Tow Brake Systems

[JohnH12]

Originally Posted by dennis45

You don't elaborate on what coach or toad you have so I'll tell you what I use on our Honda CRV behind our DSDP.

I have the Blueox Patriot which is similar to the Brake Buddy but in my opinion, a better device. The Patriot is a fully proportional Brake meaning it reacts to the coach braking action. The sensitivity is adjustable from the controller in the coach or on the Patriot itself. The default setting is 5 but I have found using it with a 3 setting works best for the CRV. I can tell you that the braking action is fully proportional as I proved this by having my son ride in the passenger seat and monitor the Patriot. It comes complete with the breakaway switch and wiring which some other systems do not. IMO, having a braking system without a breakaway is a total waste of money.

My first toad was a 2010 Ford Taurus. I had numerous problems with the setup on the Taurus because of the soft front on the drivers seat. After a few swollen blood vessels, I cut a piece of 3/8" thick plywood and placed it in front of the seat between the seat and Patriot. Problem solved. The CRV however has a stiff plastic bar on the front of the seat so this is not an issue. Set up is a snap.

I have had my Patriot for about seven years. The original failed after about two years and Blueox gave me a new one for about 1/3 the cost of new. The new one is a much improved device and has worked flawlessly for over five years.

The main advantage of the Patriot, aside from its advertised features, is the fact that it requires no modifications to your toad and is easily swapped from one vehicle to another.

Would I buy the Patriot again? Definetly. There are many choices for braking devices. Some maybe better than others but the Patriot has worked well for me.

Dennis45,
It sounds like you have the newer Patriot II 2016 model.
I had the original 2012 model and just got the new 2016 model.
The book doesn't mention anything about the sensitivity setting on the new one. The default brake force is still 5 but the new sensitivity default is 9.
I tow a 5600# F-150 and am not sure what settings to use.
The 2012 book had recommended force (gain) settings vs weight but the new model doesn't.
Any advice is appreciated.

[dennis45]

Originally Posted by JohnH12

Dennis45,
It sounds like you have the newer Patriot II 2016 model.
I had the original 2012 model and just got the new 2016 model.
The book doesn't mention anything about the sensitivity setting on the new one. The default brake force is still 5 but the new sensitivity default is 9.
I tow a 5600# F-150 and am not sure what settings to use.
The 2012 book had recommended force (gain) settings vs weight but the new model doesn't.
Any advice is appreciated.

Yes, I have the newer version. The previous was not a stellar device but this one is much improved. I set my gain manually at 3 because I felt it was braking more than required. I'm not conerned with the braking effect as much as having the breakaway feature and to protect the tow bar in an emergency braking situation. Hope this helps.

[Larry201]

Take a look at RVi Brake system. rvibrake.com

[hilgert]

Originally Posted by Larry201

Take a look at RVi Brake system. rvibrake.com

+1 on the RViBrake3.

[JohnH12]

Originally Posted by dennis45

Yes, I have the newer version. The previous was not a stellar device but this one is much improved. I set my gain manually at 3 because I felt it was braking more than required. I'm not conerned with the braking effect as much as having the breakaway feature and to protect the tow bar in an emergency braking situation. Hope this helps.

Thanks Dennis.
I talked with Jeremy at Blue Ox about the differences between the 2012 and 2016 models. He confirmed the sensitivity setting would control how much inertia was needed before the Patriot started to apply brake pressure. The default is 9 but he recommended a setting of about 5 for my application.
Also the 2012 had a chart that recommended brake force vs weight but the 2016 doesn't. My 2012 recommended setting for brake force was 7 for a 5600# toad. Jeremy recommended a force setting of no higher that 4 for the new model since it's faster and will more quickly apply brakes.
He also said the max force setting was the max force that would be applied even in a break away situation.
The YouTube video introducing the 2016 model showed the setup activating the brakes 5 times. My model only activates the brakes once and then it's ready to go.
The other difference is the caution about unplugging the Patriot when stopping for the day. I have a charge line from the coach to the toad battery so never did this with the 2012 and never had a toad battery issue even for 12 hour layovers. He confirmed that there is only a slight milliamp draw with the unit plugged in so it shouldn't be an issue with the new one either.
I like the versatility of the Patriot and would buy it again if necessary.

[kentdavido]

The RVI 3 braking system amazing. Blue Ox tow systems

[znt1186]

SMI Stay n Play w/Roadmaster Falcon All-terrain for me. This is my second Stay n Play and Roadmaster tow bar. Let the old ones go with the toad I sold. Never had an issue with either. Five minutes or less to hook up and go or to unhook when we get where we are going.

[Cooperhawk]

Originally Posted by kentdavido

The RVI 3 braking system amazing. Blue Ox tow systems

Kinda spendy.

[JohnH12]

Originally Posted by Cooperhawk

Kinda spendy.

It's actually less than the Blue Ox Patriot II.
Their comparison chart shows them against the original Patriot. I wonder how the response times compare against the new 2016 model.
I'm not sure I want a 7" control tablet on my dash though.
Bottom line, I believe they're all decent systems so what you're comfortable with is the way to go. I just like the idea of a portable system vs an installed model. It may take a couple of minutes to set up but who wants to rush things when Rving?

