Toad Brake Choice

[doc]

I really don't want to get into hacking the electrical system on my jeep and certainly not the plumbing of the brakes on my jeep and was wondering, as someone else did earlier, about the proportional braking of the Brake Buddy. Is this old technology or what? Would like to be able to remove it and place it in another towed if I need/want to. I could run a hot wire to keep the battery charged on jeep. Could you guys do good/bad list on the BB?

[ShapeShifter]

Originally Posted by doc

I really don't want to get into hacking the electrical system on my jeep and certainly not the plumbing of the brakes on my jeep and was wondering, as someone else did earlier, about the proportional braking of the Brake Buddy. Is this old technology or what? Would like to be able to remove it and place it in another towed if I need/want to. I could run a hot wire to keep the battery charged on jeep. Could you guys do good/bad list on the BB?

Just keep in mind with any of those brake-in-a-box systems that while they are easy to move to a new toad, you will be installing and removing it EVERY time you connect and disconnect the toad. Many people find that to be cumbersome in the long run.

On the other hand, a system that you install in the toad (like Ready Brake, US Gear Unified Tow Brake, M&G, etc) takes more work to do the initial install, but you only have to do that once. In the long run, it's less work to spend half a day installing it once, than to spend the time to insert it and remove it every time you tow. Then when you trade toads, it's again more work to remove and re-install it, but in the long run it's probably going to be easier.

Me? I'm too lazy to install and remove something every time. I'd much rather take the initial up-front time to install it once, and then not have to worry about it after that. I wired mine up in the same electrical umbilical as the lights, so for my system the only extra work the brakes require when hooking and unhooking the toad is to clip on or remove the break-away cable. There's no lugging a bulky box in and out of the toad, and I don't have to worry about being lazy and thinking I don't need to install it this time since it's going to be a short trip -- it's always there and working.

[Samc]

Brake Buddy; good
-- relatively inexpensive (check fleabay; I got a supposedly refurbished, but actually new and with warrantee, unit for about $500, including the remote monitor thing and breakaway)
-- no hacking anything. the hardest part of the install is running the wire for the breakaway (not a lot of firewall penetrations on a JK)
--you can move it to another toad (practically anything, in fact), or sell it with no or minimal un-install; just the breakaway, which I wouldn't bother to remove.
--it works; time-tested, proven. Meets any legal requirements, too.

not-so-good
--the "classic" is either on or off; you set the sensitivity and how hard it applies the brakes, and that's what it does. There's no driver on-the-fly control. The newer style is more proportional, and moderates the braking to match the decel sensor, which is better.
--set up involves physically putting it in the vehicle. It has to be "installed" and removed each time, so there's a little extra work. Not much, but it's there.

I like it because it's probably the simplest, least-effort, least-cost solution, and it works. On the other hand, it's not as slick as the permanently installed systems.

[Pollo man]

Has anyone had the experience of installing the US Gear brake onto a Buick Enclave? We now have the system on a Honda Accord and are going to transfer it to the Buick. The solinoid is pressently installed under the seat in the Accord, but now trying to figure out where to place it in the Enclave. Checked under the driver's seat, and checked the passenger firewall; neither seems to have enough room.

Gary