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 09-01-2015, 06:23 PM   #57
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 30
Mine works great and has for over 16,000 miles of towing. Don't recall mine!
Mikee 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 09-01-2015, 07:16 PM   #58
Senior Member
 
JacknKay's Avatar
 
Tiffin Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 597
Isn't the Brakemaster only for RVs with air brakes?
__________________
Jack & Kay
2015 Allegro 32CA Ford Chassis
FMCA #341229
JacknKay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2015, 09:25 PM   #59
Senior Member
 
walt2137's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Quitman MS
Posts: 2,967
Yes Jack
__________________
Walt & Will
2000 Dynasty
2017 Ram Big Horn Crew C 4X4 w/ M&G
walt2137 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2015, 05:48 AM   #60
Senior Member
 
Clayobx's Avatar
 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Willow Lakes RV & Golf Resort, FL
Posts: 3,163
Murphy's Law

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikee View Post
Mine works great and has for over 16,000 miles of towing. Don't recall mine!
now you've done it Mikee! Read back a couple of pages for my then glowing review!
__________________
Clay & Pebble
2012 Providence 42 M. Spartan Chassis, 450 ISL
Ford Edge toad, RM All Terrane, TST TPMS, SMI Air Force One, RVM95....
Clayobx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2015, 06:19 AM   #61
Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by TXwannabe View Post
Had an Invisibrake installed at Camping World back in January this year. Have used our MH on a couple of weekends away and 2 major trips. Upon returning home after each major trip, have discovered that the "monitor wire patch cord, part 450008", which is a simple male to male cable that powers the brake and connects the MH to the Toad has come undone at one end or the other and has dragged on the pavement long enough that the wire is ruined. Of course, the brake no longer functions when this cable is not connected.
So, am about to order my third cable. Its not an expensive part ($6.99 on e-trailer.com), but annoying that I am having to replace this again.

Anyone else have this issue? any solutions to suggest?

Consider rewiring your 6 or 7 pin plugs to add the monitor wire so you don't have a separate plugin.

On the MH 6/7 pin, remove the backup lights wire, tape it up and secure it near the plug in case you want to use it in the future. Now insert the monitor wire from the MH dash into that plug pin.

On the towed 6/7 pin, insert the monitor wire from the controller in the backup light pin.

Now the only wire you have to plug in is the umbilical. By the way, you should periodically check for tight connections on the plugs and umbilical.

Good Luck!
view2a.thril is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-2015, 07:48 AM   #62
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 5
I don't own an invisibrake but seems to me that it should be wired in such a way that the system ONLY operates when connected to a towing vehicle. I've read about diodes getting wet and shorting out when people are driving the TOAD and causing all sorts of havoc. If the wiring to the compressor is only completed when it is connected to a towing vehicle it would not be a danger to operate the towed vehicle by itself. Has anyone considered how to wire it up to operate only when "hooked up". I'm considering buying one but have been concerned about all the issues.
Seabear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-2015, 04:28 PM   #63
YC1
Senior Member
 
YC1's Avatar


 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: FL
Posts: 11,385
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seabear View Post
I don't own an invisibrake but seems to me that it should be wired in such a way that the system ONLY operates when connected to a towing vehicle. I've read about diodes getting wet and shorting out when people are driving the TOAD and causing all sorts of havoc. If the wiring to the compressor is only completed when it is connected to a towing vehicle it would not be a danger to operate the towed vehicle by itself. Has anyone considered how to wire it up to operate only when "hooked up". I'm considering buying one but have been concerned about all the issues.
Unless they have modified the design, any water intrusion in the socket on the front of the toad, moisture on the diodes, moisture or dust and dirt with moisture on the umbilical cord, or the socket on the rv, CAN LEAD TO brakes locking up.

Here is what I believe happens. Running light voltage leaks across the contacts and then either holds the brakes on OR in extreme cases it can ACTUATE the brakes.

As an example: Driving in heavy rain the other day with the Invisibrake, it decided to self activate. Our headlights were on so voltage was present in the front socket. I know for a fact the socket was spotless because I had to chase issues recently and had every connector apart.

You can imagine how dangerous it was to have to put my foot to the floor to get enough power to get to the side of the road. We were in the middle lane and had to get to the side. Just got lucky.

If I had my tools the brake system would be rusting along I4 in Florida now. I crawled over the back seat and unplugged it.

Let me premise all of this with the fact that I am a Senior Certified Electronic Tech working on specialty vehicle systems now for 40 years.

After a few e-mails from the company and their last one suggesting I fill the front socket with silicon to seal out moisture I can assure you I will not be using this brake ever again. It has a treacherous sensitive input circuit that could be easily modified.

I am thinking a major recall and perhaps the NTSB should check out the danger of this thing.

Ok, there I said it. There have been too many folks with brakes and tires needing replacement.
__________________
Certified Senior Electronic Technician, Telecommunications Engineer, Telecommunications repair Service Center Owner, Original owner HR 2008

.
YC1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-2015, 11:08 PM   #64
Member
 
PDXDisco's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 54
I have seen people on this forum say they've never had a problem with their Invisibrake. Mine began applying the brakes on my tow vehicle when disconnected. I took it to the factory in Vancouver, and they said they fixed it. They took me to their test lab, and proved it to me. Then it did it again. I had them remove it, and put a Brakemaster in, which they did at no charge, and did a few other things for me as well.