[Nasdaqsam]

Most systems have their positives and negatives but any system is better than none. Back when I had my Bounders both 36's I towed a Nissan Xterra with no brake system ..........but never had an issue even in emergency braking situations.

Of course what did I know I also used a solid tow bar set up which was all but impossible to hook and unhook with out 4 people involved, one to drive the toad, one to hold the bar up, one to feed me beers to actually get me to calm down and the last to carry me back into the RV to sleep off the beers.........and even then it took moving the toad 12000 times to line it up. People do not know how lucky they are with all these fancy schamncy tow bars with moving arms that have multi-directional hook ups. Oh and my old tow bar weighed like 600lbs....ok maybe that s little exaggerated but it was dam heavy.

The braking systems were few and far between and hardly anyone used them. Being older and wiser (Debatable) I wouldn't run a toad with out one even if not required by law. Of course there is always putting the DW in the toad and giving her a walkie talkie.........ahhhhhhh maybe not such a good idea if I don't want to sleep in the dog house.

With that said I have zero experience with any of the systems so nothing but a lot of research to go by. I ordered the RVI3 for my set up.

[LakeTahoe]

YIKES! Just bought our car last week. 2002 Subaru WRX to be towed behind 2002 Born Free. For many reasons this is the car I wanted and at 3065 lbs it's a nice weight to tow. Been reading non stop this week looking at what to buy for braking and although it should be simple it's not. I don't want a permanent installation and I don't want to buy the wrong brand. Setting up for towing is already a big expense. The tow bar, base plate and wiring are easy, but the brake set up needs to be easy and effective as well. I really don't want to be installing anything in the engine bay if at all possible, but if I must I will. It will only be used maybe 3-4 times per year.

[hilgert]

Originally Posted by LakeTahoe

YIKES! Just bought our car last week. 2002 Subaru WRX to be towed behind 2002 Born Free. For many reasons this is the car I wanted and at 3065 lbs it's a nice weight to tow. Been reading non stop this week looking at what to buy for braking and although it should be simple it's not. I don't want a permanent installation and I don't want to buy the wrong brand. Setting up for towing is already a big expense. The tow bar, base plate and wiring are easy, but the brake set up needs to be easy and effective as well. I really don't want to be installing anything in the engine bay if at all possible, but if I must I will. It will only be used maybe 3-4 times per year.

For low-install I'd suggest the RViBrake3...very easy in/out, and you can adjust braking force on-the-fly from the motorhome cockpit via the remote. This is version 3 of their system, and the company leader is the original owner/inventor of the BrakeBuddy (which he sold many years ago), so they do have a bit of experience in this area. I also recommend their Towed Battery Charger to avoid low battery from RViBrake3 and brake light usage, which is also an easy install.

[Karlos]

Lots of decisions when looking for a Toad package ... car, base plate, tow bar, braking system, break-away system, etc. I wanted a simple solution for my gasser RV (no air brakes) and the tow car my wife eventually chose (Fiat 500C).

Plan A. I decided the ReadyBrute Elite tow bar with integrated surge brake was the best solution for me. A very simple mechanical system with no need to modify the toad brakes. No extra machine to install on the driver floor each time. Break-away was also a simple mechanical system.

Purchased all the parts and started the install myself. The Blue Ox base plate install was a breeze. But I hit a brick wall trying to get the ReadyBrute brake cable routed through the Fiat firewall. This was not an issue with the ReadyBrute system. The Fiat had such a tight engine compartment and firewall covered with engine components, that I couldn't get access to drill the cable access.

Plan B. I concluded to abandon the surge brake and purchase a brake system for the toad driver foot well. After reading lots of reviews and forum comments, I bought the RViBrake3. Very happy with the choice.

The whole experience was a good one. The sales personnel where informative and helpful. They even accommodated an rush order. I had a couple installation questions that were answered quickly by phone from the support engineer. The installation was a breeze. I needed to run a wire for my break-away switch and that was pretty much it. The brake box is compact and light weight. Set it on the floor and snap on the brake pedal grabber, plug in power cable to the cigarette lighter and the break away wire. The box quickly runs the compressor then gives you audio prompts to set up. Simple, fast, foolproof.

In the RV, you have a wifi hub and tablet The tablet is designed to support the brake system and allow expandability for extra functions .... a leveling gage comes standard, and tire monitor system is available. I used the tablet for initial set-up and testing of the brake system, then didn't use it much afterward. The brake system provides visible feedback on the tablet via wifi when braking, but the system works without it triggered by the RV brake light signal and accelerometer. I expect the wifi hub and tablet would be more informative for the tire pressure monitor.

So .... after two months on the road and 6,000 miles, twice over the continental divide and a few panic stops .... the system has worked flawlessly. I highly recommend it for others shopping for a braking system.

[LarryinID]

Recently bought the Brake Buddy standard for my Jeep Patriot. The only installation is a wire for the breakaway switch.

It is trivial to use and so far works flawlessly. Hardly know the toad is there except when the remote lights say it applied the brakes...which isn't that often where I drive (from near Idaho City).

I did learn after first use to follow their instruction to take out the floor mat. The brake lights were staying on because the mat interfered with letting off the brakes. The actual brakes weren't engaged.

I was prepared to hook up motorhome power but haven't found it necessary. It goes 400 miles with little battery draw down. Note other cars may draw down the battery more on Acc but the Brake Buddy itself doesn't seem to use much once set.