate Advantage 36 C, 350 HP Cummins, Allison 3060 Tranny, 2013 Ford Edge, InvisiBrake
David K is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2009, 06:50 AM   #40
Senior Member
 
Texas Boomers Club
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Cypress, Texas USA
Posts: 8,854
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrschwarz View Post
So, what is the maximum amount of heat that a brake system can dissipate? Is 7.7 BTU/ sq. in. reasonable? Does that mean the driver has to step on his brakes harder, but can stop in the same distance by converting the forward motion of a larger mass to heat in the same amount of time (distance)?

What about tire traction? Is this far enough above or below the tires ability to grip the road that it shouldn't be part of the equation?
There are many factors beyond the heat dissipation example I provided, but the significance of the calculation is that an auxiliary brake system can make a tremendous difference in brake loading.

Not addressed is the key factor - how much heat can the brakes absorb/reject per unit of time. In other words, how many BTU per square inch per second can the braking system absorb into the drums/discs (a function of mass) and subsequently reject to the atmosphere in radiation and convection? A stop from 60 MPH in, let's say, 5 seconds is much more of a challenge for the braking system than a leisurely stop made over 30 seconds. Assuming that all decelerative force is provided by the braking system (it's not - rolling resistance, aerodynamic drag, drivetrain frictional losses, etc. are all working to slow the rig), the same amount of energy is dissipated as heat in either case, but the BTU per square inch per second that the braking system must handle is 6 times greater in the first case - much more likely to produce brake fade, smoking pads, boiling brake fluid, etc.

This is where the benefit of the auxiliary braking system also comes into play by adding mass and square inches to the overall braking system, thus providing a larger heat reservoir while reducing the BTU per square inch per second heat load that the brakes must deal with in a given stop.

Rusty
RustyJC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2009, 08:20 AM   #41
Senior Member
 
Korryp's Avatar
 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Sammamish, WA
Posts: 175
Quote:
Originally Posted by David K View Post
I tow a Ford Focus -- only about 2,300 lbs. Have a braking system and the breakaway system in place. Would not even think about towing without it in place.
Replace Focus with Escape and add some additional weight.
I agree 100%.

Life is to short to gamble on your life or someone elses.
__________________
'07 Fleetwood Bounder Diesel 38N
Brazel's added: MP-8, Aero Muffler, Koni FSD Shocks, Bell Crank and Comfort Ride Control Valves. '08 Ford Escape Hybrid, Brakemaster 9100
Korryp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2009, 09:05 AM   #42
Senior Member
 
read & learn's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Edgewater, NJ-Now touring the USA
Posts: 955
Whether you decide to use aux brakes or not, is your decision, which is your choice and nothing anyone states here will change your mind.
Now this is my decision. When you rear-end me in a accident because you could not stop. I WILL ask the responding Police Officer to check if you have a AUX braking system and if it was connected.
This way that information will be in the Police report as Vehicle 3 hit Vehicle 2 that was being towed by Vehicle 1. Vehicle 2 had proper required CAR IN TOW sign on rear window. Vehicle 3 did not have aux braking system as required by law.
It is because many people do not care about the law or care if they have enough insurance that we carry 1 million dollars of UNDER insured motorist insurance.
__________________
2005 KSDP 3910-----2007 Jeep Liberty

THE MIND IS LIKE A PARACHUTE, IT MUST BE OPEN TO WORK
read & learn is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
My History of Brake Fluid & Brakes Petro Workhorse and Chevrolet Chassis Motorhome Forum 15 11-28-2008 04:29 PM
Brakes come and go Just Because Fleetwood Owner's Forum 12 11-12-2008 03:10 PM
Brakes come and go Just Because MH-General Discussions & Problems 3 10-12-2008 01:36 PM
Aux. brakes Craig H Toads and Motorhome Related Towing 4 02-06-2007 03:59 PM
Aux brakes with a tow dolly mrschwarz Toads and Motorhome Related Towing 23 08-06-2006 03:07 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:03 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.