Tow Bar with built in Brake?

[AKIQPilot]

Originally Posted by Allentc2

Those look great!

I see most of these have a round 7-pin (I assume) connector in the front. I much prefer this look, and I suspect the cover over the receptacle is better than the rubber bit on the flat 4-pin that came with the Hopkins harness. This is probably a stupid question (I suspect I know the answer) but how does that round one install in the bumper? All the ones I've seen have like ribs or something running along the length of the cylinder. I'm guessing you just drill a slight bigger hole?

Most people are actually using the 6 pin female receptacle on the bumper of the toad. The reason for this is because most umbilical cords are 7 pin on the motorhome end and 6 pin on the toad end. The 6 pin receptacle gives you 2 extra unused connections that you can wire for additional features as you see fit.

Out of the 6 connections you will use 4 for the toads brake and blinkers as follows: Ground, Brake, Left Turn, Right Turn. The two unused connections can be used for a charge wire and a brake light feedback wire or anything else you want to use them for.

The turnbuckle idea is a very good one. This will make fine tuning the braking system very simple.

Great videos from the WeRmudfun guys. I watched all of them before deciding on the Ready Brake.

[Curiosity]

Thanks for the great pictures but I do have a question.

Are you running both the ReadyBrake cable AND the Break Away??

Do they both connect to the brake pedal?

[hohenwald48]

Originally Posted by Curiosity

Thanks for the great pictures but I do have a question.

Are you running both the ReadyBrake cable AND the Break Away??

Do they both connect to the brake pedal?

Both cables do connect to the brake pedal and they are separate cables and I used separate pedal clamps. That way a failure of one system will not cause both systems to fail.

The day to day cable needs to move in and out to apply and release the brakes as needed. The Break Away cable only needs to move in one direction so the brakes stay applied when the cable is pulled.

[TUCK55]

Originally Posted by Curiosity

Thanks for the great pictures but I do have a question.

Are you running both the ReadyBrake cable AND the Break Away??

Do they both connect to the brake pedal?

Yes I use both and they are connected to the brake pedal.

[markarbogast]

I just installed this tow bar system for my coach and 2008 Wrangler. Works great. Highly recommended

[Chargerman]

Does anyone else have the Hercules bar? If so, have you had any trouble with the arms locking over into travel position?

[ebourlet]

Been using the ready brute for a few years now. I love it. Simple to use and no extra brake atatchments to deal with every time you tow. The people at NSA are great to deal with.

[LarryinID]

Sheesh. Why such complication?

I use Brake Buddy, and there are others like it. It requires no installation. You set it on the floor, plug into cig lighter, do the startup and off you go.

In general you should not be using brakes when going down passes, which I do all the time living in Idaho. But when you do tap the brakes on the RV or manually downshift to slow the RV then the Brake Buddy applies the toad brakes. You can see it work on the lights on the indicator plugged into the RV lighter and connected wirelessly.

There are several systems like this.

[hpykmpr47]

We have been using a Ready Brute tow bar now 5 years and it has performed great.Simple to put on,hook up and use.I personally would not use any other system.We tow a 2014 Jeep Wrangler behind a 2016 Entegra Anthem. We have had 0 problems with this ssystem...Alan

[LarryinID]

Originally Posted by AKIQPilot

The install is simple. Took barely an hour and I removed my front bumper and welded a small sleeve in place so the cable had a flat (not angled) surface to bolt through.

I like the Smittybilt bumpers but really any bumper with recovery tabs welded on it will work just fine. If the bumper has a flat, vertical surface just below the winch that will be a super simple bumper to do the install on. The brake cable needs to be mounted in the very center of the bumper. Up and down height isnt super critical but it needs to be in the center of the bumper left and right.

You drill 2 small holes in the firewall directly in front of the brake pedal. You route the brake cable down the frame toward the bumper. After getting past the radiator and spinning fan you put a S in the cable sonit can land in the center of the bumper. You cut the cable housing, insert the plastic housing end and run the plastic end through the bumper.

The brake away system is even easier. Mount the red box on the frame and run the cable directly to the brake pedal through a second smaller hole you drilled. Try to avoid pinch points where the cable could get wedged in between things like spring towers and the frame.

I used a Hopkins wiring kit and connected it to a 6 pin female electrical socket.

I will take and post some more pictures tomorrow.
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Ah yes, this reminds me. There is a little installation with the brake buddy. You have to attach the breakaway switch to the bumper and run its wire into the cabin to plug into the brake buddy.

[thundr56]

Installed Ready Brute Elite myself over a year ago. One thing I had to adjust for operation was the cable run to the brake pedal. When I first towed the toad the tie-wraps (fastening the cable/sheath to the toad frame) weren't strong enough to restrain the cable sheath during braking and the cable/sheath moved a little. That resulted in slack in the line and maladjustment. After checking my routing and beefing up the capture of the sheath with large hose clamps it's been fine since.
You need to install the turnbuckle for practical brake adjustment. I'm amazed that NSA doesn't provide the turnbuckle with the unit.
Another thing I do in my analness is to run a bungee to the brake pedal in the toad so as to provide a little back pressure to ensure the brake (or brake light) is not the least bit engaged unless really braking.

[TedJP]

This type of braking system has been around a very long time on boat trailers. In that application they are called surge brakes. Same principal. Good system.

[MTK46]

Not really the same as surge brakes.
I can't speak about how they work on a Jeep but work great on my 2014 F-150

[NavyGravy]

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

I have been using the ReadyBrute Elite with built-in ReadyBrake for 6 years with no problems.


NSA has the same thing now except steel instead of aluminum and is rated at 12,000 lbs instead of 8000. Not sure what they call that one but I would definitely get it.

Hercules. Its cheaper too oddly, but has a lot more ability.