I would personally NEVER risk installing the Invisibrake again. It takes me 20 seconds to install or remove my Brakemaster. That 20 seconds is worth it, because I know it will only apply the brakes when it's clamped onto my brake pedal and plugged into the air line.

I have said before, and I will repeat, that I believe the Invisibrake should be recalled, and pulled off the market. It is a flawed product as designed and manufactured. It is only a matter of time before somebody is seriously injured or dies.
PDXDisco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2015, 06:33 AM   #65
Senior Member
 
Clayobx's Avatar
 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Willow Lakes RV & Golf Resort, FL
Posts: 3,163
Agreed. RM reply to my issue of the toad brakes activating full pressure while detached and driving to town, burning up new pads and damaging rotors, was fill the socket with silicone! NOT! The system is a liability and will never be used again. I'm writing a formal letter to Road Master asking for a replacement of Brakemaster. If no response Motorhome magazine and FMCA are going to get involved. I know their sponsors for the publications but this is an extreme safety hazard and the product much like the sixties Corsair must be taken off the road. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT IT COULD CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE DEATH!
__________________
Clay & Pebble
2012 Providence 42 M. Spartan Chassis, 450 ISL
Ford Edge toad, RM All Terrane, TST TPMS, SMI Air Force One, RVM95....
Clayobx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2015, 11:52 PM   #66
Member
 
PDXDisco's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 54
I had to replace the car end connector on my wiring cable this summer. I ended up cutting the cable because there was so much clear silicone caulking caked around the connectors. Roadmaster did this to try to eliminate current bleed-through. They did the same with the socket on the coach, and at the car end. They replaced the original diodes with their "in-house" diodes, which they claim are completely sealed. NONE of this prevented the problem from occurring again. I am no electronics engineer, so I didn't want to mess with this anymore. As a consumer, if a product has proven itself to be unsafe twice, despite a claim from the manufacturer that they have fixed the problem, I'm done.

Incidentally, I replaced my Roadmaster Sterling tow bar this year, because mine was 12 years old, and they told me 10 years is the useful life. The fact that a Freightliner dealer in Michigan improperly installed my hitch lock, which worked out, causing my to bar to disconnect and drag on the ground made the decision even easier. To the credit of the tow bar system design, my car suffered zero damage.

I am sold on Roadmaster tow bars, and I love the performance of the Brakemaster. I just had the dealer check my brakes, and they said they have plenty of material left, and appear in great shape. This is on a 2012 with almost 40k miles on it driven, plus about 25k towed. Obviously, the Brakemaster is working well, and not over-applying my brakes. I was also very impressed with their responsiveness to my problem, and willingness to take back the Invisibrake, and install a brand new Brakemaster at no charge. They also took care of a problem with my bracket mount caused my the removal of two of the attachment bolts by the shop that installed my light bar/winch mount. They fabricated a custom mount, no charge. They made sure that everything was working before I left the factory.

The fact that I was dealing directly with Roadmaster at their factory, and not Camping World, made a huge difference. I just don't agree with their decision to keep the Invisibrake on the market, and not recall the existing installed base. I believe this will come back to bite them in the form of a civil suit, probably for wrongful death. I told them this, but they seem to feel that my experience is either an anomaly, or that I was mistaken about what occurred. I know that the latter is not the case, and I suspect from the other cases I have heard and read about that they are mistaken about the former. Time will tell.
PDXDisco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2016, 06:44 PM   #67
Senior Member
 
Thor Owners Club
KZ RV Club
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Washington, Columbia River
Posts: 838
I was considering the Invisibrake just today, and happen across this thread. I buy one, probably never have a problem, but just reading all this, I OUT.
YosemiteBobR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2016, 08:10 PM   #68
Senior Member
 
TwelveVolt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,115
Roadmaster Invisibrake problems

Would a simple pull-down resistor on the brake light input line address the stray current issue? This assumes that the brake light signal can supply much more current than the leak through a salt/dirt trace.

Probably irrelevant, because I stopped by the Roadmaster booth at the show today and asked if this problem had been addressed. "What problem???"
TwelveVolt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2016, 09:01 PM   #69
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 337
We gave up towing because we had so many problems with the car and motorhome. We love Enterprise and they love us?
brabono is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2016, 09:02 PM   #70
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 337
Forgot to say, it was invisibrake. Installed by two different companies
brabono is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
brake



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
Dealers for Palazzo Problems & Thor Slide Problems "007" Thor Industries Owner's Forum 29 11-10-2015 05:29 AM
Invisibrake by Roadmaster vs Unified Tow Brake by US Gear sdofirst1 Toads and Motorhome Related Towing 6 03-15-2014 10:51 AM
Roadmaster Active Suspension Nick B Trailer Towing and Tow Vehicles Discussion 0 03-10-2014 10:17 AM
EGR soot cleaning to have less replacement problems tom chelbana Cummins Engines 2 02-14-2014 08:09 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:07 AM.


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